Customer Reviews

Mutiny On The Bay

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Considering how exceptional the Dead Kennedys were, you'd think a concert compilation like "Mutiny on the Bay" would easily represent their incredible live shows. I mean, we're only talking about the single best group of the 1980s. The one band that told it like it was and got labeled as "harmful matter" for their troubles. For more than two decades, everything this band stood for meant so much to so many people. Well, now all bets are off. One listen to this disc will immediately depress any longtime fan. Everything you once believed in has now been completely decimated.

Where to begin? First off, the running order is stitched together at random from four different shows, three of which are taken from early 1986 concerts. This was a dispirited period for the band, and if you found "Bedtime for Democracy" to be less than thrilling musically, you are going to be appalled at how unenthusiastic the DKs sound here. It was recorded well, but that only highlights a band quickly falling apart, which they soon did a few shows later. Why would anyone pick that era when there has to be so many great shows existing between 1978-1985? Only four tracks predate '86, and even those tracks (taken from 1982) are mediocre. I don't find a 14-track 51-minute disc taken from four different shows to be very fan-friendly. I would have much preferred one entire concert, or, at the very least, a 70+ minute representation of the band throughout their career.

The poor concert selection alone would make this CD inadequate. Remarkably, it only gets even more disappointing. All of Biafra's between-song commentaries are edited out. If you've ever REALLY seen the band live, then you'd know that this element of the show was the most threatening and thought-provoking aspect of the band. Instead, each track glides into each other bloodlessly with unemotional machine-like precision. C'mon, I don't want to hear a falsified "concert" that's comprised entirely of the pseudo-hits. Where are songs like "Let's Lynch the Landlord" "Chemical Warfare," "Moral Majority," "Government Flu," "Anarchy for Sale," "Soup Is Good Food," "Winnebago Warrior," "Jock-o-Rama," "Hop with the Jet Set," and "Terminal Preppie"? Why are there NO "In God We Trust, Inc." tracks? Most egregiously, this means you don't even get to hear only THE most important anti-fascist song ever recorded!!! Oh, but at least I get to hear some real A+ classics like "This Could be Anywhere," "Hellnation," and "I Am the Owl."

There's absolutely no extra information inside the liner notes, just a couple of bland photos of the band, and I've already seen those same pictures run in Spin magazine a couple years ago. (How's THAT for an embarrassing admission?) This is nothing more than a shameful cash-in record. It's so shoddy, it even comes with a sticker on it that says that the CD is not a bootleg. If Alternative Tentacles had released this disc as is, I would hold an equal amount of contempt for it. Thankfully, they didn't, because this...release was obviously tailor made for mall-punks across the world. Put kindly, people who call this an essential addition to the Dead Kennedys catalogue don't know what they're talking about. These are the same people that, a few years ago, were still calling the rest of their albums "unlistenable." All the nasty critical reviews you'll read about "Mutiny on the Bay" are right-on and completely deserved.

Things have changed, eh? At least for all the members of Dead Kenendys, except for the still passionate and still active Jello Biafra, who have sold out any of the ethics they once had in favor of cashing in on the DK namesake.

First, they got mad at Jello for not letting them sell the song "Holiday in Cambodia" to Levis for a khakis commercial. Then they sued him for the rights to most of the band's catalogue, so they could sign with a bigger label and have all their albums 'remastered' to milk 'em for more sales. And then, there is this poor excuse for a live album, Mutiny on the Bay.

No need for it. It doesn't even come close to capturing the band's live essence - all East Bay Ray did was get all the most popular songs, get the most faithful (and uninteresting) renditions he could find, and slapped together this 'greatest hits live' package. There are so many better bootlegs you could get if you're hungry for some live DK. This even edits out any of Jello's famous rantings and ravings, which were a trademark of their live act.

Could've put out a decent recording of an actual concert or something, but no - this was constructed to bait casual fans with the song titles they'd recognize and performances that wouldn't be at all 'alienating'.

For fans or anybody who really understood what the band WAS about, it's easy to see it as a sleazy cash-in by some disgruntled ex-rebels who are more interested in paychecks than punk rock.

