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Dead Kennedys

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(This page covers both the Dead Kennedys and the later work of singer Jello Biafra)
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 Cherry Red 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. He 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. By the end of 1981, however, Peel somehow became disillusioned with their sounds and complained that their music wasn't as vigorous as it used to be, In 1986, though, he did play some tracks from their final album, Bedtime For Democracy.

In 2012, years after Peel's death, the Dead Kennedys returned to the Festive Fifty with a Plastic Toys remix of 'California Uber Alles,' which reached #25 in the 2012 Festive Fifty.

Festive Fifty Entries[]

Other Shows Played[]

California_Uber_Alles

California Uber Alles

1979
1980
Dead_Kennedys_-_Holiday_In_Cambodia

Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia

1981
1982
1983
1986
  • 25 November 1986: Rambozo The Clown (LP - Bedtime For Democracy) Alternative Tentacles
  • 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
1987
  • 29 June 1987: In Sight (LP - Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death) Alternative Tentacles
  • 06 July 1987: The Man With The Dogs (LP - Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death) Alternative Tentacles
  • 07 July 1987: California Über Alles (LP - Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death) Alternative Tentacles
  • 17 July 1987 (Radio Bremen): The Man With The Dogs (album - Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death) Alternative Tentacles
  • 22 July 1987: Holiday In Cambodia (LP - Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death) Alternative Tentacles
1991
  • 14 July 1991: Rawhide (EP - In God We Trust, Inc.) Alternative Tentacles
1992
  • 08 February 1992: Kepone Factory (EP- In God We Trust, Inc) Alternative Tentacles
  • 24 April 1992: California Uber Alles (7 inch) Alternative Tentacles
2000
2004
  • 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.')
Jello Biafra
  • 17 May 1990 (with D.O.A.): That's Progress (LP - Last Scream Of The Missing Neighbors) Alternative Tentacles
  • 21 May 1990 (with D.O.A.): Attack Of The Peacekeepers (LP - Last Scream Of The Missing Neighbors) Alternative Tentacles
  • 23 May 1990 (with D.O.A.): Wish I Was In El Salvador (LP - Last Scream Of The Missing Neighbors) Alternative Tentacles
  • 23 June 1990 (BFBS) (with D.O.A.): Power Is Boring (LP-Last Scream Of The Missing Neighbors) Alternative Tentacles
  • 13 October 2004 (& The Melvins): The Lighter Side of Global Terrorism (LP - Never Breathe What you Can't See) Alternative Tentacles

See Also[]

External Links[]

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