Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past

Having come into his own with the commercial and artistic success of 1990’s Social Distortion and 1992’s Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, Social Distortion leader Mike Ness showed his readiness to revisit his early punk years with Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past. The album collects the band’s first recordings, made in 1981 for the Orange County punk label Posh Boy and Ness’ personal label 13th Floor. Because the L.A. punk scene eventually became a parody of itself, many of the artists involved are reluctant to reexamine their early recordings. Yet beyond his teenage penchant for hair gel and eyeliner, Ness had nothing to be embarrassed about. The style that'd eventually blossom in the early '90s is unmistakably present on “1945,” “All the Answers," and “Playpen,” any of which could sit comfortably next to Social Distortion recordings from 10 years later. It was evident that Ness was reaching for something beyond punk to fuel his inspiration. While he'd eventually find what he was looking for in country and blues, the band’s early take on The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” proves that he'd always had an innate talent for reinvention.