Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
Encyclopedia
Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock
band Social Distortion
, released on January 18, 2011. It is the band's first album recorded with bassist Brent Harding
, their first album of new material since 2004's Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll
, and their first release on Epitaph Records
. Work on the album began in 2006 and it was originally forecast for a 2007 release, but was pushed back several times while the band continued touring and writing new material. After four years of writing, Social Distortion recorded the album from February to July 2010 at Ocean Studios in Burbank, California
. Drummer Atom Willard left the group during the recording sessions in favor of his other band, Angels & Airwaves
. He was temporarily replaced by Scott Reeder
before David Hidalgo, Jr.
joined as the band's new permanent drummer. Despite being listed as a band member on the album, Hidalgo did not actually play on it; instead, the band hired session musician Josh Freese
to record the drum tracks. Social Distortion is currently touring in support of Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.
told Crush Music Magazine that a new Social Distortion album would "probably" not come out in 2006 or anytime soon. He explained, "I feel like we've got a great start on a new album, we'd like to do a new album soon but I doubt it will be that soon. I figure I will use my time off next year to do the writing and maybe start it toward the end of 2006 recording. It'll be soon but I don't know if it'll be quite that soon." Also in that interview, Ness promised the album not to take another eight years; it instead was released in just under seven years since their previous album.
In May 2006, it was reported that Social Distortion had started writing and rehearsing new material, with an intended release date of late 2006/early 2007. In July, Ness told The Desert Sun that the band would like to be in the studio in 2007 putting out their seventh album and revealed that "Bakersfield" was one of the new songs they were working on. Asked in that interview what things Ness was writing about, he replied, "the last record
had a lot of songs about love and loss, maybe this record I want to be different... but I don't want to give it away... Every record you want better than the last one and a little different. I'm not sure of the direction yet honestly." After embarking on a series of tours in the summer and fall of 2006, Social Distortion returned to the studio in December to continue working on new material.
Asked in April 2007 about Social Distortion's plans for the coming months, Ness replied, "I had a song that was pretty much the template for the new album, and we went in and recorded it. We're gonna release it sooner. We're gonna put it on the greatest-hits album
. So if people want to get a taste of what the new album will sound like, they can hear it on that song. A song called 'Far Behind
.' It's a song I wrote in the last year, and we went and recorded it and it came out awesome. We figure it's a great song for the greatest hits because it starts at the beginning of our career and ends right now." In July 2007, Ness told Billboard.com that Social Distortion had "a lot of songs" that never appeared on Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, and was revisiting demos that he had recorded in 1994. Asked in December what the current status of the album was, Ness told The Denver Post
that the band was still writing new material and doing a new song in a setlist but would have to stop performing live before recording could take place.
In April 2008, Ness told Spinner
that Social Distortion was planning an acoustic album to be released in 2009, stating "I think it could be really, really neat. It's almost like a Bob Dylan
/Bruce Springsteen
/Johnny Cash
kind of feel with a punk edge ... but acoustic. Sometimes [the songs] are more powerful stripped down than with full volume." Ness also revealed plans for his next solo album, but he was not sure if it was going to be released before or after the follow-up to Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll or the acoustic album. In July 2009, Ness revealed to Russian's Tarakany! Bad TV that Social Distortion was planning to enter the studio in December 2009 or the beginning of 2010 to begin recording their new album. In September that year, he confirmed that the album would be recorded in January 2010 at Studio 606, a studio owned by the Foo Fighters
. Asked when the album was expected to be released, Ness stated that it would "probably be out" in the spring or summer of 2010. In October, guitarist Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham
told Boston Examiner that Social Distortion was expected to enter the studio on February 1 for a late spring release. Asked what musical direction the band would be taking on the album, he said that it will be "very rock and roll," and include a country song in the vein of the band's 1992 album Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
. Wickersham explained, "It's not like we're going to start putting out a record like we've been listening to The Dead
or something. We've got a handful of songs right now that are finished, and bunch that we're still working on."
On February 7, 2010, Social Distortion announced on its Twitter
account that it would start recording a new album on February 8. Also in February, Ness revealed to Spinner that the band had just tracked 12 songs, and was "going to probably track another five". He says the self-produced, still-untitled album, which he hopes to release before the end of the year, will feature the classic Social Distortion sound – a combination of punk, rockabilly and country, presumably. He explained, "It's funny – the record reminds me very much of Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
, but also I'm bringing elements of early New York '70s punk, influences that maybe haven't come out as prominently in my writing in the past. It's a little more Johnny Thunders
. Some of the early first wave of punk was very blues-based rock 'n' roll, but it had this urban snottiness to it." Ness also explained what happened to the acoustic album, which was announced back in 2008, "The acoustic thing is just a future project, which I think will be significant and equally important. But as far as the priority goes, it's more important now to get a studio record out that is a regular record". On May 20, 2010, Social Distortion updated their Twitter with this post saying, "the album is tracked... finishing up writing and getting ready to head back into the studio to record vocals." The album is said to be a return to their punk rock roots and will focus on the New York punk of the 70's and early 80's.
