Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the first American hardcore bands to make a significant impact in the United Kingdom.
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, they released records for other bands as well. Dead Kennedys guitarist East Bay Ray and vocalist Jello Biafra formed Alternative Tentacles, but Biafra became the owner in the mid-1980s. Alternative Tentacles no longer owns the rights to Dead Kennedys recordings after a 2000 lawsuit.
Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death is a compilation album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys. It was released in June 1987 through front man Jello Biafra's record label Alternative Tentacles.
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was first released on September 2, 1980 through Cherry Red Records in the United Kingdom and later issued by Jello Biafra's own Alternative Tentacles label in the United States.
Bedtime for Democracy is the fourth and final studio album released by Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era as conformity, Reaganomics, the U.S. military, and critique of the hardcore punk movement. The album's title refers to the 1951 comedy film, Bedtime for Bonzo starring Ronald Reagan and also reflects the band's weary bitterness from the financially and emotionally draining trial they were being subjected to at the time over the controversial art included with their previous album. By the time recording of Bedtime for Democracy had begun, the Dead Kennedys had already played what would be their last concert with Jello Biafra and announced their breakup immediately after the release of the record, whose opening track is a cover of David Alan Coe's "Take This Job and Shove It."
"Holiday in Cambodia" is a song by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. The record was released as the group's second single in May 1980 on Optional Music with "Police Truck" as its B-side. The title track was re-recorded for the band's first album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980); the original recording of the song, as well as the single's B-side, are available on the rarities album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987). The photograph in the front cover of the single was taken from the Thammasat University massacre in Thailand, and depicts a member of the right-wing crowd beating a hanged corpse of a student protester with a metal chair.
Lard is an American hardcore punk/industrial band founded in 1988 as a side project by Jello Biafra, Al Jourgensen, Paul Barker, and Jeff Ward .. Over the years, several other members of Ministry played with Lard, namely Bill Rieflin, Mike Scaccia, and Rey Washam.
Mutiny on the Bay is a live album by the Dead Kennedys. It was compiled and released after a lengthy lawsuit, which resulted in the rights to the Dead Kennedys' catalog being transferred from lead singer/songwriter Jello Biafra's record label, Alternative Tentacles to the other three members of the band. Its quality has been criticized by Jello Biafra.
Machine Gun in the Clown's Hand is the eighth spoken word album by Jello Biafra. Topics covered in the album include the War on Terrorism, California's energy crisis, and voting problems in Florida. Biafra originally titled the album Osama McDonald, a name which he was later credited by on the album Never Breathe What You Can't See, which was recorded with The Melvins.
Never Breathe What You Can't See is an album by Jello Biafra and The Melvins. It was released in 2004 through Alternative Tentacles. The liner notes claim that Mohamed Atta and John Ashcroft helped Biafra with the lyrics of "Caped Crusader", and invite the listener to "spot the difference." Plethysmograph, which deals with the government tool which measures arousal in sex offenders in regard to different stimuli, features the lyric "If Stuart could talk what would he say?", which is the chorus of The Dickies song If Stuart Could Talk, which is also about the singer's penis.
Doc Corbin Dart is an American punk rock singer. He was lead singer, founder, and lyricist of the Lansing, Michigan 1980s punk rock band the Crucifucks. As of the early 2000s, he is also known by his moniker 26.
"Too Drunk to Fuck" is the fourth single by Dead Kennedys. The record was released in May 1981 on Cherry Red Records with "The Prey" as the B-side. Both songs from this single are available on the rarities album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987).
High Priest of Harmful Matter: Tales From the Trial is the second spoken word album by Jello Biafra. Biafra summarizes the recent history of censorship in America, focusing on crusades to ban subjects such as evolution from school textbooks. He reveals that some court cases on the subject were made to appear local and as if brought by ordinary citizens, but were in fact spearheaded and funded by televangelists such as Pat Robertson. He also explains the part that Christian fundamentalist groups played in the creation of the Parents Music Resource Center. The second part of the record is devoted to Biafra's lively description of his own experience with the court system after complaints to law enforcement by the PMRC over the Dead Kennedys' Frankenchrist album.
No More Cocoons is the first spoken word album by Jello Biafra.
In the Grip of Official Treason is the ninth spoken word album from Jello Biafra. It was released on 24 October 2006.
The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy is an album recorded by Jello Biafra with punk band Nomeansno. The project came about after Nomeansno and Biafra had collaborated for the soundtrack to the underground film Terminal City Ricochet.
Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors is a 1989 punk rock album. The album is the result of a collaboration between Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys fame, and Canadian band D.O.A.. Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors is notable for the song "Full Metal Jackoff", a furious 14-minute song that touches on then-relative topics such as Willie Horton, the Iran-Contra Affair, Oliver North, the Crack epidemic and many others.
Milking the Sacred Cow is a compilation album released by the Dead Kennedys in October 2007. It is composed of songs from all studio albums of the band's career, except for their final album, Bedtime for Democracy. It also contains two previously unreleased live tracks, "Soup Is Good Food" and "Jock-O-Rama", the studio versions of which can be found on the album Frankenchrist. The album has been criticized by former lead singer Jello Biafra.
Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine is a punk rock band led by Jello Biafra. They released their debut album, The Audacity of Hype in October 2009.
