Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

This album inspired me to become a poli sci major. When I was 14 I made a choker made from an old white crew neck t-shirt collar on which I sharpied the words "economy is looking bad, time to start a war." It went well with my homemade iron-on "jail to the thief" anti-Bush patch.

Song called "Let's Lynch the Landlord" = instant 5 stars Song called "I Kill Children = instant 5 stars 14 tracks but the whole album is barely 30 minutes? = instant 5 stars.

I think what makes the Dead Kennedys one of my favorite punk bands is multifaceted, but a major point of that is that it's not just angry-three-chords. There's elements of surf rock and even some early horror stuff on this record. East Bay Ray is a fantastic guitarist and second to maybe only Joe Strummer. Jello Biafria's lyrics, sarcastic-yet-serious delivery really seals the deal as well. Favorite tracks: "California Uber Alles", "Kill the Poor", "Holiday In Cambodia", "Let's Lynch the Landlord"

Dead Kennedys honed the hardcore punk sound unlike any other band at the time. While other big bands like Black Flag, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat got really good at playing loud and fast, Dead Kennedys did that while also wielding razor-sharp lyrics to give hardcore a pointedly political edge to it's attitude. Let's Lynch the Landlord, California über alles, and Chemical Warfare are not just for moshing in the pit! Stylistically, the boys pull from a few other sources for inspiration. Surf punk, notably used by the B-52's, gives Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables plenty of personality. This is combined with vocalist Jello Biafra, whose iconic voice and energy gives Dead Kennedys a lot of prominence. Further setting themselves apart from the other hardcore punks bands at the time, Dead Kennedys utilize varied songwriting to keep things fresh. Holiday in Cambodia, for example, uses dynamic changes in the intro and breakdown to great effect. When it comes to the simple high-energy riffs though, they still know how to bring the house down. East Bay Ray's noisy guitar and Ted's tight drums deliver killer punk sounds in spades. I would be remiss not to mention Klaus Flouride on bass, who expertly keeps up with the band while holding down a perfectly solid bass groove. This is obviously hardcore punk perfection. What more could you want from a band who calls out snide college leftists who think they know how great state communism is? Pol. Pot.

5 Fuck yeah, love the Dead Kennedys. As probably one of the most politically charged groups of all-time (up there with Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy), I've always felt that this band (along with the mentioned) "got it". Going into my review, I was actually prepared to give a 4 or 4.5 because, while I really enjoy the album, there are a handful of songs I don't return to as much. After giving this a re-listen now, I'm left wondering what the hell I was doing sleeping on them before. All killer, no filler front to back - an absolute punk essential (though Frankenchrist is also an amazing album imo). They say that the older you get, the more disillusioned you become with the punk mindset, and a developing exposure to the larger political stratosphere leads to a more complex and comprehensive mindset. I say - Dead Kennedys were right all along. RIP D.H. Peligro Favorite songs: Obviously Holiday in Cambodia and California Über Alles are bangers, but you can't go wrong with anything here. Let's Lynch the Landlord is probably the most underrated.

This is how I imagine clowns sing but I did have fun

Thoroughly enjoyable and nicely varied for a punk album. I didn't feel like I was listening to the same slurred song for thirty-five minutes like I often do with bad punk. There's also just a lot of great songs on here. 'Kill the Poor,' 'California Uber Alles,' 'Holiday in Cambodia,' I could go on. This was a great introduction to the Dead Kennedys!

It's going to be five stars if you don't want to read the rest. Basically, when I was about 10 I heard about the Sex Pistols and they sounded like the most exciting thing ever. They were okay but a bit ploddy and the singer seemed like a Wally. This, with its breakneck pace, vicious humour and sheer anarchic fun, is the band I wanted the Pistols to be.

Always nice when I can play an album out of my own collection rather than streaming on YouTube! This album is a neat signpost for how fast punk started evolving after it's emergence in 1977 (not the true beginning of punk, but that's when the big albums started coming out). By 1980 we were already ready for subgenres (as well as post-punk). This album shows the incipient hardcore punk style that would become popular in the years after this album. More than that, though, it was a truly political punk album that broke through to the mainstream in at least some meaningful sense, unlike the works of the Sex Pistols and the Ramones. The fun part about this album is that it manages to tackle big subjects without taking itself too seriously. It's often funny, personal, and crass. The music is what really makes this album. The guitar work is head and shoulders above what was present in most of the other major punk bands, and the rest of the band compliments that well. Jello's voice isn't amazing, but it's distinctive, and it works with this band 5/5 An absolute punk classic

Jello Biafra is an acquired taste, like asparagus sautéed in crushed glass.

