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Nel 1978 Orange County (sì, proprio quella di O.C.) vede la nascita di una tra le formazioni punk, meglio sarebbe dire hardcore, più significative dell'intero panorama americano, i Social Distortion.
Guidati dall'esuberante frontman Mike Ness, riescono a ritagliarsi uno spazio piuttosto ampio al fianco di mostri sacri del calibro di Germs e, soprattutto, Black Flag. Nonostante i problemi non certo leggeri che travagliarono la loro storia (riabilitazioni, scioglimenti più o meno provvisori e la morte di un componente) la band riuscì a pubblicare sei album in studio, conoscendo un grande successo grazie soprattutto all'lp del 1989 "Prison Bound". Dopo la pubblicazione di un live e di una raccolta, il 2007 è l'anno per un greatest hits decisamente succoso e godibile.
Seguendo la linea temporale delle pubblicazioni, la scaletta vede la presenza in testa di due tra i brani più amati dai fans dei Distortion, "Another State of Mind" e "Mommy's Little Monster" nei quali è subito chiara la granda influenza, almeno in questa prima fase della loro carriera, di Sex Pistols e Ramones (più i secondi, a dire la verità) con riff velocissimi, linee di basso incisive e fulminanti ed una voce che a volte ricorda un incrocio tra Joe Strummer e Joey Ramone. Le tracce successive, tratte dal best-seller "Prison Bound", sono la title track dell'album, "Story Of My Life", "Ball And Chain" e "Circe Of Fire". Appare evidente l'evoluzione del suono della band, più maturo e meno legato ai dettami punk più vincolanti, tant'è vero che la durata delle canzoni è ben superiore ai tre minuti; una libertà che ben pochi gruppi potevano permettersi, segno di una perizia tecnica rarissima tra le punk band. Le introduzioni strumentali si avvalgono ora di basso pulsante e trascinante, ora di contrappunti di chitarra degni del miglior Mick Jones (come nel caso di "Story of My Life") oppure di un fuoco di fila dato dalle chitarre e dal basso come nella bellissima cover di Johnny Cash. Lo spirito del grande crooner è evidente in ogni singola strofa, in ogni nota di questi pezzi (se "Story of My Life" fosse leggermante più lenta e con un banjo sarebbe un ottimo pezzo country). E non poteva che essere così, dal momento che ness è sempre stato un grande fan di Johnny Cash (curiosità: la melodia di "Circe Of Fire" è ripresa pari pari in un brano di "Kerplunk!" dei Green Day).
"Bad Luck", "I Was Wrong" e la bellissima "When The angel Sing" ci restituiscono una forza d'impatto assolutamente inarrestabile, con assoli al fulmicotone di pregevole fattura e che non assomigliano per nulla a quelli, spesso goffi, dei chitarristi punk, ma che , anzi, non sfigurerebbero in un album degli Screaming Trees. La voce di Ness, fattasi più matura è in grado di seguire le note più difficili mantenendosi sempre su livelli ottimi, rivelando notevoli doti di lirismo e melodia. "Reach the sky" è, invece, un brano molto particolare, con chitarre che non starebbero male in un disco metal ed un ritornello accelerato che fa molto hardcore anni'90. Tra l'altro la melodia della canzone è imbarazzantemente simile a quella di "Montsegur" degli Iron Maiden... non sarà mica che Harris e Dickinson avranno scopiazzato un po'... d'altra parte è anche vero che a a pensar male si fa peccato, ma spesso ci si azzecca.. .Tornando all'album una citazione è d'obbligo per il singolo inedito registrato apposta per il lancio del disco.,"Far Behind". Si tratta di una canzone che rientra a pieno nelle corde della band, che per l'occasione decide di non sperimentare, ma di affidarsi al classico schema strofa-ritornello orecchiabile-strofa che tanto bene le ha portato in passato, e sforna dunque una traccia fresca ed attuale che se venisse incisa da uno qualsiasi dei gruppi che oggi si dichiarano punk farebbe gridare al miracolo.
Una buona raccolta che fotografa una delle band più imporatanti e musicalmente valide della scena underground americana non può dunque mancare nella vostra collezione di dischi.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Another State of Mind (02:37)
Well I'm in another state, another state of mind,
I wish that I could be there right next to her
This road leads to this, this one leads to that,
Her voice sends shivers down my spine.
