Forward Into the Past

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)

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.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide[1]
The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide[2]

Track listing

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Side one

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  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

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  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

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  1. "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger"

Side four

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  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

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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

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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

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  • 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

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  • ^ 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.