as far as this "can play" or "can't play" thing: it's the same in every field or idiom - either you have a great idea or you don't. if you can do enough to express that great idea in a way that works, technique becomes secondary. of course, if you want to go beyond that initial outburst of creativity, you're eventually going to need more technique or you'll get stuck in a rut.
the original slits had great musical ideas and that was why they were so great despite whatever technical limitations they had. they definitely progressed and became more subtle and complex as time went on. by the time of the first peel session, they definitely had their shit together. none of their records sound alike at all, and that's to their credit. "ping pong affair" is one of my favorite songs of all time: that composition is so ingenious and the parts fit together like an incredible puzzle . . . they had great ideas. period.
TO ME,No matter how much the Slits may have 'practiced' before the Roxy gigs (the first shows I saw), they sounded as though they had never practiced in their lives . . . it was chaos and anarchy, more chaos and anarchy than ANY other band at the Roxy . . . and in 1977, chaos and anarchy were very good things indeed. One of the main tenets of punk: DON'T PRACTICE! JUST PLAY! And some bands stayed pretty close to this; oh, they practiced a little but basically many took the stage with little more than great music sensibilities, a precise understanding of what they were part of, and, playing with unbridled passion -- you got punk rock.
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