Customer Reviews

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (CD + New DVD Documentary)

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This edition of the DK's classic first album, inspired either by its 25th anniversery or the regrettable lawsuit that put it in the hands of the band members not named Jello Biafra, is at least a chance to re-evaluate it anew. The question of whether it stands the test of time is perhaps overshadowed by whether any punk should be anointed "classic" status in the first place. The whole point of punk was to get rid of those BS designations and just blast the kind of stuff offensive to parents, guardians of culture and even rock music fans. Heck, a few of the songs on the album could only be considered relevant to a specific period of time. "Holiday In Cambodia" was made all the more relevant by being released during Pol Pot's reign of terror. Does anybody even care about Jerry Brown anymore?

That said, "Fresh Fruit" holds up remarkably well. The pitch-black humor of songs like "I Kill Children" and "Funland At The Beach" upped the ante of punk's deliberate offensiveness in its time and reveals today's pseudo-punk whiners as the childish pablum-pushers they are. Even the more topical songs hold up on their own. The Wagnerian flourishes of "California Uber Alles" are practically begging for a Schwarzenegger-era rewrite, but you'll find yourself singing along regardless. Likewise, "Kill The Poor" makes more sense today if you substitute "Hurricane Katrina" for "Neutron Bomb," but the devilish glee with which Biafra delivers his satire sells it all over again. Say what you will about the antics of the other ex-Kennedys, but East Bay Ray's surf-inspired guitar and Klaus Fluouride's just plain inspired bass created a new vocabulary for punk that was miles ahead of contemporaries such as the Germs (and they were great in their own right).

Now, what about this edition is notable? While one can argue about the lawsuit that made it possible (for the record, I'm mainly on Biafra's side, since even the band members admit that the royalty problems they had were due to an innocent accounting error) the opportunity to remaaster the disc was too good to pass up. Well, I hate to say they dropped the ball on this front, but this is sonically not all that different from the vinyl edition I've been abusing for years. Why an album that was the product of a 22-track studio still sounds like it's mono is a question that's not really answered on the DVD documentary that's included in the package. However, the doc does have some neato live performances (arguably not the best, but I'll leave such aesthetic distinctions aside) and "vintage" local TV news footage of Biafra's semi-dadaist run for mayor of San Francisco. This is about the only time we get to hear from the man himself, as he obviously declined to be interviewed for this project. This of course makes him kind of a ghostly presence here, as if everybody's talking about someone who's died. It should also be noted that Biafra's recently complained that (ironically) he hasn't received any royalties from the DK's reissues, which I fear can lead to yet more lawsuits, which is obviously the most un-punk thing they could do. So what do you say, punk fans? Before such a depressing occurence, get a few torches and ropes, and let's lynch the lawyers!

I've always loved this album and you should too if you like original, inspired punk with a cause. Dead Kennedys were an extremely unique and powerful band. They could be scary as hell but also hilarious. I would give this 5 stars based on the sound quality alone. This sounds MUCH better than the version I had on CD previously, although I must say that my expectations weren't that high when I bought the old copy. I probably wouldn't ever have bought this reissue but my brother just got it for me for Christmas and it's a damn fine present. My first copy of this album was on cassette and I think Alternative Tentacles were using those low bias 3-for-a-dollar cassettes at the time--- loved the songs but it was so unbelievably muddy. Then I bought a copy on vinyl--- better but not much. Ditto for the old CD. I figured it was the best it could be but apparently I was wrong. This new version sounds so unbelievably good. Never underestimate what technology can do (that's good and bad, but in this case good).

Then there's the DVD--- unfortunately Jello Biafra isn't interviewed here but it's to be expected with everyone "doing the slag" as of late. It would have been nice to hear his take on it but it's still a great mini-documentary and, to be honest, it's sort of cool to hear Klaus' and Ray's stories for a change. I've always liked Biafra (solo works included) but his stories have been pretty well documented and you rarely hear what the rest of the band has to say. For their part, I'm happy to say that they have kept the mud-slinging out of the picture. There's a few spots where they could have easily taken pot shots (such as when the topic of "why attack Jerry Brown?" comes up when discussiing "California Uber Alles") but they don't. They explain what Jello was talking about without a trace of bitterness. Maybe they have no choice on that legally, but they certainly appear to be over any bitterness at least on a professional level.

It's a drag that they still aren't on good terms because it would be nice to see them collaberating with Biafra on this stuff but such is life. I refrain from taking sides on what went down but I must say that I saw Jello give a spoken word performance in Detroit a couple years ago and he encouraged everyone to boycott the Dead Kennedys reissues. After hearing what they have done with the sound on this record, I may have to go check out what they have done with the others. It's hard to say who's srewing whom, but the fans aren't the ones getting hosed here because this edition is top notch. As a side note, I also had the "In God We Trust" DVD (before someone borrowed it from me a year ago and never returned it). That is also excellent and highly recommended.

