In God We Trust, Inc.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the DVD of the recording session for this EP, see In God We Trust, Inc.: The Lost Tapes.
In God We Trust, Inc.
EP by
Dead Kennedys
ReleasedDecember 1981
RecordedAugust 22, 1981
VenueTarget Video, San Francisco
StudioMöbius Music, San Francisco
GenreHardcore punk
Length13:54
LabelAlternative Tentacles
ProducerEast Bay Ray, Norm
Dead Kennedys chronology
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
(1980) 		In God We Trust, Inc.
(1981) 		Plastic Surgery Disasters
(1982)
Singles from In God We Trust, Inc.
  1. "Nazi Punks Fuck Off"
    Released: November 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com
[1]
AllMusic[2]
The Austin Chronicle[3]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[4]
Drowned in Sound8/10[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
Kerrang![7]
NME6/10[8]
OndaRock8/10[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]

In God We Trust, Inc. is an EP by

Kepone and government indifference that worsened the effects of Minamata disease catastrophes. In God We Trust, Inc. is also the first Dead Kennedys album released after the presidential election of Ronald Reagan and features the band's first references to Reagan
, for which they—and hardcore punk as a genre—would become notorious.

Background

During 1980 and 1981 the American punk scene saw an influx of 7-inch EPs from Washington D.C.'s

Teen Idles. These short, high-tempo records packed in as many as 10 songs each and helped define the 1980s genre of hardcore punk
.

In wanting to pay tribute to this faster form of

D.C. hardcore
, bits of tape leads announcing the take number and including drumstick clicks and count-offs precede many of the record's songs.

Recording

Dead Kennedys initially recorded eight songs at Subterranean Studios on June 19, 1981. All tracks were recorded live without overdubs to ½"

8-track reel and with the band determining some of the songs' arrangements between takes. The session was videotaped by Joe Rees of Target Video with Mike Fox, the session engineer, sending the rough mix to the video feed. When the group took the tracks to be mixed, they discovered that the magnetic tape used for the recording was defective—the oxide surface of the tape began to peel during playback, thereby destroying the recordings. The band then re-recorded all eight songs on August 22 at Mobius Music, and these recordings were released on the EP.[11]

Years later, enhanced restoration techniques allowed for five tracks to be recovered from the master tapes from the earlier Subterranean sessions. These, along with the rough video mixes of the remaining three songs, appear on the DVD

The Lost Tapes
.

Songs

Much of the material on the EP was left over from earlier in the Dead Kennedys' career. Second guitarist

We've Got a Bigger Problem Now" is a rewritten version of the band's early single "California über alles". Originally a dig at California governor Jerry Brown, the band reworked the song to be about newly elected president Ronald Reagan and added an element of lounge music in contrast with the fast-tempo hardcore punk music on the rest of the record.[15] The EP closes with a cover of the theme from the 1960s TV show Rawhide.[14]

Artwork and releases

  • Dead Kennedys at Bond's NYC early 80's
    Dead Kennedys at Bond's NYC early 80's

The album cover depicts a golden Jesus crucified on a cross of dollar bills, with a background of a shiny metal material. The band released the record internationally in 1981 on their own Alternative Tentacles label, in partnership with various other independent record labels in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The original vinyl version's A-side comprised tracks 1–5, and Side B tracks 6–8.

The original cassette version compiled all 8 songs on Side A and left Side B intentionally devoid of any sound. Printed on the cassette's second side was the explanation, "Home taping is killing record industry profits! We left this side blank so you can help."[16]

In God We Trust, Inc. first appeared on compact disc in 1985 as bonus material added to the Dead Kennedys' 1982 LP Plastic Surgery Disasters.

Track listing

All tracks are written by

D.H. Peligro4:298."Rawhide"Ned Washington and Dimitri Tiomkin
2:11Total length:13:54

Personnel

Dead Kennedys
Additional Performers
  • Ninotchka (Therese Soder) – backing vocals on "Moral Majority"
  • Annette Olesen – backing vocals on "Moral Majority"
  • HyJean – backing vocals on "Moral Majority"
  • Darvon – backing vocals on "Moral Majority"
  • Siobhan – backing vocals on "Moral Majority"
Production
  • Norm – producer, mixer
  • Oliver Dicicco – engineer
  • Annette Olesen – 2nd engineer
  • Winston Smith – artwork

Charts

Chart (1981) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart[17]
 3

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Welcome to the Official Website for Dead Kennedys".
  2. ^ AllMusic review
  3. ^ "Dead Kennedys".
  4. ISBN 9780679730156
    .
  5. ^ "Album Review: Dead Kennedys - Reissues". Archived from the original on 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  6. ISBN 9780857125958
    – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Kerrang! 24 March 2001 issue
  8. ^ "Dead Kennedys : Plastic Surgery Disasters/In God We Trust Inc/Frankenchrist/Bedtime for Democracy/Gi". NME. 12 September 2005.
  9. ^ "Dead Kennedys - biografia, recensioni, streaming, discografia, foto".
  10. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8
    .
  11. In God We Trust, Inc. - The Lost Tapes (inlay). Eric Goodfield. Oaks, PA: MVD Music Video Distributors. 2003 [1981]. CR-4351.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
  12. ISBN 9781604869873
    .
  13. ISBN 9781623562441
    .
  14. ^
    ISBN 9780879308483
    .
  15. ISBN 9780595324682
    .
  16. ^ sharky_p2p No real name given + Add Contact (4 May 2008). "kennedys | Flickr - Photo Sharing!". Flickr. Retrieved 2012-02-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1989. Cherry Red Books. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ "British album certifications – Dead Kennedys – In God we trust". British Phonographic Industry.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=In_God_We_Trust,_Inc.&oldid=1165353874"