Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Slits - feminist icons of the punk era., 18 Nov 2000
By A Customer
The Slits, contemporaries of The Clash and Public Image, fused reggae, dub, and punk into their own highly original sound."Cut", their long out-of-print debut album, paved the way for the Afro-Pop of Talking Heads, the reggae/new wave hybrids of Grace Jones and Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound System, and the trip hop of the nineties (imagine Bjork fronting Massive Attack). Along with their pals, The Raincoats, The Slits were one of the few all-female bands to garner critical acclaim, a cult following, and avoid being marketed as sex objects by their record company. No punk era CD collection is complete without "Cut", one of rock's lost classics. Buy it while you can!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sublime, catchy and essential, 14 Sep 2006
If you're reading this to try and answer the quandry: 'do I buy the Slits album 'Cut' or not? Is it worth the price?' then a quick, succinct answer would be YES. Now, i'm not usually a punk rock/reggae fan (i'm more dub/post-punk) so i was weary about the mix. One concentrated listen to this album (with the bass turned up) is all one needs to be convinced. 'Cut' is all about fun. I imagine Ari Up (vocals) bouncing, stepping, and stomping around the studio in a gleefull, giggly trance while the others bob and sway in a similar fashion. The drumming, courtesy of Mr. Siouxsie (Budgie), is light, playful and skittery while providing appropriate thump and propulsion when needed. Every track is charming, witty, naughty and innovative -the girls' personalities are at the forefront of the music as they chatter, squeal, shout, giggle, chant, bawl and, at times, coo their way through the album with effortless cool. If you can track down audio samples, listen with the volume up. Did i mention the songs were catchy? You'll be humming, drumming and singing 'So Tough', 'Ping Pong Affair' and 'Typical Girls' for weeks. Oh. . .and the cover of 'Heard it Through the Grapevine' is, quite simply, storming. Again, volume should be L-O-U-D. You won't be disappointed.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life-changing, alternative and vital, 17 April 2007
The Slits are yet another one of those infuriatingly underrated bands who have never achieved the recognition they deserve, despite being highly praised by the likes of John Peel, John Lydon and Morrissey.
Lead singer Ari-up has an instantly recognisable voice, and the other musicians in the band have a quirky-sounding, reggae and dub influenced sound which is rich in innovation, deeply inventive and often very infectious.
Their cover of 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' is a partiuclarly love it or loathe it moment, but it certainly sounds assertive, self-assured and gutsy, especially coming from people had only formed a band shortly before recording their debut and were little more than musical novices. But this is what makes the Slits so important - their D.I.Y. ethos, which should be at the heart of all music.
The result is that they create often very unusual and sometimes very multi-cultural music. The likes of 'So Tough' is an excellent example of this, almost begging to be played in a dancehall, performed with gusto. 'Spend, Spend, Spend' also has a definite dub aura to it.
The Slits lyrics are also excellent and challenging. 'Shoplifting', in particular is a two-fingered salute to 'The Man', and commerical consumerism in general, whilst the likes of 'New Town' is almost pure reggae, which, coming from a group of musically inexperienced teenagers, is very impressive indeed.
'Ping-Pong Affair' is yet another lyrically inventive creation of Ari-Up's, arguably one of the most talented young songwriter's of the punk era. The guitar work, and in particular the drumming are carried out with great enthusiasm, and whilst far from technically perfect, they sound more than competent, and more importantly, authentic.
'Love Und Romance', one of the Slits more famous songs, is probably the lyrical highlight of the album, decrying the banality and trapping of love, romance and marriage, mocking the conventionality of it and ridiculing the mindless, banal sheep who embrace marriage, thus halving their individuality, becoming cliches in the process. This song is a lasting testament to the challenging, thought-provoking and cliche-worrying charisma of the Slits. After all, which is more interesting and exciting - being in a band and seeing a bit of the world, or getting married and 'settling down'?
'Typical Girls' continues on in this challenging theme, sneeringly recalling all of the cliches which women are expected to conform to. It is almost an urge to all women to stop being conventional and start doing the unexpected. Which is exactly what the Slits did - and at a very young age, too.
'Adventures Close To Home' also sounds musically inventive and self-assured, being equally authentic and quirky. The music is subtle and stylish, whilst 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' is pop perfection, sneering at the idea that some songs should not be covered. Why not? This version improves on the original for innovation, Ari-Up's voice sounding it's most authentic.
The Slits are one of a kind, a group of intelligent and feisty young women, who will probably appeal to women who have intelligence and opinions, women whose main ambition in life is not having 2.4 children whilst spending a lifetime pandering to and being subservient to some man. I rejoice at the fact that at least a few women within music have had some concerns other than love, romance, their libido or generally just propping up the fragile male ego.
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