BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

“Eyes Without a Face” is a song by Billy Idol, co-written with guitarist Steve Stevens from Idol’s 1983 album Rebel Yell. The song is softer and more ballad-like than most of the album’s other singles.

Released on 29 May 1984, this was the second single from the Rebel Yell album. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Idol’s first Top 10 hit in the US. In the UK the single peaked at #18.

In the liner notes for the Expanded Edition of Rebel Yell, Idol notes that this song was one of the first three written for the album (the other two being the title track and “(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows.”) The original track was recorded in Studio A at Electric Lady Studios in New York, with a Linn drum machine and the bass parts played by Steve Webster.

The song is notable for the female voice of Perri Lister that sings ‘Les yeux sans visage’ (French for ‘eyes without a face’) as a background chorus.

The title of the song refers to French director Georges Franju’s movie Les yeux sans visage (1960).

In a retrospective review of the single, Allmusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco praised the song. He wrote: “The music plays against the dark tone of the lyrics with a ballad-styled melody comprised of yearning verses that slowly build emotion and a quietly wrenching chorus that relieves the emotional tension in a cathartic manner.

SIDE A:
Eyes Without A Face (Single Version) 4:10
Love Calling (Dub Version) 5:37

SIDE B:
Dancing With Myself (Long Version) 6:03
Rebel Yell 4:47

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Chrysalis ‎– WWS-50143
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM
Country: Japan
Released: 21 Sep 1984
Genre: Rock
Style: Pop/Rock, Synth-pop

CREDITS:
Arranged By – Steve Stevens
Producer – Keith Forsey
Written-By – Billy Idol, Steve Stevens

Find The 12″ On DISCOGS

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi