Dead Kennedys’ Controversial Debut ‘Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables’ Certified Gold by the RIAA
variety.comJem Aswad Executive Editor, Music A gold or platinum record doesn’t just happen: Even if an album, single or EP passes 500,000 (gold) or 1,000,000 (platinum) sales or their streaming-age equivalent, it must be certified by the Recording Industry Association of America, which is a whole process that involves submissions and research and certification and other bureaucratic official-ness.
It’s something most commonly associated with chart-topping acts, but as years and sales and streams accumulate, some unexpected artists and albums pass that threshold… including an album and a group that were hardly met with open arms by the record industry establishment when they debuted in 1979: the influential and controversial San Francisco-based punk quartet the Dead Kennedys and their debut album, “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables,” which was certified gold by the RIAA on Friday, some 43-plus years after its October 1980 release.
Formed as a quintet in 1978, the group eventually streamlined to vocalist Jello Biafra, guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Flouride and drummer Ted (not their real names).
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