Part of the seventies UK avant garde/punk movement. They went through a number of settings 1976-82, most all female. Started off as backing for groups like Clash and Buzzcocks and early developed a raw obscene live sound. Before this debute LP Island made effort to clean up and polish the act to make it more accessible. Raggae musician/producer Dennis Bovell was put in charge for the recording and Neneh Cherry supported on vocals. It remains as the most achievable effort by the original group - the follow-up "Bootleg Retrospective" consisted of lo-fi promos and early recordings and "Return Of The Giant Slits" went further in experimenting with African music. Listening to it today is still an adventure, impossible to tie to any genre. The backing is rude raggae but the rest of the performance avant garde, partly free form. Vocals are chants, shouts and sometimes melodic. Some of the songs doesn't seem to follow any common pattern, instead being direct carriers of different emotions and following the mood changes - mostly anger and frustration. One can hear echoes from early Yoko Ono or even GTO's, but it's truly unique for its time. If you sometimes should long for something direct, naked and 100% honest, performed without any thoughts of hits or big sales, it's recommended. First US on Antilles (AN-7077). Premiere UK had label as shown here, fully laminated cover and stiff inner with cartoons by Brian Gaylor. (FÄV*)
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