Record Roulette: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
This week’s record is Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables by American punk-rock band Dead Kennedys. Their 1980 debut album is synonymous with California's political punk movement, ushered in after nearly two decades of hippie supremacy.
Source: Discogs
The Dead Kennedys formed in San Francisco in 1978, with the original lineup containing lead singer Jello Biafra (Eric Reed Boucher), East Bay Ray (Raymond Pepperell), Klaus Flouride (Geoffrey Lyall), Ted (Bruce Slesinger), and 6025 (Carlos Cadona). At the time, punk rock was still primarily based in New York, and after the Sex Pistols broke up that same year, there was an opening for a West Coast political punk movement- where DK stepped up to the plate.
Their music's critical/satirical nature prompted conservative outrage in Jimmy Carter's America. The San Francisco Chronicle brutally criticized the band over an ill-timed performance in 1978. The Chronicle's Herb Caen said, "Just when you think tastelessness has reached its nadir, along comes a punk rock group called the Dead Kennedys, which will play at Mabuhay Gardens on Nov. 22nd, the 15th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination. Despite mounting protests, the owner of Mabuhay Gardens says, 'I can't cancel them NOW—there's a contract.'"
Although the album was originally released in 1980, Fresh Fruit remains a favorite among the punk music community, and Biafra's anti-political statements still resonate with young leftists 40 years later. AllMusic describes the album as "A hyper-speed blast of ultra-polemical, left-wing hardcore punk, and bitingly funny sarcasm."
With a run-time of around 33 minutes, the record contains some of DK's most notable songs, including "Holiday in Cambodia," their first single, "California Uber Alles," and my personal favorite, "Let's Lynch The Landlord." If you make it to the end of Side B, you'll be pleasantly surprised by an oddball punk cover of Elvis's "Viva Las Vegas." It catches you off guard but still manages to flow nicely with the rest of the album.
If you like the Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, or want to channel your inner Nancy Spungen, this record is for you.
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