ETHAN MEYERS

SOCIAL DISTORTION

9/7/17

[STILL ALIVE INTRO]

SOCIAL DISTORTION RELEASED THEIR FIRST ALBUM, MOMMY’S LITTLE MONSTER,

ALMOST 35 YEARS AGO, AND SINCE ITS RELEASE THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO

DEVELOP AND GROW AS THEY MADE MORE AND MORE MUSIC WITH THEIR

MOST RECENT ALBUM, HARD TIMES AND NURSERY RHYMES, BEING RELEASED IN

2011. THE BAND HAS EXPERIENCED MANY SETBACKS AND GONE THROUGH 21

MEMBERS IN THE 39 YEARS SINCE THE BAND WAS FORMED WITH FRONT MAN

MIKE NESS AS THE ONLY REMAINING MEMBER FROM THE ORIGINAL LINEUP. IN

THE BEGINNING THE BAND WAS MORE PUNK BASED AND AGGRESSIVE.

[MORAL THREAT]

THEIR FIRST ALBUM MOMMY’S LITTLE MONSTER DID NOT RECEIVE A LOT OF

PRESS AND WAS NOT VERY POPULAR, AND THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR THEIR

SECOND ALBUM PRISON BOUND. THESE ALBUMS WERE VERY SIMILAR IN THEIR

PRODUCTION AND STYLE WITH A MIX OF PUNK, COUNTRY, AND ROCK.

[MOMMY’S LITTLE MONSTER]

THIS IS A COMBINATION THAT SOCIAL DISTORTION CONTINUES TO USE IN SOME

FORM TO THIS DAY. IN THE BEGINNING THIS MIX WAS ROUGH AND WAS MORE

PUNK INFLUENCED.

[ANTI-FASHION] IT WASN’T UNTIL THEIR SELF-TITLED THIRD ALBUM THAT THEY STARTED TO

EXPERIENCE MAINSTREAM SUCCESS. THIS ALBUM CONTAINS SOME OF THE

BAND'S MOST POPULAR SONGS INCLUDING STORY OF MY LIFE

[STORY OF MY LIFE]

AND BALL AND CHAIN.

[BALL AND CHAIN]

THESE SONGS WERE VERY POPULAR AT THE TIME OF THE ALBUM'S RELEASE

AND SPENT A LONG TIME IN THE TOP CHARTS. THIS ALBUM ALSO INCLUDED A

PUNKED OUT COVER OF RING OF FIRE BY JOHNNY CASH.

[RING OF FIRE]

SOCIAL DISTORTION IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST ROCK ALBUMS OF 1990

BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT COMBINED WESTERN ROCK WITH PUNK.

[IT COULDA BEEN ME]

THEY CONTINUED THEIR UPWARD TREND WITH THEIR 1992 ALBUM SOMEWHERE

BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL. THIS ALBUM SURPASSED ALL OF SOCIAL

DISTORTION’S PREVIOUS ALBUMS IN SALES, AND IT CONTAINED THEIR HIT

SINGLE BAD LUCK.

[BAD LUCK]

THE BAND'S FIFTH ALBUM, WHITE LIGHT, WHITE HEAT, WHITE TRASH, RELEASED

IN 1996 TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH THAN THEIR PREVIOUS ALBUMS WITH A

LESS WESTERN AND MORE ALTERNATIVE STYLE.

[DOWN ON THE WORLD AGAIN] THIS ALBUM CAME OFF AS MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH ONLY ONE SONG TITLED I

WAS WRONG RECEIVING THE SAME AMOUNT OF POPULARITY AS THEIR TWO

PREVIOUS ALBUMS.

[I WAS WRONG]

SOCIAL DISTORTION RETURNED TO A MORE LAID BACK VERSION OF ITS

TRADITIONAL STYLE IN THEIR 2004 ALBUM SEX, LOVE AND ROCK ‘N’ ROLL. THIS

ALBUM WAS MUCH LESS HEAVY THAN SOME OF THE BAND'S PREVIOUS WORK

WITH A FOCUS ON BLUES AND ROCK.

[WINNERS AND LOSERS]

WHILE THIS ALBUM WAS NOT AS POPULAR AS SOME OF THE BAND’S PREVIOUS

WORK, IT RECEIVED GOOD REVIEWS, AND SHOWED THAT THE BAND WAS STILL

WORKING HARD AND IMPROVING. THE OPENING TRACK REACH FOR THE SKY

WAS THE MOST POPULAR SONG ON THE ALBUM.

[REACH FOR THE SKY]

THEIR NEWEST ALBUM, HARD TIMES AND NURSERY RHYMES, WAS RELEASED IN

2011. IT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE BAND'S OLDER MUSIC IN THAT IT IS MUCH

SLOWER AND MORE CALM. MOST OF THE SONGS ARE FOCUSED ON THEMES OF

HEARTBREAK AND PAIN.

[BAKERSFIELD]

THE ALBUM IS MUCH LESS HEAVY AND HARSH. SOCIAL DISTORTION SEEMS TO

HAVE CALMED WITH AGE WITHOUT COMPLETELY ABANDONING THEIR

ORIGINAL STYLE AND MESSAGE.

[ALONE AND FORSAKEN] MANY CRITICS BELIEVE THAT THIS ALBUM IS THE BAND'S BEST BECAUSE OF ITS

LYRICS AND OVERALL LAYOUT AND FLOW.

[DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH]

SOCIAL DISTORTION IS RUMORED TO BE WORKING ON A NEW ALBUM SET TO BE

RELEASED IN 2018. THEY CONTINUE TO TOUR AND PLAY LIVE SHOWS. IN THE

BAND’S 39-YEAR CAREER THEY HAVE MADE A LOT OF MUSIC AND CONTINUE TO

GET BETTER WITH AGE.

[MACHINE GUN BLUES OUTRO?]