Waiting For The Electrician Or Someone Like Him (1968)
Review from amazon.com
"Electrician" is the debut album from the Firesign Theatre and, while (overall) a bit more conventional than their later releases, it is still very funny. It's sort of a notebook
of things to come. The first half of the CD presents looks at the past, present (then, 1968), and future. The Past is a look at the American Indians exploitation by the
Spaniards and Europeans, the Present is a stroll through a hippie commune, and the Future is presented as the counterculture becoming the Mainstream (where everyone
is "groovy"). Okay, a bit quaint and dated, but still real funny... and idealistic (which can't be said for most of today's cynical comedy). The second half is Firesign's first
extended piece which starts out as a Berlitz language tape and transforms into a Kafka-esque trip through a politically volatile and nameless Eastern-European country.
Peter Bergman, Phil Proctor, Phil Austin, & David Ossman all essay several roles each and, indeed, this may be their most impressive (or, at least, most varied) vocal
performance of any of their releases. This title has been out of print for nearly 10 years, so grab one now, you won't regret it. And, check out laugh.com, where the
balance of Firesign's other classics (i.e., "Not Insane," "In the Next World, You're On Your Own") are finally being released on CD for the first time!
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