At a show in Poughkeepsie, New York on July 27, 2010, Ness revealed that the new Social Distortion album would be called Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes and also promised a November release date.
A September 2010 issue of Rolling Stone magazine
claimed the album would be released on November 23, 2010. However, Ness later said that its release date had been pushed back to January 2011. In October 2010, Social Distortion officially that Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes would be released on January 18, 2011. They also mentioned that "Machine Gun Blues" would be the album's first single and available for download via iTunes
on November 16.
It was announced on January 26, 2011, that the album had reached number 4 on the Billboard 200
albums chart, marking Social Distortion's first ever top-10 album and highest ever peak on that chart in their entire 32 year career.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Social Distortion
Social Distortion
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 and David Hidalgo, Jr...
, released on January 18, 2011. It is the band's first album recorded with bassist Brent Harding
Brent Harding
Brent Harding is the current bass player for the California punk group Social Distortion, which he joined in late 2004.-Biography:...
, their first album of new material since 2004's Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll
Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll
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 longest gap between Social Distortion's studio albums to date...
, and their first release on Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
. Work on the album began in 2006 and it was originally forecast for a 2007 release, but was pushed back several times while the band continued touring and writing new material. After four years of writing, Social Distortion recorded the album from February to July 2010 at Ocean Studios in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. Drummer Atom Willard left the group during the recording sessions in favor of his other band, Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves is an American alternative rock supergroup led by Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, also including guitarist David Kennedy from Over My Dead Body, Hazen Street and Box Car Racer, bass guitarist Matt Wachter from 30 Seconds to Mars and former Lostprophets and Nine Inch...
. He was temporarily replaced by Scott Reeder
Scott Reeder (drummer)
Scott Reeder is a drummer, who joined southern Californian stoner rockers Fu Manchu in 2002.Scott is known for his heavy drumming style, and refers to John Bonham of Led Zeppelin as one of his great influences....
before David Hidalgo, Jr.
David Hidalgo, Jr.
David Hidalgo, Jr. is an American drummer currently playing in Social Distortion. Hidalgo replaced former drummer Scott Reeder, who had been busy with his main project Fu Manchu. Prior to joining Social Distortion, he played drums in The Drips and Suicidal Tendencies. He is the son of David...
joined as the band's new permanent drummer. Despite being listed as a band member on the album, Hidalgo did not actually play on it; instead, the band hired session musician Josh Freese
Josh Freese
Josh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
to record the drum tracks. Social Distortion is currently touring in support of Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.
History
In August 2005, sources reported that Social Distortion was going to begin work on a seventh studio album to be released in 2006. However, frontman Mike NessMike Ness
Mike Ness is an American guitarist, vocalist, and chief songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1978. As of Dennis Danell's death in 2000, he is now the only original member of the band...
told Crush Music Magazine that a new Social Distortion album would "probably" not come out in 2006 or anytime soon. He explained, "I feel like we've got a great start on a new album, we'd like to do a new album soon but I doubt it will be that soon. I figure I will use my time off next year to do the writing and maybe start it toward the end of 2006 recording. It'll be soon but I don't know if it'll be quite that soon." Also in that interview, Ness promised the album not to take another eight years; it instead was released in just under seven years since their previous album.
In May 2006, it was reported that Social Distortion had started writing and rehearsing new material, with an intended release date of late 2006/early 2007. In July, Ness told The Desert Sun that the band would like to be in the studio in 2007 putting out their seventh album and revealed that "Bakersfield" was one of the new songs they were working on. Asked in that interview what things Ness was writing about, he replied, "the last record
Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll
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 longest gap between Social Distortion's studio albums to date...
had a lot of songs about love and loss, maybe this record I want to be different... but I don't want to give it away... Every record you want better than the last one and a little different. I'm not sure of the direction yet honestly." After embarking on a series of tours in the summer and fall of 2006, Social Distortion returned to the studio in December to continue working on new material.
Asked in April 2007 about Social Distortion's plans for the coming months, Ness replied, "I had a song that was pretty much the template for the new album, and we went in and recorded it. We're gonna release it sooner. We're gonna put it on the greatest-hits album
Greatest Hits (Social Distortion album)
-Personnel:* Mike Ness - vocals, guitar* Dennis Danell - guitar * Brent Liles - bass guitar * Derek O'Brien - drums * John Maurer - bass guitar * Christopher Reece - drums...
. So if people want to get a taste of what the new album will sound like, they can hear it on that song. A song called 'Far Behind
Far Behind (Social Distortion song)
"Far Behind" is a previously unreleased composition from the veteran punk rock band Social Distortion. It is the closing track from their 2007 Greatest Hits album. According to the booklet of Greatest Hits, "Far Behind" was only recorded for that compilation...
.' It's a song I wrote in the last year, and we went and recorded it and it came out awesome. We figure it's a great song for the greatest hits because it starts at the beginning of our career and ends right now." In July 2007, Ness told Billboard.com that Social Distortion had "a lot of songs" that never appeared on Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, and was revisiting demos that he had recorded in 1994. Asked in December what the current status of the album was, Ness told The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
that the band was still writing new material and doing a new song in a setlist but would have to stop performing live before recording could take place.
