'Cut'

I'd never heard The Slits before this and you can color me green with envy for anyone who'd been listening to them since the 1970s. This is a tremendously cool record. Nothing fancy, just some rocksteady ska rhythms mixed with a robust slate of bass lines.

This is a must-listen for anyone interested in early punk.

Lead singer Ariane Foster (or Ari Up) was at the ground floor of it all. She was the god daughter of Jon Anderson from Yes. She also wound up married to hot head John Lydon, lead singer of The Sex Pistols. Their house became a hovel for the young punk bands including Joe Strummer, who's own music is a direct cousin to The Slits.

The Slits were an all-female group. It's worth noting I think that the album cover to Cut was the band nude and caked in mud.