Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables Review

Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

full review

Tracklist:
1. Kill the Poor
2. Forward to Death
3. When Ya Get Drafted
4. Let's Lynch the Landlord
5. Drug Me
6. Your Emotions
7. Chemical Warfare
8. California Uber Alles
9. I Kill Children
10. Stealing People's Mail
11. Funland at the Beach
12. I'll in the Head
13. Holiday in Cambodia
14. Viva Las Vegas

Ranking: #1 for 1980

user rating

4.4
superb

Chart.

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Derek Marchewka (3.5)
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On 54 Lists

5.0
classic

Dylan Wachman USER (45 Reviews)

2005-06-16 | 77 comments | 21,474 views

8 of 11 thought this review was well written

The Dead Kennedys were one of the most popular and important American hardcore punk bands of the late '70s/early '80s. They formed in San Francisco in 1978 when East Bay Ray placed an ad in a music paper that vocalist Jello Biafra responded to. They were soon joined by bassist Klaus Flouride drummer Ted and a second guitarist known to posterity simply as 6025. The latter departed in March 1979, while Ted was replaced at the very end of 1980 by D.H. Peligro.

Dead Kennedys' early success led them to record their first single, "California Über Alles," in 1979, a blistering attack on the 1979 governor of California, Jerry Brown. It was released on their own label in the USA, Alternative Tentacles Records, set up by East Bay Ray. That single was later issued in Britain on the indie label Fast Products. "Holiday in Cambodia" (1980) followed and is perhaps the band's definitive moment - a perfect mix of hilarious yuppie-baiting lyrics and evil-sounding music. Almost as essential were "Kill the Poor" (1980) and "Too Drunk to ***" (remarkably, a British Top 40 single in 1981.

Dead Kennedys played their last show in March of 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they began. Give Me Convienience Or Give Me Death, a fantastic collection of their classic early singles and B sides, rare tracks and compilation tracks, was released in 1987.

The Dead Kennedys were...
Jello Biafra - Vocals
East Bay Ray - Guitar
Klaus Flouride - Bass
D.H. Peligro - Drums

Song Reviews

Kill The Poor - The opener to the album. The intro to it is completely different from the song. About 30 sec in the tempo changes and so do the riffs. Suddenley the song taks this jolly turn and goes into a chant. "Kill kill kill kill the poor tonight hi hi hight"! The song is about crime rate control, and the government thinks that getting rid of the poor is a good way to gain control of that issue. For an opening track, it can be decieving. This is only the beginning of the legacy that will become, The Dead Kennedys. A-

Forward To Death - Not only is this a great song, but when the Dead Kennedys did gigs at nightclubs or bars, their original guitarist goes by 6025. 6025 actually did some guitar work for this song. This song is about living by trends and how the whole world has to act the same in order to be accepted by anyone. This is one of the highlights of the album. To me, it competes against a couple other tracks as best song on the album. A

When Ya Get Drafted - The song starts off with a cool bass line, then comes the guitar, then drums. This song has a really cool rhythm to it. I don't know what it is. My guess is that it's the bass. Anyway the instruments really stand out here. The whole song is about starting a war because, "It's back in style". Sadly the song is too short for my liking. It only clocks in at about 1:30. If this song was longer, it would be the epitome of Dead Kennedys music. Anyway, it's still great. One of the best here. A

Let's Lynch The Landlord - Hilarious title! I was cracking up over it for about an hour. This song is a little slow for my liking. But Jello's singing is better than ever here. I know he has a weird singing voice but I love it. It comes out really good here. The song is about an assholish (is that even a word) landlord. He doubles the rent so he can buy city hall. That is completley absurd so let's hang him! A little rediculus but still a great song. B+

Drug Me - This is a pretty cool song but it's not my favorite. The song consists of stupidly fast verses. Even if the song is about speed, it's still a little stupid. The chorus is like "Druuuug Meeeee"! So it's a little whiny but I really can't say anything about this song other than... it's short, pointless, and incomparable to the rest of the album.
This is one of those tracks that just, didn't hit the point as it should have. B-

Your Emotions - This is definitley the closest thing The Dead Kennedys ever had to a ballad. I know it sounds silly but it's true. "You learned so many feelings / But what is there to that / Which are really yours / Or are you just a copycat". The song has pretty good lyrics and a smooth rhythm. It's a highlight on the album. Not to mention that East Bay Ray displays some of his best guitar skills on this song also. So it's a cool track to check out. It's the band trying something new. B+

