The Bagging Area Slits-fest continues with this astonishing piece of live footage from Berlin in 1981, playing Man Next Door- freeform dub live with The Pop Group's Bruce Smith on drums, Neneh Cherry on backing vox and dancing and Ari, Viv and Tessa in full effect for eight minutes. There really was nothing else like them.
Man Next Door was originally a John Holt hit, based on a Dr Alimantado song, based on a Dennis Brown song.
As an extra I've been hammering this recently, their cover version of I Heard It Through The Grapevine (B-side to Typical Girls). It is the best dub-punk cover, bar none, and I have posted it before but it bears repeating. Tessa Pollitt's bassline is out of this world- as Ari Up sings 'I heard it through the bassline'
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
the wobbly vocal on "before" always irritated me. My bad as I'm supposed to find them visionary.
ReplyDeleteI have to be in the right mood for Ari's vox
ReplyDeleteSA, you may be the only other person I know who enjoy's Grapevine. I once got thrown out of a party for putting it on the turntable - I brought my copy with me... not a song most 17 year olds can get their heads around I guess.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that The Pop Group, Slits and early PiL expanded how I listened to music.
Some people don't know what's good for them Echorich.
ReplyDelete