UMUR "In God We Trust, Inc." is an EP release by US, California based punk act Dead Kennedys. The EP was released through Alternative Tentacles in December 1981. It bridges the gap between the band´s debut and second full-length studio albums "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)" and "Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982)". The 8 tracks off the 13:54 minutes long EP are included on reissue versions of "Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982)". There´s been one lineup change since "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)" as original drummer Bruce Slesinger (stagename Ted) left Dead Kennedys in February 1981. He was replaced by D.H. Peligro, who plays on "In God We Trust, Inc.".

"In God We Trust, Inc." has an interesting recording history, as Dead Kennedys originally went to Subterranean Studios in June 1981 and recorded the material live in the studio in one day. Unfortunately the magnetic tapes were corrupted and therefore the band had to enter Mobius Music in August 1981 to re-record the material. It´s the latter sessions which ended up being released as "In God We Trust, Inc.".

Most tracks on the EP are short, fast-paced, and aggressive hardcore punk songs with politically charged lyrics. Lead vocalist Jello Biafra spits out his sarcastic venom with great passion and conviction and the instrumental part of the music is delivered with the right restless energy and anarchistic bite. "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" is probably the most well known track off "In God We Trust, Inc.", but tracks like "Religious Vomit" and "Moral Majority" are highly entertaining too. The most different track on the EP is "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now", which is basically a lounge jazz meets hardcore punk version of "California Über Alles" (from "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980)"), with alternate lyrics. At 4:29 minutes it´s also by far the longest track on the EP.

The sound production is raw, chaotic, and organic sounding, and suits the equally raw material well. Despite the authentic raw nature of the tracks, it´s obvious that Dead Kennedys are a very well playing band, with a couple of more tricks up their sleeves than most other contemporary hardcore punk acts. The clever lyrics and their ability to incorporate stylistic elements from other musical genres are two of the features which set them apart. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

Warthur I've always felt that the Dead Kennedy's most creatively fruitful period ended around the time of Plastic Surgery Disasters, and I guess Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death is fairly convincing evidence of that. Of the seventeen tracks on this collection of non-album material, only *two* were recorded after 1982 - and one of them is a comedic re-do of Buzzbomb from Plastic Surgery Disasters. (The other one is an uninteresting cover of I Fought The Law). Not that I'm complaining at all - the other fifteen tracks are top-flight stuff, showing the full diversity of the band and featuring some neat spoken word bits from Jello. (Most impressive is Night of the Living Rednecks, an impromptu live performance necessitated by a guitar breaking mid-song.)

Warthur Aside from We've Got a Bigger Problem Now, a do-over of California Uber Alles with a lounge jazz opening section, In God We Trust Inc. is dedicated to one thing and one thing alone: playing the fastest, rawest, most stripped-down hardcore punk the Dead Kennedys could muster. With Jello Biafra vomiting forth his lyrics at a frantic pace his social message can get lost unless you're a careful listener, though at its best - as on Nazi Punks Fuck Off - the message is quite unambiguous. Most recent CD versions of Plastic Surgery Disasters include this EP as bonus tracks, and are greatly enhanced for it.

Warthur Leading off with a side of lean, fast-paced, hyperkinetic material along the same lines as In God We Trust Inc. before devoting the second side to longer but no less frantic material - think Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables on steroids - Plastic Surgery Disasters is another essential album from the Dead Kennedys. Standout tracks include the relentlessly catchy Buzzbomb and Terminal Preppy, the epic narrative of Riot, and the wide-eyed screaming paranoia of Government Flu. The next two Kennedys studio albums would find themselves bogged down with a dulled wit and diminishing returns on the music side, so for me Plastic Surgery Disasters marks the end of the golden age of the Dead Kennedys.

Warthur An audacious throwing down of the gauntlet to the rest of the punk scene, challenging one and all to even try and outdo this one, Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables is a lightning-fast, viciously satirical and blindingly angry album notable both for Jello Biafra's razor-sharp wit (Kill the Poor is one of the few punk songs which you could describe as "Swiftian" with a straight face) and the band's exceptional technical ability. Check out, for instance, the spacey intro to Holiday In Cambodia, where the band briefly recapture the sound and sonic approach of early Pink Floyd before the start of the song bursts forth.