''Prison Bound'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...

, released in 1988. It was the first album with bass guitarist

John Maurer John Maurer may refer to: * John Maurer (Social Distortion) (born 1961), American punk musician * John Maurer (jazz musician), American instrumentalist and instructor * John J. Maurer (1922–2019), American politician See also

* John Mauer ...

and drummer

Christopher Reece Christopher Reece (sometimes known as Chris Reece) (born July 28, 1959) is an American musician. He was the drummer of The Lewd (1981–1983) and Social Distortion (1984–1993). Reece was 22 years old in 1981 when he started playing drums for T ...

. 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.

Overview

''Prison Bound'' took almost half a decade to materialize, with the initial attempt to record and release the follow-up to ''Mommy's Little Monster'' dating back to 1984. The album was shelved for a few years and it would not be re-recorded and completed until 1987, following frontman

Mike Ness Michael Daniel Ness (born April 3, 1962) is an American musician who is the lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1978. Early life Ness was born in Lynn, Massachusetts on April ...

' recovery from drug addiction and Social Distortion's signing to then-

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Restless/

Enigma Records Enigma Records (also known as Enigma Entertainment Corporation) was a popular rock and alternative American record label in the 1980s. History Enigma Records launched as a division of Greenworld Distribution, an independent music importer/dis ...

. Unlike many of the band's albums, no singles were released for this album, but the title track "Prison Bound" received some heavy rotation from commercial radio stations (particularly

KROQ-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The stat ...

),https://www.rocklists.com/kroq-1988.html and the song's success attracted attention from major labels, including

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, to whom Social Distortion would sign in 1989. The first track, "It's the Law", is a remake of "Justice for All", which appeared on the 1981 compilation album ''The Future Looks Bright'' (and later on the 1995 compilation album '' Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past''). It also contains a cover version of "Backstreet Girl", originally recorded by

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

. The album's title track references Johnny Cash's "

I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts. ...

Critical reception

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' wrote that "although ''Prison Bound'' lacks the all-out dynamics of ''Monster'' ... it’s still a maturely paced, knowing follow-up, and not just for punks." Nick Robinson, reviewer of British music newspaper ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'', noted band's adulting in comparison with early recordings. He found there "upright bursts of aggression, frustration and depression tell a vivid tale of growing up and blues and country influences add depth to this blunt, honest and thrilling account".

Track listing

Personnel

– lead vocal, lead guitar *

Dennis Danell 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. Biography Danell joined Social Distortion in 1979 while he and ...

– rhythm guitar *

* John Mauer ...

– bass guitar, backing vocals *

– drums

References

{{Authority control Social Distortion albums 1988 albums Time Bomb Recordings albums Prison music