The Dead Kennedys are an American punk band from the first wave of American punk rock, formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. Pioneers of hardcore punk during the 1980s, the band gained a large underground following in the international punk music scene.
The music of the Dead Kennedys mixed the more experimental elements of British 1970s punk with the raw energy of the 1980s American hardcore punk scene. Dead Kennedys' songs mix the deliberately shocking lyrics of punk with a humorous, acerbic, satirical, and sarcastic left-wing commentary on current social and political issues. Many of the band's songs criticize the right-wing ideologies of the religious right and the Ronald Reagan administration.
In the late 1980s, the band was embroiled in an obscenity trial in the US over the 1985 Frankenchrist album, which included a poster with art that depicted penises (Penis Landscape by H. R. Giger). The band was charged criminally with distribution of harmful matter to minors, but the trial ended with a hung jury. The band officially disbanded in 1986. From 1998-2004, the band was embroiled in an acrimonious lawsuit over royalties and rights to the band's music. In 2001, the band re-formed and began touring with a new vocalist over the objections of former lead singer Jello Biafra, who, after losing the lawsuit and being found liable for fraud, filed two appeals that he later lost. In 2008, the band picked up their first ever UK gold sales awards in 15 years.
Dead Kennedys - 1978 - Demos (tape)
Dead Kennedys - 1980 - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
Dead Kennedys - 1981 - In God We Trust, Inc
Dead Kennedys - 1982 - Skateboard Party
Dead Kennedys - 1983 - Plastic Surgery Disaster
Dead Kennedys - 1984 - Never Been On Mtv (Bootleg)
Dead Kennedys - 1985 - Frankenchrist
Dead Kennedys - 1986 - Bedtime For Democracy
Dead Kennedys - 1987 - Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death
Dead Kennedys - 1992 - Spend July 4th With Dk (live)
Dead Kennedys - 2001 - Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death (Remastered)
Dead Kennedys - 2001 - Mutiny On The Bay (live)
Dead Kennedys - 2004 - Live @ The Deaf Club (03-03-1979)
Dead Kennedys - 2007 - Milking The Sacred Cow
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