Just a cursory glance through the titles of this 1980 San Francisco punk classic should prepare you for the madness contained within the album's 14 tracks. Landlords are being lynched, children and the poor killed, drugs and chemical warfare indulged in, and somewhat tamely in comparison, people's mail stolen. It all rounds off with one of the classic punk covers, as the DK's tear through the King's Viva Las Vegas. Hearing them lambast then-Californian Governor Jerry Brown and the American army- on California Uber Alles and When Ya Get Drafted respectively-you get the impression Messrs. Bush Jnr and Schwarzenegger are relieved this lot were born twenty-five years too early to shower them with vitriol.

One of the greatest punk albums ever conceived and executed, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables makes the Sex Pistols sound like Lawrence Welk. Jello Biafra and company design a sound so full of pure malevolence and latent aural violence that they make heavy metalists and their ilk--who always boast about the threatening nature of their music--look positively wimpy in comparison. "Kill the Poor," "California uber Alles," "Chemical Warfare" and "Holiday in Cambodia" still stand as a testament to the terrifying, apocalyptic vision of the Kennedys. Put this one in the time vault.

it would be impossible to review this new deluxe 25th anniversary re-issue of one of the greatest American punk albums of all time without addressing the current feud and ugly legal battle that has ultimately caused a split between Jello Biafra and his former bandmates. unfortunately, this has resulted in Jello losing all legal control and ownership of all past and future DK products and most importantly, the DK name. let's be honest, Alternative Tentacles is really the proper home of any DK release, period. but we do not live in a perfect world where everyone gets along with one another, and the blunt reality is that a band is not just one person. no one ever wants to think of punk rock in a business sense, but when it really comes down to it, a band is the sum of all it's members. legally, removing one of the members still leaves a band, just minus one member. whether we like it or not, history has shown this to be true (perfect examples of this would be: Misfits, Sepultura, and Pink Floyd). who ever said life was fair? hey, in a perfect world, I would be a millionaire, there would be no injustice or corruption, and the DK's would still involve Jello Biafra... the one thing DK fans have to focus on is the fact that we have a superior sounding Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables CD that is in print. this alone is reason to rejoyce. if you worry too much about who is putting out the CD, and where your money is going, well, look at it this way... it could be worse. at least we still have 3/4 of a band that was responsible for this masterpiece. I don't have to worry about reviewing the actual songs, because let's face it - you should know this sh*t by now! the bonus DVD included in this edition has its pros & cons. yes, it is cool seeing all that vintage live footage from late '79 & early '80. yes, the commentary is cool but Jello missing from it just feels like an awkward void that will never be filled again. as punk fans and devoted DK followers, we all have a dilema. do we have to choose sides? Jello, or the other guys? Alternative Tentacles or Decay (Manifesto) records. the answer is for you to decide. the bottom line is FFFRV remains a legendary classic punk album. probably one of the most important of its genre. none of this drama will ever change that.

"Fresh Fruit" is a true classic and it still sounds good even 25 years later. Buy it for yourself and especially for the young'uns so they know what real punk is all about. The DVD is fantastic too, very well done. Jello doesn't participate, which is a shame. You won't mind though, as East Bay Ray and Klaus Fluoride along with other notables do an outstanding job of telling the tale of the band's beginnings and the making of this record. These are swell folks, the kind you'd love to have a beer with and it's great to hear their stories. Brought back a lot of memories of an interesting time.

If you like the Dead Kennedys and/or real punk music you will like this cd. This is one of my favorite DK CD's with classics like, Kill The Poor and Chemical Warfare.

It's also good music for working out at the gym.

This album is amazing. This re-release sounds better then any version i've heard previously. The DVD is sweet as hell. Lets have reviews about the music and not the lawsuits between Jello and the other guys. (...)lets try and keep opinion about personal situations out of it. This album was amazing but now its even better so if you're a fan of The Dead Kennedys or of oldschool American punk in general then you have to buy this. Lets be honest how many copies is this honestly gonna sell anyway? Not enough to really make any substantial difference in Jello's bank account. I feel bad for the situation he's in but I'm more then happy with THE MUSIC so i'm gonna give this 5 stars.

All I can say is if you like Punk , Hardcore , this should be in your collection. Get the deluxe with the dvd , it is great. This is by far my favorite Dead Kennedys release and they have some great ones.

Well, what to say - classic H/C production. Must-have for all fans of this style. Chapeau bas!!!