Various – Spirit Of An Old Age Anthem – Anthem Muzik Tapes 1981

Guernica – Guernica / Radical Alternatives – Missionary / The Snipers – H Bomb / Falling Paracutes- The Good Old Days / Guernica – No More War / The Snipers – Scale / Guernica – Your Choice

Radical Alternative – Inspiration / The Snipers – I Know / Guernica – Soldier Boy / Falling Paracutes – Trident / Radical Alternatives – Waiting Room / Falling Parachutes – Walk From A Building

A cassette released by The Snipers, who I know next to nothing about except that they were on ‘Bullshit Detector’, and had one 7″ single entitled ‘Three Piece Suite’, both released on Crass Records, which I liked and all my mates hated!

I know even less about the other bands, assume they are Oxford area bands or something? Cheers to Chris Low for the lend of this cassette.

Singalongasnipers, all together now:

‘Enjoy what you’ve got while you can, it’s all sewn up say’s the Media Man, its all sewn up…yeah!’

Incidently anyone thinking where are all those Crass label singles and LP tracks?

Well I have all the releases, by all the bands, ever released on the label except ‘Who Dunnit’ by Crass (obviously, cos it’s arse…).

These tracks will not be uploaded, Penny told me he had no problem with me uploading the Crass practise tapes and interviews I had (use search function to find these), but I told him I would not put the label stuff up at this point until it all becomes unavailable. Although I was allowed to put up ‘Reality Asylum’, but that’s all. So from Annie A to Zounds, studio releases on Crass you will not find here on this site, I am afraid. Live stuff is a different matter though, watch this space.   

10 comments
  1. Nuzz
    Nuzz
    January 30, 2008 at 11:40 am

    Saw ’em with Crass in Stevenage, loved ’em, but like you penguin my mates didn’t get ’em, cheers for posting this.

  2. Chris
    Chris
    January 30, 2008 at 5:29 pm

    Bizarre just how contemporary half these songs sound! Clearly much influenced by PIL, Gang Of Four, Crispy Ambulance or early Banshees. A pretty good musical ‘smorgasboard’ if you ask me. An excellent tape and a good example of what I’d say was the more interesting (‘post-punk’ sounding) side of the Crass-affiliated scene.

  3. Anok Jon
    Anok Jon
    January 31, 2008 at 4:33 am

    How crazy!!! I just read the Snipers part in Glaspers book (The day the country died) and Dave of the snipers mentions this tape and I was wondering if it still existed somewhere, no joke this was a 1/2 hr ago I read that. I am very excited to see this one on here, and 2 snipers song i havent heard! Oh and the Snipers were on Bullshit 1, not 2.

  4. Penguin
    Penguin • Post Author •
    January 31, 2008 at 9:56 am

    Anok, yes Bullshit 1 – Snipers track after Red Alert one, dont know why I put 2, must have been tired! Info has been corrected now, thanks for pointing out the error.

  5. Nic
    Nic
    February 4, 2008 at 2:37 pm

    Ah, nuzz: I would love to have seen the Snipers live! You lucky b*£$%*£!

    I really loved them – I put them in 2 issues of my fanzine, I was that keen!
    And this tape got a lot of play – the other groups were indeed local groups who didn’t do much beyond the local area…

    But, you’re right: everyone else seemed to hate them!

    I did an interview with Ian Glasper a couple of weeks ago (for Part 3 of his books – this one is the ‘Thrash’ one), and we talked quite a bit about Snipers as I’d asked about them..

  6. PeTe
    PeTe
    March 25, 2009 at 11:03 am

    Saw this band a few times early 80’s a mates band Alto Relief supported them at the Caribbean club in Oxford 79/80/81ish they were nothing special. Alto were stopped from playing halfway through set due to inciting violence!!!!! Whatever next!!!

  7. PeTe
    PeTe
    March 25, 2009 at 11:27 am

    Not sure if this Failing Parachutes is another mates band – same name to band?? Will have to listen to and check their demo tape I have. The singer from Failing Parachutes went on to be on The Sir William Hills playing outa Basel in Switzerland – they were a band based in the cotswolds!!

  8. PeTe
    PeTe
    April 2, 2009 at 10:49 am

    Listened to mp3s of tape and Radical Alternatives are in fact Alto Relief or The Alto as they were later known as. The ex bassist of Alto Harley Bazs now doing gigs with an ex member of Cheltenham band Scream & Scream Again (Liam)and a couple of Demob (collectively know as The Noise Agents) The Failing Parachutes were from around Northleach in the cotswolds Alto had a member from Bourton on the Water / Andoversford (nr Cheltenham) and other places near Cheltenham. Band were (Baz) Harley on Bass, Mark (Moby) on guitar, Graham (Gilb) drums and Adrain (Boysey) Vocals. They did a few other tracks which were nothing like the ones on the tape also did a cracking cover of Action Time & Vison (& Lemon).

  9. Steve
    Steve
    June 9, 2013 at 4:15 am

    Nice find this.I played guitar in the Failing Parachutes and as has been posted by PeTe, we were from Northleach,Glos.Vocals Gaffer,Guitar Steve,bass Gary,drums Daryl.

    Myself and Gaffer joined up with Baz and Gilb from the Alto to form the ‘Insect Doctors’.We played at the Anarchist Centre,Londonwith the Snipers.

    I went onto form the Sir William Hills and recorded the album CHEER ,on the Berlin label Bad Dog records.

    These days Gaffer plays guitar and sings with Red Shift,a folk/rock band based in Northleach.

    I’ve still got a copy of the “Spirit of An Age Old Anthem”.We (The Failing Parachutes) recorded our songs at Windrush Studios,Bourton on the Water.On 4 track.We played with the Snipers,the Alto,The Screaming Dead and with a couple of Cheltenham bands,possibly (memory!)Subject Pigfish at the Axiom Centre Bar.

    Hope everyone is well!

  10. BRETT Sherman
    BRETT Sherman
    April 12, 2021 at 9:21 pm

    Steve, dont know if you will see this or not now. I am Gary’s son Brett, I really want to get him a CD of the Failing Parachutes music, just to take him down memory lane. Is there any floating about that you know of?

    Cheers

    Brett

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