NAZI PUNKS FUUUUUUUUUUUCK OOOOOFF

Let’s go! 3 punk albums in a row!? And another San Francisco punk band at that. I’m fired up. This album is incredible. Some real ferocious stuff by the band with the best name in punk rock. Not to mention the monikers chosen by its members... When I was 12 years old I went over to my good friend Connor Cantelmo’s house and he sent me home with a paper Trader Joe’s grocery bag full of punk CDs. Included was a compilation that included both the Dead Kennedy’s sophomore effort, Plastic Surgery Disasters, and an EP from the year before, In God We Trust, Inc. To this day, I am surprised by how much I liked this CD. Everything about it told me I should hate it. Abrasive. Indescribably unpleasant—even cartoon-ish—lead vocals. Horrible lyrical content. Screeching, feedback-heavy production and recording. And so on. And being 12, I didn’t even understand it as far as it’s political satire, which, now, I truly find to be the main course here. But I took to it all the same. It had this draw. It seemed to exist of its own accord. In its own world. By its own rules. It had absolute soul in the sense that this band truly meant every word they said and every note they played. They had to. Where else would this sound have come from if not from someplace deeply personal and undeniably urgent? It was only a hop, skip, and a jump to DK's debut album Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables which contained fan favorites "Califronia Über Alles" and "Holiday In Cambodia." (Though my favorite DK song then and now was and is "Nazi Punks F**k Off" off In God We Trust, Inc.). I love that this album gives conservative parents and nay-sayers exactly what they want to complain about. It's almost like DK decided, "Let's make music for people who want to claim this as devil music anyway. Let's just give it them; give them the evidence. And be as controversial and in-your-face as possible. To every part of the system, Democrats and Republicans alike." I think that approach to being punk is beautiful. It really just takes the breath away from potential critics. It strips them of their power of interpretation. There's almost nothing you can say about this music because what it is so unashamedly blatantly awful. I think it ends up being more depressing to those critics that this music is actually popular than it is anger-inducing, which is a good trade. And it IS incredible this band became so popular. That they have a song on Guitar Hero for instance (!!). Conservative zealots be damned. The system sucks and instead of explaining why, we're just going to show you how the system can not only birth, but foster a band as blatantly distasteful as Dead Kennedys. What is the conservative majority of Reagan's America to do with that!? It makes me smile just knowing this band existed in the context they did. Musically, DK stands in a class of its own too. The way they incorporate decidedly non-punk elements between ferocious, hardcore riffs. There are moments of circus music. Some of more straight rock influences. Some wildly syncopated drum beats. Some of the great early-80s hardcore bass lines. Stop and start call and response moments. Sound collage. And more. All this seems wildly out of place for a hardcore act that had so much on its agenda already politically. That the music is so good, rich, and unique in addition to everything else going on satirically and politically is just gravy. Loud, abrasive, in-your-face-disturbing gravy. Viva Las Vegas. 5 stars.

Man, I really enjoyed that. The Kennedys are a bit more political than their contemporaries but always manage to avoid getting bogged down by preaching. It's an absolute romp of a record. Loved it so much I played it through twice. Which is easy enough since it's only 36 minutes long. 15 songs, 36 minutes. Love that vibe. Each song comes in hard, sticks around just long enough to make a point, and then we're moved on to the next one. No wasted time, no bloated verses, no pointless vamps. Just pure, distilled rock. So good.

Classic British punk

This shit is mad annoying, actually. Sort of reminds me of a local band playing a college house party and they’re so annoying you want to bail but you can’t leave because you spent $5 on that red solo cup for keg access and you need to get your moneys worth because you’re a broke underage student who only works 12 hours a week and have blown through most of your financial aid even though you pirated, like, HALF of your textbooks so you could pocket the difference so you just drink foamy beer and scornfully clown on the the band from the back of the room

Fucking 5

holiday in cambodia is the best song on this album and it still sucks

Masterpiece of hardcore punk rock. Sharp lyrics and vocals, over a music that's no less sharp. The best of both worlds, really. The biting sense of satire is everywhere, from "Kill The Poor" to that absurd "Viva Las Vegas" cover closing the album. And the instrumentation is often smart and inventive, with many infectious guitar-and-bass lines that are both angular and highly melodic, thus going beyond what the usual small fry in the genre can deliver. "Holiday In Cambodia" and "California Über Alles" are instant classics, and if their subject matters deal with news events from another era, their impact hasn't aged a day. Maybe because the times have only gotten worse. The Dead Kennedys had Pol Pot and Jerry Brown. Now we have Kim Jung-un and Donald Trump. One can't help wishing more folks had listened to Jello Biafra's politically charged vitriol at the time. But if general audiences listened to good songwriters instead of crooked politicians, maybe the world would be slightly less hellish as a result. On a sidenote, I also highly recommend the *Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death" compilation. It has the single versions of the two last songs I've just mentioned here, and the sound and performance in those different recordings is superior to the album versions. Besides, this compilation also harbors other pivotal singles such as "Too Drunk To Fuck", along with incredible live documents showing how insane that band was onstage. If you're a fan of *Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables*, you can't go wrong with this one, really... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 811 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 103 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 46 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 41

A pure classic hardcore punk album with intelligent and deeply sarcastic lyrics mixed with surf guitar and elastic band vocals. Lots of punks weren't expecting that. Best Tracks: Kill The Poor; Holiday In Cambodia; Viva Las Vegas

Damn this absolutely smokes - California Uber Alles, Chemical Warfare and Holiday in Cambodia are sensational, absolutely top tier punk songs. They just feel a cut above, right? Smart lyrics, a great sound and attitude to burn. East Bay Ray is such a cool name.

