Dead Kennedys

Dead Kennedys fused hardcore punk's speed with sharp political satire and a surprising musicality. East Bay Ray's echo-laden, surf-influenced guitar and a tight, nimble rhythm section gave Jello Biafra's quavering, sarcastic vocals something to snarl over, on songs like 'California Über Alles', 'Holiday in Cambodia' and 'Kill the Poor'.

Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables remains a punk landmark, and the band's Alternative Tentacles label became a home for the US underground. The H. R. Giger poster included with Frankenchrist landed Biafra in court on obscenity charges; by then the band had already split, and the 1987 trial ended in a hung jury.