Dead Kennedys

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 2
• ASIN: B00000IHBE
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #217,677 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Limited edition pressing (2,000 copies) of counterculture guerilla Jello Biafra & co.'s 1980 debut album 'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables' with a six track bonus CD featuring early classic singles, including 'Holiday In Cambodia', 'Police Truck', 'Kill The Poor', 'In-Sight', 'Too Drunk To Fuck' & 'The Prey'. A combined total of 20 hardcore punk anthems, with the album featuring 'California Uber Alles', 'Let's Lynch The Landlord' & their campy take on 'Viva Las Vegas'. Also includes a 9.5 inch x 14 inch fold-out replica of the original two-sided black & white poster that came with the LP. Triple gatefold double digipak. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ... You morons., July 27, 2004

By	Luke Rounda "ThreeStarSmash.com" (Lawrence, KS) - See all my reviews

This is probably the best punk album ever. It sounds like they're playing with drums and slightly broken chainsaws in a sheet metal shed in the middle of nowhere, and Biafra's vocal stylings are a gloriously-over-the-top mockery of people "who can actually sing." The songwriting is strong, too, although I doubt Jello Biafra ever said "Let's bring pen and paper into this."

Songs like "Kill the Poor," "Holiday in Cambodia," and "California Uber Alles" probably rank as high in the proverbial Punk Hall of Fame and resonate as loudly with punk fans as songs like "Stairway to Heaven" do for fans of old, crappy, overrated dinosaur rock that still gets played on The Idiot Box Sr..

"Fresh Fruit..." is all the right notes in all the right places, nothing more, nothing less, like any great punk album. (See also: Nirvana.)

By the way, for a group of people who listen to "thinking man's" old school punk like the Dead Kennedys, many of you seem to have trouble grasping the concept of "satire" when it isn't spelled out for you beforehand. (Cough, cough, Fred Durst's Numba One Fann, cough, cough...)

Just like the sheep who listen to Good Charlotte and think it's "punk" because someone told them so, you are missing the point. Whenever you manage to extricate your foot from its hibernation place in your throat, consider suicide.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best DK album, August 30, 2003

By	Tony Hall "If the movie stinks, just don't go!" (the internet) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was the first Dead Kennedys album I bought and it's the best. The others are good, namely Plastic Surgery Disasters, In God We Trust Inc., and Give me Convenience or Give me Death.

Every song on this album is good and I'm not just saying that. As I try to think of highlights I want to mention them all, but I'll just name a few. "Let's Lynch the Landlord" is an awesome song musically and lyrically and is later covered by Mr. Bungle. "California Uber Alles" is probably the most famous Dead Kennedy's Song other than "Holiday in Cambodia" which is also on this album. "Stealing People's Mail" is a feel good song about going through people's mail, and last but not least is an awesome version of Viva Las Vegas with a few lyrics changed. When I first heard this album I skipped to this song first and I knew that the DK's were something special.

To make a long story short, if you're interested in the DK's buy this album and buy it first. This album is a big part of punk history and many people have called the DK's the US answer to the Sex Pistols. These songs were originally recorded in '79 (the year I was born!) and it's really hard to believe that anything this cool could've existed that long ago! When I was a little kid I thought Metallica was the coolest thing around.
Why couldn't have someone told me about these guys sooner? Years ahead of it's time plain and simple.

It has also come to my attention that the ex-DK's have been suing Jello and releasing remastered versions of the albums, so if you can, try looking at the Alternative Tentacles website (Jello Biafra's label) for the album first (http://www.alternativetentacles.com). Alternative Tentacles is the DK's original label with the original recordings and is ran by the DK's vocalist Jello. Alternative Tentacles don't have all the DK albums available, so if they don't carry it just go ahead and buy one from anywhere like here.

One last comment, I see a lot of people giving this album one star because of the DK's lawsuit scandal. Well that's pretty stupid because it's a five star album no matter who puts it out. So go ahead and warn people, but don't give it one star.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what would we do without the DKs?, March 2, 2004

By	"societys_reject" (Boise, ID United States) - See all my reviews

First, I have to give my input on the GC fan's review--if you do not like this Dead Kennedys album, you do not like, as you put it "tru punk acts." The Dead Kennedys are a classic punk band, and this is by far their best album. When I first heard "Kill the Poor" and "Holiday in Cambodia," I knew this would end up being one of the best albums I've ever owned. There isn't a single song I didn't like, and the CD is constantly in my stereo. So if you REALLY want to listen to some great punk rock (other than that corporate emo junk) then definitely check out this album, it's one of the best.