Dead Kennedys

The Dead Kennedys were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk rock community, and were one of the first American hardcore bands to make a significant impact in the United Kingdom. While they were one of the earliest, most popular and most influential of the American hardcore bands, their music was highly unique in the realm of punk rock in general, bearing traces of surf music, spaghetti western, psychedelic rock, garage rock and rockabilly. Jello Biafra's biting lyrics tackled the sociopolitical concerns of the late 1970s and 1980s with a distinct sense of morbid humor and satire, following in the footsteps of such earlier rock satirists as Frank Zappa (particularly his 1960s work with The Mothers of Invention) and non-musical countercultural figures like Abbie Hoffman and Lenny Bruce. In the mid-1980s, the band was embroiled in an obscenity trial in the United States over the artwork of their album Frankenchrist (1985), which included the explicit titular subject of H. R. Giger's Penis Landscape. The band was charged with "distribution of harmful matter to minors", but the trial ended with a hung jury. Dead Kennedys released five studio albums before disbanding in 1986. In 2001, the band reformed without Biafra, who had been in a legal dispute with the remaining members over royalties. The band played three performances in October 2010. Since the dissolution of Dead Kennedys, Biafra has continued to collaborate and record with other artists, including Mojo Nixon, Al Jourgensen of Ministry, Nomeansno, and Melvins, and has become a spoken word performer, covering political topics in particular.

Links To Peel
Peel heard the group through the Red Cherry label, who were distributing Dead Kennedys' records in the UK. The group were popular amongst Peel listeners, to the extent that the band had seven entries in the Festive Fifty during Peel's time. Peel would also play exclusive album tracks from the band, including on one show from 27 August 1980, where he played 6 tracks from their Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables LP. However by the end of 1981, Peel somehow got disillusioned with their sounds and complained that their music wasn't as vigorous as it used to be. Although in 1986, Peel did play some tracks from their final and last album called Bedtime For Democracy.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1979 Festive Fifty: California Uber Alles #33
 * 1980 Festive Fifty: California Uber Alles #31
 * 1980 Festive Fifty: Holiday In Cambodia #06
 * 1981 Festive Fifty: California Uber Alles #42
 * 1981 Festive Fifty: Holiday In Cambodia #09
 * 1982 Festive Fifty: Holiday In Cambodia #14 (All Time Festive Fifty)
 * 2000 Festive Fifty: Holiday In Cambodia #14 (All Time Festive Fifty)
 * 2012 Festive Fifty: California Uber Alles (12" Plastic Toys remix) #26

Other Shows Played
1979
 * 12 July 1979: California Uber Alles (Single) Alternative Tentacles

1980
 * 19 July 1979: California Uber Alles (Single) Alternative Tentacles
 * 24 July 1979: California Uber Alles (single) Optical Music
 * 12 September 1979: California Uber Alles (7”) Optional
 * 23 October 1979: California Uber Alles (single) Fast
 * 24 December 1979: 'California über Alles (7 Inch)' (Optional Music) FF #33
 * 05 February 1980: Holiday In Cambodia / Police Truck / Short Song / Straight A's (12" - Holiday In Cambodia) Cherry Red
 * 09 June 1980: Holiday In Cambodia (7" single) Cherry Red
 * 19 June 1980: Holiday In Cambodia (7”) Cherry Red
 * 30 June 1980: Short Songs / Straight A's (Various Artists LP - Can You Hear Me? Music From The Deaf Club) Walking Dead
 * 02 July 1980: Holiday In Cambodia (7") Cherry Red
 * 07 July 1980: Holiday In Cambodia (7") Cherry Red


 * 26 August 1980: Kill The Poor / When You Get Drafted / Let's Lynch The Landlord / Drug Me (LP - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables) Cherry Red

28 August 1980: III In The Head / Holiday In Cambodia / Viva Las Vegas
 * 27 August 1980: Your Emotions / Chemical Warfare / California Uber Alles / I Kill Children / Stealing Peoples' Mail / Funland At The Beach (LP - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables) Cherry Red
 * Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia 1980, 1981, 1982 (All Time) and 2000 (All Time)]]

1981
 * 01 September 1980: Your Emotions / Kill The Poor (LP - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables) Cherry Red
 * 02 September 1980: Let’s Lynch The Landlord (LP – Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables) Cherry Red
 * 04 September 1980: Funland At The Beach (LP – Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables) Cherry Red
 * 10 September 1980: Viva Las Vegas (LP - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables) Cherry Red
 * 11 September 1980: Drug Me (LP – Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables) Cherry Red
 * 27 October 1980: Kill The Poor
 * 23 December 1980: "California über Alles" (7" single, 1979) Optional Music FF #31
 * 30 December 1980: 'Holiday In Cambodia (7")' (Cherry Red) FF #06
 * 23 December 1981: 'California Uber Alles (7 inch)' (Alternative Tentacles) FF #42

1982
 * 30 December 1981: 'Holiday In Cambodia (7 inch)' (Alternative Tentacles) FF #09 (JP: "What a pity that the Dead Kennedys don't make records as vigorous as that these days.")
 * 19 April 1982: Holiday In Cambodia (single) Cherry Red

1986
 * 28 December 1982: 'Holiday In Cambodia (LP-Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables)' (I.R.S.) ATFF #14
 * 25 November 1986: Rambozo The Clown (LP - Bedtime For Democracy) Alternative Tentacles

1991 1992 2000 2004
 * Mid-Dec 1986: 'Rambozo The Clown (LP - Bedtime For Democracy) Alternative Tentacles
 * 03 December 1986: Anarchy For Sale (LP - Bedtime For Democracy) Alternative Tentacles
 * 17 December 1986: Hop With The Jet Set (LP - Bedtime For Democracy) Alternative Tentacles
 * 14 July 1991: Rawhide (EP - In God We Trust, Inc.) Alternative Tentacles
 * 08 February 1992: Kepone Factory (EP- In God We Trust, Inc) Alternative Tentacles
 * 24 April 1992: California Uber Alles (7 inch) Alternative Tentacles
 * 20 January 2000: 'Holiday In Cambodia (7 inch)' (Cherry Red) ATFF #14
 * 30 December 2004 (Rob Da Bank): 'Holiday In Cambodia (LP-Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables)' (Cherry Red) (RDB: 'Phew, just got back in the studio in time, I absent mindedly went to the toilet during that record and went down the wrong corridor and was running around Maida Vale, which I don't know that well, panicking I was going to miss the end of that. I knew it was 4 minutes 38 seconds long, but I made it.')