Cut

I found that I was relieved when my phone unexpectedly lost connection and the music was paused, I preferred the sweet sweet silence to this.

I'd like to believe they went with "The Slits" as their band's name because "Gash Wound" would have been too on the nose. For review purposes, one has to include the incredible cover of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", which is officially listed as a Bonus Track and was the B-Side to "Typical Girls" (Both songs are classic 5's). It puts the album over the top for me. Make that your Side 1, Track 1 and you've got a classic album. One could add one point for the audacious album cover photo, only to learn the girl on the far left was all of 17-years old in said photo so let's call that a wash. What else? Their original drummer's name was Palmolive, who felt that posing topless for the album's cover was a bridge too far and got thrown out of the band. Apparently none other than the great Nenah Cherry provides backup vocals on this album. According to my math, Nenah would have been 15 or 16 years young at the time, which is just insane. This album is a blast.

What a fun pop punk album full of reggae & ska flavours! Loved it!

I read several positive reviews for this album because I was trying to understand it. Nearly all of them mentioned its influence and apologized for the sub-par musicianship. I'm sure they inspired a lot of people, but if the music isn't good, I'm not sure I need to hear it before I die. I can't imagine getting hit by a bus and my last thought being, "But I never got to that album from The Slits!" Best track: Adventures Close To Home

Not my favorite. I know that The Slits were a ground-breaking, genre-defying band and, for that alone, they deserve a place on this list. That said, this album is a total mess. There's really one good track here ("Typical Girls") and the rest is kinda noise for the sake of noise. It's okay. But it's not good punk. It's just punk.

Oh good, more late 70s English punk. Again. After all the rest of it. But it's ok, I'm sure THIS one will be a masterpiece and not amateur garbage like everything else from that time. And they're called the SLITS! I'm sure that's not a reference to anything. About as subtle and sophisticated as everything else about this genre I guess. But I'm prepared to be blown away. ha ha no, it fucking sucked. 1/5.

How have I never heard this??

I love this album. It's so interesting and the vocals are great and the structure is fresh. Love it.

Short, sweet and perfect British punk.

Firstly, I wouldn't call this punk, it's a reggae album to my ears. Secondly, this is a masterpiece in uncanny irrelevance. It's just so FUN to listen to. I love the layered vocals They can't really sing, at least not in the traditional sense. But it doesn't matter. They make it work. And I love the way the bass, guitar and percussion make such a tight groove. The music is quite exotic sounding. A wonderful discovery!

I know this album. Love this album. Get bothered by this album. Love this album again - and this time I realised why. It's lyrically seminal - avante garde even for 2022 - it's unique, it's powerful - rhythmically sophisticated and musically interesting. Every song has it's place in the album - but this is not an album that you listen to in the background while doing something else, this is one of those that demand your full attention. I listened to it three times in a row this time round - first while doing something else - and that kept me wondering why the hell I used to like this album - then I wore headphones, and gave it it's due attention, and there I was rewarded and realised what's so great about it. Loved it.

Hier, nous avons été victimes d'un énorme soucis technique au bureau, qui m'a empêché de pouvoir écouter mes albums générés comme à mon habitude. En effet, un electricien devait venir s'assurer que le système d'alimentation de l'étage était en bon état, et effectuer quelques réglages si necessaires. Seulement, après quelques minutes passées à examiner les differents circuits électriques, la lumière de l'étage commença à crépiter, pour ensuite clignoter. Après quelques minutes, nous étions plongés dans la pénombre. Pas d'inquiètude cependant, puisqu'un professionnel était déjà sur place, il devait sûrement tester la robustesse du système. Après plusieurs dizaines de minutes sans lumière, je me rendis à la cuisine pour chercher un verre d'eau. Quelle ne fut pas ma surprise: la cuisine était absolument inondée. Soudain, je fut pris d'un flash mental très puissant. Je me rendis au bureau de mon directeur, et lui demandais des informations sur la société de maintenance des locaux de notre étage. Un brin surpris, il me dit que la société en question était intitulée "Die Türe AG". Commençant à comprendre, je me rendis dans la salle électrique, et y découvrit une carte de visite laissée par l'electricien: Joachim Mörrisone, Elektriker. Je partis alors dans un franc rire, m'exclaffant: "Ahahahah, sacré Jim".

