Remixed in 2020 (presumably to celebrate the album’s fortieth anniversary) but now released as the ‘2022 Mix’, The Dead Kennedys‘ seminal debut release Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables is always worth a listen, and, in the Stronge residence at least, is always welcomed like an old favourite…

I’ve owned countless copies of the album of over the years, from an original version of the Cherry Red Release, through various reissues (most recently on a very weighty piece of vinyl courtesy of Manifesto Records) to this new one. As I disclaimer I must say I have no knowledge of sound engineering – but I honestly can’t hear any difference in this new mix as compared to my beaten up old original… or any of the others in between!

Of course, the power of suggestion tells me in some way that Chris Lord-Alge‘s new mix is shinier, cleaner and somehow more attuned to modern ears, but this is legacy punk we’re talking about, and, as such, I don’t think anything needed to be done to the album. Quirky art punk like Ill In The Head sounds great as it was, thank you very much.

Luddite suspicions aside, if, by some strange quirk of fate, you’ve never heard this piece of timeless brilliance, then I’m certainly not going to discourage you from picking this version up and giving it a spin. Chemical Warfare, Holiday In Cambodia, Let’s Lynch The Landlord, Stealing Peoples’ Mail and California über alles are all essential elements of the American punk rock canon that deserve to be continually heard and revered. And that’s before we even start thinking about the band’s twisted, perverted surf rock version of Elvis Classic Viva Las Vegas. No, if you’ve not heard these little nuggets of punk rock history you need to – now, or at least at the end of September when this new version comes out – so go for broke and fill your boots. Then, once it’s worked it’s magic, maybe start rooting around the second hand record shops for some original artefacts…

Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables re-releases on September 30th.