Dead Kennedys

So while the punk scene was settling down in the UK and New York around the 80's, it was just getting started in California, with bands like Black Flag, the Germs, the Descendents, Bad Brains, and this one - the Dead Kennedys. The Dead Kennedys sound influenced hardcore in later years, although they wouldn't be considered hardcore by today's standards, and shaped political punk by putting specific messages in their songs and bashing Reagan left and right. They were always doing something to get themselves into trouble, including putting a photo of genitals in their Frankenchrist CD and getting sued by the US government for "distributing harmful materials to minors" as a result. And they won, too. It's just too bad the stress from that trial made them break up in 1986, and the rest of the band sued Jello's pants off over missing royalties. And they wanted to put "Holiday In Cambodia" in a Levi's commercial. Not cool kids. Don't sell out. And stay in school.

Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (1979) 10 Thumbs Up

This is a classic punk album. If you're into the genre, you've probably heard of creepy surf punk anthem "Holiday In Cambodia" or the twisted death march "California Uber Alles." We've got all of Jello's classic sarcastic wit on songs like "Kill The Poor" and "Funland At The Beach," starting a brand new tradition of making sure jocks have no idea whether punk bands are being serious or not!

You can hear all sorts of hints that these guys weren't going to be some cliched punk band their entire career on surf punk songs "Ill In The Head" and "Let's Lynch The Landlord," or the use of keyboards on tracks "Drug Me" and "Stealing People's Mail." The entire CD foreshadows what they would have become by the end of their career. Other highlights include the diabolical "Chemical Warfare" and "When Ya Get Drafted," which is a perfect example of their use of humour to make a point. Just when you think they can't top themselves, the CD ends with a re-written cover of "Viva Las Vegas" that blatantly spells out their humourous side for all you conservative types who didn't get "I Kill Children." I'd say, when it comes to confrontation and controversy, these guys were twice the band the Sex Pistols were - and they weren't even trying. Oh sure, there's so much fast-paced chord bashing that sometimes the songs start to sound the same, but for a debut, this is solid. The recording quality is amazing when you consider the year it was released and how much money they had to work with. This is one of those albums you just have to own.

In God We Trust, Inc. / Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982) 9 Thumbs Up

This CD is two releases in one. First is In God We Trust, Inc., their EP follow-up to Fresh Fruit that signifies their descent away from Ramones-esque three-chord bashing and into hardcore. This CD is fast and super political, from attacks on the Religious Right to the infamous "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." I think the highlight of this EP is "We've Got A Bigger Problem Now," a lounge jazzy rewrite of "California Uber Alles" that knocks Reagan instead of Jerry Brown. It ends with a cover, just like Fresh Fruit, of "Rawhide," though I was a bit disappointed this one wasn't rewritten. Most Dead Kennedys fans would take this as blasphemy, but I don't think this EP is that great. It's largely forgettable, and falls into the trap of today's political punk - endlessly screaming your point over and over instead of using humour or irony to catch the listener's attention. It just seems bland when compared with the rest of the Dead Kennedys' work. But it's only 8 songs, and very short, so I didn't let its mediocrity effect the rest of the CD.

Now we move onto the Dead Kennedys' second full-length, Plastic Surgery Disasters. If not for the weird muted production that makes the bass and drums sound awful, this CD would probably be the DKs' best. The yuppie trend of the 80's was just starting, (unfortunately, we still have to deal with their children today) and we've got plenty of songs ("Terminal Preppie," "Buzzbomb," "Forest Fire," "Winnebago Warrior," "Halloween") that are attacks on everyone's favourite targets: the rich, their spoiled brats, and businessmen. And of course, we've still got the essence of punk rock - anger at the government and society, with songs like "I Am The Owl," about the fallout from Watergate, the anti-Reagan "Bleed For Me," and basically everything else on the CD I haven't mentioned yet. Then we end with "Moon Over Marin," which is just an awesome, awesome song, and the ultimate album closer. Dead Kennedys fans will usually name this album or Fresh Fruit as the best Dead Kennedys album, and while I prefer Fresh Fruit, that's not to say this is a pathetic album. This CD is catchy and has actual variety - unlike most punk albums of the time, no two songs sound the same in terms of style. There are no real horrible songs on this album. The only drawback is the god-awful production.

Frankenchrist (1985) 8 Thumbs Up

The first time I heard this CD, I thought, "This is horrible! The songs are too long and weird! And there's synthesizers, my god, synthesizers!" I could feel my brain boiling over. It was true - the mid 80's ruined everything it touched. But a little while later, I came back to this album, and woah - it wasn't that bad. This is one of those albums that has to grow on you, even if it takes a couple of months.