Well that was painful. I assume they are included in the 1001 albums as some sort of politically correct quota - "we have to have a really bad all girl punk band". I can think of no other reason for the inclusion of this drivel

Was hat dieser Schrott auf der 1001 Albenliste verloren?

I have never been aware of the band THE SLITS before, although I am a fan of the Punk and Post-Punk era of music. I believe part of the reason is that the band is known for me is that they are from the UK and are probably unknown in the US. Also, being an all-girl group also probably contributed to the lack of awareness with the male punk groups grabbing the headlines and making the reviews. After listening to CUT, I must say it is excellent. The use of dub music reminds me of Public Image Limited which formed later and being an all-girl group really impresses me now. They should be as well known as the boys were. Their music is fun, catchy and probably groundbreaking with the use of dub. This is one is the reason why I am going to enjoy joining the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is to listen to music that I am barely aware of and give me a deeper appreciation. THE SLITS are no longer falling through the cracks in my book. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, this was the only album issued in the book. Rate Artist: THE SLITS (5) Rate Album (Year): CUT (1979 Original) (4.5) Rate Album (Year): CUT (2000 UK CD Reissue with Bonus tracks) (4.5) Rate Album (Year): CUT (2009 UK 2CD Deluxe Edition) (5)

fierce, female, fabulous, five stars

eu gostei muito e não conhecia <3

Reminded me of Dresden Dolls, energetic “post punk”. Apparently Kurt Cobaon really like track “Typical Girls”.

absolutely loved this album. Had never even heard of this band before but you can here the influence on Blondie it had

Known about this album for years, never listened. Love the “dubbiness“ of these songs.

Brazen and brace. I am a massive Clash and Sex Pistols fan but wish the legacy of the Slits was as revered. Punky, reggae ska and pop thrown in a blender. From what I've read they copped a lot of abused and threats which to me makes the righteously dangerous

Now, here is a real classic. I love this record a lot, and their cover of "I heard it through the grapevine" is a regular feature of my DJ sets. This record genuinely sounds like nothing else. heavily influences by punk (although really presages post-punk) and reggae, it isn't really either of those things. It is its own unique and wonderful thing, with its own logic. It's angry and weird and fun. In Viv Albertine's fantastic autobiography "Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys" (highly recommend, worth a read) she describes the way she approached guitar, which was largely self-taught and completely fresh. She talks about how she was attracted to the treble tones of the guitar, and you can really hear it in the way that she plays. There is a an unapologetic "this is the way we choose to play" sense of what they do. Although I think there was some backlash for doing so. And this record is a wonderful and unique thing. the songs are.... different, but they always sound fresh and surprisingly and strong and relevant and beautiful within their own aesthetic framework. Punk always claimed that it was people who "couldn't play", but many bands (Pistols, Clash, etc) were in fact working within a pretty well-trodden back-to-basic rock and roll style and technique. The Slits were really something new and revolutionary. It doesn't surprise me that it took women to really break out and do something this different and extraordinary. Five stars.

This was awesome. Raw, frantic energy that kept me drawn in the entire way thru. This is the first album out of 60 where I was completely unaware of the artist and scored a 5. It made me think of Entertainment by Gang of Four so I was curious and looked up the release dates, Wild to see Cut came out Sept. 7 1979 only a few weeks before Entertainment Sept. 25 1979. This had an almost primal feeling to it, I peeked up from the first song and was in for the ride all the way thru. Albums like these re-energize me for this 1001 journey. 5 stars

Legendary band and album but is it any good? Well it's FUN but not Punk but more New Wave Reggae/Ska which is really sketchy but enjoyable. Musically tight with interesting lyrics. It's amazing that records like this got made and infuenced others. It deserves a place on the 1001.

