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.

Forward Into the Past
Greatest hits album by
Released1976
GenreComedy
Length105:57
LabelColumbia
ProducerSee individual track listings
The Firesign Theatre chronology
In the Next World, You're on Your Own
(1975)
Forward Into the Past
(1976)
Just Folks . . . A Firesign Chat
(1977)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide[1]
The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide[2]

Track listing

edit

Side one

edit
  1. "Station Break"
  2. "Happy Hour News"
  3. "Ralph Spoilsport Motors"
  4. "Beat The Reaper"
  5. "Let's Eat"
  6. "High School Madness"

Side two

edit
  1. "Toad Away"
  2. "Not Quite The Solution He Expected"
  3. "Joe Beets Meets Hemlock Stones"
  4. "W.C. Fields Forever"
  5. "Dr. Whiplash"

Side three

edit
  1. "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger"

Side four

edit
  1. "Back From The Shadows"
  2. "Mr. President"
  3. "Papoon For President"
  4. "Government Training Film"
  5. "Mark Time"
  6. "Forward Into The Past"

[3]

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.