Mommy's Little Monster (album)

Last updated

Mommy's Little Monster
Social Distortion - Mommy's Little Monster cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 1983 [1]
RecordedDecember 24, 1982 at The Casbah in Fullerton, California [2]
Genre
Length27:25
Label 13th Floor Records [10]
Producer Social Distortion, Chaz Ramirez, Thom Wilson
Social Distortion chronology
Mommy's Little Monster
(1983)
Prison Bound
(1988)
Singles from Mommy's Little Monster
  1. "Another State of Mind"
    Released: 1983

Mommy's Little Monster is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Social Distortion, released in 1983 through the label 13th Floor Records. [10] The album is notably different from the band's subsequent releases, featuring styles of traditional punk rock, [7] [8] both traditional hardcore and melodic hardcore, [3] [9] and pop-punk. [7] This is Social Distortion's only studio album to feature bassist Brent Liles and drummer Derek O'Brien, both of whom were out of the band by early 1984 and would be replaced by John Maurer and Chris Reece respectively. The album received underground acclaim from punk rock fanzines, [7] [11] and it has been acknowledged as influential and inspirational to the then-burgeoning pop-punk and skate punk scenes. [8] [9] [12] [13]

Contents

Background

In 1982, Social Distortion took part in the tour with Youth Brigade (as chronicled in the documentary Another State of Mind ). Mommy's Little Monster was recorded at the Casbah in Fullerton, California, on December 24, 1982. They recorded the album in a single session for numerous hours to cut down studio costs.

Reissues

Mommy's Little Monster was reissued several times, with different formats and labels. The album was originally released on vinyl LP in 1983 on 13th Floor Records, a label owned by their manager at the time, Monk Rock.

The Triple X Records label reissued the album on CD, vinyl, and cassette in 1989. Six years later, Mommy's Little Monster was re-issued once again when Ness started Time Bomb Recordings with some of the profits he made from Social Distortion's Epic releases and reissued Mommy's Little Monster on vinyl, cassette and CD through a distribution deal with Arista Records. A third reissue was released in 2010 on Epitaph Records in Europe and the United Kingdom. A gramophone picture disc version of Mommy's Little Monster was released in 2001.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]

Paul Tinelli of AllMusic gave Mommy's Little Monster four out of five stars and called it "the epitome of early-'80s suburban California punk and provided inspiration for many future Californians, including the Offspring and Rancid" and said that it "finds the band supplying plenty of attitude and aggression as they rip through nine tracks worth of hard, fast, power chord-filled tracks loaded with snarling anti-establishment lyrics and themes." Tinelli also stated that "The Creeps" and "Telling Them" "show a young punk group that is very angry, and they were going to let society know it whether they wanted to hear it or not", and adds that the title track "Mommy's Little Monster" "gives you a good idea of the characters Social Distortion was surrounded by in the scene of the day." [8]

In a 1984 Trouser Press review, Don Howland said, "Cruising on a buzz of non-stop stun guitar and Ness' smoky deadpan vocals, this catchy-as-dermatophytosis punk pop is a surprisingly sophisticated product of the LA underground. Ness proves to be one of current punks better songwriters." Howland concluded that calling the album an "instant classic,...sounds about right." [7]

Tim Yohannan of Maximumrocknroll said "You've got to know by now what Social Distortion sound like—those distinctive vocals, the harmonies, the rockin' guitars, and melodic hooks galore. Their album is filled with more of the same. Nothing here is too frantic except 'The Creeps', which really blazes forth. There's precious little exciting punky-pop around these days, but this is one of the rare examples of it." [11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Social Distortion

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."The Creeps (I Just Wanna Give You)"2:03
2."Another State of Mind"2:38
3."It Wasn't a Pretty Picture"3:10
4."Telling Them"3:12
Total length:11:03
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Hour of Darkness"2:49
2."Mommy's Little Monster"3:33
3."Anti-Fashion"2:19
4."All the Answers"2:23
5."Moral Threat"5:16
Total length:16:22 27:25

Earlier versions of "All the Answers" and "Moral Threat" were originally recorded in 1981 and can be heard on the 1995 compilation Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past .

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Ness</span> American musician (born 1962)

Michael James Ness is an American musician who is the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1979. He has also released two solo albums, Cheating at Solitaire and Under the Influences.

Dennis Eric Danell (June 24, 1961 – February 29, 2000) was an American musician, guitarist and co-founding member of the Southern California punk rock band Social Distortion.

Brent Harold Liles was an American musician who was the bassist for Social Distortion from 1981–1984 and later was the bassist for Agent Orange from 1988 – 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social Distortion</span> American punk rock band

Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness, Jonny Wickersham, Brent Harding, David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards).

<i>Sex, Love and Rock n Roll</i> 2004 studio album by Social Distortion

Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll is the sixth album by American punk rock band Social Distortion. It is their first studio album in eight years, since the release of White Light, White Heat, White Trash in 1996. The album was originally scheduled to be released in the fall of 2000, but was not yet completed, and it was officially released on September 28, 2004. This album is Social Distortion's first to feature guitarist Jonny Wickersham, following the death of original guitarist Dennis Danell in February 2000. The album's opening track, "Reach for the Sky", was released in late 2004 and became one of Social Distortion's biggest hits.

<i>Social Distortion</i> (album) 1990 studio album by Social Distortion

Social Distortion is the third studio album and major label debut by the American punk rock band of the same name, released on March 27, 1990, through Epic Records. The album furthered the country-infused experimentation of Prison Bound with songs like "Drug Train" and the radio hit "Ball and Chain".