I absolutely loved every single moment of this, I can't believe I'd never listened to the Slits before because they're definitely a new favourite! I love how rough around the edges everything is and how genuine each moment seems. Top tracks: So Tough, Shoplifting, Ping Pong Affair, and Typical Girls

Guitar and bass provide a consistent road over which the percussion and vocals coast and swerve. And that percussion comes through in that this is a highly percussive album. Not hammering to the ears, though; There's plenty of energy here but the band is discursive while they are always together. The result is music both tight and loose, a sound that comes close to others but is always its own and good at it.

Great album. What struck me was how much the songs changed, in-song. Great listening album, with bits and pieces popping up to raise your interest. Grapevine, obv, plus Newton and Instant Hit were the big ones for me.

Good shit, good vocals

As JF said, not bad at all, definitely could re-listen with the right context (African girls dancing around me ideally)

This is just a great record that was so ahead of its time.

Found this really unique, love the singing style. Excellent cover of Grapevine as well

Pretty good.

Loved this album. Like a female version of Talking Heads. Recent artists reminds me of are Remi Wolf and Nilüfer Yanya. First song comes in hot.

Never heard this before but really enjoyed it.

I thought L7 was the original merry prankster all girl band but credit to the Slits! Loved "shoplifting". They sound like a less manufactured version of the Clash.

Weird interesting out of tune vibes

Rock meets reggae meets world music. The Slits were more punk than all the boys.

I'm so glad we met by chance

The Slits know how to throw down and rock. They have a funky sound while still raging for traditional punk sound. Hearing them perform this album opening for The Clash would have been a bonkers show. One of my favorite punk albums.

Lots of fun from beginning to end. I love punky girls. That Grapevine cover is a hoot.

Yes

Continued on into the bonus tracks with no complaints from me. Good album.

Unusual, punky, fun

Manchmal arg chaotisch, aber ich mags trotzdem.

Been meaning to listen to this band for years and they did not disappoint. Incredible baselines and great lyrics delivered with great shakey effect making his a banging listen which I will defo revisit. Made me want to pogo in the air and shout 'Oi' take down the establishment and give everyone a hug.

These ladies are fun. I’m a sucker for female-driven punk - something about it is just MORE punk to me. This was good, sloppy 70s punk, but they were savvy enough to show some flashes of really crafty licks and arrangement that showed like, “yeah, we know how to play we just don’t give a shot because we’re punk. Badass.

Really cool marriage of reggae rhythms with punks sensibilities./ did attitude. 4 🌟

sure why not

The mixing early on was a bit off but I really enjoyed it!

Génial Prefs: Instant Hit, So Tough, Shoplifting, FM, Ping Pong Affair, Love Und Romance, Typical Girls, Adventures Close To Home, I Heard It Through The Grapevine Moins pref: Newtown

Love the Slits. No dogs in space do a really solid podcast on them, and how important they happened to be for the genre as a whole, even thoughts it's not strictly punk.

-Fast high hats & nice singing in "So Tough" -Cool bass groove and catchy chorus in "FM" (song that says "Frequent Mutilation" a bunch) -"Adventures Close To Home" has some catchy bass and an interesting enough baseline -"I Heard It Through The Grapevine" has a very strong bass line and I like the passion in the lyrics of the chorus, as well as the bongo blast in a later chorus -"Liebe And Romanze" was actually a pretty cool slow, grooving instrumental. I actually liked the 2 bonus tracks the most... -A weaker 4, but pleasant and interesting ideas. I don't have much desire to go back but I feel it separated itself from the 3's enough

4.25

Kinda fun until the last track

Cooler than I’ll ever be

I liked this a lot (not just for the album cover). Some of the lyrics weren’t that great, but a lot of them were solid. Just fun.

Early manifestation of Bjork fusion, edge and creativity in terms of instrumentation, experimentation of vocals…but infused with more punk.

