Dead Kennedys

• Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables [I.R.S., 1980] C+
• In God We Trust, Inc. [Faulty Products EP, 1981] B-

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables [I.R.S., 1980]
I do want there to be more punk rock--I do, I do. I do want there to be more left-wing new wave--really. By Americans--I swear it. But not by a would-be out-of-work actor with Tiny Tim vibrato who spent the first half of the '70s concocting "rock cabaret." Admittedly, I'm guessing, but I'm also being kind--it sounds like Jello Biafra discovered the Stooges in 1977. C+

In God We Trust, Inc. [Faulty Products EP, 1981]
"Moral Majority," which proceeds directly from the Mickey Mouse club theme to a rousing verse prominently featuring the words "Blow it out your ass," and the long-awaited "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" ("you'll be the first to go") are their best songs or whatever since they attacked California and Cambodia. Both are available on a single. Forgo the documentary value of "Kepone Factory"'s false start ("Itstooslow") and the intensely appropriate "Hyperactive Child." Think small. B-