If you have more than a passing interest in music, you will have heard of Dead Kennedys. You probably know the single Holidays in Cambodia and that may be about it. I remember a few albums covers and the obscenity trial against them and knew the name Jello Biafra but that’s the extent of my knowledge.
They released four albums during their eight-year career with Biafro fronting them and Plastic Surgery Disasters was their second album back in 1982.
Dead Kennedys were/are (they are still going without Biafro but have not released any recent music) one of the first hardcore punk bands and this is the superior side of that type of music.
This is an album that does let up from the start to the end I am not really a fan of hardcore but the difference here is you can hear the lyrics and we even have horns on Terminal Preppie and the breaks in songs like Trust Your Mechanic demonstrate this is more than a thrash every instrument type band.
Forest Fire is a highlight with Biafro launching his voice in multiple styles and the song teetering on the brink before being pulled back in
Halloween has a riff throughout that eeks into your subconscious and Winnebago Warrior has some wonderful backing wails.
The band are not as political as their debut but make their point when they must, and Riot is an intense five minutes of the pointless destruction of your own neighbourhood.
Bleed For Me they nail their colours to the mast over their country and Moon Over Marin ends the album and is the best track for me with a magical riff throughout and pulsing drums and a passionate vocal from Jello, I have read that this is ballad like for Dead Kennedys, it’s certainly not as frantic but I would not class as a ballad just an immense song.
7.5/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: Moon Over Marin