Unglued Reviews

For a band whose career has lasted for more than 25 years, it seems a bit odd that Orange County punk band Social Distortion’s Greatest Hits features only a meagre 11 songs, but this judicial selection ensures that there’s no filler.

This collection showcases Social D’s heartfelt wrong-side-of-the-tracks mid-paced punk anthems and stands testament to the frequent unusual incorporation of country influences into the band’s sound, right from the early days. Ironically, these influences – which permeate a lot deeper than the twang in singer Mike Ness’s gruff snarl – are most evident in original tracks like the loping Prison Bound and are almost absent in their chugging, Sex Pistols-whipped cover of Ring Of Fire.

Selections on offer include Mommy’s Little Monster (the title track of their debut), the capitulation of I Was Wrong, the uncommonly up-tempo Reach For The Sky, and three cuts from their breakthrough self-titled album, including the bittersweet Story Of My Life. (However, not all the songs are presented in their original versions – the six tracks from their three albums released on former label Epic have been re-recorded by the current lineup, since Epic holds the rights to the original recordings.)

Brand new offering Far Behind also proves that the outfit still has what it takes, being easily the equal of any other track on offer on this concise precis of their output.

Owen Heitmann