“The last thing Billy and I wanted to do was retread and say, ‘Hey, let’s do another Rebel Yell.’ We’ve already done that”: Guitar hero Steve Stevens lifts the lid on the new Billy Idol album

Billy Idol’s first new album in a decade, Dream Into It, is aptly titled.

Most didn’t think it would happen, as it’s all too easy for elder statesmen to lean (rather than dream) into their back catalogue.

But Idol’s guitarist Steve Stevens wasn’t having any of that, nor was he interested in rehashing the ’80s.

“This record allowed us to do what we do naturally,” Stevens tells MusicRadar. “But without repeating ourselves.

“The last thing Billy and I wanted to do was retread and say, ‘Hey, let’s do another Rebel Yell. We’ve already done that.”

Stevens is correct, but Idol’s music and his guitar playing come with expectations.

“There’s a tune called ’77,’” he says. “It’s a bit autobiographical for Billy. It’s about what London was in 1977, and how exciting it was.

“But for me, I look at what was happening in New York in 1977. That was also a great scene with a lot of new bands, and so that was really cool.

“We really captured the essence of punk rock mixed with dance rock mixed with guitar hero stuff.”

True to Stevens’ claims, Dream Into It has modern touches. Guest spots by Avril Lavigne and Alison Mosshart see to that.

But despite their aversion to retreading past sounds, when Idol and the swoopy-haired Stevens get together, their classic sound is unavoidable.

“The approach has never changed since the day that we first met,” Stevens admits.

“It’s two guys sitting in a room with a couple of acoustic guitars. It starts with what’s going on in our lives.

“It’s almost like therapy, like, ‘Oh, you’re not going to believe what happened last night.’ Then, musically, it’s about what would fit that. That will always be the same between us.”

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What also hasn’t changed is Stevens’s reliance on Friedman amps — specifically, his signature SS Deluxe model.

He admits to using “some plugins,” but it’s mostly “a couple racks full of analog gear.”

Stevens says that when recording with Idol, it’s about “capturing as much of the warmth as I can.”

He adds: “My ear is definitely rooted in the classic records from the ’70s. I’m striving to capture that sound. Even in the digital domain, a lot of what I do guitar-wise comes from that.”

Ultimately, Dream Into It proves once and for all that, as Idol has so elegantly put it, Steve Stevens truly is his “secret weapon.”

As for what keeps them so close, Stevens shrugs, saying: “My wife seems to think it has to do with astrology! From day one, Billy knew that I didn’t have a separate agenda. I wasn’t looking for my three minutes of glory via a guitar solo.

“I came from a background of loving bands with a relationship between the singer and the guitar player,” he says. “I’m a team player. I’m always looking to embellish the melody of the vocal. That’s my blueprint.

“It takes self-restraint and technique. It takes whatever it calls for. It comes down to respecting each other musically, and as friends.”

Dream Into It is released on 25 April