Fresh Fruit for Your Mom to Eat

Overall Album Score: 8.8 out of 10

Bwaaaa-a---aaa-a-aaaaa-a-a-a-a-a-aaa----a-a-a-aaaa-aaaaaaa-----aa-aaaaa!!!

The Dead Kennedys (or should it be The Dead Kennedies ... if they did it that not only would the word "Dead" be in their band name, but also the word "dies." That would have been awesome to say the least.)

But anyway, I will say one thing about Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. It is COMPLETELY INSANE!!!! ... If you've ever wanted to see what it's like to be in the brain of a criminally insane mind, then I totally recommend this. In fact, I totally recommend this album if you're *not* looking for something from the mind of the criminally insane, because ... I think you'll be both shocked and delighted with this. I know I was. And I wasn't even impressed with actual "musical quality" of this, such as melody, harmony ... all that good stuff. (For the record, it was perfectly fine ... I couldn't give an album an 8.8 if I thought the musical quality stinks ... But this isn't an album that's good if you're hoping to gain a good, whistleable tune! 'Cause you won't!)

Just like a lot of stuff from the punk era (and, 1980 was a little late for a punk album ... The Clash was already doing pop by then), it takes firm stance against pretty much every set establishment in society. ... In fact, some of these songs are so outrageous, that I can't believe I'm listening to them half the time!

Here's a sample of lyrics:

From "Kill the Poor:"

Efficiency and progress is ours once more
Now that we have the Neutron bomb
It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done
Away with excess enemy
But no less value to property
No sense in war but perfect sense at home

From "When Ya Get Drafted"

Are you believing the morning papers?
War is coming back in style
There's generals here, advisors there
And Russians nibbling everywhere
The chessboard's filling up with red
We make more profits when we blow off their heads

And there are more irrelevant ones such as "Stealing People's Mail" (a howler!!):

People say that we're crazy
We're sick and all alone
But when we read your letters
We're rolling on the floor
We got more license plates, wedding gifts, tax returns
Checks to politicians from real estate firms
Money, bills and cancelled checks
We cut relationships with your friends

In short: Everybody who likes FUNNY music with POLITICAL ramifications and find yourself above Weird Al Yankovic, and those lyrics don't offend you (they shouldn't), and you feel like listening to music that sounds like it was created by hyperactive men in an insane asylum (possibly to the expense of "musical quality" ... as if that were really important to anyone in the punk movement), then this is the perfect album for you! Yay!!!!!

Overall Album Score: 8.8 out of 10 (A weird experience! The first track struck me as "insane" ... and it never relented from there.)

Average Song Score: 8.9 (This must be the record holder for "the most 9s ever rewarded in an album review." ... None of these songs struck me as anything *great*, but they were all too insane to ignore.)

Album Tilt: 8.5 (A very wild album ... and, in spite of itself, very consistent. In fact, I feel it has a samey quality at the end ... which sort of presents a lost opportunity to me.)

Artist Rating: 9.0 (It's not an easy thing to be so convincingly insane and fairly accessible at the same time. They accomplish this at a limited degree, to be frank, but they accomplish it just the same. ... At any rate, I've never heard anything like this, and that ought to count for something!)

Track Reviews

Kill the Poor 9/10

PUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Geez, I don't really like that singing. It sounds like an operatic tenor being electrocuted ... and not that appealing. But I like the song! Who can't like a song called "Kill the Poor?" It's quirky, catchy, and ... um ... punk'n'silly.

Forward to Death 9/10

This is too ... I don't know ... throwaway-sounding to be considered a true classic? ... Maybe I'm just not a punk fan! I like this song, though. Very rapid beat ... the instrumentation is kind of brutal, but playful, too. It's certainly a fun song to listen to.

When Ya Get Drafted 9/10

Even for this album (so far), this one seems sloppy! (GEEZ!!! I'M *NOT* A PUNK FAN???) I really enjoy that really dang bizarre instrumental bit toward the end and those periodic screams of "When Ya Get Drafted!" ... It's sloppy, but ... sloppy strangely with rhyme and reason.

