Yesterday marked the 38th anniversary of the release of the Frankenchrist album (1985) by the Dead Kennedys.
The first copies released included the controversial poster Landscape #XX aka “Penis Landscape” by Swiss artist H.R.Giger.
While the DK (Dead Kennedys) had already long established themselves as an intensely political and outlandish band which made a point of standing up loudly and taking a strong stand against the political powers that be, this was the album that really effectively was the beginning of the end for the punk band. In particular, it was the addition of the poster of Giger's artwork which proved to be particularly controversial. There were long and expensive court battles, largely about censorship and free expression. The Dead Kennedys actually won, but the toll of this long, drawn out battle proved to be too much. The band would never truly recover.
There would be a couple more releases, including "Bedtime for Democracy" in 1986, and a compilation album, Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death, in 1987. However, the DK were basically drained and done as a band largely after all of the drama.
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