The Slits - John Peel Sessions (1989)

The Slits formed in 1976, when 14-year-old Ari Up recruited her friends Tessa, Viv and Palmolive to form a new all-girl punk band, with Ari on vocals. The following year, they supported The Clash during their UK tour. Still without a record contract, the Slits then recorded two sessions for John Peel, in 1977 and 1978. Later, after their period with Island Records, they recorded one final Peel session in 1981. The Slits' BBC sessions have long been celebrated as favourites of John Peel's, and it is easy to hear why. In fact, the band's debut session was always hailed by Peel as "one of our first classic sessions". These first two sessions explode with vibrant punk energy, aggression and wit.

In terms of classic punk energy, these sessions dating from September 1977 and May 1978 are unbeatable, the sound of the unsigned, untutored, and -- in the eyes of many people -- unlistenable Slits crashing defiantly through distinctly formative renditions of songs that would not reach fruition for another year, and the completion of their debut album. "Vindictive" alone was not realigned for that disc; of the other six songs, all underwent sufficient reinvention to create starry-eyed converts of even the most disdainful of early witnesses. Famously, at the band's first BBC session, an anguished technician crept out to retune their instruments while the quartet was busy elsewhere. It doesn't affect their performance.

Sometime during the mid-'90s, John Peel rated the first two Slits broadcasts among his all-time favorite sessions -- one reason why many first-time purchasers chose to overlook the repackaged Peel Sessions altogether.


Tracklist:

1 Love And Romance 2:28
2 Vindictive 2:17
3 New Town 3:31
4 Shoplifting 1:31
5 So Tough 2:19
6 Instant Hit 2:32
7 FM 3:32

The Slits - John Peel Sessions (1989)

(320 kbps, cover art included)