Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run.
Eric Reed Boucher, better known by his professional name Jello Biafra, is an American singer, musician, and spoken word artist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.
Frankenchrist is the third album released by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys in 1985 on Alternative Tentacles.
"California Über Alles" is the debut single by Dead Kennedys. It was the group's first recording and was released in June 1979 on the Optional Music label, with "The Man with the Dogs" appearing as its B-side. The title track was re-recorded in 1980 for the band's first album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, and the original recording as well as the B-side were later included on the 1987 compilation Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death.
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. It is the only Dead Kennedys album to feature drummer Bruce Slesinger and guitarist Carlos Cadona.
Bedtime for Democracy is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such 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 trial they were undergoing 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."
Plastic Surgery Disasters is the second full-length album released by punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Recorded in San Francisco during June 1982, it was produced by the band's guitarist East Bay Ray and punk record producer Thom Wilson. The album is darker and more hardcore-influenced than their debut album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables as a result of the band trying to expand on the sound and mood they had achieved with their 1980 single "Holiday in Cambodia". It was the first full-length album to feature drummer D.H. Peligro, and is frontman Jello Biafra's favorite Dead Kennedys album.
The No WTO Combo was a one-shot punk rock band started by Krist Novoselic. The band consisted of Jello Biafra ; guitarist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden; and the rhythm section of Sweet 75, with Gina Mainwal on drums and Novoselic on bass.
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, released in 2004 through Alternative Tentacles.
Become the Media is the sixth spoken word album by Jello Biafra. Topics covered include the WTO Meeting of 1999, the 2000 presidential election, the Green Party, the International Monetary Fund, the Columbine High School massacre, and the H.O.P.E. conference.
Live at the Deaf Club is a live album released by the Dead Kennedys in 2004 and had a limited edition re-release 2013 in the UK on Let Them Eat Vinyl. The actual performance took place at the San Francisco Deaf Club on March 3, 1979.
Live from the Battle in Seattle is the only album released by anti-globalization punk band The No WTO Combo. Of the five tracks on the album, only two, "New Feudalism" and "Electronic Plantation", are original songs. "Let's Lynch the Landlord" and "Full Metal Jackoff" are both covers, by Jello Biafra's former band Dead Kennedys, and D.O.A. featuring Biafra, respectively. "Battle in Seattle" is an opening speech/rallying cry by Jello Biafra. Biafra later re-recorded "New Feudalism" and "Electronic Plantation" for the album The Audacity of Hype by Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine.
Sieg Howdy! is the second album by Jello Biafra and The Melvins. It consists of songs recorded during the same sessions that produced their first collaboration Never Breathe What You Can't See but not used on that album, plus remixes of four songs from the first album.
Beyond the Valley of the Gift Police is the fourth spoken word album by Jello Biafra. The album included a cartoon tract insert by graphic novelist Daniel Clowes, Devil Doll?, which spoofed the Chick Publications tracts. The album cover is a reproduction of a painting by Sandow Birk.
A detailed discography of releases by the hardcore punk musician and spoken word artist Jello Biafra:
The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy is an album recorded by Jello Biafra with the Canadian punk band Nomeansno. The project came about after Nomeansno and Biafra had collaborated for the soundtrack to the underground film Terminal City Ricochet. The title track is a new recording of "Falling Space Junk" with amended lyrics. Jello wrote the lyrics to "Bruce's Diary" from the perspective of his Ricochet character Bruce Coddle, but did so after the movie was released, so the song is only featured on this album.
Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors is a punk album by Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys and Canadian band D.O.A., released in 1990. It is notable for "Full Metal Jackoff," a furious 14-minute song that touches on then-relevant 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.