(5/5) A hardcore punk album that is still so pressingly relevant today. I knew the hits, I've heard a few of the other albums, but this was new to me. It stood steady on a high '4' for the entire record until I got to the end. The 'cover' of "Viva Los Vegas" absolutely killed me and pushed it over the edge. Jello was light-years ahead of most of his contemporaries and not enough people listened to him. More people **TODAY** should listen. The messages are still meaningful.

One of my absolute, all-time favorite punk albums, full stop. Honestly, it's probably the punkest punk album I love. 'Coz, like, I think about all of the other punk bands who have an album I love — Green Day, the Ramones, The Clash, Bad Religion — and they have a pop sheen to them, to one extent or another. Which, pop isn't a bad word to me, but you compare any of those band's albums to this and it's a massive gulf. With its massive surf rock influence and the elements of horror and humour throughout, and with how damn fast they play some of those songs, there's really not a single punk album I've heard that goes harder. Maybe a Snot album, but I haven't heard one of those in full. And it just does not let up. It's 30 minutes, front-to-back, of all-cylinders-firing killer and not a second of filler. From the big notable songs like "California Über Alles" and "Holiday In Cambodia", down to stuff like "Stealing People's Mail", "I Kill Children", "Drug Me" and "Chemical Warfare", it's all amazing. I don't even need to give any deep, faux-essay reasons why — which I easily could, given how I consider Dead Kennedys near Rage Against The Machine and Chumbawamba in how left they are. You just need to listen to them play — incredible, right? (Many shout outs to the "Viva Las Vegas" cover they end the album with, too, by the way. Even besides my being an Elvis fan, I just love how wild it is. Goodness.) In case you couldn't tell: instant 5 from me. It's one of those albums I honestly could have written a review of months before my group got it 'coz I love it just that much. So, yeah, I'unno what else to say. Go dig this album if you somehow found this review without having done so already. POL POT

Great album

oh yeah this was very good it took me one song to get into them and now im on board lets kill the fucking poor am i right?

Perfect, surf-punk - right up my street - with biting and clever sardonic lyrics, adrenaline packed beats and pumping bass lines. Listening to this record, makes the contrast of American punk (and even British punk) that came after this feel so hollow and weak. This is the real thing - from intensely funny 'California Über Alles', to the poignant 'Kill the Poor', from 'Holiday in Cambodia' and even in the perfect madcap cover of 'Viva Las Vegas'. Love it - a true classic.

A bit rough but pretty fun otherwise. Absolutely love the guitar riffs and bass. I wish the songs were longer, but their length gives them their charm. Really creative album title, and really cool cover. Fave track(s): When Ya Get Drafted, Let's Lynch The Landlord

Good ole Punk Rock, how I've missed you.

Not really my thing, I didn’t find it entertaining and most songs weren’t good

Did not like :(

I hate this, everything about it.

gross

When I listen to the Dead Kennedys I always end up thinking that other punk acts are tame by comparison. There may be another band that has stronger statements in their music but I can’t name off the top of my head, especially when a guy named Jello is yelling about any and every thing. Their band name is provocative, the sound pounding, their pace propulsive. These guys were right before my time so I can only imagine what it would’ve been like to attend a Dead Kennedys show live. Confrontational or cathartic, thats what I imagine. I was familiar with a few of the songs on this album, but not the whole. They’re still quite cathartic, to my middle-age self at least, on an album listen. This listen I was put in mind of similarities to another band, from my time and who I am more familiar with, System of a Down. SoaD are downstream of Dead Kennedys and I hear echos of Jello Biafras manic shouting on social issues in Serj Tankian vocals. Seriously, Prison Song could’ve been on a DK album, maybe this one. The gap between 1980 and 2001 wasn’t so far, I guess. Neither is the gap between 2001 and 2026, unfortunately. I did get to see SoaD live. Not as confrontational as imagined a DK show, but it was damn cathartic. 5/5

45 years on and the fruit is still fresh

I knew Holiday in Cambodia, but this album was an absolute discovery for me. I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed their version of 'Viva Las Vegas'??? I do wish I didn't have to read the lyrics to understand what their songs are about, but I guess enunciation isn't exactly 'punk'.

Heard Before? Many times, but not since high school. Notes: - there's definitely an argument to be made for one of their other albums to be included on the list instead of the debut, but I'm not complaining. - now when I listen to this I can only picture how Jello, while the primary songwriter, was also a complete non musician, and so would act out and sing the parts he wanted the others to play. Hilarious. - the mix varies distractingly from song to song. oh well. Verdict: It absolutely shreds, in the preachiest, most grating way. Chemical warfare, indeed. Listen Again? Well, I already listened to "Plastic Surgery Disasters" and "The Power of Lard" today, so it seems likely.

