Frankenchrist

Frankenchrist is the third album released by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys in 1985 on Alternative Tentacles.

The album was a subject of controversy because of a poster inserted in the original record sleeve. The poster, H. R. Giger's Landscape #XX, or Penis Landscape, was a painting depicting rows of penises and vulvas. The band was brought to trial for distributing harmful matter to minors, and though the case did not result in a conviction, Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles was driven almost to bankruptcy. Only through the support of fans was the label able to stay alive. Biafra gained attention as a champion of free speech, and was subsequently one of the most active opponents of the Parents Music Resource Center. The cover itself depicts a Shriners parade.

The album is an example of the progressive, psychedelic side of the Kennedys' musical personality. The spaghetti western soundtrack influence is also noticeable in the horn parts and in East Bay Ray's atmospheric guitar work. Frankenchrist is noted for its relative lack of traditionally 'hardcore' material. Most of the songs are slower and longer than the majority of other Dead Kennedys songs. "M.T.V. − Get off the Air" is notable for its pointed slam of the music establishment and "Stars and Stripes of Corruption" for its exegesis of Biafra's political philosophies.

Track listing

• All songs written by Dead Kennedys, all lyrics by Jello Biafra except when stated.

1. "Soup Is Good Food" – 4:18
2. "Hellnation" (lyrics by D.H. Peligro) – 2:22
3. "This Could Be Anywhere (This Could Be Everywhere)" – 5:24
4. "A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch" – 5:50
5. "Chicken Farm" – 5:06
6. "Jock-O-Rama (Invasion of the Beef Patrol)" – 4:06
7. "Goons of Hazzard" – 4:25
8. "M.T.V. - Get off the Air" – 3:37
9. "At My Job" (lyrics by East Bay Ray) – 3:41
10. "Stars and Stripes of Corruption" – 6:23

Credits

• Jello Biafra - lead vocals, producer, mixer
• East Bay Ray - guitar, synthesizer, bellzouki, acoustic guitar in "MTV - Get off the Air"
• Klaus Flouride - bass, backing vocals
• D.H. Peligro - drums, backing vocals
• John Leib - trumpet on "MTV - Get Off The Air"
• Tim Jones - keyboards on "A Growing Boy Needs His Lunch"
• Nina T.R. Stapleton - backing vocals
• Laura T.R. Muetz - backing vocals
• Julie Hoffman - backing vocals
• Susan Caldwell - backing vocals
• Danielle Dunlap - backing vocals
• Robyn Lutz - backing vocals
• Kris Carleson - backing vocals
• Steve DePace - backing vocals
• Wild Bill - backing vocals
• Sweet - backing vocals
• Wee Willy Lipat - backing vocals
• Microwave - backing vocals
• Gary Floyd - backing vocals
• Eugene Robinson - backing vocals
• Jeff Davis - backing vocals
• John Cuniberti - engineer, mixer
• Winston Smith - artwork