Whiplash Smile Tracklist
Released on 20 October 1986, Whiplash Smile is the third studio album by Billy Idol.
Idol had this to say about the making of the album:
Whiplash Smile had a lot of potential. It should have been a worthy successor to Rebel Yell, an album featuring a real band working, rehearsing, and recording songs collaboratively. But I insisted that I should be the only one writing the songs, and in true punk fashion I insisted on doing something completely different, making this album a synthesizer album. This might have worked if I’d been at the top of my game, but overall I slacked off. Left to my own devices, I fucked up and lost sight of what I could be. I threw away my guidebook of how to make a record. The result was an unfocused performance from yours truly, with a writing and recording process that resulted in alienating my partner Steve Stevens.
The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200. Its singles, “To Be A Lover,” “Don’t Need A Gun,” and “Sweet Sixteen” all peaked at in the top forties of the Billboard Hot 100.
