Frankenchrist

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ALBUM INFORMATION
EDITOR'S PICK

Total Tracks: 10   Total Length: 45:11

eMusic Review

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Jack Rabid

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
Grim humor and grinding chords reach their apex.
Label: Manifesto / The Orchard

While not known for tightness, attack or overall sound, the DKs had a peculiar ability to set themselves off from the Xerox mentality of the hardcore they'd popularized on the fantastic Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, and reaching its apex on this fascinating album. Jello Biafra's black humor parodies and caffeinated clown personality gave way to the scary political condemnation of "This Could be Anywhere," "Stars and Stripes of Corruption" and the choleric "MTV Get Off the Air" (if only!) set to East Bay Ray's singular spy movie guitar. This was the last gasp of the (smaller scene) Nirvana of their decade.

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Still my favorite!

lost888key

This is the third time in my life I've bought this album. I don't think I'll lose this one, hard drives are hard to loose! I just wish I could run across an original copy, complete with the 'F word' stickers and the Geiger poster!

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Yup it's Great but...

NoahTea

This was Stolen off Alternative Tentacles So.....Don't Support It. We all know Jello wrote the songs.

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In Which You Can See The Edifice Cracking...

Godozo

By the time of this Album the Dead Kennedys had divided up into two groups of two people, going so far as to take different forms of transportation to each gig. This led to a tense state of affairs at the recording studio, and you can tell by the songs. Too many of the songs have the setup of Guitar Solo in Front, turgid music taking its sweet time to finish, and Jello Biafra ditching rhyme and itching to ditch the band and go on his solo gig. Doesn't mean there's nothing worth getting: Soup Is Good Food, A Growing Boy... and Jock-o-Rama rise above the straightjacketing of the band's straining to stay together and shine, while Hellnation, At My Job stand by themselves and Stars and Stripes of Corruption is probably one of the best items Jello ever penned.

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the top

mtat76

I remember the first time i heard this album - I had lifted it from the local used books store (as i had many others); I took it home, threw it in the Walkman and was blown away. This was back in '88 or '89 and today I still think it is an incredible album. I went on to get more DK albums and some of Jello's spoken word stuff. I am now not a big fan of the spoken word (as with a lot of liberal discourse, it seems to focus on personal attack rather than truly intellectual arguments), but I still love the DKs. And for those who are worried about the money - maybe you shouldn't be on here anyway; how much is an artist getting when you pay 25 cents a song? The true benefit seems to be exposure. But that's just an opinion...

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Get an Education

jdellaflora

newsjunkie356 Needs to educate himself about American politics. Ronald Reagan headed one of the most corrupt cabinets in U.S. history. He gave us deficit spending, union-busting and Iran-Contra along with countless other scandals. Imagine selling weapons to Iran only a couple of years after the hostage crisis. Sounds like something a "terrorist" would do. American politics is about protecting corporate interests here and abroad. And our policies have caused countless suffering and exploitation and manipulation of people world-wide. Very little is done on humanitarian grounds. Most "aid" to foreign countries is extended with tie-backs. This means American companies do the work and take the aid money right back home. At highly inflated prices. Wake-up. you are not going to find the truth in the wall street journal or the NY Times. I guarantee Jello knows way more about politics than you. Great album by the way.

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Jello IS getting paid

DougieSpooner

This is a fantastic, essential punk album, like all of the DK's output. Pay no heed to the muppet dissing 'stars and stripes of corruption' below - if it annoys people like that it must be good! It's an intelligent comment on how patriotism can and should mean fighting for positive change in the USA (and with lines like 'we can start by not lying so much, and treating other people like dirt', it holds true for wherever you may live). Just a note on the 'Manifesto' records thing. What happened between the members of DKs is very sad, and I as much as anyone would love it if they were still all friends and the LPs were on Alternative Tentacles. BUT Jello IS paid for the Manifesto releases. The other members maintain they just wanted their share, not to cut Jello out. They have graphics up on their website that show the cashed cheques they have made out to Jello, so he is definitely getting paid.

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freakin' sweet

Darthmatt4182

Even though I'm more of a hippie at heart, I really dig the Dead Kennedys. This album rocks, and whoever below me who was trying to defend reagan needs to read history book himself - the soviet union was within months of collapsing regardless of what reagan said in his lucid states. learn history. listen to the dead kennedys while you're learning.

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Slashing Satire to Bone-headed political crap

newsjunkie356

This is what the entire DK ouevre was leading up to. It's both a synthesis and a summary: slashing social satire and brain-dead political attacks. "MTV Get Off the Air" was all too-prescient of the Simon Cowell-ation of pop music (tho to be fair to Simon he's merely the rash the disease's come out in). "The Stars and Stripes of Corruptions" is flat-out garbage demonstrating Jello's complete and total misunderstanding of American politics. It should be remembered the man he so witlessly attacks brought down the Berlin Wall & freed 400M people from communism. But why let facts get in the way of a good hate-filled brainless rant?

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At my job

jred

Is my daughter's fave DK song (she's 10 now), and one of my fave's too. Too bad you all haven't had a chance to "sell out" yet. Wait until you have kids and you can see what it's like. I went to the reunion/cover show a few years back, and it rocked. It was all the great DK music, without the pretentious jerk up front. I talked to them for a bit after the show, and those guys are just like me, maybe a couple of years older. If I was in their place, I'd want to get paid, too. -Hardercore than you.

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DO NOT PURCHASE ANY MANIFESTO DK ALBUMS/TRACKS!!!

Eurogirl

Jello Biafra is the heart & soul of the Dead Kennedys. Buying ANYTHING from Manifesto is blasphemy and a direct insult to Jello and Alternative Tentacles. SUPPORT JELLO....BOYCOTT MANIFESTO.

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