Yes, the songs are longer than the average two-and-a-half minute punk blast you might be used to. But once you get used to it, you won't even notice...just like a hot tub. They've got their eerie surf punk groove going, like if "Holiday In Cambodia" spawned its own album. You can hear it best on "Soup Is Good Food" and "This Could Be Anywhere." "Hellnation" is one of your good ol' fashioned two minute blasts, if you were missing it already. "Jock-O-Rama" is catchy enough to have been a Plastic Surgery Disasters track, and "MTV - Get Off The Air" is just classic, especially if they were still together to sing about MTV today. "Now CD sales are slumping, and no one will say why - could it be they put out one too many lousy records?" Ah! The RIAA could take a tip from that one! I exaggerated a bit when I said the CD was filled with synthesizers; they only show up on "At My Job," but it was frightening enough. The last track is the close to seven minute long "Stars and Stripes of Corruption," that basically sums up everything the Dead Kennedys were about. Hey! This CD wasn't that bad!

Bedtime For Democracy (1986) 7 Thumbs Up

Okay, I'll be honest with you. This CD is mostly really short filler songs. It should have been a EP with the following tracks: "Take This Job and Shove It," "I Spy," "Cesspools In Eden," "Anarchy For Sale," "Chickenshit Conformist," "Where Do Ya Draw The Line," and "Lie Detector."

Yeah, I should've given it a 6. But the songs that are good, are really, really good. For example, "Cesspools In Eden," one of their really cool eerie songs, is six minutes long, yet I can sit through all of it. I think it's hilarious that they predicted both mall punk with the songs "Anarchy For Sale" and "Chickenshit Conformist," (Punk's not dead, it just deserves to die!) and political punk artists trying to indoctrinate their listeners with the song "Where Do Ya Draw The Line." Plus "Lie Detector" and "I Spy" are just plain awesome rock songs. It's not bad, but it's not that great of a final album.

Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death (1987) 7 Thumbs Up

This was released a year after the Dead Kennedys broke up. It's a compilation of all their B-sides and live-only songs that were either rare or never released. As a result, it's fairly inconsistent. It does have some good tracks, like their infamous singles "Police Truck," "Too Drunk To Fuck", and "I Fought the Law." These make the album worth buying if you're a fan, but if you're not, this CD will probably bore you.

There are alternate versions of "California Uber Alles" and "Holiday In Cambodia" that don't suck, but aren't as good as the original. The live cuts are only really amusing once or twice, and "Saturday Night Holocaust" is not bad, but they should've gotten rid of the bland two minute intro. While I enjoyed the non-live tracks, such as "Man With the Dogs" and "Insight," again, this is really only for people who are huge fans of the band.

Mutiny On The Bay: Live From The San Francisco Bay Area (2001) 7 Thumbs Up

So the rest of the Dead Kennedys sued Jello, won the rights to the DKs back catalogue, and proceeded to release this live album. Jello says: don't buy it! The rest of 'em say: it's great! The final verdict is: it's okay, but don't spend too much on it.

Jello's infamous between song rants have been cut, which is the biggest detraction from this album. I mean, c'mon! That was one of the most appealing things about the Dead Kennedys! And the production on their most famous track, "Holiday In Cambodia," is absolutely horrible. It's better than a bootleg, but that ain't sayin' much. It's good to hear less popular songs, like "I Am The Owl" or "Moon Over Marin," but if this is supposed to be their greatest hits live, why is there nothing off In God We Trust, Inc. or Bedtime For Democracy? That means no "Nazi Punks Fuck Off!"

On the plus side, Jello is in top form during "Kill the Poor," even if the band keeps screwing up, and the entire band does an amazing rendition of "California Uber Alles" to the "We've Got A Bigger Problem Now" lyrics. Plus Jello gets to rant in the bridge of that, which isn't bad.

But there are only 13 songs on this! 13! When Blink 182 can put out a better live album than a seminal punk band, you know there's a serious problem. The breakdown is: 4 from Fresh Fruit, 3 from Plastic Surgery Disasters, 4 from Frankenchrist, and 2 from Give Me Convenience. That's it. It could've been way better, but instead, was just an obvious cash grab.

Live at the Deaf Club (2004) 8 Thumbs Up

Woah. Someone must've been listening to all the complaints over Mutiny on the Bay, because the Dead Kennedys deliver with this one. When the New Kennedys announced yet another live album, all I could think was "Holy hell, how long are you going to milk this cash cow?" However, it turns out this live album is a complete set from 1979, (the one "Short Songs" and "Straight A's" was recorded from for Give Me Convenience...) before the band had even written a record. That's right, when 6025 was still in the band. Plus, it includes a previously unreleased song ("Gaslight") and two covers, of "Have I the Right" and "Back in the USSR."

The sound quality is amazing, and I couldn't help but giggle like a little schoolgirl at hearing early versions of what would later become classics. Hearing Jello do an impersonation of Darby Crash (the Germs were on next), bait the audience by pointing out those with disco-style haircuts before launching the band into a disco version of "Kill the Poor," and introducing "Holiday in Cambodia" as an "overdrawn epic" just made my day. I mean sure, the unreleased track wasn't that great, and it does sort of leave a sour taste in your mouth to know your money is going to people who stand for the exact opposite of what the Dead Kennedys originally stood for, but...if you can somehow get past that, it's good to hear the Dead Kennedys with two guitars. Oh, the possibilities.

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