Let's Lynch the Landlord 9/10

Do people like this song the best? ... I don't see how it's particularly better than any of the others! It still has a good punk beat, good punk tune, ... the lead singer sounds like his testicles are getting electrocuted ... It's certainly equally as fun to listen to!

Drug Me 8.5/10

...Well, they certainly keep things interesting, now do they? Oddly enough, I doubt I'd like this song as much if it appeared at the beginning of the album. I think I helped that I got warmed up to this! This song is just this *MENTALLY INSANE* song that's ... almost too crazy for words. Yet, still a whopper to listen to! ... Dead Kennedys have a good, totally politically-incorrect band name, too. Freaking sweet!

Your Emotions 9/10

That "RRRRRARRRRRR!!!!" *totally makes* this one! ... Continuing in the spirit of "Drug Me," this continues in that "I'm going really crazy and I'm playing this song so fast that you hardly know what you're listening to." But ... it's that rrarr at the end. ... I can't stress that enough.

Chemical Warfare 9/10

...Okay, this is getting a little too crazy for me. (Man ... you'd *think* that I'd embrace everything crazy in any sort of situation, but ... yeah. That's an oft, misunderstood thing about me. I am *not* crazy, nor do I endorse crazy people. I make fun of crazy people just like every other member of the human race. The best part of this song comes at the end when everyone starts dying and coughing. ... Yeah ... Only so much of that qualifies as high art, but ... we're talking about the punk movement here.

California Uber Alles 9/10

Three minutes long? ... Isn't that getting a little too excessive??? ... Oh, like I care about the running length ... I can pay attention to early Genesis even if a really hot woman was standing in front of me making sexual advances (not that I've ever experienced this in person ... gosh, I wish I could experience this in person).

I Kill Children 8/10

...Yeah... Um... Man! Don't you love all this political incorrectness? This just inspires me. ... It's easier to vote Democrat than TO GET A JOB!!!!! ... That's not much of a punk topic I'm afraid. ... I enjoy this song for its ... energy. I don't find much else enjoyable about this, however, unlike the others. (Even the "rrarrr" at the end of this isn't up to par.)

Stealing People's Mail 9/10

The chorus is really kind of fun (if that's the *chorus* ... I don't know what defines a chorus anymore). ... Another maniacally insane song that I'm trying to figure out if it's insane on purpose or not.

Funland at the Beach 8.5/10

...Oh... These songs are beginning to sound alike. Can't say this song is any better or worse than the rest of the songs on here. Certainly ain't no classic!! ... Gosh, I don't think *anything* on here was classic. Fun, though.

Ill in the Head 9/10

They sum it up with that title! ... But if *this* was the particular moment when they thought they were ill in the head, then they have another think coming! ... This is a *particularly* weird song! I can't even describe it ... there's this really peculiar chord progression that appears at several spots of the album (that sound vaguely medieval) amidst a regular (for them) punk song ... and then this military-sounding thing in the middle. ... You know, I'm discovering that it's best not to attempt to analyze such things! ... Maybe that's what they meant by "Ill in the Head." That's what'll happen to you if you think about these songs too hard!

Holiday in Cambodia 9.5/10

...An epic by punk standards!! 4.5 minutes? Are they going prog-rock? Will they be touring with Marillion by the end of the next year? ... Whoah!!! ... I want to say that I gave this song a 9.5, because it seems more like a "real" song, I guess. It's really no better than most of the other songs, except it seems this was better developed ... and I can attempt to understand its insanity.

Viva Las Vegas 9/10

Geez! These guys **REALLY ARE** insane? ... A very peculiar (and awesome) cover of that Elvis Presley song. ... Those vocals seem even more strange here ... singing a song that we all know! ... Man! WACKOS!!!!

Kill Edward here.