I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Recorded at Basing Street Studios in London in 1979, the track features Ari Up's vocals, Viv Albertine's guitar, Tessa Pollitt's bass and Max Edwards on drums. Production was credited to the Slits, Rema and Stuart Henderson. Released alongside Typical Girls, the recording radically reworked the Motown standard through sparse instrumentation and unconventional vocal phrasing. The single became the Slits' only UK Top 75 hit. The recording became a signature example of the band's inventive approach to familiar material. It received a dedicated four-track vinyl reissue for Record Store Day in 2016.