I’d be (pleasantly) surprised if anyone bar MsD has any thoughts on the Slits. But, the older I get the more I convinced I am that they of all the bands of the era embodied the anarchic, DIY, subersive spirit of punk – both musically and politically, and also because they were women. Pioneers in so many ways.
I’m reading Viv Albertine’s autobiography at the moment. She comes across as a brave and remarkably resilient woman who is also restlessly creative. She also an incredibly likeable voice on the page.
There are some great anecdotes, some brutal moments of honesty, some vivid reminders why the 70s were a sh*t, filthy, grim decade infused with random and sickening violence, and some hugely poignant and life affirming passages. You also get to find out that Sid Vicious was a shy, sensitive intelligent bloke - an image completely at odds with the public perception of him.
Anyway, the Slits. They were genuinely and thrillingly subversive band whose style of music was dictated as much by their musical limitations as by a desire to break new ground musically. They didn’t know how to write songs with traditional structures so they made it up as they went along and somehow invented a kind of pop/dub/punk hybrid, which sounded like nothing else, and still sounds really fresh today.
If you have the first album, Cut, get hold of her book and play it whilst reading the chapter in which she describes the recording of the record. It’s enlightening and you get to hear one of the great post-punlk albums again. If you have neither the book or the album: buy both.
I’m reading Viv Albertine’s autobiography at the moment. She comes across as a brave and remarkably resilient woman who is also restlessly creative. She also an incredibly likeable voice on the page.
There are some great anecdotes, some brutal moments of honesty, some vivid reminders why the 70s were a sh*t, filthy, grim decade infused with random and sickening violence, and some hugely poignant and life affirming passages. You also get to find out that Sid Vicious was a shy, sensitive intelligent bloke - an image completely at odds with the public perception of him.
Anyway, the Slits. They were genuinely and thrillingly subversive band whose style of music was dictated as much by their musical limitations as by a desire to break new ground musically. They didn’t know how to write songs with traditional structures so they made it up as they went along and somehow invented a kind of pop/dub/punk hybrid, which sounded like nothing else, and still sounds really fresh today.
If you have the first album, Cut, get hold of her book and play it whilst reading the chapter in which she describes the recording of the record. It’s enlightening and you get to hear one of the great post-punlk albums again. If you have neither the book or the album: buy both.
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