Regardless of how you feel about the Jello Biafra vs. ex-D.K.'s controversy, and however you feel about the legitimacy of this album (I happen to lean slightly in favor of Jello, but I also don't think that the ex-D.K.'s are nearly as wrong and evil as he and other rabidly pro-Jello fans say they are), the bottom line is that "Mutiny on the Bay" is hardly an essential Dead Kennedys release. There are dozens of DK bootlegs in circulation that quite handily put it to shame in terms of the quality of performance, although "Mutiny" has unquestionably excellent sound quality.

This album just reeks of "let's cash in on the DK's controversy" by the ex-DK's. It sounds heavily edited, for one thing. This is a VERY bad thing, because Jello's on-stage ranting and audience interaction was one of the best aspects of thier live performances. I am led to assume that Jello was edited out as much as possible by decree of the ex-DK's, so newer, younger fans who might show up to the DK's "reunion" shows (the idea of which is as ridiculous as having a Van Halen tour without Eddie Van Halen) aren't reminded of just how absolutely integral Jello was to the band's greatness. As musically great as Ray, Klaus and D.H. are, the Dead Kennedys *without* Jello Biafra is simply NOT the Dead Kennedys...but I digress.

I do like the version of "Forward to Death", however. It's one of the very few songs off of "Fresh Fruits..." that I never liked, but for some reason, I like this live version.

Again, take heed of the negative reviews of "Mutiny on the Bay". I bought it at full retail price, and came to the very same conclusion. I would have felt the same way if it was a Jello-authorized release on Alternative Tentacles. Save your money, unless you're a die-hard DK completist.

Good songs performed badly. Don't bother with it.

I wish I had known more about this before I got it. not only is it a pretty bad "live" album, but the story behind it is even more sketchy ~

Not only is this one of the reissues that spits in the face of every Dead Kennedys fan young and old, but it's a bad recording of less-than-memorable performances. Now there's really no reason at all to buy this. Go on. Go browse other Dead Kennedys releases. Just remember the magic words are ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES.

anything put out by decay,inc. is a sham. at this time there is a battle agaisnt altenative tentacles because th ex-kennedys are greedy punks. not even punk at all. they have destroyed th ethic, that they never truly belived in. for them it was all about money, and they have truly defiled th dead kennedys name- do not support this album. it is a crude version of th dead kennedys. i love th dead kennedys music, and what decay has done, has only brought decay!

...one has to listen to the wax with one question in mind; is it any good?

The short answer is, no. Similarly to the "Clash--From Here to Eternity" collection of live 'cuts', the performances range from shoddy, to poorly recorded. At best, it reminds the faithful that few punk bands ever recorded live albums worth owning; this ain't one of them.

In truth, there's no need for a DKs live album, this really is a cash grab by the remaining ex-DK's members who haven't done anything of musical interest since the demise of the band, and I TRIED to give it a chance, but to no avail...

I can honestly say that I don't own this CD and I don't plan to. While Jello is no god, it was his biting sarcasm that made the Dead Kennedys such a classic band and it was the Alternative Tentacles record label that gave them the freedom to do their own thing. It's unfortunate that a compromise couldn't have been reached between the other members of the Dead Kennedys, Jello and Alternative Tentacles. However, I think that taking the Dead Kennedys recordings away from Alternative Tentacles was just plain wrong. Instead of buying this, I strongly recommend getting the No WTO Combo "Live From The Battle In Seattle." This is Jello Biafra with Kim Thayil (Soundgarden), Krist Novoselic (Nirvana) and Gina Mainwal performing a brief concert during the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle. It has Jello ranting, two new live songs (more relevant to our times), a live version of a song that Jello had previously done with DOA and a live version of "Let's Lynch The Landlord" (for fans of old school Dead Kennedys music). Plus, it's a moment in history, taking you back to those historic protests when people finally made a loud statement that they had had enough of the deregulation and exportation of American capitalism. I also highly recommend Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon's "Prairie Home Invasion." It's Jello and Mojo doing country/punk music that absurdly works. I think it's far better than anything that Jello did with the Dead Kennedys. The same might be said of No WTO Combo. Stop living in the 1980's (who would want to?) with the Dead Kennedys and have a listen to what Jello has to say today, via Alternative Tentacles.

The Dead Kennedys without Jello Biafra is basically a backing band, and they're the folks who let this project go ahead, against Biafra's wishes. They have sold out. To listen to this album and agree with the messages behind the music is hypocritical, nay, impossible. The performance is by Jello's admission poor. What reason is there to buy it? Stick to Alternative Tentacles releases, and buy the band's work with peace of mind.