Customer Reviews

I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

'Bozos" is another in a series of classic albums put out by the Firesign Theatre during their late-60s - '70s heyday. It is the most science-fiction-influenced of their albums and was inspired by the (then) dawn of the computer age and old World's Fairs from the past. Set at the "Future Fair," it presents a very funny re-thinking of the history of Man as viewed through a Disneyland-esque interactive amusement park ride which culminates with a visit to a robotic version of "The President," which our computer-hacker hero promptly de-programs. Power and goverment are very much themes of this album. The lead character's (Phil Proctor) motives are a bit more cloudy than on other Firesign albums, but this does not mar the laugh quotient one bit. Highlights include frequent appearances from the Theme Parks "mascots" (Phil Austin's the Whisperin' Squash, David Ossman's the Lonesome Beet, & Peter Bergman's Artie Choke) and a group of academics' theories of evolution presented to a classroom of bored students. Oh, did I mention that it was really funny? Grab this comedy classic before it goes out of print again (it's just now been re-released after nearly a decade in moratorium) and check out laugh.com for other classic Firesign re-releases like "Everything You Know Is Wrong" and "In the Next World, You're On Your Own").

I don't think I've heard this album from top to bottom in 20 years but barely a week goes by when some line or other from it doesn't pass through my head and often out my mouth without my even realizing the source. Firesign's take on the "Brave New World" future was--like nearly everything they've done--a bit too accurate as prophesy. The world we live in today, from Bush to Wal-Mart to Prozac to what today is the anniversary of, comes straight out of this album and it's a wonder back then that more of us didn't see this as inevitable. This work predates a movie actor as President by many years; Arnold as governor of California was a foregone conclusion to these guys in 1970; Most cable TV and film look like Firesign pieces.

Some smart arse once said that in decadent and declining times the only job left for intelligent people to do is satire. No, this album isn't a laugh riot, and it's not intended to be. It's a very humorous, witty, and often brilliant commentary on the end of an era. This group will be remembered in the distant future as one of the best chroniclers of the Fall.

This album stands as one of the finest audio theatre productions ever and represents a peak in the work of this seminal troup of actor/writer/comedians. Of their early albums, this is the most coherent in the sense that it is one continuous story from start to finish ("Don't Touch That Dwarf..." is too, but not in an obvious way).

All of the Firesign's best work is dense and multi-layered requiring many listenings to get all the jokes and decipher all the plot elements and this album is no exception. Don't let that put you off, though - even the first pass will be funny and fascinating, but unlike most comedy albums the second pass will be funnier and the third even funnier. Although some of the humor is downright silly, much of it makes use of both high- and low-cultural references (often juxtaposing the two for comic effect) in a very artful and literary way. The more you think about it the more of the jokes you'll get.

This record is also a great piece of science-fiction and like the best science-fiction part of the fun is trying to figure out the nature of the world in which the story takes place. Who are the Bozos and what is the Future Fair really? The great thing about the Firesign Theatre is that all their works are open to multiple interpretations.

This album does not reach the manic highs of such masterpieces as "Don't Crush the Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers" and "How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All" (and those of you who are not Firesign Theatre fans are scratching your heads at those titles, or, perhaps, like me, you are intrigued), but it is still a solid effort from the Four or Five Crazee Guys.

The science-fiction element of this album is not overwhelming, so do not be put off by that. The main thing is the humor. Any Firesign album is good for several laughs, and this one is no different. And the best things about their albums is that one is actually rewarded with repeat listenings. New nuances are constantly being discovered. Also, this album is part of a trilogy consisting of the two above albums, so it is interesting to see how the two link together.

Also, the Firesigns are always self-referential, so listening to more of their albums makes one realize that, not unlike Stephen King novels, these actions are all taking place within their own separate consistent universe.

Although, I would not recommend this for someone starting out with the Firesign Theatre (that title goes to "How Can You Be..." above), it is certainly a good third or fourth buy for the newly burgeoning fan.

I think that this is my favorite of all of the Firesign albums, and in my view, one of the most accessible to neophytes, especially in its use of computer and theme-park imagery. They got it a long time before the rest of us did. Many quotable lines ("Mr. President, it's the bees and spiders again!" "Ah-Clem!" "In the beginning, there were hot lumps." "If you push something hard enough, it will fall over." "It goes in, it must come out!" "Live it, or live with it!") And, to whom it may concern, PLEASE put out "Everything You Know is Wrong" on CD!!!

It's about time this classic was released on cd. It's every bit as good as the previous review describes.

Now, where is "Everything You Know is Wrong"? Everything's turning blue!

The wanker at the Village Voice, Robert Christau, who likes to call himself "The Dean Of American Rock Critics", says "This is everything you would expect from the Firesign Theatre except funny..." and gave it a B-. Well, that's a higher grade than I would give him as a critic, and a lower grade than Bozos deserves. One thing I enjoy is Firesign's omniscience in foreseeing just how badly most voice-recognition systems work. Or it may have been actual White House tapes.
While Bozos is not the funniest Firesign Theatre album, it still deserves 5 stars on a scale of 6.

Here's the usual disclaimer: Not everyone likes these albums.
Here are the ones I recommend: How Can You Be In Two Places At Once; Don't Crush That Dwarf; Waiting For The Electrician; The Giant Rat of Sumatra.
But my favorite is I THINK WE'RE ALL BOZOS ON THIS BUS. It's strange and surreal and many people complain "It doesn't make any sense" but for whatever reason, about one in every twenty or one-hundred people find it so fascinating and funny that we listen to it over and over. I've listened to it over and over for about thirty years!
Their best albums are like audio versions of Harvey Kurtzman's MAD comics from 1951-1954. Lots of little subtleties and hidden interests.
Sample it first. And if you like it at all, you'll probably love it.

Many of you may or may not remember Quadraphonic. It means four channel stereo. I use the word stereo because any two adjacent speakers could create the phantom center channel which today is played by the front center speaker in a typical 5.1 set-up.
"Bozos" was available as an SQ encoded record album or a discreet 4 channel 8-track tape. I have both. The SQ does'nt have really useful separation but the tape is awsome; blowing away the stereo version in at least four ways. Yes the hiss ls pretty loud (3.75 inches per second with 8 tracks per quarter inch)but the mix is great. Columbia (sony) should offer this as a 4.0 o 5.1 version but that means someone would have to do some hard work and research. We couldn't have that. Audience too small? Surround sound CD or DVD fizzled out?
The stereo CD is available. After 30 listenings it gets even better.
Good things and peace to you all. Remember Lana Clarkson.
MIKE BRYDALSKI Buffalo New York

I love this FST album. The main reason for my review is to let everyone in on a secret.

Everything You Know is Wrong has been released on CD.
&
The Tale of The Giant Rat of Sumatra
In The Next World, You're On Your Own

Now I just need Firesign Theater 'Chat' and 'The Three Faces of Al' released on CD