The Slits were a punk and post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma Romero, who played briefly with Spizzenergi and later left to join the Raincoats), with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy.[1] Their 1979 debut album, Cut, has been called one of the defining releases of the post-punk era.[2]
The Slits formed in 1976 when Ari Up went to a Patti Smith gig. After having an argument with her mother, Ari was approached by Palmolive and Kate Corris with the offer to form a band. The next day they had their first rehearsal.
Palmolive left the band in 1978 and debuted with The Raincoats on 4 January 1979.[6] She was replaced by the drummer Budgie (Peter Clarke), formerly of the Spitfire Boys and later of Siouxsie and the Banshees.[1] With the change of drummer came a change of musical style. The Slits' originally raw, raucous and drum-dominated live sound, as captured on two Peel Sessions in 1977 and 1978, was cleaned up and polished to a more bass-orientated sound with the Budgie line up, and their new style drew heavily from reggae, dub and world music.
Ari Up playing with the Slits at the Beat the Blues Festival, Alexandra Palace, 15 June 1980.
Their Dennis Bovell-produced debut album Cut was released in September 1979 on Island Records, with Neneh Cherry joining as additional backing vocalist.[1] The album's sleeve art depicted the band naked, except for mud and loincloths.[1] It is often claimed that Palmolive left partly because she did not like the album artwork,[7] including by Palmolive herself,[8] but Viv Albertine has stated that Palmolive had been asked to leave the band several months previously,[9] and she does not appear on the record.
Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt reformed the band with new members in 2005, as Viv Albertine was unwilling to rejoin, and in 2006 released the EPRevenge of the Killer Slits.[3] The EP featured former Sex Pistols member Paul Cook and Marco Pirroni (formerly of Adam and the Ants, and Siouxsie and the Banshees) as both musicians and co-producers. Cook's daughter Hollie played with the band, singing and playing keyboards. Other members of the reformed band were No (of the Home Office) on guitar, German drummer Anna Schulte, and Adele Wilson on guitar.[10]
The band toured the United States for the first time in twenty-five years during 2006's 'States of Mind' tour, and followed this with tours of Australia and Japan, as well as opening for Sonic Youth at New York'sMcCarren Park Pool.[11] Adele Wilson and No left the band, to be replaced by American guitarist Michelle Hill. A biography – Typical Girls? The Story of the Slits by Zoe Street Howe was published in the UK by Omnibus Press in July 2009,[12] and the band's third full-length album entitled Trapped Animal was released three months later.[13]
Founding member Ari Up died in Los Angeles in October 2010 at the age of 48.[14] The band's final work, the video for the song "Lazy Slam" from Trapped Animal, was released posthumously according to Ari Up's wishes.[15] A final song, the unreleased 1981 recording "Coulda Woulda Shoulda", was due to be released in early 2011.[16]
"Typical Girls" / "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Island (UK) / Antilles (US), September 1979, also issued as a 12-inch EP with additional alternate versions) UK No. 60[19]
"Man Next Door" / "Man Next Door (version)" (Y, June 1980)
"Animal Space" / "Animal Spacier" (Human (UK), 1981, also issued as a 12-inch EP on Human (USA) with different tracks)
"Earthbeat" / "Earthdub" / "Begin Again, Rhythm" (CBS, August 1981 (UK), December 1981 (US), 7 inch single with the first 2 tracks, and 12 inch EP with 3 tracks)[1]
"American Radio Interview (Winter 1980)" / "Face Dub" (CBS, October 1981, bonus record included with Return of the Giant Slits album, side one plays at 33 rpm)
^Zoe Street Howe (2009). Typical Girls: The Story of the Slits. Omnibus Press. pp. all. ISBN978-1-84772-780-0.
^Ross, Dalton (29 June 2009). "The Slits: lady-punk legends to return with first full-length since 1981 Entertainment Weekly 29 June 2009". Music-mix.ew.com. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
^Moynihan, Colin (22 October 2010). "Ari Up, a Founder of the Slits Punk Band, Dies at 48". The New York Times. p. A33. from the original on 21 September 2011.
^. narnackrecords.com. 21 October 2010. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
^"Original Slits Lineup to Release Cassette of "Last Ever Song" | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
^"A Beginner's Guide to Neneh Cherry's Essential Songs". Electronicbeats.net. 12 November 2015.
^ abRoberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 508. ISBN1-904994-10-5.
^Unterberger, Richie. "album overview – accessed April 2009". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
^Bradshaw, Peter (23 March 2018). "Here to Be Heard: The Story of the Slits review – rise of the punk pranksters". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
^"Girls Unconditional: The story of the Slits, told exclusively by the Slits".
^Oler, Tammy (31 October 2019). "57 Champions of Queer Feminism, All Name-Dropped in One Impossibly Catchy Song". Slate Magazine.
Sources
Coon, Caroline (1977). . London: Hawthorn. ISBN0-8015-6129-9. OCLC 79262599. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
Further reading
Gribovsky, Rina (8 September 2004). . Women of 1970s Punk. Archived from the original on 25 September 2006.
Pollitt, Tessa (November 2003). "Earthbeat: In the Beginning There Was Rhythm". 3 A.M. Magazine (Interview). Interviewed by Gregory Mario Whitfield.
Up, Ari. "The Slits". Supersweet (Interview). Interviewed by Liane Eltan.
Typical Girls? The Story Of The Slits, Howe, Zoë (2009). Authorised biography. Omnibus Press. ISBN0857120158
slits, slits, redirects, here, other, uses, slit, disambiguation, were, punk, post, punk, band, based, london, formed, there, 1976, members, groups, flowers, romance, castrators, group, early, line, consisted, ariane, forster, palmolive, paloma, romero, played. Slits redirects here For other uses see Slit disambiguation The Slits were a punk and post punk band based in London formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators The group s early line up consisted of Ari Up Ariane Forster and Palmolive a k a Paloma Romero who played briefly with Spizzenergi and later left to join the Raincoats with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy 1 Their 1979 debut album Cut has been called one of the defining releases of the post punk era 2 The SlitsA reformed lineup of the Slits performs in 2007Background informationOriginLondon EnglandGenresPunk rock post punk experimental rockYears active1976 1982 2005 2010LabelsIsland Y CBS NarnackPast membersAri UpPalmoliveSuzy GutsyKate KorusTessa PollittViv AlbertineBudgieBruce SmithHollie CookMichelle HillNOAnna SchulteAdele WilsonNeneh CherryLittle Anna Contents 1 Career 1 1 1976 1982 1 2 2005 2010 2 Personnel 2 1 Members 2 2 Lineups 2 3 Timeline 3 Discography 3 1 Studio albums 3 2 Compilation albums 3 3 Singles and EPs 4 Documentary 5 Bibliography 6 In popular culture 7 References 7 1 Sources 8 Further readingCareer Edit1976 1982 Edit The Slits formed in 1976 when Ari Up went to a Patti Smith gig After having an argument with her mother Ari was approached by Palmolive and Kate Corris with the offer to form a band The next day they had their first rehearsal The group supported the Clash on their 1977 White Riot tour along with Buzzcocks the Prefects and Subway Sect 3 Club performances of the Slits during this period are included in The Punk Rock Movie 1978 In November 1978 the Slits toured with the Clash again on the Sort it Out Tour and were joined by the Innocents who opened the shows 4 Joe Strummer said the group would be great with intense gigging 5 Palmolive left the band in 1978 and debuted with The Raincoats on 4 January 1979 6 She was replaced by the drummer Budgie Peter Clarke formerly of the Spitfire Boys and later of Siouxsie and the Banshees 1 With the change of drummer came a change of musical style The Slits originally raw raucous and drum dominated live sound as captured on two Peel Sessions in 1977 and 1978 was cleaned up and polished to a more bass orientated sound with the Budgie line up and their new style drew heavily from reggae dub and world music Ari Up playing with the Slits at the Beat the Blues Festival Alexandra Palace 15 June 1980 Their Dennis Bovell produced debut album Cut was released in September 1979 on Island Records with Neneh Cherry joining as additional backing vocalist 1 The album s sleeve art depicted the band naked except for mud and loincloths 1 It is often claimed that Palmolive left partly because she did not like the