DEAD KENNEDYS...MY, HOW THINGS CHANGE.

by Rev. Cecil B. Demented Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:11 pm

NO OTHER PUNK BAND HAS MADE THE MARK THAT THE DEAD KENNEDYS HAVE MADE. FORMED IN SAN FRANCISCO,CALIFORNIA IN 1978 BY VOCALIST AND LYRICIST JELLO BIAFRA,THEY WERE THE FIRST AMERICAN PUNK BAND TO MAKE A SIGNIFIGIANT MARK ON THE U.K. PUNK SCENE. WHILE THEIR PRIMARY SOUND WAS FAST AND HARDCORE, THEY ALSO PLAYED WITH DIFFERENT STYLES, SUCH AS PSYCHEDELIC, SPAGHETTI WESTERN, AND GARAGE ROCK. JELLO'S BLISTERING LYRICS TOOK ON THE SOCIOPOLITICAL CLIMATE OF THE REAGAN YEARS. IN THE MID 1980'S,THE BAND WENT THROUGH AN OBSCENITY TRIAL FOR THE ALBUM COVER ARTWORK OF THEIR 1985 LP," FRANKENCHRIST". THE BAND WAS CHARGED WITH "DISTRIBUTION OF HARMFUL MATTER TO MINORS." THE TRIAL ENDED IN A HUNG JURY, AND A RE-TRIAL WAS DENIED BY THE JUDGE. HOWEVER, THE ALBUM WAS BANNED FROM MANY RECORD STORES. THE BAND RELEASED 5 ALBUMS, BEFORE BREAKING UP IN 1986, PLAYING THEIR LAST SHOW IN FEBRUARY OF THAT YEAR. THEIR LP'S INCLUDE 1980'S " FRESH FRUIT FOR ROTTING VEGETABLES", 1981'S " IN GOD WE TRUST,INC." , "PLASTIC SURGERY DISASTERS" IN 1982, THE CONTRAVERSIAL "FRANKENCHRIST" IN '85, AND "BEDTIME FOR DEMOCRACY" IN 1986. SINCE THE BREAK-UP, JELLO BIAFRA HAD CONTINUED TO RECORD AND WORK WITH OTHER ARTISTS LIKE MOJO NIXON, THE MELVINS, AND AL JOURGENSEN OF MINISTRY. HE ALSO PERFORMS SPOKEN WORD SHOWS. IN 2001, THE BAND RE-FORMED, WITHOUT BIAFRA, WHO WAS AT THE TIME ENGAGED IN LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE BAND OVER ROYALTIES. IN OCTOBER, 2010, THE BAND PLAYED 3 SHOWS, PERFORMING A NEW SONG,"YOU'RE SUCH A FAKE" AT ONE OF THE SHOWS. THE BAND INVITED JELLO BACK, BUT JELLO WAS DISILLUSIONED WITH THE BAND, FEELING THAT THEY HAD LOST EVERYTHING THEY HAD ORIGINALLY STOOD FOR, AND WERE NOW JUST A CORPORATE CASH COW. HE DECLINED THEIR OFFER, FEELING IT WAS ONLY MOTIVATED BY GREED. SINCE THEN, SEVERAL DVD, RE-ISSUES AND LIVE LP'S HAVE BEEN RELEASED. ALL OF THE RELEASES HAVE BEEN DISMISSED BY BIAFRA AS A "CASH IN" ON THE DEAD KENNEDYS NAME.. HOWEVER, IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS NOT THE SAME BAND. THERE ARE RUMOURS OF NEW MATERIAL TO COME. farao

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