I can't help but think of Ludwig Wittgenstain's quote that "the limits of my language means the limits of my world", when I hear an album like this. It's an amazing thing, when something entirely new enters into the world, because before it there were just some unstructured inklings waiting to be connected. Then after it, there is a blueprint and a new path for anyone that wants to follow and build on it. This album is elegantly simple and spectacularly raw. The fusion of reggae/dub and punk, with an Avant Garde and art-house affect is sublime. I'd point to 'Newtown', with its punchy guitars, high-hat and tom laden drums, matchbox and dropped silverware utility percussion, and the moaning and vibrato vocals, as a perfect example of what I'm talking about. While it is uncomfortable for me to point out the importance of this also being an all-female band, because I wish we lived in a world where that wasn't something extraordinary at all, I am glad that these women were who they were, had the environments they had, and gave this music to the world. In turn, they gave the language for many in the world to move past the limits they didn't fully comprehend a way past yet.

Not enough from the era with female,pov

I mean, it's not really my genre, but it sounded so weird.. I loved it. Never heard this kind of polyphony (maybe?) before in a song

Enjoyed it quite a lot! Can hear the reggae/Ska sound in it that was punk at the time right?

great stuff

4.5

Sometimes there’s no explaining why you like an album so much. For me, Cut is a total one-off. Of it’s time, it contains The Slits debut single, Typical Girls, released at the same time as the album, and one of the defining tracks of the punk/post-punk era. The flip-side of Typical Girls is one of the greatest cover versions of all time - their crack at Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through The Grapevine. But the album is not an easy listen - it depends on dub & reggae but it’s weird, it’s shambolic, to say the least (like so much post-punk music). But it’s never boring and, hey, Side 2 opens with a track called Newtown. I saw the reformed band at the Gaelic Club in 2007, and there’s no denying they were all over the shop, but they were bloody entertaining. See if you can find the episode of Spicks & Specks that Ari Up appeared on during that tour & you’ll have some idea how crazy she could be on stage. I walked out of the Gaelic that night, jumped straight into a cab out the front & looked at the driver - it was Blackie from the Hard-Ons. Top night.

I started playing this record again about five years ago after reading Viv's terrific first memoir. It's is the result of sheer talent, idiosyncratic band members and some great punk DIY energy. I love Ari's singing, she in effect invented a whole singing style and I think old mate Bjork spent a lot of time listening to this record. Viv's guitar playing is brilliant and ditto Budgie jumping in after Palmolive split. Another interesting aspect to this record is the vocals. I'm not sure how much is Tessa and Viv, or if it is all Neneh Cherry. They are not backing vocals but a whole other vocal line that pushes up against Ari's lines, being both discordant and complementary. This record gets played in our house.

The Slits fuse together post-punk and reggae pretty seamlessly on Cut. If there's one word to summarise this record, it's groove. The rhythm section that lays behind the shouty vocals and angular guitar riffs dictates the pacing and feel of each track expertly. 'Typical Girls' is the prime example; opening with this driving bass and drums which transitions into this swinging, more low key rhythm that is still forever danceable, and then returning with the piano for the chorus later in the song. 'Love Und Romance', 'Instant Hit' and 'Fm' present the most reggae like aspects of this record, which all come off as genuine renditions and incorporations of the foreign genre. There are also more stripped back and "basic" punk tunes such as 'Shoplifting' which provide further musical diversity. It's also important to commend the all female lineup aspect of The Slits, as they are grouped into the male dominated genre of post punk. I can pinpoint current bands such as 'deep tan' as taking major influence from this record. Occasionally, the band dwells on a musical idea for a little too long. 'Newtown' and 'Ping Pong Affair' become a bit of a hassle to listen to as they continue past their shelf life. There's a part of me that wishes the band diversified the lyrical focuses more, as while they represent the lifestyle of a British woman in the 70s pretty well, more socially charged lyrics would have added quite a lot to this album. There are a few other records from the same era (Entertainment! by Gang of Four, Pink Flag by Wire as examples) that provide greater lyrical insight, and as a result are more memorable in comparison. Despite its flaws, The Cut is absolutely worthy of being remembered as a post punk classic of the late 70s. It does the basics extremely well and works within its sonic limitations, whilst simultaneously embracing some unorthodox musical fusions for the time. Far from perfect, yet still really enjoyable! (First album that I've really enjoyed on here so far)

Liking this more than I thought I would. Nothing intelligent to say about it, just that it was really fun to listen to. Punk and post punk have long been a musical blind spot for me so I’m excited that this generator is giving me a chance to fix that. Lots of cool sounds here, and oddly catchy stuff.

