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

The post Social Distortion “Poshboy’s Little Monsters” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Social Distortion rerecorded “Moral Threat” and “All the Answers” for their first LP, Mommy’s Little Monster and “Justice for All” appeared as “It’s the Law” on their ‘88 release Prison Bound, but other than those tracks the album is stocked with some great early singles. Two of my favorites appear twice on Mainliner: “1945″ and “Playpen.” First up are the Posh Boy versions for each track, recorded in April of ‘81 as a three-piece with Mike Ness on guitar and vocals, Dennis Danell on bass and John “Carrot” Stevenson on drums. The Posh Boy cut of “1945″ was part of the 1985 comp Rodney on the ROQ Vol. 2  and Posh Boy included “Playpen” on its 1987 The Future Looks Bright comp. Social Distortion recorded the second variations of the songs in October ‘81 for 13th Floor Records, now as a four-piece with Ness again on guitar and vocals, Danell on guitar, Brent Liles on bass and Derek O’Brien on drums. The tracks “Justice for All,” “All the Answers,” “Mainliner” and “Moral Threat” also appeared on The Future Looks Bright.  Mainliner also has a great punked up cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb.”

From Allmusic: “Mainliner: Wreckage From the Past is a collection of early singles and rare B-sides from Orange County punk legends Social Distortion. Recorded while they were still in their teens, this early material shows no signs of the country-influenced sound that would appear later in the band’s career. The main style displayed here is pure punk fury with short, fast songs, lyrics about teen rebellion, and plenty of attitude to go around. “Playpen,” “Moral Threat,” and “All the Answers” speak of the plight of the early punk rockers who took major abuse from all forms of authority back in a period where the musical style was still considered dangerous. “Mainliner” is a not-at-all subtle tale of heroin abuse. A cover of “Under My Thumb” shows early on that the Rolling Stones were just as much an influence on Social Distortion as the Sex Pistols and the Clash. This collection is definitely intended for dedicated fans and is more of a history lesson than a proper album. Although extremely raw and a bit naïve, becoming familiar with this material will help fans understand where the band came from and appreciate their point of view on stronger, later material.”

The post Social Distortion “Mainliner (Wreckage From the Past)” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The post Social Distortion live in Milwaukee appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

“Social Distortion” keeps many of the punk sounds (though often more melodic punk, i.e. “Story of My Life”) of SD’s earlier releases, but adds in rockabilly and blues flavors, especially with tracks like “Ball and Chain” and  Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” And apparently the album cover was considered controversial in 1990, so much so that some chain store outlets refused to sell the record. How early 90′s quaint.

*** a personal commentary from a very special guest to this blog, he writes about this album “I remember I was working a low paying job at Koss at the time. The outlet store always had Mtv on (which actually played music videos at that time). I happen to catch the last half of Ball and Chain and was blown away. That began my (and, I suspect, many others) transformative journey from Punk to Rockabilly and the refined attitude on rebellion that entails – not so in-your-face-against-society and more subversive-within-society.

Funny thing is, that for playing such a vital part in the early days of my journey of self-discovery and making better life choices (if only by hinting at the possible consequences of not doing so), this album is so tied to that turbulent time that I find it hard to listen to. But when I do, I am thankful that Mr. Ness and Co. put out something that so perfectly served as the inspiration to do so – change can be hard… and messy, but, in the end, is worth the discomfort and pain to arrive in a better place.”

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

“1945″ appears on later comp albums, including “Story of My Life…And Other Stories” (1990), “Mainliner: Wreckage From the Past” (1995) and “Live at the Roxy” (1997). The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” also appears on “Mainliner” and “Live at the Roxy,” as well as the 1996 release “White Light, White Heat, White Trash.” “Playpen” only appears on “Mainliner” (besides this 12″ of course). Here is a video of them looking ridiculously young playing “1945″ in 1983 and around the same time, “Playpen.” And here they look considerably more mature playing “Under My Thumb” in 2007. Still tons of punk energy – hoping the 8 years since then hasn’t slowed them down much: we’ll see in a couple of days when they play at the Rave.

The post Social Distortion “1945″ appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Social Distortion “Mommy’s Little Monster” 1983. 13th Floor Records, gatefold original debut release (and I believe now out of print). We are going to see Social Distortion on Saturday in Milwaukee at the Rave (the last time I saw them was in 1991 on The Neil Young and Crazy Horse Ragged Glory/Weld Tour along with Sonic Youth) so I’m gearing up for the show by listening to old SD for the rest of the week.

Social Distortion helped set the tone for California punk in the early 80′s and their sound has remained constant for over 30 years: Michael Ness’ distinctive vocals over hard-hitting beats, power-chords and melodic hooks. The title track “Mommy’s Little Monster” has always been one of my favorite 80′s punk tracks, describing many of my friends at the time:

Mommy’s little monster dropped out of school
Mommy’s little monster broke all the rules
He loves to go out drinking with the boys
He loves to go out and make some noise

He doesn’t wanna be a doctor
Or a lawyer, get fat and rich
He’s twenty years old, he quit his job
Unemployment pays his rent

His brothers and sisters
Have tasted sweet success
His parents condemn him
Say “His life’s a mess”

He’s mommy’s little monster
He’s not afraid to admit
He’s mommy’s little monster
Don’t wake him in a fit

Mommy’s little monster shoots Methedrine
Mommy’s little monster had sex at fifteen
She left home for the streets
She couldn’t deal with all that heat

She had fun with the boys in the band
In her eyes it will never end
Her dad asked what happened to her face
It could have happened in any place

Her eyes are a deeper blue
She likes to have that color too
She cant even wear a dress
But that doesn’t mean she’ll ever confess

 

The post Social Distortion “Mommy’s Little Monster” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.