The Slits - So Tough
I don't really remember the first time
I heard The Slits, though I do know that they've been a favorite of mine for a long time. Although they were a part of the early London punk scene, they always had a super original, often experimental sound, and are now considered a part of the post-punk movement, though at the time no one was thinking of it in that way. The band was formed in 1976 by Ariane Foster, aka Ari Up, Paloma McClardy, aka Palmolive, Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy, though the latter two were replaced shortly after the band formed by Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt. In the years since, there have been quite a few other members, far too many to list here, but if you're so inclined, they're all on the band's Wikipedia page. The group incorporated a lot of things from reggae and ska, though their music isn't really easily placed into either of those genres; the up-beat, up stroked guitar parts are there, but they're often more dissonant and weird than anything in typical reggae, and the way the bass and drums work together in the band is very un-reggae, often using strange, angular beats and patterns. Today's song is the opening track on the band's first full length album, 1979's Cut, which is a great example of the band's weird signature sound. I particularly love the call and response with the vocals, which I think are all just dubs done by Ari Up, though I couldn't be sure if its just here, as Neneh Cherry is also listed as 'uncredited backing vocals' for the album. She would wind up working with the band more the following two years as well.
Listen to So Tough by The Slits here...
The Slits, Cut (1979, Island Records)
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