10 Best Classic Rock Intros Of The 1980s

7. White Wedding - Billy Idol

Opening with a simple B minor chord arpeggio from Idol's songwriting partner and guitarist Steve Stevens over a pulsing single note bass line, 'White Wedding' saw Idol duplicate the MTV success of his previous hit 'Rebel Yell'. Stevens' input was the key to taking Idol's music up another level, at a time when every act sported a killer guitarist. Stevens was the perfect foil for Idol, both visually and musically.

Idol's transformation from '70s UK punk, fronting Generation X, into mainstream rock star was complete by the time 'White Wedding' did the business for him. Idol had made no secret of his ambitions to become a major star, enlisting Kiss manager Bill Aucoin to help him. Mission accomplished, with a little help from MTV and Idol's photogenic features.

In recent years Idol has continued to tour the world successfully and even found time to make a Christmas album, something which would have seemed improbable back in the heady days of punk in 1976.

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Lifelong music obsessive, regular contributor to US guitar magazines, sometime radio presenter, singer/guitarist in Star Studded Sham, true believer in the power of rock'n'roll and an amp turned up to 11, about to publish first novel, The Bulletproof Truth.