Wow what a record. I remember downloading these songs one by one on Napster when I was a nu metal weirdo in high school. To think I could still be listening to kid rock in southern Missouri if not for the Dead Kennedys and the ramones whew

This is the best punk album I've heard. I'm not usually a fan of the genre, but the variety, vocal and instrumental performances and sociopolitical commentary are all very complex and impressive. As a person of color I've grappled with some of the lyrics in holiday in Cambodia for 20 years now, but in the context of the rest of the band's work it seems like the point is the make people uncomfortable and to be evocative. That's how I feel throughout the tracklist, slightly uncomfortable but on the edge of my seat. I loved the juxtaposition of HIC and the cover of Viva Las Vegas - what a wacky transition and closer. Really outstanding work. 5/5

Awake at 5:30am and still buzzing from the Jays ALCS win. Fuck it, play Dead Kennedys

Raw, punchy, political, and energetic. Hints of surf rock sprinkled in there as well. There’s also some like horror rock in there too which was fun. I feel like sonically this is a very interesting sounding punk album for 1980. This type of music has been my jam all year so I was stoked to listen to this one today.

Nothing says Reaganomics more than the Dead Kennedys 1980 classic "Kill the Poor" with its Rocky Horror queer tones and Ramones rock rhythm... basically this album is the Ramones on crack for the win. I was 16 when this album came out and bought it immediately. No regrats, as they say, well, one in that I never saw them live.

139. Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - Dead Kennedys (1980) 7.11.26 Variety: 3 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 5 Emotionality: 4 = 4.2 rounded down to 4 "It's time to taste what you most fear/ Right Guard will not help you here/ Brace yourself, my dear" INTRO There's not a lot of American hardcore punk music that I care for. A lot of this has to do with the sheer unmusicality of it. There are only so many 1:23-long, indecipherably shouted songs with poorly played, but huge drums that drown out all the other instruments that one can hear before they all begin to run together. The best of these guys were all secretly way better musicians than they would ever cop to though, and I count Dead Kennedys among the top tier of these. East Bay Ray is central to this, with his highly influential blend of rockabilly, surf, garage elements. Klaus Flouride with his FAT bass is underrated as a great support player along with Ted who is doing some more technically tricky stuff than the production of this album might let on. And Biafra, despite his VERY unique theatrical delivery does exactly what is needed for each song. In other words, these guys actually have hummable songs that are memorable and distinct as well as being hard hitting, and politically on target as their peers. And that's what's going to earn them their points. THE TRACKS Side A "Kill the Poor" - Right away we're knee deep in a darkly sarcastic, funny territory with the 0-60 assault of a guitar that sounds more than a little Sex Pistols-ish, and a voice that sounds like the B-52's Fred Schneider got a really bad case of laryngitis. The vocal delivery is more mock enthusiastic than angry, which make the truth of the lyrics go down that much harder. It's bit much of a leap to see the inherent logic in a bomb that's designed to minimize property destruction while maximizing human casualties, and in possibly one of the worst ways to die. and then make that logic as explicit as possible. I imagine this would have been quite shocking to anyone actually paying attention to the lyrics. And as caustic and aggressive as it sounds on the surface level, there's a real song, and it's real catchy. "Forward to Death" - I little bit more on the literal side, we get some "fuck it all" energy, all wrapped up in a tight 1:23 little package. Has a death wish ever been this danceable? "When Ya Get Drafted" - Another small, powerful delivery. This time just literally describing exactly how the war machine has, and always will function. A meatgrinder that feeds the poor in one side, while multi-billion dollar defense contracts come out the other side. They could have released this as a single once every 10 years or since 1980 and not a lyric would have need to be updated. My favorite part - the instrumental breakdown and the awesome ringing 50's sci-fi guitar. "Let's Lynch the Landlord" - More lyrics that haven't gone out of style in the least, this time with a focus on slumlords. The sound this time around witches to a more garage rock sound, with some bright, poppy surf touches around the midsection, with more than a little "Pretty Vacant" DNA thrown in. "Drug Me" - A satirical look at the casual "good" drug culture that mainstream America has taken part in, willfully oblivious to how hypocritical it is to also be at war with all the "bad" drugs. I don't think these guys were straight edge like some of their peers, so I don't think it's any kind of total condemnation of the substances themselves. One thing that struck me though is how much of a template this provides for the sound that System of a Down would make take to 6x multi-platinum levels. "Your Emotions" - Another breathless, machine gun approach, this time aimed at the unoriginal zombies who coast through life just repeating what they've been told, never thinking for themselves. Low hanging fruit to be sure, and maybe a little too broad and slight to be as effective as some of the other stuff we've heard. "Chemical Warfare" - Who else could make homegrown terrorism against the country club elite sound so fun? It's all very tongue in cheek though, with a dip into some straight up circus music and the horror movie soundtrack of screams and chaos providing the punchline. Side B "California Über Alles" - The sinister fat bass, and the martial beat push and push and push and are barely contained by the guitar, exploding into the mock fascist anthem that Biafra nails down hard with his delivery. After things slow back down, they wind up with such electricity that by the time the 3:03 run time expires, it feels like you've somehow travelled forward a few minutes. Surely this was a minute and a half, right? The tightest, most pointed attack on the album I think, and one that I can easily imagine Biafra having performed much more recently with some California governor names swapped out. "I Kill Children" - Maybe the only legit edgelord song on the album that doesn't seem to be couched in the general leftist politics of the rest of the album, but instead seems to be aiming for the sort of transgressive for the sake of it kind of thing better suited to the Misfits. If there was a more satirical point of view, this could maybe have amounted to more than the black joke it is. On top of all that though, it's not very memorable in any sort of musical way. "Stealing People's Mail" - This tale of mail theft and general delinquency works a bit better, having a much catchier sound, and more of a sense of dumb fun. The stuttering guitar in the pre-chorus and the stop start structure makes this one a pretty fun, if throwaway track. "Funland at the Beach" - We a much heavier hard rock riff here that buoys up a better take on the pitch black humor from two tracks ago, still without even a tenuous link to any sort of real social or political commentary. That's fine I guess, but the first half had me primed to expect more of the same I guess. "Ill in the Head" - I guess this one's an exploration of mental illness? If I'm honest, this last few songs have sapped a bit of energy from the whole thing, and this one in particular lacks much to differentiate it. "Holiday in Cambodia" - The centerpiece, and the song by which the album ( if not the band, despite plenty of other fine work) made it's reputation in the larger rock landscape. An unforgettable core melody that is supported by some of the spookiest, fucking rad surf guitar this side of Bauhaus. Biafra's most iconic performance, as well. This song is a guided missile pointed at the Haves and their insulated lifestyle, and transcends most everything else on the album by a very large factor. This one belongs in the top tier of songs from the latter half of the last Century, and beats a lot of those half to death with its laser focus and pure "fuck you and yours" attitude. "Viva Las Vegas" - Which doesn't mean this wasn't also a ton of fun. Brash and bold and better than the original in my opinion, which is just a bloated lounge song in rockabilly drag. If the Las Vegas tourism commission had any balls, they'd try and license this for their ads. HIGHLIGHTS - "Kill the Poor" - "Forward to Death" - "When Ya Get Drafted" - "Let's Lynch the Landlord" - "Drug Me" - "California Über Alles" - "Holiday in Cambodia" - "Viva Las Vegas" MIDLIGHTS - "Your Emotions" - "Stealing People's Mail" - "Funland at the Beach" LOWLIGHTS - "I Kill Children" - "Ill in the Head" FINAL THOUGHTS The seething, sometimes sarcastic, always withering anger on display here was so damn energizing. Pitch black and thick with the sourness and political discontent that comes with the ability to see just how crooked things were, and always had been - the lyrical content alone on this album deserves a special call out. This came out at just about the time the fascists started shedding their camouflage and making the implied messaging more explicit, and these guys did not miss a beat in calling them on their bullshit. That wasn't anything too special on it's own, as there were countless canary's in the coal mine who had even been warning us way before. But they did it with so much style and fucking goddamn energy and bite that they were able to puncture the message into the mainstream, however briefly. A lot of American hardcore of the time had similar messaging, but who the hell could understand any of it, and besides the bands were mostly content bouncing around in the mini echo chamber of the scene, and become local heroes. Biafra and company were more ambitus than that, as made clear by Biafra's run for mayor, and future political involvement. Theses guys had the desire AND the will AND the talent to reach out and at least try to meat the mainstream halfway. But enough about their messaging... The playing on here was so much fun. The surf influence alone earns them a lot of goodwill from me, but they don't limit themselves in their influences, and would even say that while not a "cowpunk" bands per se, they had to have influenced some of those with tracks like "Viva Loas Vegas" or their "Rawhide" cover. There's just a LOT going on here, and it can easily get overlooked by those who might have a bit of an allergic reaction when it comes to punk in general. But in my opinion the band has a lot more in common with the Ramones and their stew of bubblegum and 60s pop influences, love of speed ( maybe both metaphorical and literal in Dee Dee's case?), and melody. Dead Kennedy's took this formula and just went even faster, and darker in content, and even upped the black humor. A punk rock classic and a solid token pick I guess from the American punk scene ( though i do see Bad Brains, Black Flag and Minutemen are on there, so they're hitting the highlights - sadly no Misfits though), and an album that feels just as fresh as the day it came out. My biggest criticism is that there's a bit too much mediocre bloat around the midsection for it to live up to the promise of the best material, and as much as I hate doing so, I'll have to put in out back in the shed with all the other almost-made-it borderline 4-point-somethings. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Nah FURTHER LISTENING - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols by the Sex Pistols - Rocket to Russia by the Ramones - Milo Goes to College by Descendents - Damaged by Black Flag - Walk Among Us by the Misfits - Bad Brains by Bad Brains - Double Nickels on the Dime by Minutemen

I believe this was the first punk-era punk album I ever listened to, almost certainly copied onto cassette by a classmate, probably heard after I’d already begun being reprogrammed by its descendants, so it sounded a little light and prosaic to me. Now? A solid, short rock album by a band that knows its strengths and uses them. Jello’s voice is too cartoonish for my taste, but he works with the material. Respectful 4.

