Social Distortion “Prison Bound”

sfilzen — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 17:29:31 +0000

Social Distortion “Prison Bound” 1988. Restless Records. We saw Social Distortion perform at Summerfest on Friday, the 4th of July, scoring free VIP front row wrist bands last minute so we were all up in there! And while they didn’t really play much from Prison Bound, their second studio LP, it happens to be one of the only ones in our collection I haven’t already written about. I’m also not that familiar with it: I was super into the band around ’85/’86 after seeing Another State of Mind and listening to their debut Mommy’s Little Monster (1983) on repeat. And then got back into them with their “comeback” album Social Distortion (1990). Prison Bound is for sure punk but has a lot of driving country blues sound that teases their switch to a more decidedly rockabilly punk sound in ’90. See especially “Like an Outlaw (For You)” that has literal wagon train sound effects (whistles, yeehaw, you get the idea) and a spaghetti western feel. “No Pain No Gain” has a sinister lost in the western desert flavor (it’s pretty good). The opening track “It’s the Law” is probably the best on the LP. While not a single (none were released from the album), it did get some commercial radio play; that track is, according to wiki, a remake of Social D’s “Justice for All“, which appeared on the 1981 compilation album The Future Looks Bright. I also like the punk-forward “I Want What I Want.” The title track is a decent mid-tempo rocker but not overly exciting. Prison Bound has one cover, “Backstreet Girl” by the Rolling Stones, which is so-so, just like the remainder of the tracks on Prison Bound.

The post Social Distortion “Prison Bound” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Descendents “Enjoy”

sfilzen — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 18:45:02 +0000

Descendents “Enjoy” released about 35 years ago, 1986. Restless Records. In about 48 hours, we will be seeing the Descendents onstage in Las Vegas at the Punk Rock Bowling music festival…and it’s been close to 35 years since I’ve seen them perform (I did see ALL in ‘88 I think, and we will see ALL as well this upcoming weekend). Enjoy! was Descendents’ third album and as the cover indicates, it’s stuffed full of toilet humor, substituting the real songs’ names for shit euphemisms and including live studio recordings of their own farts on the title and lead track “Enjoy.” The empty toilet paper holder image on the back cover also gives me anxiety as we head into a music fest weekend (public restrooms are not among my favorite things).

There’s a lot of 80′s metal influence on Enjoy! – it’s pretty heavy at points, like on “Hürtin’ Crüe“ and ”Days Are Blood.” But there’s also the punk-pop sound that Descendents were more well-known for, “Get the Time“ is a good example. They even cover a Beach Boys song – “Wendy” originally from 1964. I never was a big Descendents fan but I am looking forward to seeing them play after so many years.

The post Descendents “Enjoy” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

restless records Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Social Distortion “Prison Bound”

Descendents “Enjoy”