This edition of the DK's classic first album, inspired either by its 25th anniversery or the regrettable lawsuit that put it in the hands of the band members not named Jello Biafra, is at least a chance to re-evaluate it anew. The question of whether it stands the test of time is perhaps overshadowed by whether any punk should be anointed "classic" status in the first place. The whole point of punk was to get rid of those BS designations and just blast the kind of stuff offensive to parents, guardians of culture and even rock music fans. Heck, a few of the songs on the album could only be considered relevant to a specific period of time. "Holiday In Cambodia" was made all the more relevant by being released during Pol Pot's reign of terror. Does anybody even care about Jerry Brown anymore?

That said, "Fresh Fruit" holds up remarkably well. The pitch-black humor of songs like "I Kill Children" and "Funland At The Beach" upped the ante of punk's deliberate offensiveness in its time and reveals today's pseudo-punk whiners as the childish pablum-pushers they are. Even the more topical songs hold up on their own. The Wagnerian flourishes of "California Uber Alles" are practically begging for a Schwarzenegger-era rewrite, but you'll find yourself singing along regardless. Likewise, "Kill The Poor" makes more sense today if you substitute "Hurricane Katrina" for "Neutron Bomb," but the devilish glee with which Biafra delivers his satire sells it all over again. Say what you will about the antics of the other ex-Kennedys, but East Bay Ray's surf-inspired guitar and Klaus Fluouride's just plain inspired bass created a new vocabulary for punk that was miles ahead of contemporaries such as the Germs (and they were great in their own right).

Now, what about this edition is notable? While one can argue about the lawsuit that made it possible (for the record, I'm mainly on Biafra's side, since even the band members admit that the royalty problems they had were due to an innocent accounting error) the opportunity to remaaster the disc was too good to pass up. Well, I hate to say they dropped the ball on this front, but this is sonically not all that different from the vinyl edition I've been abusing for years. Why an album that was the product of a 22-track studio still sounds like it's mono is a question that's not really answered on the DVD documentary that's included in the package. However, the doc does have some neato live performances (arguably not the best, but I'll leave such aesthetic distinctions aside) and "vintage" local TV news footage of Biafra's semi-dadaist run for mayor of San Francisco. This is about the only time we get to hear from the man himself, as he obviously declined to be interviewed for this project. This of course makes him kind of a ghostly presence here, as if everybody's talking about someone who's died. It should also be noted that Biafra's recently complained that (ironically) he hasn't received any royalties from the DK's reissues, which I fear can lead to yet more lawsuits, which is obviously the most un-punk thing they could do. So what do you say, punk fans? Before such a depressing occurence, get a few torches and ropes, and let's lynch the lawyers!

I love DK. They are one of my favorite American punk bands. With their driving surf guitar music over would-be Green politico Jello Biafra's nagging vocals, they hit just the right notes. To appreciate this band, you need this album. One drawback of the band is their references are often dated ("Jane Fonda" and "Governor Jerry Brown", for example), but the tunes as a whole remain fantastic.

This band was political as hell, or at least Jello is. Some critics have slammed the musical ability of DK, but I've never had any complaints, myself. They get the job done, and they do it fast and furious - most of the tracks will make you want to slam dance in your living room. My favorite tracks are "Kill the Poor", "When Ya Get Drafted", "Let's Lynch the Landlord" (my absolute favorite), "Chemical Warfare", "California Über Alles", "Stealing People's Mail", and of course "Holiday in Cambodia", which sometimes makes me think of Bauhaus, in terms of the music. On top of everything else, you get a nifty mini-poster collage inside. I hope they still include that.

You can race through this album in no time at all; it's not even 33 minutes long. DK just dove in, got down to business, and moved on, in classic punk style.

god bless the dead kennedy's, jello biafra especially. with this debut album, they were not only able to make some killer sounds, but they pretty much re-defined punk music for generations to come. with strange, theremin-esque vocals and some hilarious songwriting, 'fresh fruit for rotting vegetables,' never lets up.

this is partially because, even though the dead kennedy's were a punk band, they had a twisted pop mentality. songs like, 'kill the poor,' 'let's lynch the landlord,' and, 'california uber alles,' all have bouncy rhythms and are valiantly anthemic; insane odes to biafra's favorite subject matter, politics.

it's true that parts of this album sound a bit dated, and this is most evident on one of the albums most amazing tracks, 'holiday in cambodia,' a true landmark for music in general. the sneering, embittered vocals blend surprisingly well with the heavily distorted guitars.

listen to me. i sound like a complete jerk. this album really does not need to be analyzed. it has it's imperfections, but don't let those prevent you from buying a life changing listening experience.

The brilliant, biting left-wing lyricism of Jello Biafra and the dark surf styled guitar-work of East Bay Ray first exploded onto the underground scene with this gem, "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables". Although the politics are refined, they aren't as prevalent as on other albums, with topics ranging from drugs, "Drug Me", to boring people "Your Emotions", to violence and mayhem, "I Kill Children", "Chemical Warfare" and "Stealing People's Mail". However, many of the political songs are as biting as the Dead Kennedys get until "Bedtime for Democracy". "California Uber Alles" is a brilliant indictment of Brown-era California politics with an excellent guitar riff. Some are very direct, like "When Ya Get Drafted", while the point of "Forward to Death" or "Funland at the Beach" might be more evasive. The musical variation is less, but still works in some areas. "Ill in the Head" shines with complicated art-rock styled instrumental tangents and "Drug Me" adds keyboard to the madness. "Kill the Poor" has a classic rock feel to it, and the cover of "Viva Las Vegas" is musically crass and annoying. With the exeption of the poorly excuted closer, this is a very strong album that runs at an extreme pace and is sure to entertain and maybe even enlighten.

The second wave of punk, which started around 1978, degenerated into mediocrity, dreary sameness and self-parody within a couple of years, but Dead Kennedys, along with Flipper, Bad Brains, Black Flag, and a handful of others, stand out as the best, most intelligent, and most distinctive.

Jelly Biafra's warbling quasi-yodel and East Bay Ray's reverb-drenched guitar, which borrows heavily from surf music, are are immediately identifiable. All of their albums have great stuff on them, but I think most people agree that the first one is the best.

The album contains two classics, "Holiday in Cambodia", which deals with middle class complacency, and "California Ueber Alles", a mockery of then-governor Jerry Brown (later updated to a "lounge" version when Reagan became president). "Holiday in Cambodia" is the clear highlight of the album. These guys do not take the subtle approach to anything. Each song is a high-speed rant dealing with one political or social issue or another, but always with a very sharp sense of humor and irony ("Kill the Poor"). Jello Biafra's distinctive talent is his ability to deliver often wordy lyrics at lightning speed with perfect timing and delivery. The politics are decidedly left-wing, but you don't have to agree with them to enjoy it, because throughout the attitude is very much tounge-in-cheek and humorous, so it never gets ponderous, and most of it is just really funny. The little "Somewhere My Love" bit towards the end of "Chemical Warfare" still cracks me up. The album ends with an absurdly funny rendition of "Viva Las Vegas". The shock value has long-since worn off, of course, but this album, unlike the vast majority of hardcore punk, still stands the test of time.