Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining hardcore punk bands during its initial eight-year run.

Dead Kennedys’ lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing establishment political figures (liberal and conservative) and authority in general, as well as popular culture and even the punk movement itself. During their initial incarnation between 1978 and 1986, they attracted considerable controversy for their provocative lyrics and artwork. Several stores refused to stock their recordings, provoking debate about censorship in rock music; in the mid-1980s, vocalist and primary lyricist Jello Biafra became an active campaigner against the Parents Music Resource Center. This culminated in an obscenity trial between 1985 and 1986, which resulted in a hung jury. Here are all of the Dead Kennedys albums ranked

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6. Bedtime for Democracy (1986)

“All in all, another classic for the DKs and way unfairly maligned by many, including many fellow Amazon reviewers. The only thing disappointing about “Bedtime For Democracy” is that it was the DKs’ last album. Who knows what more great music they could have still made, but with this album they sure exited in top form.”

5. In God We Trust, Inc. EP (1981)

“beginning with winston smith’s iconic artwork, which gleefully insults the 2 main pillars o’ amerikana in one inspired visual; to the hyper-speed ballads o’ political malfeasance laced with sublime humor, this e.p. is a GREAT summation o’ the irreverence that was the mighty DK. in fact, albums like this helped pave the way for future xtreme musickal xpressions, and actually have more in common with modern grind bands than what hardcore later became popularly defined as.”

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4. Frankenchrist (1985)

“If you’re into the Dead Kennedy’s like me, than you just have to have this album/cd in your collection. I bought this album back in the 80’s and just had to purchase the cd so I could load it onto my iPod. I wish I still had the Giger poster and thought maybe they would have put a smaller version of it in the cd but unfortunately not. The photo on the cover cracks me up every time. My favorite tunes are: Soup is Good Food, Jock-O-Rama and MTV Get off the Air. The DKs rock, and they were one of the best live bands ever!!!”

3. Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987)

“What’s not to like? This has “hits” and B-side misses, lots of humor (“Rick Wakeman, eat your heart out!” for instance, referring to the Yes keyboardist who has a habit of making songs that go on forever), rednecks chasing down Jello Biafra with clubs, and a wire tap on a conversation that could begin WWIII. You’ll be treated to recordings that just don’t exist anywhere else. I don’t care what label puts out the version you buy, but this is one of those gems that belongs in your music library. I always put it on when I need a good laugh or some other drive.”

2. Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982)

“The Dead Kennedy’s were a great punk rock band musically, apart from the divisive personality of Biafra, and there are some incredible tracks on Plastic Surgery Disasters. Biafra was at his peak here, and some of these songs are laugh out loud. “Riot” is timeless and spot on. After this record Biafra became less clever, less funny, and more annoying. If you are starting out in a punk band, learn to play “Well Paid Scientist” or “Buzzbomb”.”

1. Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)

“The primary reason I bought this album was because of the song “Holiday in Cambodia”, and the reason why I kept on listening to the rest of this album was because of the other great tracks that this album has, such as “Kill the Poor”, “California Uber Alles”, “When Ya Get Drafted” and “Drug Me”. What really drew me in to these songs was how relevant many of the lyrics are to this very day despite the fact that this album was released over thirty years ago, as well as the neat sound that this band had. The only complaint I have is that this remastering is ok on vinyl, but other than that, this album is definitely worth checking out if you want some punk rock with kick ass drums and guitars and nice lyrics.”