Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll
Encyclopedia
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. 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. A great deal of the album is a musical eulogy to former guitarist Dennis Danell
, who died in 2000. The album's opening track, "Reach for the Sky
", was released in late 2004 and became one of Social Distortion's biggest hits.
Social Distortion could not release a follow-up to White Light, White Heat, White Trash partly because of their various other activities, most obviously those of frontman Mike Ness
. He released two solo albums in 1999, one with original material (Cheating at Solitaire
) and one with song covers (Under the Influences
). Due to his touring schedule with the band, Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll was set aside for a number of years before finally being completed in 2004.
The song "Nickels and Dimes" is a play on hardcore punk
band Minutemen
masterpiece album "Double Nickels on the Dime
".
that year. In 1998, with Social Distortion not working, Ness launched a solo career and decided to record some of the songs for his first album, Cheating at Solitaire.
In November 1999, Ness added more details to the possibility of a follow-up to White Light, White Heat, White Trash and mentioned he would "like to get one out" in fall 2000. In May 2001, a questioner asked Ness how the album was coming along. He replied, "Slow." His wife elaborated that he was in "home mode", working on restoring a house in Floral Park, New York
. The band was rumored to resume recording in June or July.
In July 2001, five songs that were going to appear on the album were announced. The songs were "Road Zombie", "Winners and Losers", "I Wasn't Born to Follow", "Don't Take Me for Granted" and "Footprints on My Ceiling". "Don't Take Me for Granted" was the only known unreleased song that the band played at the When the Angels Sing benefit concert in 2000. In July 2001, in a Los Angeles Times
article, Ness discussed the possibility of releasing the album in spring 2002 and mentioned an invitation from Johnny Cash
to record together.
In January 2002, an inside source reported that Social Distortion was planning to begin recording the album in March and began recording demos for the album in October, with an intended release date of spring 2003. In October 2003, the band announced on their official website that they were planning to enter a studio in Los Angeles, California
, in November to finish work on the album. During a January 11, 2004, concert in Orlando, Florida
, Ness revealed that the album was "three-quarters of the way completed" and mixing began in June.
A January 2003 issue of a German
magazine Visions conducted an interview with Ness. About the album, he says: "Definitely more glam and seventies influences and less country since I'm able to realize this part of me better by the Mike Ness Band. And certainly more hope and light than on White Light, White Heat, White Trash. You can't forever tell yourself and others that life's all bad. Apart from other things, punk rock also is about fun and loud guitars. Before doing the last album I went through a really hard time, and even if not all is great in my life, I'm much better now than at that time."
On August 5, 2004, Social Distortion announced on their official website that the album would be called Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll and would officially be released on September 28. On the same day, it was announced that bass guitarist John Maurer
, who recorded the album, had left the band to "in order to stay home and devote time to his wife and two children". On tour, Rancid
's Matt Freeman
joined as his replacement, then was himself replaced a few months later by Ness' touring bass guitarist for his solo project, Brent Harding
.
unless otherwise noted.
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...
. It is their first studio album in eight years, since the release of White Light, White Heat, White Trash
White Light, White Heat, White Trash
White Light, White Heat, White Trash is the fifth album by American punk rock band, Social Distortion, released on September 17, 1996, by Epic Records. The album was produced by Michael Beinhorn. White Light, White Heat, White Trash is the last Social Distortion album to feature guitarist Dennis...
in 1996, the longest gap between Social Distortion's studio albums to date. 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. A great deal of the album is a musical eulogy to former guitarist Dennis Danell
Dennis Danell
Dennis Eric Danell was the founding guitarist for the Southern California punk rock band Social Distortion.Danell formed Social Distortion in 1979 with frontman Mike Ness while attending high school together...
, who died in 2000. The album's opening track, "Reach for the Sky
Reach for the Sky (Social Distortion song)
"Reach for the Sky" is a song by punk band Social Distortion from their 2004 album Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll. It was the album's first single and reached number 27 on the Modern Rock Tracks in November 2004.-Meaning and composition:...
", was released in late 2004 and became one of Social Distortion's biggest hits.
Social Distortion could not release a follow-up to White Light, White Heat, White Trash partly because of their various other activities, most obviously those of frontman Mike Ness
Mike 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...
. He released two solo albums in 1999, one with original material (Cheating at Solitaire
Cheating at Solitaire
Cheating at Solitaire is the first solo album from Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness. Released in 1999, it bypasses much of Social Distortion's punk muscle in favor of a more roots-oriented approach to rock and roll. It features cameos by Bruce Springsteen, Brian Setzer, and members of Royal...
) and one with song covers (Under the Influences
Under the Influences
Under the Influences, the second solo album from Social Distortion's Mike Ness, is a compilation of country, rock, and bluegrass covers released just six months after his first solo effort, Cheating at Solitaire. As the title implies, Ness intends the album to be an illustration of the music that...