Innately more drawn to punk rock’s thunderous blasts than post-punk’s subtly spaced minimalism, I’m surprised how much I enjoy this when it’s on. Dig the palm-muted guitar scratches and playful piano hits.

Great punk/post-punk album, nice dub stuff too. 4 stars.

Fun album. Kept me listening all the way through.

Great all girl post punk band. Typical Girls and Grapevine cover the highlights.

I had not heard of the band or heard their music before. This album is a lot of fun and it's interesting, too. For the late 70s, it's a rather inventive mash-up of a handful of styles and genres, and there's an intelligence to it masked by its irreverence. It's rare to see a band pull that off because too often the music slips into parody and silliness, and that's usually more distracting and, frankly, boring. This album avoids that, thank goodness. The percussion is really strong on most of these tracks. Unusual but not too random. The vocals are delivered superbly. One can hear how they influenced so many acts that followed. Bass guitar and guitar are performed so well. This is a heck of a band. I need to hear more.

Ну блин, это прикольно. Не сказал бы, что я прям не ебейше кайфанул с каждого трека, но удовольствие получил

Ну не, что-то у меня было больше надежд на обнажённых девушек с обложки. Вообще очень забавный альбом, переосмысление регги в какой-то степени. Или даже чем-то напомнило французское йе-йе 60х, типа Галль или даже Бардо. Это было интересно слушать, но в некоторых местах был перебор с "экспериментальностью". Ну и кажется я уже писал, что вокально-мелодические диссонансы мне, видимо, заходят сильно меньше. I Heard It Through The Grapevine у меня почему-то вызвала ассоциации по стилю с группой Eruption (One Way Ticket/Синий Синий иней). Но только в более нуарную сторону, всё чуть больше с надрывом, нежели на расслабоне. 3.5/5->4/5. Хорошо девчонки поют, кайфово. Я вот только на тексты внимания особо не обратил... вокал отвлекал, очень уж резкий, но разнообразный. P.S. Глянув на статистику, увидел интересный факт: самая прослушиваемая песня не была издана на первоначальной пластинке, а была добавлена только в deluxe-версии.

рэгги панк рок? Это прикольно, но какой-то не мой стиль, но я как начал слушать, так сильно прихуел и сразу решил до конца слушать

Here we have some badass bitches out in the wild, harnessing the combined powers of punk rock and unapologetic raw sexuality to flip misogynists everywhere the bird. We control our bodies, we control our messages, and you can fuck right off if you think you're entitled to a say in any of it! I love the boldness of it, I love the sounds of it. I love all of it.

