Social Distortion – Mommy's Little Monster

Mixing Springsteen's factory-overalls ethic with Southern California punk energy and black leather, punk godfathers Social Distortion have all but trademarked their sound over the past 30 some years, a brand of hard rockabilly/punk that's cut with the melodic, road-tested lyrics of frontman Mike Ness. Their searing guitars and a locomotive rhythm section drive Ness's hard-luck tales of love, loss and lessons learned. In addition to the early punk of The Ramones and The Clash, the band's sound was culled equally from Ness's love of roots music, specifically early country music greats like Hank Williams and the early blues recordings of the South. The group broke in 1983 with the thrashing plate of punk and displeasure, Mommy's Little Monster. Full of raw vocals, powerful guitar-driven hooks, and plenty of attitude, standout tracks include "The Creeps (I Just Wanna Give You)" and "Another State of Mind." While not as commercially successful as their later albums, it put Social D and Ness on the punk-rock map and remains a raw and raging classic of the genre!