These scars in my flesh,
I'm bruised and I'm bloodied
Only she know the pain that I've been through.
Talk to her a thousand miles away,
There's tears in her eyes.
If I make it back I'm gonna show her,
she's the one for me
Hitch a ride on the wild side,
It's real hell on wheels.
There's gonna be a fight tonight, I know.
Another city we can't find,
Another city left buried behind.
As I picture her, the cities burn away.
These scars in my flesh,
I'm bruised and I'm bloodied
Only she know the pain that I've been through.
Talk to her a thousand miles away,
There's tears in her eyes.
If I make it back I'm gonna show her,
she's the one for me
02 Mommy's Little Monster (03:32)
Mommy's little monster dropped out of school
Mommy's little monster broke all the rules
He loves to go out drinking with the boys
He loves to go out and make some noise
He doesn't wanna be a doctor or a lawyer get fat rich
He's 20 years old he quit his job
Unemployment pays his rent
His brothers sisters have tasted sweet success
His parents condemn him, say his life's a mess
He's mommy's little monster, he's not afraid to admit it
He's mommy's little monster, don't wake him in a fit
Mommy's little monster shoots methadrine
Mommy's little monster had sex at 15
She left home for the streets,
She couldn't deal with all that heat.
She had fun with the boys in the band,
In her eyes it will never end.
Her dad asked what happened to her face,
It could have happened in any place!!!
Her eyes are a deeper blue,
She likes her hair that color too.
She can even wear a dress,
That doesn't mean she'll ever confess.
She's mommy's little monster
She's mommy's little monster
She's mommy's little monster
Don't take her life away
03 Prison Bound (05:24)
Well, I'm goin' to a place
Where the tough guys go
And come out even tougher
A place where a man don't show his feelings
A place where a man don't cry
They say I'm being punished
And they say I can be reformed
But some day I'll return
Did they really think that
This time it would work?
You know all along it wouldn't
Oh, I'm prison bound
I did a crime
One too many times
It's on the outskirts of town
By the railroad tracks
Where the country moon shines
Oh, I'm prison bound
Tell my girl
I'll be back one day
Oh, I'm prison bound
I may never know any other way
(Any other way)
Well, they take away my freedom
Of expression or action
Johnny says I'll walk the line
With three hots and a cot
And a lot of talk
With lock up
Concrete and steel
Well it's cold and it's clammy
Man, it's colder than a pimp's heart
But I gotta do my time
There's a lesson to be learned here
But what a price to pay
You know, I may never learn
Oh, I'm prison bound
I did a crime
One two many times
It's on the outskirts of town
By the railroad tracks
Where the country moon shines
Oh, I'm prison bound
Tell my girl
I'll be back one day
Oh, I'm prison bound
I may never know any other way
(Any other way)
04 Story of My Life (05:50)
High school seemed like such a blur,
I didn't have much interest in sports or school elections.
And in class I dreamed all day,
Of a rock 'n' roll weekend
And the girl in the front of the room,
So close yet so far y'know she never seemed to notice
That this silly schoolboy crush
Wasn't just pretend.
[Chorus:]
Life goes by so fast
You only want to do what you think is right.
Close your eyes and then it's past;
Story of my life
And I went down my old neighborhood
The faces have all changed there's no one left to talk to
And the pool hall I loved as a kid
Is now a Seven Eleven
I went downtown to look for a job
I had no training, no experience to speak of.
I looked at the holes in my jeans
And turned and headed back.
[Chorus]
Good times come and good times go,
I only wish the good times would last a little longer.
I think about the good times we had
And why they had to end.
So I sit at the edge of my bed
I strum my guitar and I sing an outlaw love song.
Thinkin' 'bout what you're doin' now
And when you're comin' back.
