The Slits “Cut” (Deluxe Edition) is catchy and the album is so fun to listen to from beginning to an end. It truly is a post-punk masterpiece!
Click here to purchase The Slits – Cut (Deluxe Edition)
BAND: The Slits
ALBUM: Cut (Deluxe Edition)
DURATION: 40 Songs (2 Hours, 11 Minutes)
ORIGINAL RELEASE DATE: September 7, 1979
DELUXE EDITION RELEASE: 2009
Disc 1
- “Instant Hit”
- “So Tough”
- “Spend, Spend, Spend”
- “Shoplifting”
- “FM”
- “Newtown”
- “Ping Pong Affair”
- “Love und Romance”
- “Typical Girls”
- “Adventures Close to Home”
- “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”
- “Liebe and Romanze” (Slow Version)
- “Typical Girls” (Brink Style Dub)
- “Love and Romance” (John Peel Session 19/09/1977)
- “Vindictive” (John Peel Session 19/09/1977)
- “Newtown” (John Peel Session 19/09/1977)
- “Shoplifting” (John Peel Session 19/09/1977)
- “So Tough” (John Peel Session 17/04/1978)
- “Instant Hit” (John Peel Session 17/04/1978)
- “FM” (John Peel Session 17/04/1978)
Disc 2
- “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” (Demo)
- “Instant Hit” (8-Track Demo)
- “Spend, Spend, Spend” (8-Track Demo)
- “Newtown” (8-Track Demo)
- “Adventures Close to Home” (8-Track Demo)
- “Instant Hit” (Rough Mix)
- “So Tough” (Rough Mix)
- “Spend, Spend, Spend” (Toast Version)
- “Shoplifting” (Rough Mix)
- “FM” (Rough Mix)
- “Newtown” (Rough Mix)
- “Ping Pong Affair” (Rough Mix)
- “Love und Romance” (Rough Mix)
- “Typical Girls” (Rough Mix)
- “Adventures Close to Home” (Rough Mix)
- “So Tough” (Outtake)
- “Instant Hit” (Instrumental Outtake)
- “Typical Girls” (Instrumental Outtake)
- “Spend, Spend, Spend” (Dub Version)
- “In the Beginning, There Was Rhythm” (Early Version)
As a big fan of punk and post-punk music from the ’70s and ’80s, one band that I was familiar with was The Slits.
Formed back in 1979, the members included vocalist Ari Up (Arianne Foster, her mother Nora married Sex Pistols singer, John Lydon in 1979), drummer Palmolive (Paloma Romero), guitarist Viv Albertine (who came from the band Flowers of Romance, a band which also featured Sid Vicious and Albertine would replace founding member Kate Korus), bassist (and 16 year old teen at the time) Tessa Pollitt (who replaced original founder Suzy Gutsy, and while she played guitar, had to learn how to play bass in two weeks for their first gig at the Roxy in Harlesden) and there had been many band members that have come and gone.
But the story behind The Slits was that a 14-year old Arianne Forster went to a Patti Smith gig at Camden’s Roundhouse, her mother and her had an argument and she was approached by Palmolive (who was dating The Clash’s Joe Strummer at the time) and Kate Corris to form a band. The following day, the band had rehearsal and a year later, they band was supporting The Clash for their 1977 White Riot tour.
But in the world of punk/post-punk, there were no female artists/bands that they can draw inspiration from with the exception of Patti Smith. The Slits were the first female punk band, let alone the first band featuring all female musicians in the UK (the first rock band that generated publicity was in 1972 ala the US-based band, Fanny).
Needless to say, the women were wild and free, which upset some men who were upset they didn’t act as they didn’t behave live proper women. These were women who went by their own rules and many saw them as an odd bunch. Each had a commonality, they grew up without a father.
The group would wear a bit of S&M, Brownies uniform, Dr. Marten boots, Albertine who was a big fan of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s fetish-influenced clothing and it turned men off so much that Ari Up was stabbed twice in one year. Viv Albertine had said numerous times, “men didn’t know whether to fuck us or kill us, because we looked like we’d come out of a porn magazine”. But they didn’t wear these clothes to attract men, they dressed that way because they wanted to.
Needless to say, music-wise, the band would generate interest thanks to their John Peel BBC Radio 1 sessions in 1977.
It was because they were different, a band of ahead of its time. They didn’t play punk music that well, they didn’t know how to write songs, but they learned and played punk and reggae rhythms and the band knew what they didn’t want and created their own flow of music. And because of that, they eventually caught the interest of record producer Chris Blackwell (who is known to forge the careers of Bob Marley, Grace Jones, U2, The B-52’s).
While Palmolive would leave the band in 1978 to debut with another band, the Raincoats in 1979, she was replaced by drummer Budgie (Peter Clarke, who came from Spitfire Boys and would later be the drummer for Siouxsie and the Banshees).
This would leave Ari Up, Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt as the female faces of The Slits and by 1979, the band was signed to Island Records and their upcoming album “Cut” was produced by Dennis Bovell.
And the cover of their “Cut” was no doubt a fascinating cover as it featured Ari Up, Viv and Tessa nude from the top up wearing loincloths with mud slathered all over their bodies.
But with the support of producer Blackwell and giving them full artistic control, they were able to release the album with the image. It would work against the band as many record companies wouldn’t display it because of the nudity. Feminists were sending the band angry messages. Even men telling the band they were terrified by the cover. Even hotels wouldn’t let them come through the front door where they stayed, they would have to take a lift. And their bus driver had to be bribed daily in order to allow the girls ride the bus.
Unfortunately, while the band received creative control, one thing that the band has been spurned by the label are royalties of the re-release of the album. Even to the point where guitarist Viv Albertine had appealed for financial help.
But The Slits will be remembered for bringing their style of punk music and melding it with a reggae sound.
With the release of “Cut”, the band released their first single off the album titled “Typical Girls” and a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”. The album would reach No. 30 on the UK album charts.
And the group would be brought up decades alongside The Velvet Underground & Nico as important and influential albums. In fact, “Cut” was voted No. 58 as “The Observer’s 100 Greatest British Albums list”, Rolling Stone has it ranked No. 260 on their “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” and even Nirvan’s Kurt Cobain has said “Typical Girls” was on of his top 50 favorite recordings of all time.
“Cut” is considered a post-punk masterpiece and the ten tracks on the album no doubt incorporates the rock and reggae inspiration and Island Records would release a two disc 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition in 2009 featuring the songs remastered, but would include selections from their John Peel BBC Radio 1 Session in 1977 and also demos and outtakes on the second disc. The additional content alone makes this deluxe edition a must buy!
What I love about this album is that I enjoy listening to every song, listening to the lyrics and every song is fresh, because their music and how their vocals were, it was uncompromising and loved the fact the label gave the band so much creative control to do their own thing.
With many labels having so much control over artist direction and not giving them creative control, that’s what makes “Cut” so exciting to listen to. I never get tired of all the tracks on this album.
Overall, The Slits “Cut” (Deluxe Edition) is catchy and the album is so fun to listen to from beginning to an end. It truly is a post-punk masterpiece!
