Frank and Chris

Overall Album Score: 9.5 out of 10

When it’s all said and done, this is the only Dead Kennedys album that I’m actually willing to buy. … Well, for me to actually buy this, a few other conditions have to exist (i.e. I’m going to have to get off of this college man’s wages and get a career doing something … if I get married or something weird like that, I might never buy this album, because anyone who would marry me would be a control freak who wouldn't let me listen to Dead Kennedys albums). But I said it. I’m willing to buy this album.

Why do you ask? Because this is so frikin’ enjoyable! That’s why! … I mean, the material still makes fun of practically everything under the sun (while being a bit more transparent at it), but … this is so diverse! Every style they try out (including rap, industrial, and just regular old ROCK), they manage to totally succeed … indeed, many of those are actually better than the songs that sound more normal to their previous albums! … And what with all this delightful diversity (and strong songwriting and excellent instrument playing), this is dang near a masterpiece as I’d ever have dreamed hearing from this band … honestly!

Well, I really liked it, anyway. They’re almost totally accessible here, yet they’re still sound crazy, ambitious, and still have over-the-top political messages. That’s all a nice combination for them!

Overall Album Score: 9.5 out of 10 (This is the only Dead Kennedys album I would really want in my collection.)

Average Song Score: 9.4 (Every song has something nice on it.)

Album Tilt: 9.5 (Diverse and delightful.)

Artist Rating: 9.5 (They’re quite valid artists, I think, despite their intentionally over-offensive lyrics. They’re masterful guitar players and can write a good tune … even Jello Biafra’s singing seems smart here.)

Track Reviews

Soup is Good Food 10/10

I agree with this band for once … Soup is good food … I also agree that this song is pretty freaking awesome without feeling the need to just be UTTERLY INSANE for no particular reason (like they were leaning towards in Plastic Surgery Disasters). The song is based on a pretty neat punkish groove … the guitars are heavy but they’re not totally dominating the song … nor does Jello Biafra dominate the whole song (he’s half-rapping to this, too, and he sounds half-normal … but still finds time to laugh like a lunatic every once in awhile.) … in fact, this is … almost … almost, pop music! …… Yay!!

Hellnation 9/10

Much closer to the insane’n’hard songs this band’s been doing during their entire back catalogue! … I don’t hate them for it, of course. The guitars are ***sweet*** … If every band could have such guitar players in them … Foreigner would be about 19283 times more awesome … and, as it stood, their guitarist was the best thing the band had going for them!

This Could Be Anywhere 9/10

Cool. A more restrained insane’n’hard song with just as crazy guitars, but they’re a bit more in the background this time. Biafra’s crazy, pulsating singing is here in full force … well, he’s a crappy singer (but we all knew that) but … he’s only crappy in that good way. Anyway, this is an enjoyable song that won’t drive you nuts. Tipper Gore’s still not gunna like it.

A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch 10/10

I agree with that song title, too. A growing boy, indeed, needs his lunch. Preferably crappy cafeteria pizza and crappy cafeteria fries (and … to make it worse … there was a fad of putting ranch dressing on the pizza when I was in middle school … that’s why I was, like, FAT). … Speaking of the actual ***SONG***, this is a very dark one that’s … actually quite toe-tapping. … Danceable … it’s not pop music, though … they’re just restraining themselves … being accessible ……… I freaking like it!!!!! I want more of this! I want more of this!

Chicken Farm 8.5/10

Pretty good … not the best off the album, certainly, but the melody’s good and, again, the guitars are FRIKIN awesome! … I like the whole sound of the song … It’s sort of echoey, as if it were performed in a warehouse, maybe. But, I don’t know, the song’s not as collectively enjoyable as the other tracks on here.

Jock-O-Roma 9.5/10

Oh yeah … The Dead Kennedys are a punk band … Well, this is punk for ya! … A very fast paced song … but it’s still quite a bit more polished than the songs off their previous albums! … Mmmmm! … The slow part in here is strange, as Biafra delivers a primitive a cappella solo …… Always nice to see the band doing something strange and unexpected (well, more unexpected than the unexpected) … I really like the guitar work, and Biafra’s vocals (as usual) compliment it with that nutty flavor that we all crave from the Dead Kennedys …

Goons of Hazard 9.5/10

A very straightforward punk song that’s not with its own fresh eccentricities … It’s the fresh eccentricities that pushes this beyond the ‘averagely-good’ stage … the melody and the guitar work are pretty much tops … Very very very very nicely done! They’ve got a sort of ‘power punk anthem’ thing going here, too. It’s a lot of fun.

MTV - Get Off the Air 10/10

…Yet another song title that I agree with… Although, I’m not totally sure I would have in 1985 … That station is good for naught nowadays. This song is fairly luxuriant for the Dead Kennedys … there’s some kids singing on here! … The beginning of the song is very catchy and very bouncy with the kids chanting a line and somebody (maybe Biafra, maybe not) singing in a very low tone. That stops and then a very very fast paced song ensues. Then a more moderately-paced punk song ensues and *gasp* a horn? … They know how to write good horn lines, too! … Really, this band is quite talented … I don’t know why people hate them! … Oh wait, yes I do. They’ve offended nearly everyone a twofold by now.

At My Job 9.5/10

…Industrial sounding… These guys are diverse in this album. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed this album so as I was doing my preliminary listens to it. It’s a very good industrial-sounding song, too, with Biafra doing an appropriate, stiff and rigid vocal performance appropriating the whole job-slave theme with effectiveness!

Stars and Stripes of Corruption 8.5/10

Six minutes and it’s a regular-sounding Dead Kennedys song. I wish to stress, again, that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! It’s all hard and fast-paced with Biafra sounding like a total nutso! The middle of this turns a bit more poppier (read: mid-tempoed) and … well, I think that part’s better.

Oy! Comments! Fred Kennedy! Here.