''Whiplash Smile'' is the third studio album by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

singer

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

, released on 20 October 1986 by

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...

. After his successful album ''

Rebel Yell The rebel yell was a battle cry used by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Confederate soldiers used the yell when charging to intimidate the enemy and boost their own morale, although the yell had many other uses. No audio ...

'' (1983), Idol continued his collaboration with producer

Keith Forsey Keith Forsey (born 2 January 1948) is an English pop musician and record producer. Early life Forsey began his career as a percussionist in the mid-late 1960s as the drummer for The SpectrumCaptain Scarlet and the Mysterons - The Vault - Chris ...

and guitarist

Steve Stevens Steve Stevens (born Steven Bruce Schneider; May 5, 1959) is an American guitarist. He is best known as Billy Idol's guitarist and songwriting collaborator, and for his lead guitar work on the theme to ''Top Gun'' – "Top Gun Anthem" – for w ...

while writing and producing songs for the album. The album utilizes Stevens' characteristic guitar work,

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

beats, and

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

-heavy production. ''Whiplash Smile'' received generally mixed reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. Commercially the album noted a success similar to his previous album, as it peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' 200. In the United Kingdom, it reached number eight and also peaked inside the top ten in many other countries, such as Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and Switzerland. ''Whiplash Smile'' was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) and has sold more than two million copies worldwide. Three singles were released from the album, with "

To Be a Lover "To Be a Lover" is a song written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones originally as "I Forgot to Be Your Lover", but best known as a cover by Billy Idol on his 1986 album ''Whiplash Smile''. As the album's lead single, it became Idol's second to ...

", " Don't Need a Gun" and " Sweet Sixteen" peaking into the top forty on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "

Soul Standing By "Soul Standing By" is a song by Billy Idol from his 1986 studio album ''Whiplash Smile ''Whiplash Smile'' is the third studio album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released on 20 October 1986 by Chrysalis Records. After his successful alb ...

" was released as a single only in Australia and New Zealand.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes. * Billy Idol – vocals, guitars, bass *

– keyboards, programming, guitars, bass * Phillip Ashley – keyboards *

Harold Faltermeyer Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeier (born 5 October 1952) is a German musician, composer and record producer. Faltermeyer is best known for composing the "Axel F" theme for the feature film ''Beverly Hills Cop'', an influential synth-pop hit in the 1 ...

– keyboards * David Frank – keyboards *

Richard Tee Richard Edward Tee (born Richard Edward Ten Ryk; November 24, 1943 – July 21, 1993) was an American pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger, who had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as "In Your Eyes", "Slip ...

– keyboards *

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

– bass * John Regan – bass *

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name, she has an extensive background in the musi ...

– backing vocals on "To Be a Lover" * Connie Harvey – backing vocals on "To Be a Lover" * Janet Wright – backing vocals on "To Be a Lover"

Production

– producer * Dave Concors – engineer *

Neil Dorfsman Neil Dorfsman (born May 31, 1952) is an American sound engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Dire Straits, Bruce Hornsby, Mark Knopfler, Paul McCartney and Sting. He won Grammy Awards for Best Producer for Bruce Hornsby's ''S ...

– engineer * Dave Wittman – engineer * Debi Cornish – additional engineer * Moira Marquis – additional engineer * Bill Miranda – additional engineer * Steve Tjaden – additional engineer *

Gary Langan Gary Michael Langan (born 19 April 1956) is an English engineer, record producer, mixer and musician. Biography His career started at age 18 when he worked as an assistant engineer at Sarm East Studios, learning the craft from Gary Lyons and M ...

– mixing at

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...

(New York, NY) * Craig Vogel – mix assistant *

George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

– mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY) * Bobby Deluca – production coordinator * Jon Dworkow – production coordinator * Artie Smith – production coordinator * Billy Idol – art direction, illustration * Frank Olinsky (

Manhattan Design Manhattan Design was a graphic design collective in New York City from 1979 until 1991. The studio is known for having designed the MTV logo, as well as album packaging, posters, books, and magazines. They also conceived the adaptation of the MTV "m ...

) – art direction, illustration * Pat Gorman (Manhattan Design) – art direction, illustration * Albert Sanchez – front cover photography * Carolyn Greyshock – photography *

Herb Ritts Herbert Ritts Jr. (August 13, 1952December 26, 2002) was an American fashion photographer and director known for his photographs of celebrities, models, and other cultural figures throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His work concentrated on black a ...

– photography * John Peden – photography * Gary Allen – wardrobe stylist * Freddy Demann – management * Brigid Waters – management

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Authority control 1986 albums Albums produced by Keith Forsey Albums recorded at MSR Studios Billy Idol albums Chrysalis Records albums