Dear Friends
This was my first real exposure to Firesign Theatre, and it’s still my favorite. In a way, though, it is a very misleading first date with these clowns, as it is a Pythonesque collection of improvised sketch comedy rather than the longform, very concentrated scripted comedy which is more common for the Firesigns. But if nothing else, Dear Friends demonstrates that the fellows may have missed their calling - their improvisational skills are to the fore on this album, and the shortness of the chunks of material is welcome. I can’t speak highly enough for this wonderful morsel of insanity.
written by and starring Phil Austin, Peter Bergman, Phil Proctor and David Ossman
- Toad Away (3:20)
- Sodom and Jubilee (3:15)
- Freezing Mr. Foster (2:38)
- I Was a Cock-Teaser for Roosterama! (3:05)
- Deputy Dan Has No Friends (2:28)
- The Someday Funnies (1:56)
- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Inquisition (1:40)
- The T.B. Guide (5:54)
- 40 Great Unclaimed Melodies! (2:27)
- The Chinchilla Show (2:39)
- Live from the Senate Bar (if you call that living!) (2:55)
- Minority Street (1:11)
- Dr. Whiplash (3:24)
- Echo Poem (2:02)
- The Small Animal Administration (1:54)
- The Giant Toad (1:04)
- The T.V. Glide (3:34)
- Balliol Bros. (0:45)
- Poop’s Principles (2:29)
- International Youth-Sex on Parade (1:40)
- Brickbreaking (2:04)
- Coal! (3:03)
- Duke of Madness Motors (1:24)
- Mark Time! (3:54)
- Driving for Dopers (4:31)
- Praise the Hoove! (2:23)
- Bob’s Brazerko Lounge (0:59)
- $100.00 Ben (3:21)
- Sleep… (1:09)
Released by: Mobile Fidelity
Release date: 1971
Total running time: 73:08
This absurdly complete six-CD box set is the ideal gift for any Pythonaholics like myself who have everything else. Anyone who’s that far gone might have everything in this collection anyway, but then again you never know. For the first time on CD that I can recall, this box includes the soundtrack albums from The Meaning of Life (my favorite Python feature) and The Life of Brian, as well as lots of other material that has been available on disc for a long time. It also includes the Holy Grail soundtrack and the complete sketch albums Another Monty Python Record, Monty Python’s Previous Record, Live at Drury Lane, Monty Pyhton’s Matching Tie & Handkerchief and Contractual Obligation Album. However, if you do happen to have any previous CD compilation albums such as The Final Rip-Off or Instant Record Collection, you may wish to hang on to them even if you get this set. All of the albums in the box are broken down only by their vinyl “sides” - track 1 is side one, track 2 is side two, track 3 is side one of the next album…so on. I wish these wonderful pillars of silliness could’ve been broken down into some individual cues.
The Brigadier invites the Doctor to the grand opening of the Parakon Corporation’s space-themed amusement park, Space World. The Doctor, expecting to see fabricated exhibits and faked “creatures” on display, is astonished to see what seem to be actual alien life forms from other worlds - clearly, the Parakon Corporation’s reach extends far beyond the Earth. But Lethbridge-Stewart’s interest is fixed upon an unsolved murder on Space World’s grounds. Chairman Freeth and Vice Chairman Tragan, the operators of Space World, are doing their best to cover up the death, even if it means eliminating an employee who knows what really happened. When Sarah Jane Smith - always in search of a story - stows away aboard Tragan’s spacecraft, the Doctor, the Brigadier, and Sarah’s rookie photographer Jeremy embark on a quest to save her - a quest that will lead to a world whose fate hangs in the balance…and whose fortune is steeped in the blood of innocent bystanders.