The Slits - In The Beginning (Live Anthology 1977-81 [CD]

Format: CD
Catalogue No.: FREUDCD057R
Barcode: 5013145905722
Release Date: 04 Oct 2024
Genre: Punk

Remastered and repackaged in a 6-panel card sleeve, the 15-track album.

Three exclusive songs. Guest vocals by Nina Hagen and Neneh Cherry.

Notes by Mick Mercer. Extra photos as seen on the RSD 2LP. From punk to dub eras. 
The Slits were known for their uncompromising attitude and confrontational music, first seen on their 1977 tour with The Clash. To this day they are cited as being hugely inspiring to many female artists. But even their seminal Island Records 1979 debut album Cut, with its infamous sleeve of the band members naked and caked in mud, does not capture the true energy and spontaneity as well as these live recordings do. 
The album spans from an early, chaotic punk-era show which includes classics such as Shoplifting, Newtown and Love & Romance. It shows how they evolved into their dubby, reggae-influenced style with songs such as Typical Girls, and finishes with a track from their last ever performance in 1981. Over its fifteen tracks it features three songs never otherwise recorded*, and guest vocals from Nina Hagen and Neneh Cherry. The new 6-panel all-card sleeve includes updated notes from Mick Mercer and previously unseen live and at home photos.

1. Vindictive, 2. A Boring Life*, 3. Slime*, 4. New Town, 5. Love & Romance, 6. Shoplifting, 7. Number One Enemy, 8. Number One Enemy(acoustic) (guest vocal from Nina Hagen), 9. In The Beginning, 10. New Town, 11. Man Next Door, 12. I Heard It Through The Grapevine, 13. Typical Girls, 14. Fade Away*, 15. In The Beginning (guest vocal from Neneh Cherry) Tracks 1-7 Live at Dingwalls, London 1977; 8 live in rehearsal; 9-14 Live in Cincinnati & San Francisco 1980; 15 Live at Hammersmith Palais, Dec. 1981 (last ever show).