''Let Them Eat Jellybeans!'', subtitled "17 Extracts From America's Darker Side", is a compilation album released by

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 ...

Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...

in 1981. It was one of the earliest compilations of underground music in the United States and its original release included an insert of all of the punk bands known to be playing in the U.S. and Canada at that time. The first side of the LP features songs by a number of bands that formed the canon of American

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 pu ...

in the 1980s, while the second side features more of an

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...

sound. The album's title comes from the phrase " Let them eat cake" (supposedly said by

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child ...

). The use of the word jellybeans is in reference to Ronald Reagan, who was known to consider them his favorite candy. At least two of the cuts on the punk side of the album have never been issued in the same form heard on ''Let Them Eat Jellybeans''. The version of Black Flag's "Police Story" heard on ''...Jellybeans!'' was recorded during the sessions for the '' Six Pack'' EP and features

Dez Cadena Dez Cadena (born June 2, 1961) is an American punk rock singer and guitarist. He was the third vocalist and later rhythm guitarist for hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1980 to 1983. Cadena played guitar with Misfits from 2001 to 2015, init ...

on lead vocals, although the album's insert features the then-current ''

Damaged Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H. ...

''-era lineup with

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Roll ...

. Also, the version of

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 ...

' " Nazi Punks Fuck Off!" is a wholly different recording than the versions heard on both '' In God We Trust, Inc.'' and the "Nazi Punks Fuck Off!" single. The version of

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

' "Pay to Cum" is the original version first heard on their self-released 7" single, and differs from the version on their self-titled debut album. According to Alternative Tentacles, it has not reissued the album because Black Flag would not give permission to use their track and because there has been "a falling out" between Biafra and another unnamed band on the record. Biafra would not re-release the album unless it is in its full, original form.Alternative Tentacles Frequently Asked Questions
". ''AlternativeTentacles.com''. Retrieved July 8, 2008. Despite this, the album has been in widespread circulation on peer to peer file sharing networks and on the internet, plus used copies can be found in record stores.

Track listing

Side One: #"Ha Ha Ha" – Flipper #"The Prisoner" – D.O.A. #"Police Story" – Black Flag #"

Pay to Cum "Pay to Cum" (titled "Pay to Cum!" on the record cover) is the debut single by Washington, D.C.-based hardcore punk band Bad Brains. It was released in June 1980 on Bad Brain Records. The single was recorded in New York City by Jimi Quidd at ...

" –

#" Nazi Punks Fuck Off!" –

#"Paid Vacation" –

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Cir ...

#"Prostitution" –

Really Red Really may refer to: * ''Really'' (album), by JJ Cale * Really (TV channel) *''Really'', a 2006 film starring Philip Arditti *''Really'', a 2000 album by David Huff *"Really", a 2018 song by Blackpink from ''Square Up'' See also * * Real (disa ...

#"Jesus Entering from the Rear" –

The Feederz The Feederz are a punk rock band, originally from Arizona. They are known for their controversial song "Jesus" (aka "Jesus Entering from the Rear"), which was featured on Alternative Tentacles' infamous '' Let Them Eat Jellybeans'' compilation ...

#"Slave to My Dick" – Subhumans Side Two: #"Isotope Soap" – Geza X #"Persecution-That's My Song" – BPeople #"An Object" – Wounds #"Everyone's A Bigot" – The Offs #"Corporate Food" – Anonymous (

Steve Fisk Steve Fisk is an American, Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician. As a musician, he has been in bands such as the instrumental alternative/indie rock band Pell Mell and the electronic band Pigeonhed. He has long been a ...

) #"Fun Again" –

Half Japanese Half Japanese is an American art punk band formed by brothers Jad and David Fair around 1975, sometime after the family's relocation to Uniontown, Maryland. Their original instrumentation included a small drum set, which they took turns playi ...

#"Joke's On You" – Christian Lunch #"Sleep" – Voice Farm

References

{{Authority control 1981 compilation albums Alternative Tentacles compilation albums Hardcore punk compilation albums Cultural depictions of Ronald Reagan