Rebel Yell (album)
Background and recording
Rebel Yell reunited the hit-making team of Idol, Steve Stevens, and Keith Forsey after their success with Idol's solo debut, Billy Idol) (1982). Idol got the idea to name the album "Rebel Yell" after attending a party with the Rolling Stones. He explained on VH1 Storytellers that people were drinking Rebel Yell) bourbon whiskey and he thought that would be a great title for an album. The title track) was recorded in only three days at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.
Background and recording
Working with Forsey were guitarist Steve Stevens, bassist Phil Feit and later Steve Webster), drummer Gregg Gerson, and keyboardists Judi Dozier and Jack Waldman. Drummer Thommy Price was brought in towards the end of the recording sessions.
Cover art
When Rebel Yell was in production, Idol had a disagreement with his record company over the image that would be used on the album cover: he saw it as flawed, but the company refused to change it. In response, Idol decided to steal the master tapes for the album and give them to his drug dealer so that he could blackmail the company, saying, "This guy I've given them to, he'll have them out on the street bootlegged in a couple of days if you don't change this picture." Forsey later recounted that Idol had actually taken the wrong tapes: "I let him think he had the masters ... He did whatever he had to do with the label. Everything was squared away, and then he came back and I said, 'By the way, Bill, I've got the real masters.'"
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