Forward Into the Past
| Forward Into the Past | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 1976 | |||
| Genre | Comedy | |||
| Length | 105:57 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | See individual track listings | |||
| The Firesign Theatre chronology | ||||
| ||||
Forward Into the Past is a 1976 compilation album by the Firesign Theatre. It presents the "Greatest Hits" from their nine Columbia albums and includes two tracks that were previously released only on a single.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The New Rolling Stone Record Guide |  [1] |
| The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide |  [2] |
Track listing[edit]
Side one[edit]
- "Station Break"
- Released as a single - November 1969
- Produced by James William Guercio
- "Happy Hour News"
- From the album Everything You Know Is Wrong - October 1974
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "Ralph Spoilsport Motors"
- From the album How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All - July 1969
- Produced by Cyrus Faryar
- "Beat The Reaper"
- From the album Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him - January 1968
- Produced by Gary Usher and The Firesign Theatre
- "Let's Eat"
- From the album Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers - July 1970
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre with Bill Driml
- "High School Madness"
- From the album Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers - July 1970
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre with Bill Driml
Side two[edit]
- "Toad Away"
- From the album Dear Friends - January 1972
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "Not Quite The Solution He Expected"
- From the album The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra - January 1974
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "Joe Beets Meets Hemlock Stones"
- From the album The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra - January 1974
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "W.C. Fields Forever"
- From the album Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him - January 1968
- Produced by Gary Usher and The Firesign Theatre
- "Dr. Whiplash"
- From the album Dear Friends - January 1972
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
Side three[edit]
- "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger"
- From the album How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All - July 1969
- Produced by Cyrus Faryar
Side four[edit]
- "Back From The Shadows"
- From the album I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus - August 1971
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "Mr. President"
- From the album I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus - August 1971
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "Papoon For President"
- From the album Not Insane or Anything You Want To - October 1972
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "Government Training Film"
- From the album Everything You Know Is Wrong - October 1974
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "Mark Time"
- From the album Dear Friends - January 1972
- Produced by The Firesign Theatre
- "Forward Into The Past"
- Released as a single - November 1969
- Produced by James William Guercio
Critical reception[edit]
Most fan sites agree that this album is a good place to start for someone who has never heard of The Firesign Theatre. The New Rolling Stone Record Guide claims that this album was "brilliantly selected and programmed" (175)[4] while The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide offers no comment beyond its 2 star marking.
Release history[edit]
Forward Into The Past was released only as a double album.
Columbia PG-34391
This album was never released on CD. Instead, in 1993 a new collection was put together under the title Shoes for Industry: The Best of the Firesign Theatre and was released by Sony/Legacy. Shoes contains most of the same tracks as Forward Into The Past but also takes advantage of the greater running time available on a Compact Disc in order to add more tracks. Shoes also includes tracks which members of the group had released on their various "solo" projects.
External sources[edit]
- Firesign Theatre. Forward Into The Past. Columbia Records, 1976.
- Firesign Theatre. Firesign Theatre. February 9, 2006 http://www.firesigntheatre.com/.
- "Firezine: Linques!." Firesign Theatre FAQ. February 10, 2006 http://firezine.net/faq/.
- Marsh, Dave, and Greil Marcus. "The Firesign Theatre." The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Ed. Dave Marsh and John Swenson. New York: Random House, 1983. 175-176.
- Smith, Ronald L. The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide. Iola: Krause, 1996. 124-127.
Citations[edit]
- ^ Marsh, Dave, and Greil Marcus. "The Firesign Theatre." The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Ed. Dave Marsh and John Swenson. New York: Random House, 1983. 175-176.
- ^ Smith, Ronald L. The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide. Iola: Krause, 1996. 124-127.
- ^ Firesign Theatre. Forward Into The Past. Columbia Records, 1976.
