DEAD KENNEDYS — Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (review)

DEAD KENNEDYS — Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables album cover Album · 1980 · Hardcore Punk Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables" is the debut full-length studio album by US punk rock act Dead Kennedys. The album was originally released through Cherry Red Records in the UK in September 1980, and only later saw a US release through lead vocalist Jello Biafra's own label Alternative Tentacles.

Stylistically the music on the album is a combination of punk (even a couple of harder edged hardcore moments), 50s rock´n´roll, and a touch of surf music. Jello Biafra has a very distinct sounding voice and a powerful and raw yet still melodic way of singing. The 33:06 minutes long album features 14 tracks (some versions include the bonus track "Too Drunk to Fuck"), which are all between 1 and 3 minutes long. Highlights include "Kill the Poor", "Drug Me", "Califonia Über Alles", "Holiday in Cambodia", and "Viva Las Vegas", but all material featured on the album is of a high quality.

While the tracks are predominantly pretty simple and vers/chorus structured, Dead Kennedys understand the importance of details and variation (well...at least varied for the style), and add to that great humour and biting sarcasm while still producing some thought provoking politically charged lyrics, and you have a punk album extraordinaire. The music is played with raw aggression and great intensity but it´s not primitive by any means. In fact these guys can play, and although it often sounds like the tracks are recorded in one take, or maybe in a few takes, the music sounds tight. The sound production is raw and has an authentic "recorded live in the studio" feel to it, which suits the equally raw music well.

It´s no wonder "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables" is often mentioned among the most important American punk albums and Dead Kennedys are considered one of the most prolific acts on the scene, because this album reeks class, an anarchistic and adventurous spirit, and raw authentic intensity, which is hard not to be impressed by. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
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siLLy puPPy wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Dead Kennedy's are here? Wow. Yep, early DK are awesome!
UMUR wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Yeah it´s a Classic...
Vim Fuego wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I absolutely love this album!

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