Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine "White People and the Damage Done" (2013)

White People and the Damage Done
release date: Apr. 2, 2013
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,12]
producer: Marshall Lawless
label: Alternative Tentacles - nationality: USA

[ full album ]

2nd studio album by Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine. With this album, Biafra and T.G.S.O.M. comes out as one of Biafra's better musical projects after his time in Dead Kennedys, and the music isn't that far from the old legendary band. Not that it's a simple return to 1980's formula of hardcore punk, but it's more like how you could imagine DK would have sounded had they stayed together. Compared to the debut from 2009, the production side has improved and there's a fine balance of hardcore punk combined with industrial rock and metal, some of which comes close to the music Biafra played with Lard, D.O.A., NoMeansNo, as well as with The Melvins, and then he hasn't stopped having a critical view on his home-country, which was more blurred on the predecessor The Audacity of Hype (2009). Marshall Lawless seems like Biafra's first choice for the production seat as he has produced albums for Biafra since the early 1990s whether Biafra played in collaboration projects, alone, or in more traditional band compounds, This is an improvement to the band's music, I think, and mostly because the material is more originally diverse.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine "The Audacity of Hype" (2009)

The Audacity of Hype [debut]
release date: Oct. 20, 2009
format: digital
[album rate: 2 / 5] [2,18]
producer: Jello Biafra
label: Alternative Tentacles - nationality: USA

Studio debut by Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine. The album is an actual band release after Biafra's most recent spoken word album In the Grip of Official Treason (2006), and his involvement in various collaboration works, and releases with industrial metal band Pigface. The style seems like a clone of whatever he has been involved in since the late 1970s, which is a huge pothole of punk-related music. This is hardcore punk, and as such the closest one could imagine would have been the result if Dead Kennedys had stayed an active band, although, there's some industrial rock to it, which mostly points to Biafra's former band, Lard. It's also tight alt. rock, but I don't find it that interesting, as it just sounds like angry old men / punk rockers, who don't have much new to say and the tracks are simply too much alike making it much on par with Sieg Howdy!.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Jello Biafra with NoMeansNo "The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy" (1991)

The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy
release date: Jul. 1, 1991
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,98]
producer: 'all of us' [Jello Biafra, Andy Kerr, Rob Wright, John Wright]
label: Alternative Tentacles - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "The Sky Is Falling, and I Want My Mommy (Falling Space Junk)" - 4. "Bad" - 5. "Ride the Flume" - 7. "Sharks in the Gene Pool"

A collaboration album with former Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and Canadian hardcore punk band NoMeansNo (which at this point was a trio) produced by Biafra and NoMeansNo.
It's not far from the style and musical universe of Dead Kennedys, although, there's a certain amount of art punk (NoMeansNo) and some spoken word (Jello Biafra) elements to it and the track playing time is sometimes extended beyond 5 mins making it a somewhat untraditional hardcore punk release.
The album is the second collaboration work by Biafra after the split of DK, as he released the album Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors in '89 together with D.O.A.
Musically, I think it's too far from the qualities of Dead Kennedys, it's too muddy and too hardcore to my liking, but it has its moments, and Biafra seems like an eternal source of ironic, sarcastic and provocative lyrics hinted at American society and at moral majority.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5, Punknews.org 4 / 5 stars ]

Dead Kennedys "Bedtime for Democracy" (1986)

Bedtime for Democracy
release date: Nov. 1986
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Jello Biafra
label: Alternative Tentacles - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Take This Job and Shove It" (4,5 / 5) - 4. "Rambozo the Clown" - 5. "Fleshdunce" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "The Great Wall" (4 / 5) - 7. "Shrink" (3,5 / 5) - 8. "Triumph of the Swill" (4,5 / 5) - 11. "Cesspolls in Eden" (4 / 5) - 15. "Gone With the Wind" (3,5 / 5) - 17. "Chickenshit Conformist" (4 / 5)

4th and final studio album release by Dead Kennedys. The album was released while the band and Jello Biafra were dealing with the lawsuit against the band for having "distributed harmful matter to minors" after their inclusion of an art poster on the previous album Frankenchrist (1985). The music is a return to faster and shorter hardcore punk songs dealing with political and moral issues, and mostly all-American issues with the Reagan administration and moral majority at center of attention (e.g. listen to "Triumph of the Swill"). The vinyl album was released with a newspaper collage by Winston Smith titled "Fuck Facts". The band split after the release, and Jello Biafra continued as solo artist of spoken word performance art, primarily (e.g. 1989, or 2013) but also released a number of collaboration albums as well as forming and continuing in the band Lard.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Hüsker Dü "New Day Rising" (1985)

