Cyberpunk (studio album)
by Billy Idol

In my opinion it is the best album of his career. It is a totally conceptual work very ahead of its time. The album really manages through its sound to the listener on a trip to a future dystopian world. Many of its themes revolve around the birth of the Internet, the war against machines (as it says the album´s introduction "We are all becoming cyborgs"), virtual reality, the discociation of reality and freedom.
The segues help to introduce even more within the concept of the album as "Pre-shock", "Injection" (which serves as an introduction to the great cyberdelic song "Shangrila" - as well as using a sampler from the Cyberpunk movie, "Tetsuo: The Iron Man "), or the moment of tension in" Before Dawn ".
Songs like "Then The Night Comes" or "Mother Dawn" make reference to unplug yourself and feel more human (clearly all this before "Recap" where we hear the voice of the beginning and starts the cycle again with a new day within the opressive world of the album).
The virtual realities, conciousness and dissociation of reality are present in songs like "Adam In Chains", "Heroin", "Wasteland" and "Shangrila".
In "Neuromancer" he talks about the homonymous novel by William Gibson, which is considered the founder of the Cyberpunk movement.
In "Shock To The System" he talks about the riots in LA in 1992. I recommend watching the cyberpunk video clip of this song.

This album represented a break in the sound of his career using influences of electronic music like techno, house and neo-psychedelic. At the same time his most complex work.

I really believe that it is an album that deserves to be much more recognized as a masterpiece.
A year later David Bowie also released a conceptual work of industrial rock with use of segues, complex themes and non-linear stories called "1.Outside" and, like "Cyberpunk", was not recognized as it should.
I think it's time to listen to these albums again and recognize them importance as it happened with "Berlin" by Lou Reed.
This is a page about albums, and this album should be in a MUCH HIGHER position.

Totally underrated album - doesn't deserve the bandwagon hate that it gets. I'm not saying it is as good as Rebel Yell or anything, just that overall, it is pretty good.

From junodog4 01/22/2015 04:11 | #132205

A for effort, Billy. A total swing and a miss. No idea what he was aiming for here.

Unfortunately, a very underrated album.
Great album from my point of view.

From alelsupreme 03/02/2014 15:54 | #105124

ahaha oh my god that cover

More like instant piece of garbage. This album was poorly thought out, and Idol tried to popularize a subculture that didn't really exist yet.

Instant classic!