This one won't get many 5/5 reviews, obviously. Which is a bit of a shame. *Cut* is a very *weird* record, especially compared to what "normies", for lack of a better word, usually expect from music. But it's exactly where its many charms lie, at least once you manage to let go of said expectations. The only serious issue I have with The Slits' music is that it's very hard to describe to newcomers. Said music is actually brilliantly written and performed--with many borrowings from reggae dub that allow the band to implement arrangements that are precise, intricate and fully original (hence the choice of a reggae producer for this one). If you don't pay attention you may dismiss the end result of that encounter between punk and dub as sheer nonsense (this is definitely not "background music" we're dealing with here). But if you *do* pay attention, most of those tracks' instumentations are pretty rewarding on subsequent listens. Likewise, Ari Up's vocals will probably sound too "out there" during your first encounter with those songs. You may even consider she's off-key most of the time. But that might only be some sort of myopic effect: Ari is actually not really "off-key", she's just extremely theatrical, expressive, "hysterical", you name it... And this is just a perfect way for her to fully inhabit her subversive and sardonic lyrics (won't go through the details here, it's pretty much what you would expect from a witty feminist punk, making those lyrics as relevant today as they were in 1979). Oh, and some of the backing vocals, sometimes popping out in surprising places, are quite impressive as well. A fun anecdote, by the way: a very young Neneh Cherry is among those background vocalists. Of course, not every "cut" (ahem) works perfectly in this record. "Adventures Close To Home" sounds a little too linear and far-fetched, and therefore tried my patience a little. Likewise, "Love And Romance" is still too indebted to the early punk beginnings of the band to fully mutate into a convincing art-rock/dub/experimental tune, just like most of the other tracks manage to do in this record... Yet those missteps do not outweigh the many successful moments in *Cut*. There is a stretch of songs in this album that is absolutely fantastic, the one starting with the hilarious "Shoplifting" , and then going on to "FM" and, finally, "Newtown", a pretty evocative description of urban idleness, "where everybody goes around sniffing televisina or taking footballina". The dub rhythm on that track, helped by the addition of extremely subtle organ and piano touches, is simply infectious. And of course, later on, you have two perfect gems, underground hits in their own right: first "Typical Girls", a feminist anthem for the ages, and the deliriously groovy cover of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (a version that's radically different from the cover Creedence Clearwater Revival once did, and yet that can be considered as its perfect match). I know that this cover was only released as a single originally. But damn it, the original album was not that long in the first place anyway, so you might as well consider it's part of it now. To put it in a nutshell, this is definitely not a record for everyone here, hence why I'll be reasonable and refrain from giving it a perfect score. But it fully deserves to be on this list, if only for its groundbreaking nature and the influence the Slits had on countless acts later on. Besides, you still have blokes (mostly blokes, right?) considering Beefheart's *Trout Mask Replica* as a masterpiece. Well, *Trout Mask Replica*'s "historical" importance is not to be denied, sure. But compared to other famously "off-kilter" albums such as *Cut*, it's just a sinister experience. At least The Slits are fun to listen to, while having something relevant to say. And *Trout Mask Replica* is neither of those things. Which is why The Slits' debut album will here get a far higher mark than Captain Beefheart's supposed "masterpiece". It won't help a lot for its overall score, but what are you gonna do? 🤷‍♂️ Number of albums left to review: 649 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 177 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 84 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 96

Pretty avant garde and difficult, but surprisngly catchy.

Not my style but I see why it is so influential

I can hear Bjork in this a lot actually - especially in Shoplifting.

Boobs

pretty cool.

Better than expected. Dubby and post punk. Didn’t know it was an all girl group. Still, not what I’d listen to by choice though

Actually not that bad

Weird singer, some songs okay

I loved this album... The first time 'round....

Very different, not one of my favorite albums but I could totally see how they formed a style for other bands. Heard it through the grapevine was a great cover.

This is a well fun album, BUT I didn't love every track. Some of them were a little irritating to me. I wish I could give a 3.5.

It... Is... Oh... Kay... I... Guess....

it's listenable, but confusing.

Good. Interesting.

Son graciosas, pero no me ha gustado mucho ... Les daré un 3. Es como punk.

some nice tunes, needed to be more poppy or rocky though

Ehh not really a fan, it was a bit overwhelming and harsh. I did like their cover of I Heard it Through the Grapevine, could be fun in some contexts? 2.5-3 stars

really trying to keep my dislike of german accents from influencing me here. i found it pretty annoying at first but honestly it kinda grooves. lyrics are dumb but in the way that i tend to expect from punk music. pretty weird but honestly a fairly fun listen. 3-

Phwoar! I'd love to cut their slits...ideally if at least one of them was underage.

not bad, not amazing either. good use of dub, not sure i'm fully on board with the main singer.

enjoyed some of it

Excellent stuff, really enjoyed it found it interesting and fun to listen to!

Boobs