The Depths · All albums

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Dead Kennedys · 1980

• Scores: Noise 3, Unease 2, Complexity 1 (each 1 to 5)
• Genre: Rock, Hardcore Punk, Punk Rock
• Mood: sarcastic, manic, sneering
• Sound: surf guitar, warbling theatrical vocals, fast tempos, satirical lyrics, tempo changes

Dead Kennedys recorded this in May and June 1980 at Möbius Music in San Francisco, with the band's East Bay Ray and Norm producing. Most songs run under three minutes, pairing fast hardcore punk with Jello Biafra's quavering, theatrical vocals and satirical lyrics. The cover shows police cars burning during the 1979 White Night riots. It includes California Über Alles and Holiday in Cambodia and set the template for much American hardcore.

Track list

1. Kill the Poor (3:07)
2. Forward to Death (1:23)
3. When Ya Get Drafted (1:23)
4. Let's Lynch the Landlord (2:13)
5. Drug Me (1:56)
6. Your Emotions (1:20)
7. Chemical Warfare (2:55)
8. California Über Alles (3:03)
9. I Kill Children (2:04)
10. Stealing People's Mail (1:34)
11. Funland at the Beach (1:49)
12. Ill in the Head (2:46)
13. Holiday in Cambodia (4:37)
14. Viva Las Vegas (2:42)