[Chorus]
05 Ball and Chain (05:44)
Well it's been ten years and a thousand tears
And look at the mess I'm in
A broken nose and a broken heart,
An empty bottle of gin
Well I sit and I pray
In my broken down Chevrolet
While I'm singin' to myself
There's got to be another way
[Chorus:]
Take away, take away
Take away this ball and chain
Well I'm lonely and I'm tired
And I can't take any more pain
Take away, take away
Never to return again
Take away, take away
Take away
Take away this ball and chain
Well I've searched and I've searched
To find the perfect life
A brand new car and a brand new suit
I even got me a little wife
But wherever I have gone
I was sure to find myself there
You can run all your life
But not go anywhere
[Chorus]
Well I'll pass the bar on the way
To my dingy hotel room
I spent all my money
I've been drinkin' since half past noon
Well I'll wake there in the mornin'
Or maybe in the county jail
Times are hard getting harder
I'm born to lose and destined to fail
[Chorus]
06 Ring of Fire (03:53)
Love is a burning thing
And it makes the firery ring
Bound by one desire
I fell into a ring of fire
[Chorus:]
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down down down
And the flames went higher
And it burns burns burns
That ring of fire
That ring of fire
The taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet
I belt for ya like a child
Oh, let the fire burn wild
[Chorus]
07 Bad Luck (04:26)
Some people like to gamble
But you, you always lose
Some people like to rock n' roll
You're always singin' the blues
You got a nasty dispostition
No one really knows the reason why
You got a bad, bad reputation
Gonna hang down your head and cry
You got bad, bad luck
Bad, bad luck
You got bad, bad luck
Bad, bad luck
Thirteen's my lucky number
To you it means stay inside
Black cat done crossed my path
No reason to run and hide
You're looking through a cracked mirror
No one really knows the reason why
Your enemies are getting nearer
Gonna hang down your head and cry
You got bad, bad luck
Bad, bad luck
You got bad, bad luck
Bad, bad luck
Some people go to church on Sunday
Others, they pray at home
You tell them that there ain't no God
That they're better off standing alone
You're always scratchin' at the eight ball
No one really knows the reason why
You get to the top and then you fall
Gonna hang your head down and cry
You got bad, bad luck
Bad, bad luck
You got bad, bad luck
Bad, bad luck
09 I Was Wrong (03:59)
when I was young I was so full of fear
I hid behind anger and held back the tears
it was me against the world
I was sure I would win
but the world fought back
punished me for my sins
well I felt so alone
so insecure
but I blamed you instead
made sure I was heard
they tried to warn me of my evil ways
but I couldn't hear what they had to say
I was wrong..
self distructions got me again
I was wrong...
I realize now that I was wrong
and I think about my loves
well I've had a few
i'm sorry that I hurt them
did I hurt you too?
well I took what I wanted
put my heart on the shelf
but how can you love when you don't love yourself?
it was me against the world
I was sure that i'd win
but the world faught back
punished me for my sins
they tried to warn me of my evil way
but i couldn't hear what they had to say
I was wrong...
self distructions got me again
I was wrong...
I realize now that i was wrong
I was wrong...
I was wrong...
well I grew up fast
and I grew up hard
something was wrong from the very start
I was fighting everybody
I was fighting everything
but the only one that I hurt was me
I got societys blood running down my face
somebody help me get out of this place
how could someones bad luck last so long
until i realized that i was wrong
10 Reach for the Sky (03:31)
When I was young I was invincible
I found myself not thinking twice
I never thought about no future
It's just a roll of the dice
But the day may come when you've got something to lose
And just when you think you're done paying dues
You say to yourself "Dear God, What have I Done?"
And hope its not to late cause tomorrow may never come
Reach for the sky cause tomorrow may never come
Reach for the sky cause tomorrow may never come
Yesterday is history
And tomorrow's a mystery
But I'm leaving right now
It's just about how its you and me
You can run you can hide
Just like Bonnie and Clyde
Reach for the sky
I ain't never gonna die
And I thank the Lord for the love that I have found
And hold you tight cause tomorrow may never come
Reach for the sky cause tomorrow may never come
Reach for the sky cause tomorrow may never come
So if you please take this moment
Try if you can to make it last
Don't think about no future
And just forget about the past
And make it last
Reach for the sky cause tomorrow may never come
(reach for the sky I ain't never going down)
Reach for the sky cause tomorrow may never come
(reach for the sky I ain't never coming down)
Reach for the sky cause tomorrow may never come
(reach for the sky I ain't never going down)
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