). Due to his touring schedule with the band, Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll was set aside for a number of years before finally being completed in 2004.
The song "Nickels and Dimes" is a play on hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band Minutemen
Minutemen (band)
Minutemen were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985...
masterpiece album "Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime is the third studio album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the Californian independent record label SST Records in 1984...
".
History
Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll traces its beginnings to the White Light, White Heat, White Trash tour in 1997, where Ness began writing new material for the sixth Social Distortion album. One of the new songs, "I Won't Run No More", was first performed at a concert in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
that year. In 1998, with Social Distortion not working, Ness launched a solo career and decided to record some of the songs for his first album, Cheating at Solitaire.
In November 1999, Ness added more details to the possibility of a follow-up to White Light, White Heat, White Trash and mentioned he would "like to get one out" in fall 2000. In May 2001, a questioner asked Ness how the album was coming along. He replied, "Slow." His wife elaborated that he was in "home mode", working on restoring a house in Floral Park, New York
Floral Park, New York
Floral Park is an incorporated village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island. The population as of the US Census of 2010 is 15,863. The village is at the western border of Nassau County, and is located in both the Town of Hempstead and the Town of North Hempstead...
. The band was rumored to resume recording in June or July.
In July 2001, five songs that were going to appear on the album were announced. The songs were "Road Zombie", "Winners and Losers", "I Wasn't Born to Follow", "Don't Take Me for Granted" and "Footprints on My Ceiling". "Don't Take Me for Granted" was the only known unreleased song that the band played at the When the Angels Sing benefit concert in 2000. In July 2001, in a Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
article, Ness discussed the possibility of releasing the album in spring 2002 and mentioned an invitation from 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...
to record together.
In January 2002, an inside source reported that Social Distortion was planning to begin recording the album in March and began recording demos for the album in October, with an intended release date of spring 2003. In October 2003, the band announced on their official website that they were planning to enter a studio in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, in November to finish work on the album. During a January 11, 2004, concert in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Ness revealed that the album was "three-quarters of the way completed" and mixing began in June.
A January 2003 issue of a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
magazine Visions conducted an interview with Ness. About the album, he says: "Definitely more glam and seventies influences and less country since I'm able to realize this part of me better by the Mike Ness Band. And certainly more hope and light than on White Light, White Heat, White Trash. You can't forever tell yourself and others that life's all bad. Apart from other things, punk rock also is about fun and loud guitars. Before doing the last album I went through a really hard time, and even if not all is great in my life, I'm much better now than at that time."
On August 5, 2004, Social Distortion announced on their official website that the album would be called Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll and would officially be released on September 28. On the same day, it was announced that bass guitarist John Maurer
John Maurer
John Maurer was the long time bass guitar player for Social Distortion from 1984 to 2004. He was replaced by Rancid's Matt Freeman. He joined Social Distortion after the departure of Brent Liles....
, who recorded the album, had left the band to "in order to stay home and devote time to his wife and two children". On tour, Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
's Matt Freeman
Matt Freeman
Matthew "McCall" Freeman is an American musician. He is best known for his bass guitar work with the punk rock bands Operation Ivy, Rancid and as the frontman of Devil's Brigade.-Playing style:...
joined as his replacement, then was himself replaced a few months later by Ness' touring bass guitarist for his solo project, 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:...
.
Track listing
All songs written by 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...
unless otherwise noted.
- "Reach for the SkyReach for the Sky (Social Distortion song)"Reach for the Sky" is a song by punk band Social Distortion from their 2004 album Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll. It was the album's first single and reached number 27 on the Modern Rock Tracks in November 2004.-Meaning and composition:...
" – 3:31 - "Highway 101" – 3:44
- "Don't Take Me for Granted" – 3:47
- "Footprints on My Ceiling" – 5:08
- "Nickels and Dimes" (J. Wickersham/Ness) – 3:05
- "I Wasn't Born to Follow" – 2:55
- "Winners and Losers" – 4:45
- "Faithless" (Wickersham/Ness) – 3:02
- "Live Before You Die" – 2:47
- "Angel's Wings" (Wickersham/Ness) – 4:59
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...
– 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 - John MaurerJohn MaurerJohn Maurer was the long time bass guitar player for Social Distortion from 1984 to 2004. He was replaced by Rancid's Matt Freeman. He joined Social Distortion after the departure of Brent Liles....
– bass guitar - Charlie QuintanaCharlie QuintanaCharlie Quintana was born in 1962, in El Paso, TX. Quintana was A drummer for the old school punk band Social Distortion, who joined in 2000 as the replacement of Chuck Biscuits , following the death of the band's former guitarist Dennis Danell...
– drums - Dan Mcgough - B3 organ
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "Reach for the Sky" | Modern Rock Tracks | 27 |
| 2005 | "Highway 101" | Modern Rock Tracks | 39 |
| 2005 | "Don't Take Me for Granted" | Modern Rock Tracks | 34 |