Dead Kennedys' Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (33 1/3)

For fans of Dead Kennedys and / or people with an interest in countercultural politics of the USA (particularly San Francisco) during the late 70s / early 80s this is a great read. Foley sets out his stall early in the book with the bold statement "Fresh Fruit was the most important, articulate, and accessible document of dissent to come from American youth in an age when it is generally assumed American youth had given up." Whether or not you may or may not agree with these two statements, Foley's rigorous research and attention to detail offers a pretty compelling case. By mining and exhuming much of the social and political madness that surrounded SF at the time (the so called 'decade of hate') Foley gives us a variety of interesting pathways into the mind-set that produced such a darkly humorous album with titles such as 'I Kill Children' and 'Let's Lynch The Landlord'. At the time of its release FFFRV received a lot of negative publicity from sections of the press which misread its barbed political commentary for cheap shock tactics. The author is a historian by trade and depicts the 'protest ethic' within DK's first album, as a continuation of the tactics and approach which had once flourished amongst the Yuppies yet fizzled out with the advent of the 'me' generation. Whilst this legacy certainly holds water politically, if anything this book also reveals that DK probably used music as a vehicle to take protest further than any of their predecessors or contemporaries .... and that for me is what delineates this record as a unique offering worthy of inclusion in this series. As a long-time advocate of their music,although this release is actually one of my least favourite DK releases, it still resonates and challenges and is highly relevant for today. At the time both left and right were well defined and easier to identify as prime satirical targets, however as Foley points out their lyricist and chief master-mind Jello Biafra actually reserved his most pointed material for those who were positioned in the middle ground, in essence those favouring complacency who just fail to act or think. Maybe this was quite prophetic as the 'middle ground' now magnetises Western politics and enchants policy wonks who see winning the hearts and 'minds' of the centrists as the best way of winning elections. Highly recommended ...

Fantastic book, well designed and a smart read. Any DK fan will enjoy this- it's also a bit of a history lesson. Pretty cool.

Disappointing really. I've read a few of this series and always enjoyed the insight they gave into the making of the record. This one seems to be more concerned with the politics of San Francisco, a bit about the formation of the Dead Kennedys and little else. The writing about the album itself is brief and not particularly illuminating.

Excellent account of the cultural conditions in San Francisco that gave rise to the Dead Kennedys and their seminal album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables. Foley's careful, engaging and erudite history, captures the San Francisco torn by violence, greed and larger social forces within which the local punk scene thrived. He captures the feel, the pace and the sensibilities of the scene and the vacuum which the Dead Kennedys filled with songs laden with black political humor to a degree that, as someone who lived through that era, I find remarkable. Foley's decision to center most of the book on the build to the album, and to conclude with an honest assessment of Fresh Fruit's location in the history of subcultural music, rather than belaboring the album's influence, gives the book unexpected power, drive and focus. Neither paean, nor arid cultural criticism, Foley's Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, puts us inside the punk scene and the forces that made it with passion, clarity, memorable prose and deft insight. Do read.

Ordinarily I don't care much for 33.3 books that fall under this model, i.e. fail to focus on the album itself and how it was made. It starts out as the story of how the DKs formed, but it then very quickly switches gears. It's primarily a thesis on the events in California in general and San Francisco in particular throughout the 60s and 70s that led up to the state of affairs that fostered and sustained the SF punk scene. The references to what was actually happening with the band seem tangential at times, but they occur often enough to make it bearable to me. Being a native Californian old enough to remember many of the key events discussed in the book made it feel personally relevant in ways certain other 33.3 books didn't. After a few chapters of set-up, the last chapter finally focuses on the album itself. The DKs were one of my first favorite punk bands, but somehow they're also one that I have rarely listened to over the ensuing years, unlike some of my other old favorites. Reading this has rekindled my interest and motivated me to listen again for the first time in ages.

Awesome Book, 33 1/3 series is recommended for music nerds(like me), this particular album is an all time fave of mine.

if you are interested in the underlying political environment of San Fran prior to and during the time of the making of this fun-as-hell record then this is the book for you. If you are interested in riffs and beats, like me, elsewhere is where we gotta look.With that said, Im glad the author and publisher recognized that this DKs record is worthy of reporting.

This is one of the better 33 1/3 books. The political perspective is a little overemphasized, and I sure would love a better account of Ray's guitar tone (can someone please tell me his amp settings for the original single of "California Uber Alles"?), but overall this is a groundbreaking work which puts this album in historical perspective in a way that only old zines could do. And they're all going to hundreds of dollars on eBay, so this is better.Take it from someone who purchased this album based on a New York Rocker review at the time of its release, and anguished over the perverse screw-turning anomie lyrics, skull-drilling riffs, and shredded cheese rhythm section for years: this book does an outstanding job of elevating an album that has never been discussed at length or in this detail. This is exactly what I could have asked from 33 1/3. Get it.