In April 2008, Ness told Spinner
Spinner (website)
Spinner is an AOL Music property, which bills itself as "the ultimate music blog for free MP3s, free CD listening, [and] discovering new artists."...
that Social Distortion was planning an acoustic album to be released in 2009, stating "I think it could be really, really neat. It's almost like a Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
/Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
/Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
kind of feel with a punk edge ... but acoustic. Sometimes [the songs] are more powerful stripped down than with full volume." Ness also revealed plans for his next solo album, but he was not sure if it was going to be released before or after the follow-up to Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll or the acoustic album. In July 2009, Ness revealed to Russian's Tarakany! Bad TV that Social Distortion was planning to enter the studio in December 2009 or the beginning of 2010 to begin recording their new album. In September that year, he confirmed that the album would be recorded in January 2010 at Studio 606, a studio owned by the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
. Asked when the album was expected to be released, Ness stated that it would "probably be out" in the spring or summer of 2010. In October, guitarist Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham
Jonny Wickersham
Jonny "2 Bags" Wickersham is the current guitarist for the Californian punk rock band Social Distortion. He joined Social Distortion after the death of founding member and longtime friend, Dennis Danell, in February 2000. Previously, he had been a guitarist for U.S...
told Boston Examiner that Social Distortion was expected to enter the studio on February 1 for a late spring release. Asked what musical direction the band would be taking on the album, he said that it will be "very rock and roll," and include a country song in the vein of the band's 1992 album Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Social Distortion, released on February 11, 1992. It continues the melding of country and rockabilly influences with punk that began two albums before with Prison Bound. Clear influences include Hank...
. Wickersham explained, "It's not like we're going to start putting out a record like we've been listening to The Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
or something. We've got a handful of songs right now that are finished, and bunch that we're still working on."
On February 7, 2010, Social Distortion announced on its Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account that it would start recording a new album on February 8. Also in February, Ness revealed to Spinner that the band had just tracked 12 songs, and was "going to probably track another five". He says the self-produced, still-untitled album, which he hopes to release before the end of the year, will feature the classic Social Distortion sound – a combination of punk, rockabilly and country, presumably. He explained, "It's funny – the record reminds me very much of Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Social Distortion, released on February 11, 1992. It continues the melding of country and rockabilly influences with punk that began two albums before with Prison Bound. Clear influences include Hank...
, but also I'm bringing elements of early New York '70s punk, influences that maybe haven't come out as prominently in my writing in the past. It's a little more Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
. Some of the early first wave of punk was very blues-based rock 'n' roll, but it had this urban snottiness to it." Ness also explained what happened to the acoustic album, which was announced back in 2008, "The acoustic thing is just a future project, which I think will be significant and equally important. But as far as the priority goes, it's more important now to get a studio record out that is a regular record". On May 20, 2010, Social Distortion updated their Twitter with this post saying, "the album is tracked... finishing up writing and getting ready to head back into the studio to record vocals." The album is said to be a return to their punk rock roots and will focus on the New York punk of the 70's and early 80's.
At a show in Poughkeepsie, New York on July 27, 2010, Ness revealed that the new Social Distortion album would be called Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes and also promised a November release date.
A September 2010 issue of Rolling Stone magazine
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
claimed the album would be released on November 23, 2010. However, Ness later said that its release date had been pushed back to January 2011. In October 2010, Social Distortion officially that Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes would be released on January 18, 2011. They also mentioned that "Machine Gun Blues" would be the album's first single and available for download via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on November 16.
It was announced on January 26, 2011, that the album had reached number 4 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart, marking Social Distortion's first ever top-10 album and highest ever peak on that chart in their entire 32 year career.
Track listing
Personnel
- Mike NessMike NessMike Ness is an American guitarist, vocalist, and chief songwriter for the punk rock band Social Distortion, which was formed in 1978. As of Dennis Danell's death in 2000, he is now the only original member of the band...
– lead vocals, guitar - Jonny WickershamJonny WickershamJonny "2 Bags" Wickersham is the current guitarist for the Californian punk rock band Social Distortion. He joined Social Distortion after the death of founding member and longtime friend, Dennis Danell, in February 2000. Previously, he had been a guitarist for U.S...
– guitar - Brent HardingBrent HardingBrent Harding is the current bass player for the California punk group Social Distortion, which he joined in late 2004.-Biography:...
– bass guitar - Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– drums, percussion (credited for playing on the album, but not as a member of the band) - David Hidalgo, Jr.David Hidalgo, Jr.David Hidalgo, Jr. is an American drummer currently playing in Social Distortion. Hidalgo replaced former drummer Scott Reeder, who had been busy with his main project Fu Manchu. Prior to joining Social Distortion, he played drums in The Drips and Suicidal Tendencies. He is the son of David...
– drums, percussion (listed as a band member, but did not actually perform on the album) - cover art by Doug Dutton's daughter