Vinyl from the Archive: The Slits, Cut

Produced by the legendary Dennis Bovell, the reggae star was eager to get involved in making a record with the gang. During the making of the album The Slits had be whittled down to a threesome after Palmolive’s departure, and was joined by Budgie on drums (of Big in Japan and later Siouxsie And the Banshees). Taken away to Ridge Farm Studios, The Slits’ energy was just about contained in the confined space where they are were encouraged to produce an album authentic to themselves and a powerful mix of genres.

Although, as Bovell claims, they weren’t good at reggae the threesome didn’t let that stop them hybridising punk with reggae, jazz, the avant-garde and everything in between. Subsequently the album was a beautiful concoction of a bunch of different genres thrown in together like a student using herbs in a dish — fledgling but delicious. However, although their skills weren’t as honed in as practiced musicians, this threesome knew exactly what they wanted and how they wanted it to come across and each track was meretriciously worked on until just right. Each single straddled the fine line between mockery and attack whether it was against romance, suburbia, drug taking, music making or most importantly sexism. There is not one track that isn’t intended to make a great impact whether it be on a specific person or the music industry.

Opening track ‘Instant Hit’ is a sound mumbling cacophony referring to being set on self-destruct with some hits towards Keith Levene’s drug habits mixed in over the top of cheery overtones from guitars and drums along with the odd note from a flute. The ridicule of failed love affairs didn’t stop with the opening track and instead was joined by numbers such as ‘Ping Pong Affair’ and ‘Love und Romance’ – jeers at Mick Jones in the form of pastiche love-songs. Consumerism is also met with a sharp stabbing with tracks “Spend, Spend, Spend” and “Shoplifting” which saw the girls in one breath referring to capitalist-infused beliefs that in order to be fulfilled you must have “things” and in another encouraging listeners to ‘do a runna’ for their dinner.

The album’s peak arguably comes from songs ‘Typical Girls’ and ‘So Tough’, tracks where each member can be heard to be fully indulging in a feminist feast of sardonic release and fury at the fundamental flaws of society. ‘So Tough’ was inspired by the “male punk” facade that came out of wearing a leather jacket, taking loads of drugs and starting fights in local bars. The track is such a mockery its lyricism uses expressions and words from the characters which it pokes fun at. ‘Typical Girls’, on the other end of the spectrum, is a call to arms for women to take control over their own image through taking the piss out of all the expectations and clichés about women. Ari sings “Don’t create/ Don’t rebel” over the top of strange alternating time signatures, just as unpredictable as “typical girls are”, illuminating the ridiculousness of female stigmatisation based on misogynist misconceptions. Comedic and rebellious, the track is a feminist anthem that is perhaps just as relevant now as it was in the late 70s.