Following a series of Dead Kennedys LP re-releases in 2001, Manifesto Records has now set its sights on compiling a number of early singles from the hardcore band for a new 7-inch box set. Dubbed the Original Singles Collection, the box hits stores April 15.
Though details have yet to arrive in full, a listing for the set on Amazon [via Modern Vinyl] contains seven long-out-of-print 7-inches originally released between 1979 and 1982, preserved in "original sleeves, in heavy jackets" and housed in a box. The songs have been remastered from the original tapes for this release.
This should include 1979's debut single "California Uber Alles," 1980's "Holiday in Cambodia" and "Kill the Poor," 1981's "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" and "Too Drunk to Fuck," and 1982's "Bleed for Me" and "Halloween." The records had previously been issued through various labels — including vocalist Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles, Cherry Red, I.R.S. Records and Optional Music — but this marks the first time the singles will be released through Manifesto.
In addition to the tunes, the box set also includes "new 12-page liner notes and interviews from the band," though it's unclear if these are new interviews or if all members of the band are involved with the re-release. Biafra had a falling-out with the rest of his classic-era members — guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Flouride and drummer D.H. Peligro — back in the '90s, leading to a battle over royalties and Alternative Tentacles losing the rights to reissue the Dead Kennedys' albums save for debut LP Fresh Fruit for Rotten Vegetables.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for Jello Biafra has reached out to Exclaim! and explained that the punk legend has nothing to do with the box set. In fact, he did not even know it existed until seeing this story on Exclaim.ca. The spokesperson explains: "Jello Biafra has had nothing to do with the Dead Kennedys 7-inch Collection, nor was he consulted at any point regarding the collection's release.... If there are any quotes from Jello Biafra in the booklet they were likely poached from somewhere else."
Though details have yet to arrive in full, a listing for the set on Amazon [via Modern Vinyl] contains seven long-out-of-print 7-inches originally released between 1979 and 1982, preserved in "original sleeves, in heavy jackets" and housed in a box. The songs have been remastered from the original tapes for this release.
This should include 1979's debut single "California Uber Alles," 1980's "Holiday in Cambodia" and "Kill the Poor," 1981's "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" and "Too Drunk to Fuck," and 1982's "Bleed for Me" and "Halloween." The records had previously been issued through various labels — including vocalist Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles, Cherry Red, I.R.S. Records and Optional Music — but this marks the first time the singles will be released through Manifesto.
In addition to the tunes, the box set also includes "new 12-page liner notes and interviews from the band," though it's unclear if these are new interviews or if all members of the band are involved with the re-release. Biafra had a falling-out with the rest of his classic-era members — guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Flouride and drummer D.H. Peligro — back in the '90s, leading to a battle over royalties and Alternative Tentacles losing the rights to reissue the Dead Kennedys' albums save for debut LP Fresh Fruit for Rotten Vegetables.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for Jello Biafra has reached out to Exclaim! and explained that the punk legend has nothing to do with the box set. In fact, he did not even know it existed until seeing this story on Exclaim.ca. The spokesperson explains: "Jello Biafra has had nothing to do with the Dead Kennedys 7-inch Collection, nor was he consulted at any point regarding the collection's release.... If there are any quotes from Jello Biafra in the booklet they were likely poached from somewhere else."
