Forward into the Past

Forward Into The Past
Compilation album by The Firesign Theatre
Released	1976
Genre	Comedy
Length	105:57
Label	Columbia
Producer	See individual track listings
Professional reviews
The reviews parameter has been deprecated. Please move reviews into the “Reception” section of the article. See Moving reviews into article space. The New Rolling Stone Record Guide [1] The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide [2]
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)

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.

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Side one 1.2 Side two 1.3 Side three 1.4 Side four 2 Critical reception 3 Issues and reissues 4 External sources 5 Citations

Track listing

Side one

1. "Station Break"
   • Released as a single - November 1969
   • Produced by James William Guercio
2. "Happy Hour News"
   • From the album Everything You Know Is Wrong - October 1974
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
3. "Ralph Spoilport 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
4. "Beat The Reaper"
   • From the album Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him - January 1968
   • Produced by Gary Usher and The Firesign Theatre
5. "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
6. "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

1. "Toad Away"
   • From the album Dear Friends - January 1972
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
2. "Not Quite The Solution He Expected"
   • From the album The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra - January 1974
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
3. "Joe Beets Meets Hemlock Stones"
   • From the album The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra - January 1974
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
4. "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
5. "Dr. Whiplash"
   • From the album Dear Friends - January 1972
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre

Side three

1. "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

1. "Back From The Shadows"
   • From the album I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus - August 1971
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
2. "Mr. President"
   • From the album I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus - August 1971
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
3. "Papoon For President"
   • From the album Not Insane or Anything You Want To - October 1972
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
4. "Government Training Film"
   • From the album Everything You Know Is Wrong - October 1974
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
5. "Mark Time"
   • From the album Dear Friends - January 1972
   • Produced by The Firesign Theatre
6. "Forward Into The Past"
   • Released as a single - November 1969
   • Produced by James William Guercio

^[3]

Critical reception

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.

Issues and reissues

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

• Firesign Theatre. Forward Into The Past. Columbia Records, 1976.
• Firesign Theatre. Firesign Theatre. 09 Feb. 2006 <http://www.firesigntheatre.com/>.
• "FIREZINE: Linques!." Firesign Theatre FAQ. 10 February. 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

• ^ 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.

The Firesign Theatre   Performers Phil Austin · Peter Bergman · David Ossman · Philip Proctor   Albums Commercial Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him · How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All · Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers · I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus · Dear Friends · Not Insane or Anything You Want To · The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra · Everything You Know Is Wrong · In the Next World, You're on Your Own · Forward into the Past · Just Folks . . . A Firesign Chat · Nick Danger: The Case of the Missing Shoe · Fighting Clowns · Lawyer's Hospital · Shakespeare's Lost Comedie · The Three Faces of Al · Eat or Be Eaten · Shoes for Industry: The Best of Firesign Theatre · Anythynge You Want To · Back from the Shadows · Pink Hotel Burns Down · Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death · Boom Dot Bust · Bride of Firesign · Radio Now Live! · Papoon For President · All Things Firesign Non-commercial Dear Friends - Syndicated Radio Program · A Firesign Chat with Papoon · Let’s Eat - Syndicated Radio Program · The Proctor-Bergman Report · The Cassette Chronichles Related TV or not TV · How Time Flys · Roller Maidens From Outer Space · What This Country Needs · Give Us a Break · Daily Feed 1988 Newsreel - The Daily Feed · The George Tirebiter Story Chapter 1: Another Christmas Carol · George Tirebiter's Radiodaze · The George Tirebiter Story Pt.2 Mexican Overdrive / Radiodaze · A Capital Decade Daily Feed 1989 Newsreel - The Daily Feed · The George Tirebiter Story Pt.3 The Ronald Reagan Murder Case · Down Under Danger · Tales Of The Old Detective And Other Big Fat Lies · David Ossman's Time Capsules   Bibliography The Firesign Theatre's Big Book Of Plays · The Firesign Theatre's Big Mystery Joke Book · The Apocalypse Papers, a Fiction by The Firesign Theatre · Backwards Into The Future: The Recorded History of the Firesign Theatre