New Day Rising
release date: Jan. 1985
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Hüsker Dü, Spot (aka Glen Lockett)
label: SST Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "New Day Rising" - 3. "I Apologize" - 4. "Folk Lore" - 6. "Celebrated Summer" - 8. "Terms of Psychic Warfare" - 11. "Books About UFO's"

3rd full studio album by Hüsker Dü. The album may not be as daring experimental as Zen Arcade (1984) but it's the first album where I hear what is unmistakeably Bob Mould harmonies - just listen to "I Apologize". The band is the same trio of Mould, Hart and Norton, only this time Mould has written eight out of fifteen and is co-writer on another four tracks. Three of the tracks are written solely by Grant Hart. Compared to the 84 double album this clearly takes a firm direction of punk rock and alt. rock glued together by power pop. The fact that Mould has established himself as the musical composer of the band is a highly infectious point of discussion. Hart and Mould were both lead vocalists as well as writers, but unlike the broader musical output on Zen Arcade this reflects Mould's dominant role within the band - something that ultimately led to arguments and may even have been a primary conflict leading to the future split.
However, so far, this is the band's best effort, although, the production sucks, being poor and murky.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 5 / 5 stars ]

Hüsker Dü "Zen Arcade" (1984)

Zen Arcade
release date: Jul. 1984
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Hüsker Dü, Spot (aka Glen Lockett)
label: SST Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Something I Learned Today" - 3. "Never Talking to You Again" - 8. "Beyond the Threshold" - 11. "The Biggest Lie" - 15. "Somewhere" - 17. "Pink Turns to Blue" - 20. "Whatever" - 22. "Turn on the News"

2nd studio album by Hüsker Dü continues where Everything Falls Apart (1983) ended, although, there's a clear introduction to something pointing to a stylistic change away from the British hardcore punk sound and to what should later be referred to as alt. rock. After the studio debut the band released the 7 track ep Metal Circus in '83, which was more as its predecessor. Despite clearly punk rock-fused on Zen Arcade, the speed has slowed down and the tracks consists of something one may describe as post hardcore. The track lengths may not reveal the general impression of compositions that have been slowed down - and some are definitely not without high energy - but the overall focus is somewhere else than just hurling away at maximum speed. There are elements of art punk and noise rock, more evidently than on the predecessor, but there are also tracks of acoustic folk rock and neo-psychedelia. The original issue was a double vinyl album with a total of 23 tracks. Where Bob Mould took responsibility of the songs on the debut, this one still has his signature on 18 of the tracks (12 exclusively written by Mould alone) - this offers more space for songs written entirely by drummer, vocalist and pianist, Grant Hart and / or all three together. Hart is credited four tracks without Mould or Norton (the latter being cowriter on four).
I never fell for the style on this - not back in the 80s - nor when I rediscovered the band's early stuff in the 90s, but I have to admit that it's quite original - and dated, Yes! But with a very sharp and highly original style that is anything but 'just' noise. It's dark, angry and sinister but there are multiple layers to sink into. I can't really say that it's bettering the debut, as it in a way restarts the mission of the band, pointing to many paths to walk after this, but having grunge rock nearly a decade further up the road, this is at least a source it all leads back to.
Note: track #23 has a running time close to 14 min, which exceeds the remaining tracks (except 1) by more than 11 min.
[ allmusic.com 5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Hüsker Dü "Everything Falls Apart" (1983)

Everything Falls Apart [debut]
release date: Jan. 1983
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,18]
producer: Hüsker Dü and Spot (aka Glen Locket)
label: Reflex Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "From the Gut" - 2. "Blah, Blah, Blah" - 5. "Afraid of Being Wrong" - 6. "Sunshine Superman" - 8. "Everything Falls Apart" - 12. "Gravity"

