Forward Into the Past

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 The Firesign Theatre
Released	1976
Genre	Comedy
Length	105:57
Label	Columbia
Producer	See 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
Source	Rating
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide	[1]
The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide	[2]

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 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
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.

Release history

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. 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

• ^ 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.