album artwork 7 including by Palmolive herself 8 but Viv Albertine has stated that Palmolive had been asked to leave the band several months previously 9 and she does not appear on the record The Slits sound and attitude became increasingly experimental and avant garde during the early 1980s when they formed an alliance with Bristol post punk band the Pop Group sharing drummer Bruce Smith and releasing a joint single In the Beginning There Was Rhythm Where There s a Will Y Records This was followed by a bizarre untitled compilation album of mostly homemade demos and live performances from before the release of Cut The band toured widely and released their second studio album Return of the Giant Slits before breaking up in early 1982 1 7 Ari Up went on to be part of the New Age Steppers 1 2005 2010 Edit Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt reformed the band with new members in 2005 as Viv Albertine was unwilling to rejoin and in 2006 released the EP Revenge of the Killer Slits 3 The EP featured former Sex Pistols member Paul Cook and Marco Pirroni formerly of Adam and the Ants and Siouxsie and the Banshees as both musicians and co producers Cook s daughter Hollie played with the band singing and playing keyboards Other members of the reformed band were No of the Home Office on guitar German drummer Anna Schulte and Adele Wilson on guitar 10 The band toured the United States for the first time in twenty five years during 2006 s States of Mind tour and followed this with tours of Australia and Japan as well as opening for Sonic Youth at New York s McCarren Park Pool 11 Adele Wilson and No left the band to be replaced by American guitarist Michelle Hill A biography Typical Girls The Story of the Slits by Zoe Street Howe was published in the UK by Omnibus Press in July 2009 12 and the band s third full length album entitled Trapped Animal was released three months later 13 Founding member Ari Up died in Los Angeles in October 2010 at the age of 48 14 The band s final work the video for the song Lazy Slam from Trapped Animal was released posthumously according to Ari Up s wishes 15 A final song the unreleased 1981 recording Coulda Woulda Shoulda was due to be released in early 2011 16 Personnel EditMembers Edit Ari Up vocals 1976 1982 2005 2010 died 2010 Palmolive drums 1976 1978 Suzy Gutsy bass guitar 1976 Kate Korus guitar 1976 1977 Tessa Pollitt bass guitar 1976 1982 2005 2010 Viv Albertine guitar 1977 1982 Budgie drums 1978 1980 Bruce Smith drums 1980 1982 Neneh Cherry backing vocals 1981 17 18 Hollie Cook backing vocals 2005 2010 Michelle Hill guitar 2005 2010 NO guitar backing vocals 2005 2010 Anna Schulte drums 2005 2010 Adele Wilson guitar 2005 2010 Little Anna melodica 2007 2009 Lineups Edit 1976 1976 1978 1978 1980 1980 1982Ari Up vocals Kate Korus guitar Suzy Gutsy bass guitar Palmolive drums Ari Up vocals Viv Albertine guitar Tessa Pollitt bass guitar Palmolive drums Ari Up vocals Viv Albertine guitar Tessa Pollitt bass guitar Budgie drums Ari Up vocals Viv Albertine guitar Tessa Pollitt bass guitar Bruce Smith drums1982 2005 2005 2010Disbanded Ari Up vocals Hollie Cook backing vocals NO guitar backing vocals Adele Wilson guitar Michelle Hill guitar Tessa Pollitt bass guitar Anna Schulte drums Anna Ozawa melodica keyboardTimeline EditDiscography EditStudio albums Edit Cut Island UK Antilles US September 1979 UK No 30 19 Return of the Giant Slits CBS October 1981 Trapped Animal Narnack 2009 Compilation albums Edit The Slits Bootleg Retrospective Untitled Y Records May 1980 Double Peel Sessions Strange Fruit November 1988 In the Beginning Jungle 1997 1 Live at the Gibus Club Castle Music Sanctuary February 2005 recorded January 1978 1 20 Singles and EPs Edit Typical Girls I Heard It Through the Grapevine Island UK Antilles US September 1979 also issued as a 12 inch EP with additional alternate versions UK No 60 19 In the Beginning There Was Rhythm Y March 1980 split single with the Pop Group Man Next Door Man Next Door version Y June 1980 Animal Space Animal Spacier Human UK 1981 also issued as a 12 inch EP on Human USA with different tracks Earthbeat