Fucking great, some of the best American punk by far. Crazy I got to live in CA more than 30 years later, and Jerry Brown was still governor! Luckily the suede/denim secret police had been abolished in the interim, following the Status Quo pogrom of 1986

I thought they'd be a lot more raw punk. Turns out they sound more like The Ramones meets The Undertones, and the singer, American by all accounts, has a strange Irish quiver to his voice like Feargal Sharkey (when he's not snarling like Johnny Rotten). The lyrics are diametrically opposed to songs about chocolate and girls mind you, and take a much more nihilistic view of the escapism of death, infantilism, war, nuclear war, chemical war, class war and the war on drugs. A relevant album today, an album that draws from the Sex Pistols but does enough not to sound like a rip-off; some evisceraring lyrics weaving stories of a lost generation, mixed in with melodic touches of surf rock and rock n roll via Motown. We are in dire need of a band like this today, and yet everyone sings about dick n fanny as the world burns.

Nazi Punks Fuck Off

not quite my taste, I rarely listen to music like this liked the guitar effects in Viva Las Vegas very much

While musically this shows it's age, this is a classic of the genre. Sadly it's themes are still relevant today. Some of the guitar work is a leap forward from earlier punk records and you can see how much this influenced the later movement and hardcore scene.

I enjoy the idea of the Dead Kennedys more than I enjoy actually listening to the Dead Kennedys. But there is the occasional fun guitar work and the politics are on point.

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables I know California Uber Alles and Holiday in Cambodia and I’m aware of Dead Kennedy’s influence and reputation in US punk and hardcore, and this album is exactly what I expected it to be: Politically charged lyrics that manage to avoid triteness and cliche, while still maintaining a righteous anger. High tempo punk-thrash A couple of catchy, shouty choruses. Being British we look back at seminal punk albums like Never Mind the Bollocks or The Clash and can see their place in the musical landscape, whereas with US punk it’s trickier for me to see that context and how it must have sounded back in 1980. And if I am going to compare them, I think those two albums are musically more interesting than this. Alongside California Uber Alles and the excellent Holiday in Cambodia, Kill the Poor and the cover of Viva Las Vegas are great, and there are the odd nods to surf rock, but the rest, apart from perhaps Drug Me, while solid enough examples of thrash-punk, don’t do a great deal for me, I think mainly due to the rhythmic monotony, I really miss a bit of swing or syncopation that someone like Topper Headon gives (despite that bit in Chemical Warfare). So, musically It's a solid punk/hardcore album with a couple of great tracks in California Uber Alles and Holiday in Cambodia, and those combined with its lyrical content means I think it deserves its status as a seminal album, and nudges this to a 3, even if I probably won’t revisit very often. 🍏🍌🍍 Playlist submission: Holiday in Cambodia

This is a hardcore punk album in that it is political, it’s obscene, and it makes you angry. First time I listened to this I didn’t love it but having it come up on this list I listened to it a little more and it’s pretty decent. I didn’t grow up when punk was popular so some of the appeal is missed on me but some of these songs do rock hard. Some were familiar from guitar hero. Yikes. Overall though this is solid and I’d revisit maybe. 6.2/10

Totally conflicted. That is all. The photo behind the album cover (I read the wiki) had me hopeful for context and content. Mostly the singing was not wonderful.

Nr. 46/1001 Kill the Poor 3/5 Forward to Death 2/5 When Ya Get Drafted 2/5 Let's Lynch The Landlord 3/5 Drug Me 1/5 Your Emotions 2/5 Chemical Warfare 2/5 California Uber Alles 2/5 I Kill Children 2/5 Stealing People's Mail 2/5 Funland At The Beach 2/5 III in the Head 1/5 Holiday In Cambodia 2/5 Viva Las Vegas 2/5 Average: 2,0 Not my kind of music

Whoever made this list must have had a hard-on for punk. The only redeeming factor of this shit music is how short the songs are. I hate it. Please no more punk. PS. The cover of "Viva Las Vegas" was almost OK.

Sounds like a small dog singing while running away from a bigger dog that's chasing it. Do I really have to listen to this before I die?

Every song sounds the exact same, and that's not a good thing here. Favorite track: Holiday in Cambodia since it's the only one I've listened to more than once

No thanks Dead Kennedys.

Icky

A lot of these are still in heavy rotation at my house

Do I even need to review this? Best hardcore punk album ever. Ez.

They use every second of this extremely accessible runtime for frenetic satirical anti-capitalism and anti-facism in this scathing review of culture and politics. Loved it, no notes. Also recognize this album calls out the particular flavor of leftism I am participating in by consuming this album on expensive headphones on a beach while experiencing white guilt. -listened on beach trip 2026

One of the very best genre defining punk albums ever released. Top of my head I can only think of a handful of better ones such as: Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, Black Flag - Damaged, X - Los Angeles, London Calling - The Clash & Minor Threat - Complete Discography. Maybe something by Husker Du? I don't know. I don't consider Television's life changing album 'Marquee Moon' to be a punk album in any way whatsoever.

