Bedtime for Democracy

Bedtime for Democracy is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as conformity, Reaganomics, the U.S. military, and critique of the hardcore punk movement. The album's title refers to the 1951 comedy film, Bedtime for Bonzo starring Ronald Reagan and also reflects the band's weary bitterness from the trial they were undergoing at the time over the controversial art included with their previous album. By the time recording of Bedtime for Democracy had begun, the Dead Kennedys had already played what would be their last concert with Jello Biafra and announced their breakup immediately after the release of the record, whose opening track is a cover of David Allan Coe's "Take This Job and Shove It."[4]

Bedtime for Democracy
Studio album by
Dead Kennedys
ReleasedNovember 1986
RecordedApril and July 1986
StudioCity Sound Recording and Hyde St. Studios
Genre
Length48:40
LabelAlternative Tentacles
ProducerJello Biafra
Dead Kennedys chronology
Frankenchrist
(1985)		 Bedtime for Democracy
(1986)		 Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death
(1987)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
NME[2]
Spin Alternative Record Guide4/10[3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jello Biafra, except when stated

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Take This Job and Shove It"David Allan Coe1:25
2."Hop with the Jet Set" 2:05
3."Dear Abby" 1:09
4."Rambozo the Clown" 2:25
5."Fleshdunce" 1:29
6."The Great Wall" 1:32
7."Shrink" 1:44
8."Triumph of the Swill" 2:17
9."Macho Insecurity" 1:30
10."I Spy"D.H. Peligro2:30
11."Cesspools in Eden"Dead Kennedys5:56
12."One-Way Ticket to Pluto" 1:38
13."Do the Slag"East Bay Ray1:36
14."A Commercial" 1:33
15."Gone with My Wind" 1:43
16."Anarchy for Sale" 1:18
17."Chickenshit Conformist" 5:58
18."Where Do Ya Draw the Line" 2:39
19."Potshot Heard 'Round the World"Biafra, Ray2:10
20."D.M.S.O."Dead Kennedys2:09
21."Lie Detector"Biafra, Ray3:43
Total length:48:40

Personnel
Dead Kennedys
Additional performers
  • Tim Jones - synthesizer on "One-Way Ticket to Pluto"
  • Jayed Scotti - timbales on "Dear Abby"
  • Cal - backing vocals on "Fleshdunce", "Where Do Ya Draw The Line?" and "Chickenshit Conformist"
  • Andrew - backing vocals on "Fleshdunce", "Where Do Ya Draw The Line?" and "Chickenshit Conformist"
  • Blaze - backing vocals on "Fleshdunce", "Where Do Ya Draw The Line?" and "Chickenshit Conformist"
  • P. O'Pillage - the voice of Rambozo on "Rambozo The Clown", artwork
Production

Charts
Chart (1986) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart[5] 1

The East Bay punk band Isocracy parodied the name in their 1988 EP, Bedtime for Isocracy. The cover art depicted the band together in a bed, accompanied by Jello Biafra. After the record's release, Isocracy split up, with two members forming the group Samiam and another joining Green Day.[6]

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. AllMusic review
  2. NME review
  3. Arnold, Gina (1995). "Dead Kennedys". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 106–107. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  4. Cleary, David. "Bedtime for Democracy - Dead Kennedys | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  5. Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  6. Livermore, Larry (2015). How to Ru(i)n a Record Label: The Story of Lookout Records. BookBaby. ISBN 9780989196369.
  7. "British album certifications – Dead Kennedys – Bedtime for democracy". British Phonographic Industry.
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