Dead Kennedys Music:

Editorial Review:
1993 reissue on Alternative Tentacles of the hardcore punker's 1980 debut for the label. Hailing from San Francisco & led by Jello Biafra, the album features 14 tracks, including their amusing remake of 'Viva Las Vegas', plus 'Kill The Poor', 'Holiday In Cambodia', 'Let's Lynch The Landlord' and 'California Uber Alles'. The full title is'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables'.

Description of Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables:
If you're going to own one DK's record, this is it. It's all here in raw, uncut form--Jello Biafra's sneering vocals, the satire that poked like a stick in the eye, and the instrumental blitz that joined East Bay Ray's surf guitar with slaughterhouse rhythm. Soon after this debut, Biafra would fall into Lenny Bruce's trap of parading his legal hassles instead of making art. On Fresh Fruit, though, he throws firebomb after firebomb, hitting every chosen target with "I Kill Children," "Holiday in Cambodia," "California Uber Alles," and "Let's Lynch the Landlord." Dated? A little, sure, but it remains a landmark of lefty politics and violent music. --Michael Ruby

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables Reviews:
"It's time to taste what you most fear..."
2008-03-02 - Jello Biafra is the MASTER of political satire. Not only do his lyrics rip through you with their acidity, but awe you with their wit and accuracy.

"Play ethnicky jazz/To parade your snazz/On your 5 grand stereo/Bragging that you know how the niggers feel cold/And the slum's got so much soul."
(Excerpt from "Holiday In Cambodia")

Even though those lyrics were written almost 30 years ago, I have yet to hear so few words that describe ignorant, suburban, wannabe-cool white kids so well. Paired with Biafra's lyrical genius, the musical styling of Flouride, Peligro, and East Bay Ray blast with raw, furious energy in just over 30 minutes. The songs are short, punchy, raw, and everything a punk album should be. Highlights include the afformented "Holiday In Cambodia", "Drug Me", "Chemical Warfare", "Let's Lynch The Landlord", and "Stealing People's Mail", however there is not one weak song on this album. A must have for any fan of the punk genre.

Dead Kennedys - 'Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables' (Manifesto)
2007-11-10 - Review number 112. Holy shaz-bat!! Believe it or not, as many of CD's I get the chance to listen to while borrowing from a friend, store employee, etc. without having to purchase the title unless I want to, I've never heard this ground-breaking debut album from the beloved Dead Kennedys. Love that insane album title! 'Fresh Fruits...' shows me just how extreme of a pure all-American hardcore punk band the Kennedys were. I mean, like didn't they practically invent 'hardcore'? You tell me. Either way, this fourteen track reissue really does it for me. Cuts I thought made a real statement were the insulting "Kill The Poor", "When You Get Drafted", the awesome "Let's Lynch The Landlord" (possibly an anthem for some?), "Stealing People's Mail" and probably their best known song that anyone who ever even listens to the radio should know, the in-your-mug "Holiday In Cambodia". Should rake in loyal fans and followers of the Sex Pistols, Alice Donut, The Germs, Minor Threat and of course Black Flag. Essential.

Dead Kennedys' Baptisim of Satire
2007-01-16 - The first full length album from Dead Kennedys is still foremost on the list of classic punk rock albums. Describing the band a leftover Vietnam War protest band, Jello B. and the Dks became the liberal conscience of the early punk underground scene. Picking up where the Sex Pistols' fell apart in San Francisco, California, Dead Kennedys continued the back-to-basics/music-as-message aesthetic of their British predecessors.

Jello's lyrics flip-flop from humorous to in-your-face in true satirical manner challenging the listener to divine whether he's a sick agitator or a wry social commentator. I've come to the conclusion that the songs are straw-man set ups delivered from the point of view to satiree; hopefully, I've been right all these years and the man isn't totally nuts.

Taking on subjects from hypocrisy of authority and waste of the unexamined life, "Fresh Fruit..." is as confrontational as it is fun to listen to, while as being just as relevant as when it was originally released. There's everything from the politics of County Joe to the energy of Joey Ramone here.

Unfortunately, current disagreements between the former band members find this album, along with the rest of the Dead Kennedys catalogue, in a control tug-of-war based more on financial disagreements than on ideological ones, which is in stark contrast to the spirit that the album was created in. If you can find an older copy on Alternative Tentacles Records, grab it because it'll be a long, long time before this material will be pressed again under the banner of the bat logo.

this cd rocks
2007-01-07 - this is definently one of the best punk albums of the 80's, along with circle jerks' group sex and adolescent's blue album. unfortunatly, like the other two bands, their latter efforts just didn't have what the debuts did. having said that, fresh fruit is a must-have for any punk collection. every song is great, from classics such as california uber alles, holiday in cambodia, and kill the poor to other great tracks such as when ya get drafted, let's lynch the landlord, chemical warfare, and funland at the beach, this album rocks from start to finish. get it today.

Classic old school punk
2006-11-07 - This is classic old school punk rock. It's amazing how if you change a few names of the politicians and events that were written 26 years ago it even fits with current events ;) If you are young and haven't heard this give it a look it will blow you away.