Stop the obituary column! If nothing else, Greatest Hits proves that Billy Idol lives. And no one seems more surprised--and naturally relieved--about that than the platinum-plumed, former Generation X man himself. Save a couple of cameo film appearances and rent-a-celebrity guest slots with the likes of the Who and Black Sabbath's Tommy Iommi, the last few years have been a downhill, demon-grappling descent into ill-health and white powder abuse for the motorbike-crashing, curly-lipped "Punk Elvis". And it's been that way since 1993's rotten, futuristic concept-album flop Cyberpunk. Greatest Hits not only features Idols' first new material in years (ok, so it's a cover of a song associated with Simple Minds, but this is actually a last-minute replacement for "Bitter Pill" which will now appear on his next studio album) but it also reminds us that in the 1980s, Billy Idol--and his never-mentioned-enough over-haired guitar-slinger Steve Stevens--had the populist touch with their America-friendly, melodious alloy of metal and polished-up punk. And that situation remains. "White Wedding", for instance, is now a record as ceremonially ubiquitous as Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday". And whilst "Rebel Yell" was never even slightly rebellious or even much of a yell, it certainly made for some energetic male bonding at certain over-lubricated Rugby Club social events (also included is a acoustic version of that song from LA's KROQ radio in Christmas 1993). Greatest Hits is the most comprehensive Billy Idol compilation available. Here's hoping his imminent comeback will contribute towards making his next compilation even better. --Kevin Maidment