1985's
These People
was
Dicks
' second and final full-length album, and it features the all-new lineup that founding vocalist
Gary Floyd
surrounded himself with after moving from Austin, Texas, to San Francisco a year earlier. In other words, this may as well be the work of a new band -- a significantly mellower and, to a certain degree, more accomplished band -- than the original roughneck for whom playing their instruments correctly or giving a f*ck about anything was the least of their cares. This version of
does appear to give a f*ck, and that's the fundamental difference between new songs like "Sidewalk Begging," "Decent and Clean," and "The Police (Force)," which, even with the spartan production of
Dead Kennedy
's
Klaus Flouride
, feel ages removed -- not just five years -- from shambolic (but brilliantly so) first single "Dicks Hate the Police." Already closer to
post-punk
alt-rock
than
punk
itself,
would thankfully bear no offspring, and, despite its occasional worthy moments, wound up signaling the final demise of
a short time later. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia