Just When You Thought You were Safe

You thought we'd actually go a week without a Social D post.

Boy were you wrong.

Because the fantastic Weapon of Sound has 2 for you, Prison Bound and When the Angels sing EP.

When the Angels Sing EP [1996]:

When the Angels Sing
Shame on Me
Lonesome Train
Ring of Fire
Alone and Forsaken

What we see here is Social D, as always, edging more and more towards rockabilly, roots, cowpunk, and all that other good stuff. When the Angels Sing is gorgeous, a beautiful, poignant invocation of Mike's faith, and can be found on White Light, White Heat, White Trash. I realize some people prefer the harder Orange County punk sound that Social D helps to define in Mommy's Little Monster, but even on that album, the influences are still there. It really depends on your preferences and how you define punk; seriously, to each his own. I think I've reached the happy state where I just love it all. (I am consumed by love for Social D. I wore a Social D shirt yesterday, in fact.) And a lot of people do love it all. Social D are equally comfortable playing "The Creeps" as they are playing something off of Sex, Love, and Rock n Roll. It isn't so much an argument over how punk they are. It's an acknowledgement of their ability to still provide mind-blowingly kickass and beautiful music.

Mike Ness: I’ve always described Social Distortion as starting out as a punk band but along the way we grabbed everything we could from American roots music and incorporated it into our sound because I saw a connection from that kind of music through punk…being working class music. And music being of rebellion and revolution, I saw the connection of punk music going all the way back to the 20’s-the depression era, blues, jazz, rockabilly, country…all that stuff. In other words, I grew up with the Beatles and the Stones and then I heard the Pistols.

The EP-
Lonesome Train is, I think, a cover of a Johnny T Talley song from the 1950s. We've got Alone and Forsaken from the great Hank Williams, Shame on Me is a JJ Cale song, and Ring of Fire is, of course, a Cash-Carter song. They're all great performances, and you're probably familiar with the Ring of Fire cover, which Mike cheerfully enhances at Live at the Roxy (an excellent live record) with, "Let it burn, motherfucker!"

Enjoy and make sure to tell WoS thank you!