Studio debut album by the American trio Hüsker Dü released after the first full-length release, the live album Land Speed Record released exactly one year earlier. The band was formed in Minneapolis in Mar. '79 and consists of Bob Mould on guitar and vocals, Greg Norton on bass and backing vocals, and with Grant Hart on drums and vocals. This is American hard-core punk, which only had a little in common with the early stages of what became known as punk rock, meaning 1976-77. Hüsker Dü is one of a few dominant bands of the genre when speaking of the American version of hardcore punk, which included Black Flag, Bad Brains, D.O.A., Circle Jerks, and Dead Kennedys. The UK scene included bands like The Exploited, Charged G.B.H., Subhumans, Crass, Anti-Nowhere League, One-Way System, and UK Subs, but the two scenes were not identical. The American scene was a primary source and link to noise rock, which more or less evolved at the same time, and that may be heard on this album. I recall being interested in the British scene, which had more evident roots in traditional punk rock with some focus on harmonies, chorus-lines, political subjects, and with the addition of intensified energy. A few bands with Crass as the extreme forerunners were on the edge of punk making highly political music with bonds to experimental art rock and rock satire, which was labelled anarcho-punk - and this only really happened in the UK, whereas the American artists more or less concentrated their energy in playing with speed, high-voltage energy and anger as driving forces - rebelling with either nihilism or what resembled 1960s anti-war protest-songs engagement, and not seldom as a huge (strange) mix of founding inspiration.
Everything Falls Apart is however, also one of a few albums that closes the gap between American and British hardcore punk. Listening to Subhumans, The Exploited and One-Way System this has an equal expression of harmony structures and short-lived tunes build on guitar-chords and wry statements.
I rejected this as too much noise for my liking. My first experience with the band was Zen Arcade from 1984, and that didn't do much for me like the band's last releases, which failed to my appeal. At the time, I thought, this was just a matter of playing fast, running wild with energy, and with too little diversion. Today, I actually enjoy some of the tracks from this. It has it's moments and moreover: it's quite evident how the band became a source to other styles and genres, including grunge, but also how close this was to noise rock and American alternative rock, which helped giving birth to bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Red Hot Chili Pepper - all of these seem unthinkable without Hüsker Dü in this incarnation.
"From the Gut" is a great, simple, but original starter, which points to music by Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Blah, Blah, Blah" and perhaps even more "Bricklayer" are fine examples of music bonding with chanting chorus lines from the UK scene, experimental 'art rock' by Frank Zappa, Dead Kennedys, and Nirvana at the same time. The production sound is... of course on the low side of things but that's how it is with the genre. "Punch Drunk" (30 secs of distilled raw energy) could easily have thought made by Crass, The Exploited, Charged G.B.H. of the British scene, or by Dead Kennedys. Most songs are written by Bob Mould and one track "Sunshine Superman" is a cover of a track by Donovan, however, here highly transformed. The original album issue has a total playing time of just above 19 minutes making it a rather short long-player. In '93 the album was reissued as Everything Falls Apart and More on cd with seven bonus tracks including the band's first two singles.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Moby "Animal Rights" (1996)

Animal Rights
release date: Sep. 23, 1996
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,98]
producer: Moby, Alan Moulder
label: Mute Records - nationality: USA

4th studio album by Moby following a year and a half after Everything Is Wrong.
Stylistically, this is something completely different, to say it mildly. On this, Moby has turned away from the electronic genre that he has released music in up until now. Apparently, he was unsatisfied with the reception his music was given and returned to play the hardcore punk rock and alt. rock that he listened to as a teenager.
Animal Rights was generally met by negative reviews and didn't attract record buyers making it an even bolder failure than his previous attempts.
Yes, it's guitar-based, aggressive hardcore punk and as far away from what he previously had been (as well as later on would become) associated with as he possibly could, but musically it isn't all bad. It's well-composed and loyal to the genre and showcases some originality. I just don't find it all that enjoyable.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com, The Guardian 2 / 5, Rolling Stone, Mojo 3 / 5, NME 4 / 5 stars ]

Dead Kennedys "Plastic Surgery Disasters" (1982)

Plastic Surgery Disasters
release date: Nov. 1982
format: vinyl (VIRUS 27) / cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,38]
producer: East Bay Ray, Thom Wilson
label: Alternative Tentacles / Statik Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) 1. "Government Flu" (4 / 5) - 2. "Terminal Preppie" (5 / 5) - 3. "Trust Your Mechanic" (4 / 5) - 4. "Well Paid Scientist" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Buzzbomb" (4 / 5) - 6. "Forest Fire" (4 / 5) - 7. "Halloween" (5 / 5) - 8. "Winnebago Warrior" (5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Riot" (4 / 5) - 2. "Bleed for Me" (4,5 / 5) (studio session) - 3. "I Am the Owl" (4 / 5) - 4. "Dead End" (4 / 5) - 5. "Moon Over Marin" (5 / 5)

2nd studio album release by Dead Kennedys, and my favourite album by the band. This is where they told all kind of stories about what goes wrong around the world, and the style is not one-dimensional as on the debut. Overall, it's punk rock, and mostly hardcore punk but elements of surf rock, rockabilly, rock 'n roll, psychedelic rock, and Ennio Morricone western movie soundtrack elements are heard on various tracks. The band's lyrics are not only focused on looking at the present administration or on one hate subject. The vinyl lp has a lovely collages 'scrapbook' (which initiated a tradition to include a scrapbook of some sort with their following two studio albums) with the fascinating art work of Winston Smith (who made art work and front covers for all their studio albums). I loved this album and bought it upon its release in '82, and I spent many hours listening to the album while looking into lyrics and collages. The front cover by photographer Michael Wells is like the music: right in the face: get it, morons?!
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]
=> needledrop review

1982 Favourite releases: 1. Laurie Anderson Big Science - 2. Dead Kennedys Plastic Surgery Disasters - 3. Elvis Costello & The Attractions Imperial Bedroom