5/5. For my money, Dead Kennedys are the best punk band. As a sign of how much I love their music, I gave this album a 5 and it’s not even my favorite Dead Kennedys record (for me it’s their second album “Plastic Surgery Disasters.”) Of course, frontman Jello Biafra is a good lyricist and great satirist, which you can see on opener “Kill the Poor” where he plays the part of a policy-maker proposing the idea of just nuking poor neighborhoods so the wealthy can have more space. But what really puts the Dead Kennedys above other punk bands for me is their rhythm section, where many punk bands are (albeit intentionally) loose and sloppy players, Dead Kennedys has a tight and precise style of playing where the members are always locked the hell in. There are a lot of great little bass riffs or short guitar solos to find here. As for the tracklist, it’s all killer no filler. Whether that be the big songs “Holiday in Cambodia” and “California Über Alles” or Greta deep cuts like “Chemical Warfare” or “when ya get drafted.” There just isn’t a dull moment to be found here, and it’s also paced extremely well so it glides by very quick. Also regarding California Über Alles, the version on this album is actually not my favorite version of this song. That honor goes to “we’ve got a bigger problem now” off of their “In God We Trust Inc.” EP which reworks the song to be about Ronald Reagan and is even more intense/angry.

Brilliant album, like Buddy Holly goes punk :)

Oh hey, it’s still one of the greatest albums ever made.

It wasn't a sure thing that punk would be political, much less that it would be the succor to a generation of progressives in the wilderness. The Sex Pistols' anarchism was mostly an act, the Ramones' politics were... something. But the Dead Kennedys' sounds and lyrics were so radical and unforgettable that they revealed the political potential for punk from now until the end of time. In Green Room, a wonderful and weird movie about live music and white supremacy, a punk band suddenly realizes they are playing a skinhead club. Without much of a plan, they open their set with "Nazi Punks Fuck Off." Why doesn't this crowd lynch them? I thought, and I wonder if it is something in the power of this group to say, "No matter what sick shit you do with this music, we are never going away." Anyway, the skinheads lose in the end. Nazi punks fuck off indeed.

Another seminal album that helped shape an entire genre

The punkest of punk rock.

ME HAN ENCANTADO, KILL THE POOR TOP, política y música, siempre bienvenido

Untouchable energy

Angry and snarky, yet still very fun. Kicks a lot of ass while being more than just some dudes playing the same couple of chords loud, with influences including surf rock. Yeah, I love this and need to check out more by these guys.

Hardcore punk at its absolute finest. Perfuckingfection.

HELL YEAH!!! DK!!! Such an epic record from start to finish

Cool, sexy, fun, exciting, clever and enjoyable. Just like the good old punk was intented to be.

It’s the DKs. What’s not to love?

Hell yes! Aggressive, funny, weird, maniacal. Mostly straightforward hardcore punk, with some nice little flourishes along the way. Naming a song "I Kill Children" is so fucking funny. My wife absolutely hates this. POL POT. My only complaint is that my favorite DK song, "Nazi Punks Fuck Off", is not on here.

Thoughts before listening: Oh man. Definitely one of my favorites from my youth (I even had the DK sticker on my car) that I have not revisited as much as an adult. I find with many of these punk albums, I love them from a nostalgia perspective, but I often find myself turned off by the lyrics. This happens with rap albums as well. Maybe I've become a prude or maybe I just hear things through my daughter's ears now, but I find a lot of the lyrics to be distracting from the music. That being said, I know this album contains a number of DK's classic songs like "California Uber Alles" and "Holiday in Cambodia", and the band's musicianship always helped them to standout from their peers who favored aggression and vitriol over instrumental prowess. Review: Dead Kennedys are certainly unique in the world of 80s punk rock. They play with the intensity of their peers, but with music that incorporates varying styles (i.e. surf licks, country/western twang, and in some instances carnival music) along with Jello Biafra's yelpy vocals on top. Its a fun listen that I do enjoy quite a bit. Lyrically, Jello mostly sticks to social and political commentary, and in general, he was always one of the more intelligent lyricists of his time. I do not always agree with his takes, especially on religion, but I can appreciate his point of view. I'll give this 5-stars as it was great to revisit such an important album to punk in general and especially to my own musical upbringing.

I have multiple of these projects going and just got this. Sorry, but I love it, it gets a 5. Listening again (and again) after all these years only makes me love it more. Don’t know, guess that’s the trouble with my head. 5 Boolean: yep, again and again

Ohhhhh one of the first albums I loved! Knew all the lyrics. Drove my mom mad. Had arguments about my general ignorance of what Jello Biafra was singing about AND the appropriateness of the names “Jello Biafra,” and “Dead Kennedys.” Good times. Oh, it is good times. I do love this album. Crazy how all the lyrics come back from when I was 13. I don’t think I have actually listened to this album as a whole in two decades! Or more. God it’s more. I’m getting old. I wish Winnebago Warrior was on this album. I guess all the others are compilations. And sadly, it seems Jello Biafra is a douche. Stole from his bandmates. How un punk rock. But what can I say, nothing will stop me from loving this album. Cover to cover. Over and over again. 5 Boolean: OH YEAH

One of my all time punk bands

Fantastic album that is woefully relevant today.

