''The Last of the Big Time Suspenders'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

by the Canadian

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band

SNFU SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band formed in Edmonton in 1981, relocated to Vancouver in 1992, and disbanded in 2018. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation amid many lineup changes and several temporary breakups. ...

. The album is composed of live recordings, demos, compilation and EP tracks, and studio outtakes. It was released in 1991, two years after SNFU's first breakup, to satisfy the band's two-album contract with Cargo Records.''Open Your Mouth and Say...Mr. Chi Pig''

Film, Dir: Sean Patrick Shaul, 2010. The group reformed to tour behind the album, leading to a full reunion. Chris Walter (author), Chris Walter. ''...What No One Else Wanted to Say''. Vancouver: GFY Press, 2014 (second edition), pg. 119.

Background

SNFU signed a two-record deal with the new Canadian imprint Cargo Records in 1988. After the release of ''

Better Than a Stick in the Eye ''Better Than a Stick in the Eye'' is the third album by Canadian hardcore punk band SNFU. The album was released in 1988 by Cargo Records. It marked a return to a direct and unadorned sound following its comparatively experimental predecessor, ...

'', their Cargo debut, the group disbanded due to exhaustion and disagreements. Members

Brent Belke Brent Belke (born February 1, 1965 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian guitarist and composer. After playing in the punk and alternative rock bands SNFU and The Wheat Chiefs between 1981 and 1998, Belke began a career composing music for film a ...

Marc Belke Marc Belke (born February 1, 1965 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian musician and former radio personality. He played guitar in the punk and alternative rock bands SNFU and The Wheat Chiefs, and sang lead vocals in the latter. He was later an ...

, and

Curtis Creager Curtis Creager (born in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States) is an American-Canadian bass guitarist, best known as a former member of the punk rock band SNFU and alternative rock band the Wheat Chiefs. Career Relocated to Edmonton, Alberta, ...

formed the new group the

Wheat Chiefs Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeological ...

. Singer

Ken Chinn Kendall Steven Chinn (October 19, 1962 – July 16, 2020), known under the stage name Mr. Chi Pig, was a Canadian punk rock vocalist and artist born in Edmonton and long residing in Vancouver. He fronted the hardcore punk band SNFU from 1981 unt ...

relocated from

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

and led the new bands The Wongs and Little Joe, while drummer Ted Simm returned to his home of

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. In April 1991, Cargo owner Randy Boyd contacted Chinn about the second album that SNFU owed the label. Chinn suggested combining a recording of one of their final concerts, held at the Polish Hall in Edmonton in September 1989, with additional studio tracks culled from several sources.Walter 112 Cecil English, with whom the band had worked on ''Better Than a Stick in the Eye'', was brought on to produce the compilation sessions. Chinn also drew the album cover art. Tracks 1 through 7 are live tracks taken from the 1989 Polish Hall concert. Studio recordings of the songs "Cannibal Cafe" and "I'm Real Scared" first appeared on their 1985 debut album, '' ...And No One Else Wanted to Play''. "Gimme Some Water" was written and originally recorded by

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including "Baby Hold On", "Two Tickets to Parad ...

. A studio recording of "Beautiful, Unlike You and I" was later released as a 7" single in 1993. Another version of "I Know More than You" was recorded in 1992 and released on the 2019 ''...And Yet, Another Pair of Lost Suspenders'' live album. The remaining two live tracks are unique to this recording. The remaining six tracks were taken from studio sessions. Track 8, "The Electric Chair", is a demo version of a song from the band's second album, ''

If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish ''If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish'' is the second full-length album by the Canadian hardcore punk band SNFU. It was recorded in April 1986 at Power Zone Studio in Edmonton, Alberta—although the album's liner notes claim the studio is located ...

'', recorded at Technical Difficulties Studio in Edmonton in early 1986. Tracks 9 and 10 are taken from a 1986 studio recording session at Power Zone Studio in Edmonton. "Visiting the Bad Again" was originally featured on ''Thrasher Skate Rock 5: Born to Skate'' issued by ''

Thrasher Thrashers are a New World group of perching bird, passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the family (biology), family Mimidae. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genus, genera. T ...

'' magazine in 1987. "She's Not on the Menu" is a re-arranged and re-recorded version of a song from ''...And No One Else Wanted to Play'' that had previously been the A-side of an eponymous, self-released 7". The album concludes with three outtakes from ''Better Than a Stick in the Eye'', recorded in June 1988 with English at Profile Studios,

. "Wonder What They're Thinking" is a cover of a song originally by the Canadian punk band Personality Crisis. "Grunt, Groan, Rant and Rave!" is a re-recording of a song initially issued on the ''It Came From Inner Space'' compilation LP on Rubber Records in 1983.

Release

The album was released in mid-1991. Promoter James Mclean approached Chinn in September with the possibility of booking an SNFU tour to support the new record. Chinn contacted guitarists

Marc Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

and

, who agreed to the tour. They re-enlisted bassist

and drummer

Jon Card Jon Card (born December 11, 1960) Chris Walter. ''...What No One Else Wanted to Say''. Vancouver: GFY Press, 2012, pp. 59 is a German-Canadian drummer. He has played in the punk rock bands Personality Crisis, SNFU, D.O.A., and The Subhumans. ...

, and booked a two-and-a-half-month tour beginning in late 1991 and ending in early 1992. The tour was successful, drawing the attention of

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...

owner

Brett Gurewitz Brett W. Gurewitz (born May 12, 1962), nicknamed Mr. Brett, is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and a number of sister labels. He has produced albums f ...

Walter 116 who would later sign the band to a three-record deal. The band officially decided to reform later in 1992.

Reception

The album was met with a mixed reception from audiences and critics. SNFU biographer Chris Walter (author), Chris Walter notes that the live tracks are of poor quality, but nonetheless showcase the band in fine form. Writing a retrospective review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, critic Vincent Jeffries awards the album two-and-a-half out of five stars and writes that "only the most serious of SNFU fans need to check out the slightly muddled live mixes and unspectacular B-sides" contained on the album.

Track listing

All songs written by

unless noted otherwise.

Band members

* Mr. Chi Pig (

) – vocals * Muc (

) – guitar * Brent (

) – guitar * Curt (

) – bass guitar (tracks 1–7, 11–13) * Ted Simm – drums (track 1–7, 9–13) * Dave Bacon – bass guitar (tracks 8–10) *

– drums (track 8)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Of The Big Time Suspenders, The 1991 compilation albums SNFU albums