''Bedtime for Democracy'' is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing p ...

. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as conformity,

Reaganomics Reaganomics (; a portmanteau of ''Reagan'' and ''economics'' attributed to Paul Harvey), or Reaganism, refers to the neoliberal economic policies promoted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s. These policies are commonly associat ...

, the U.S. military, and critique of the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

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 Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Initially ac ...

and announced their breakup immediately after the release of the record, whose opening track is a cover of David Alan Coe's "

Take This Job and Shove It "Take This Job and Shove It" is a 1977 country music song written by David Allan Coe and popularized by Johnny Paycheck, about the bitterness of a man who has worked long and hard with no apparent reward. The song was first recorded by Paycheck o ...

Track listing

Personnel

;Dead Kennedys *

- lead vocals, producer, mixer *

East Bay Ray Raymond John Pepperell (born November 17, 1958), better known by his stage name East Bay Ray, is an American musician best known as the guitarist for the San Francisco Bay area-based punk band Dead Kennedys. His guitar work was heavily influence ...

- guitar *

Klaus Flouride Geoffrey Lyall (born May 30, 1949), better known as Klaus Flouride, is an American musician best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography' ...

- bass, backing vocals *

D.H. Peligro DH, Dh, dh, or dH may refer to: Places * DH postcode area, in the United Kingdom for the area of Durham and surrounding towns * Diamond Head, Hawaii, a volcanic tuff cone on Oʻahu Organisations * D+H, a Canadian financial services company * Dep ...

- drums, backing vocals ;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 *

John Cuniberti John Cuniberti is an American recording engineer and producer. Career John Cuniberti was the drummer for The Rockets in the early 1970s, the original band for Eddie Money. He later managed Hyde Street Studios, where he was the recording engine ...

- engineer, mixer * Winston Smith - artwork

Charts

The East Bay punk band

Isocracy An isocracy is a form of government where all citizens have equal political power. The term derives from Greek ἴσος meaning "equal" and κρατεῖν meaning "to have power", or "to rule". An Isocracy is based on a legal right of isonom ...

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 Samiam (pronounced "sam-I-am") is an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California, active since 1988. History Samiam was formed in late 1988 after the breakup of the Gilman club mainstay Isocracy. Their first show was in January 1989 wit ...

and another joining Green Day.

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedtime For Democracy 1986 albums Alternative Tentacles albums Dead Kennedys albums

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Related

Certifications

References