Dead Kennedys "In God We Trust, Inc." (1981) (ep)

In God We Trust, Inc., ep
release date: Nov. 1981
format: vinyl (VIRUS 5) / digital
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]
producer: East Bay Ray, Norm
label: Alternative Tentacles / Statik Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) 1. "Religious Vomit" (4 / 5) - 2. "Moral Majority" (4 / 5) - 3. "Hyperactive Child" (4 / 5) - 4. "Kepone Factory" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Dog Bite" (4 / 5) - - B) 1. "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" (5 / 5) - 2. "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now" (4 / 5) - 3. "Rawhide" (4 / 5)
[ "Lost tapes" studio sessions ]

Ep release by Dead Kennedys showing a somewhat musical different side. The style is still punk rock but here almost only as hardcore punk, and most tracks are shorter than 2 minutes. The altered music also has to do with the band's almost conceptual way of making an album that speaks of the two of the band's most notorious subjects on their following albums: religion and capitalism. Here, they yell at the horrors of religions on one side and pins out its criticism on the American government and Ronald Reagan in particular. The song "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now" is a remake of "California Über Alles" from the debut with completely new lyrics and a new style of that plays on elements of spoken word genre. The ep was later included on re-issues of their second album release Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982).

Dead Kennedys "Too Drunk to Fuck" (1981) (single)

Too Drunk to Fuck, 12'' single
release date: May 1981
format: vinyl (12 CHERRY 24)
[single rate: 4 / 5] [3,75]
producer: Dead Kennedys, Geza X
label: Cherry Red Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) 1. "Too Drunk to Fuck" (5 / 5) - - B) 1. "The Prey" (2,5 / 5)

7'' cover

Single release by Dead Kennedys the band and Geza Gedeon. This was actually the very first song I ever heard with DK, and I was sooo overwhelmed, fascinated, and bedazzled, as I was introduced to it by a schoolmate. The odd thing was that my friends at school thought it was naughty and cool because of the title and the subject of the lyrics, whereas I just loved it for the musical energy. And when my class mates a few weeks later were disappointed with and rejected the band when they played the debut album, I just really loved the band, because I found in it more of the same energy and music, and that spurred me on to seek out other punk rock bands.

Dead Kennedys "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables" (1980)

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables [debut]
release date: Sep. 2, 1980
format: vinyl (1981 reissue, blue vinyl - B RED 10) / cd (1993 reissue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]
producer: Norm, East Bay Ray (co-producer)
label: Cherry Red Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: A) 1. "Kill the Poor" (5 / 5) - 2. "Forward to Death" - 3. "When Ya Get Drafted" - 4. "Let's Lynch the Landlord" (4 / 5) - 5. "Drug Me" (4 / 5) - 6. "Your Emotions" (5 / 5) - 7. "Chemical Warfare" - - B) 1. "California Über Alles" (5 / 5) - 2. "I Kill Children" (5 / 5) - 3. "Stealing People's Mail" (5 / 5) - 4. "Funland at the Beach" - 5. "Ill in the Head" - 6. "Holiday in Cambodia" (5 / 5) - 7. "Viva Las Vegas"
[ full album 1 ]

Studio debut album by Dead Kennedys originally released on Cherry Red Records in a '81-reissue on blue vinyl - the '93 cd-issue by Alternative Tentacles.
The album may have had its release when punk rock had been proclaimed 'dead' but it's one of the best and most remarkable (and political) punk rock albums, in my mind. The American punk era came in at least two noteworthy periods. A lot of the original proto-punk bands like The Velvet Underground, The Stooges, MC5, Patti Smith, and New York Dolls came from USA, and when punk rock exploded in Britain with The Damned, The Clash, and Sex Pistols, focus was soon directed back to their major source in proto-punk bands and the (maybe?) first 'real' punk rock band: The Ramones, who had been around a couple of years, and then after this first punk explosion in Europe, the second punk wave hit back on the US, and Americans now experienced hardcore punk rock with Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Hüsker Dü, Circle Jerks, and D.O.A. (Canadian band) etc. The typical 'tide and flood' tendency involving the two continents when it comes to inspiration and new styles. But I had only just realised that punk existed, so for me, Dead Kennedys were new (which they were...) and punk had only just begun (which it actually hadn't...). Anyway, the debut is not a reproduction or copy of British punk rock but a highly original hardcore punk rock version that I simply loved. The energy, the anger, and the rejection of conformity and double moral was primary themes and it was so delightful to listen to an American band with so strong criticism on American life-style and materialism in general. Looking back, my parents actually were pretty tolerant to my music taste 'cause I played it *#.!.. loud. The album is enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".

[ collectors' item 'blue vinyl' - from ~ €60,- ]