Chemical Warfare - This goes down as my favorite 3rd favorite Dead Kennedys song ever. It's starts off with a funky rhythm. The bass really stands out in this song. This song is all about... you guessed it, chemical warfare! The songs chorus is just Jello at his finest yelling ability screaming "Chemical Warfare Chemical Warfare Warfare Warfare"! Then when you think that that's all your getting. It goes into a bizarre bridge about living in paradise with golf, pools, and hot models. The guitar riffs change and then a disembodied voice goes. "And then..." After this all you hear is screaming and all the band members going insane on all their instruments. It's pretty funny. Then it's the chorus one more time and that's it. A+

California Uber Allies - Hey, it's my 2nd favorite Dead Kennedys song ever. What a coincedience! Anyway this song is all about the governer at the time in Cali, Jerry Brown. The song goes through the things that he did to the state and his hope to become president. Now remember this is in the 70's. Then the song progresses as Jerry Browns regime increases. He is trying to mellow out all of Cali. Then the song slows down. "Now it is 1984 / Knock knock at your front door / It’s the suede denim secret police / They have come for your uncool niece / Come quietly to the camp / You’d look nice as a drawstring lamp / Don’t you worry, it’s only a shower / For your clothes here’s a pretty flower / DIE on organic poison gas / Serpent’s egg’s already hatched / You will croak, you little clown / When you mess with President Brown. Sorry it was long but I needed to share that. This didn't actually happen but if it did, imagine the world now! One of the best songs on the album. A+

I Kill Children - This is a pretty gruesome song title. But this songis all about those psychos out there that do things like this. The song starts out with a "God told me to skin you alive..." line. This song is pretty much an anthem to all the sick ****s out there that kill children in various ways. Even poisioning the halloween candy. That's mentioned! Well anyway. The song is pretty cool, and no I'm not mentally ill. B+

Stealing Peoples Mail - For extremely stupid subject matter, this is a pretty good song. One of my favorites on the album. This song is about a group of people who go out on a friday night, steal your mail, and keep it at their houses. Pretty much a sicko who keeps all your stuff. It even mentions how many canceled checks, bills, letters, tax returns, and liscence plates they have. Also this song ends with one of the best closing lines I've ever heard. Here it is... "By the pale moonlight / We better not get caught / We’ll be dumped in institutions / Where we’ll be drugged and shocked / ‘Til we come out born-again Christians… ". I had to share that one also. This is a highlight of the album. A

Funland At The Beach - This is a short and sweet song about a theme park. Everything is fine until somebody messes with thr roller coaster and CRASH. Then as it progresses, it talks about lawyers and the police and about how everyone turns on their TV to see the dead children because it's so amusing. This wasn't a highlight of the album. But it was pretty good for what it is. B

Ill In The Head - This is another really short song about a metally ill person. The lyrics are just a bunch of random visions. It's not very good. I never listen to it. I wouldn't really even consider it a song but I guess I have to rate it like a song. I can't give it anything good simply because there is nothing good about it. So I'll give it an average rating. C

Holiday In Cambodia - Here it is. My #1 favorite Dead Kennedys song. Might I mention that this is the closest thing that they ever had to a single. Not only is it funny but it is sooo true. The song is about rich wiggers. Then there's the idea to let them see what it is to be black. So let's send them to Cambodia. The guitar work stands out as does the bass. My favorite instrumental part is the pre-chorus which has a cool line on the highest pitched guitar string (sorry I don't play). Then it goes into a bridge with a nice short little guitar solo. Then jams back into the chorus. "It's a holiday in Cambodia, where people dress in black, it's a holiday in cambodia, where you'll kiss *** or crack"! This is the best song on the album and goes down as the band's most famous song. A+

Viva Las Vegas - This was one of the bands covers. They did it very well too. This song also highlighted the movie Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, which had like 30 Dead Kennedys songs in it. There's nothing more I can say about this song other than that they covered it, and covered it well.

Conclusion
This was the bands best album and it really shows their musical talent. If you hate punk, then you'll hate this. In my opinion, The Dead Kennedys define punk along the lines of The Clash and Circle Jerks. The only reason they never made it BIG? Controversy. All their songs were political(California Uber Allies, Kill The Poor, Chemical Warfare), and the ones that weren't were just bizarre (I Kill Children, Funland At The Beach, Ill In The Head). Anyway, if your a fan of the genre, Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. One of the best punk albums ever.

Final Score
10/10

Recommended Tracks, a.k.a The Fantastic Four
California Uber Alles
Chemical Warfare
Holiday In Cambodia
Kill The Poor

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