<i>Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell</i> 1992 studio album by Social Distortion

Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Social Distortion, released on February 11, 1992. Following up on the surprise success of their breakthrough singles "Ball and Chain" and "Story of My Life", Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell became a popular album and received positive reviews from music critics. It also spawned their highest-charting single "Bad Luck", which peaked at number 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart.

<i>Prison Bound</i> 1988 studio album by Social Distortion

Prison Bound is the second studio album by Social Distortion, released in 1988. It was the first album with bass guitarist John Maurer and drummer Christopher Reece. It expands the punk rock sound of the band's first album, Mommy's Little Monster (1983), by adding influences from country music and blues rock.

<i>White Light, White Heat, White Trash</i> 1996 studio album by Social Distortion

White Light, White Heat, White Trash is the fifth studio album by American punk rock band Social Distortion, released on September 17, 1996, by 550 Music and Epic Records. The album was produced by Michael Beinhorn. After the release of Social Distortion's 1992 album Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, the band toured until the end of 1993 and needed a break. After dealing with court battles over early recordings and attempting to retrieve them, package them up, and release them, Social Distortion wrote many songs to plan a new album.

<i>Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past</i> 1995 compilation album by Social Distortion

Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past is a collection of early recordings by Social Distortion. It was released on July 18, 1995, and contains songs which were recorded in 1981. It is a collection of singles and B-sides that had never appeared on any of the band's full-length albums. This album was released by Mike Ness' Time Bomb Recordings in 1995 along with the re-release of Mommy's Little Monster and Prison Bound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agent Orange (band)</span> American punk rock band

Agent Orange is an American punk rock band formed in Placentia, California, in 1979. The band was one of the first to mix punk rock with surf music.

<i>Live at the Roxy</i> (Social Distortion album) 1998 live album by Social Distortion

Live at the Roxy is a live album by American punk rock band Social Distortion. It was released in 1998, on the independent label Time Bomb label. It is the last Social Distortion release to feature founding rhythm guitarist Dennis Danell, who died in 2000. John Moore of New Noises referred to Live at the Roxy as one of the best live punk rock albums of all time.

<i>Wild in the Streets</i> (Circle Jerks album) 1982 studio album by Circle Jerks

Wild in the Streets is the second studio album by American hardcore punk band Circle Jerks. It was released on March 4, 1982, by Faulty Products, a sub-label of I.R.S. Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Story of My Life (Social Distortion song)</span> 1990 single by Social Distortion

"Story of My Life" is a 1990 song by American punk rock band Social Distortion, written by frontman Mike Ness. It was released as a single and also appeared on their self-titled album as well as Live at the Roxy live album. The song describes a man looking back wistfully on life, such as a love interest he had as a teenager, and how things have changed and how quickly his life has passed him by.

Derek Shawn O'Brien is an American punk rock drummer and producer.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Social Distortion album) Compilation album by Social Distortion

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Social Distortion. It was released on June 25, 2007. It includes hit singles from Mommy's Little Monster to Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll - as well as the unreleased track "Far Behind", which also became a hit single – yet lacks anything from Mainliner, which is actually a compilation of unreleased early material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casbah Recording Studio</span> Recording studio in the Orange County suburb of Fullerton, California, United States

The Casbah Recording Studio or simply Casbah is a recording studio in the Orange County suburb of Fullerton, California that helped to spawn several highly successful acts, including Berlin, Stacey Q, and Social Distortion.

"Another State of Mind" is a song by the American punk rock band Social Distortion. It is the second track on their 1983 debut album Mommy's Little Monster. The song was also released as the band's second single. Both the album and the single were released by the band's own label, 13th Floor Records. The single was rereleased in 1989 on Triple X Records to coincide with the reissue of Mommy's Little Monster. The song also appeared on their 1998 live album Live at the Roxy and 2004 live DVD Live in Orange County, as it had become one of the band's live staples. It also appeared as the opening track on their 2007 Greatest Hits compilation.

<i>Red Cross</i> (EP) 1980 EP by Redd Kross

Red Cross, a six-song punk rock EP record, is the first stand-alone release by American rock band Red Cross.

References

  1. http://metallipromo.com/social.html [ bare URL ]
  2. Mommy's Little Monster (liner notes). Social Distortion. Time Bomb Recordings. 1995. 70930-43500-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. 1 2 Cole, Matthew (January 17, 2011). "Review: Social Distortion, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes". Slant Magazine . Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  4. Deusner, Stephen (January 20, 2011). "Social Distortion: Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes" . Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  5. Staff. "Social Distortion - Social Distortion Review". Punknews.org. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  6. Peake, Steve (January 7, 2019). "Top Punk Rock and Hardcore Bands of the '80s". LiveAbout. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Howland, Don (March 1984). "Mommy's Little Monster". Trouser Press . Vol. 11, no. 1. New York. p. 51. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Allmusic review
  9. 1 2 3 4 Sacher, Andrew (July 29, 2020). "15 '80s punk albums that shaped the '90s/'00s pop punk boom". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  10. 1 2 "Mommy's Little Monster". socialdistortion.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Yohannan, Tim (September 1983). "Mommy's Little Monster review". Maximum Rocknroll . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. https://www.loudersound.com/features/10-californian-punk-albums-that-paved-the-way-for-smash-1 [ bare URL ]
  13. https://www.bendsource.com/music/orange-countys-little-monster-2535257 [ bare URL ]