Raw. This could get almost anybody into punk, if they weren't already. If you're reading this thinking, "yeah whatever," you're probably part of the problem. This is fucking incredible.

own

Perfect way to introduce to punk. This album is powerful and full of great lyrics and guitars.

Punk at its finest. I usually prefer British punk, with its sharp commentary on politics, class culture, and everyday life, subjects I relate more to than the generally attitude-driven approach of a lot of American punk. This record is an exception, however. The lyrics are hilariously satirical, the performances are fantastic across both vocals and instrumentation, and the overall sound is raw, energetic, and unforgettable. Essential punk listening that’ll have you laughing at the absurdity of American culture while still delivering genuinely great songs.

I wonder if I would think this was solid 5/5 bangers if I hadn't listened to it before. I like it way more than yesterday's.

I really enjoyed it. Punchy and doesn't overstay its welcome.

I could never get into Dead Kennedys BITD, mostly because of Jello Biafra's voice, but I was more a postpunk kid than a punk. I loved hearing this fresh. Jello's voice is still, uh, distinctive, but it doesn't feel challenging or painfully abrasive like it used to. Now it sits at "classically abrasive" on the vocals dial, while still being one-of-a-kind and one of the greats. What I really loved was the guitars. Great sounds, and a huge diversity of sounds, rough but well-played. Overall, this record surprised me. Belongs on the list? Yeah. My list, probably, yeah. Think I'll listen through the rest of their discography. 5/5

Thank you for hearing my complaints, list generator algorithm. This is one of the first albums I ever bought with my own money, truly as a poser move because I knew they were a cool punk band and I wanted to be a cool punk kid. It turns out they are a cool punk band. Incredibly powerful album especially in 1980. Fun, smart, funny at times, and incredibly well written

tosi hyvä punk albumi ja meininki on kovaa ja rajua!

my bag

Another disagreement between me ans the kiddo. He says 5 stars, I say 4 stars. I'm giving it 5 stars because I'm glad he learned to fight the power at such a young age (thanks Dead Kennedys!).

Whee another 5-star punk album. Every minute of this is great. Compelling, rhythmic punk rock. It's got Jello's vocals, and the humorous but also strongly political lyrics (still relevant, unfortunately). "Kill the Poor," "California Uber Alles," "Drug Me," "Holiday in Cambodia," "Viva Las Vegas" - What else do I need to say. 5 stars. 5 stars

I was always confused how "Holiday in Cambodia" wound up on Guitar Hero - now I know that Jello Biafra lost the rights to DK's music to his other bandmates, who he called 'spiritually republican', in the early aughts. Fucking lol. This album rips.

Immediate 5. My vote for the greatest punk album ever made. Each track has it's own identity and style, but they're all undeniably DK. Jello is a snotty-nosed little brat (complimentary), the blend of surf and punk, the politics that generally hold up, even if some of the language doesn't. Fully deserves its place on the list and holds up incredibly strongly. 5 all the way.

Its good, angry, fast, angry, short, to the point, angry, mean

I was torn, but eventually went for the full 5 stars. This is a fantastic early hardcore punk album, with great, political but also pretty funny lyrics. There are lots of standout tracks: ‘Kill the Poor’, ‘Let’s Lynch the Landlord’, ‘Chemical Warfare’, ‘California Über Alles’, ‘Holiday in Cambodia’ and the deranged, lyrically-altered cover of ‘Viva Las Vegas’ being my favourites. But I don’t think there’s really a weak track on it (‘Ill in the Head’ might be the closest thing to one). Jello Biafra’s vocals seem to be quite divisive, but I think the whole band sound great, including him.

Yes

“California Über Alles” was one of the first punk rock songs I ever heard, and it made a powerful impression. Furious, lean and filled with vivid (and occasionally shocking) lyrical imagery, it’s arguably the finest punk rock song of all time — certainly a pinnacle of the American hardcore subgenre. The rest of the album is no letdown, sonically or in terms of cultural impact. The passing of time may have softened things, but America in 1980, at the dawn of the Reagan era, found the Dead Kennedys abhorrent (especially the name). The fact they got sued for using an image of another musical outfit without permission only strengthened the band’s transgressive bona fides. The set is combustible and fueled with righteousness and moral outrage, delivered with a generous dash of humor, a sense of fearlessness and a musical sensibility that was a cut above most of its peers.

Hard to really assess this is as someone vaguely familiar with the band but pretty familiar with punk. A significant portion of punk is basically people badly copying this. This is still a peak album, but hard to seperate from the fact that many bands followed with music that was just a pale imitation

This is art