Earthdub Begin Again Rhythm CBS August 1981 UK December 1981 US 7 inch single with the first 2 tracks and 12 inch EP with 3 tracks 1 American Radio Interview Winter 1980 Face Dub CBS October 1981 bonus record included with Return of the Giant Slits album side one plays at 33 rpm The Peel Sessions Strange Fruit February 1987 Revenge of the Killer Slits 2006 1 7 CD Maxi single Only Lovers Left Alive EXO Documentary EditIn 2018 a documentary film was released To Be Heard The Story of The Slits 21 Bibliography EditZoe Street Howe Typical Girls The Story of The Slits Omnibus Press 2009 ISBN 1847727808 Viv Albertine Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys Faber amp Faber 2014 Bullman J 2009 Girls Unconditional The story of The Slits told exclusively by The Slits Loud and Quiet 22 In popular culture EditThe band s name appears in the lyrics of the Le Tigre song Hot Topic 23 References Edit a b c d e f g h i j Strong Martin C 2000 The Great Rock Discography 5th ed Edinburgh Mojo Books pp 894 895 ISBN 1 84195 017 3 Dougan John The Slits Cut at AllMusic Retrieved 5 October 2011 a b Biography by John Dougan Allmusic com Retrieved 23 April 2009 1 dead link Coon 1977 Ian Penman The Raincoats Dresden Banks Vincent Units Acklam Hall In New Musical Express 27 January 1979 page 43 a b Roberts David 1998 Guinness Rockopedia 1st ed London Guinness Publishing Ltd p 397 ISBN 0 85112 072 5 The Pilgrimage of Palmolive Tom Tom Magazine Tomtommag com 25 February 2014 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 25 June 2016 Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys Viv Albertine Faber amp Faber 2014 p 205 Mervis Scott 20 March 2008 Music Preview The Slits are back with a Pistols daughter Pittsburgh Post Gazette Slits Set for U S Summer Tour Archived 13 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine Pitchfork Media 6 July 2007 Zoe Street Howe 2009 Typical Girls The Story of the Slits Omnibus Press pp all ISBN 978 1 84772 780 0 Ross Dalton 29 June 2009 The Slits lady punk legends to return with first full length since 1981 Entertainment Weekly 29 June 2009 Music mix ew com Retrieved 21 February 2012 Moynihan Colin 22 October 2010 Ari Up a Founder of the Slits Punk Band Dies at 48 The New York Times p A33 Archived from the original on 21 September 2011 Ari Up R I P 1962 2010 d narnackrecords com 21 October 2010 Archived from the original on 22 July 2012 Retrieved 20 October 2009 Original Slits Lineup to Release Cassette of Last Ever Song Exclaim exclaim ca Retrieved 21 February 2022 A Beginner s Guide to Neneh Cherry s Essential Songs Electronicbeats net 12 November 2015 The Slits In Conclusion Punk77 co uk a b Roberts David 2006 British Hit Singles amp Albums 19th ed London Guinness World Records Limited p 508 ISBN 1 904994 10 5 Unterberger Richie album overview accessed April 2009 Allmusic com Retrieved 21 February 2012 Bradshaw Peter 23 March 2018 Here to Be Heard The Story of the Slits review rise of the punk pranksters The Guardian Retrieved 9 October 2022 Girls Unconditional The story of the Slits told exclusively by the Slits Oler Tammy 31 October 2019 57 Champions of Queer Feminism All Name Dropped in One Impossibly Catchy Song Slate Magazine Sources Edit Coon Caroline 1977 1988 The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion London Hawthorn ISBN 0 8015 6129 9 OCLC 79262599 Archived from the original on 26 October 2007 Retrieved 19 September 2011 Further reading EditGribovsky Rina 8 September 2004 The Slits Women of 1970s Punk Archived from the original on 25 September 2006 Pollitt Tessa November 2003 Earthbeat In the Beginning There Was Rhythm 3 A M Magazine Interview Interviewed by Gregory Mario Whitfield Up Ari The Slits Supersweet Interview Interviewed by Liane Eltan Typical Girls The Story Of The Slits Howe Zoe 2009 Authorised biography Omnibus Press ISBN 0857120158 Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys Viv Albertine 2014 Faber and Faber London Media related to The Slits at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Slits amp oldid 1129781938, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
