Mutiny on the Bay was put together and released after a lengthy lawsuit, which resulted in the rights to the Dead Kennedys' catalog being transferred from lead singer/songwriter Jello Biafra's record label, Alternative Tentacles to the other three members of the band following Biafra's conviction on civil fraud and other charges.

[1] The album’s title alludes to the wresting of these rights (the “mutiny”) and the band’s home (The San Francisco Bay Area) with a nod to the Royal Navy’s famed Mutiny on the Bounty that served as the basis for numerous novels and films.

The tracks "Police Truck", "Holiday in Cambodia", "Forward to Death", "I Am the Owl" and "Riot" were recorded at the Elite Club, San Francisco, on March 20, 1982.

"Hellnation", "California über alles", "Too Drunk to Fuck" and "This Could Be Anywhere" were recorded at The Stone, San Francisco, on February 16, 1986.

As a peculiarity "Kill the Poor" was recorded on February 21, 1986, at Freeborn Hall in Davis, California.