Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables [25th Anniversary Edition]

by Dead Kennedys

Overview

A hyper-speed blast of ultra-polemical, left-wing hardcore punk, and bitingly funny sarcasm, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables stands as the Dead Kennedys' signature statement. As one of the first hardcore albums, it was a galvanizing influence on the musical and attitudinal development of the genre, also helping to kickstart the fertile California scene. The record's tactics are not subtle in the least; Jello Biafra's odd warble and spat-out lyrics leave no doubt as to what he thinks, baiting his targets of conservatism, violence, overbearing authority, and capitalist greed with a viciously satirical sarcasm that keeps his unflinchingly political outlook from becoming too didactic. The thin production dilutes some of the music's power, but the ragged speed-blur still packs a wallop, and the hooks cribbed from surf and rockabilly give it a gonzo edge. The songwriting isn't consistent all the way through the album, but classics like "Kill the Poor," "Let's Lynch the Landlord," "Chemical Warfare," "California Ueber Alles," and "Holiday In Cambodia" helped define the hardcore genre and, thus, must be heard. [A 25th Anniversary Edition of Fresh Fruit was released in 2014.] ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	11/07/2005
Label:	Cherry Red
UPC:	5013929130029

Tracks

1. Relections in the Park
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. Ill in the Head
13. Holiday in Cambodia
14. Vegas