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Why not the Fighting Clowns?

MaxVonWoodow | Sioux Falls,, South Dakota United States | 04/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Firesign Theatre started out looking to make a name for themselves before they had decided on a name, and The Fighting Clowns was big on the list of possible names for the group. If it hadn't been for the wrestling group, Clowns A'Fighting, which dropped the name, and themselves, out of the wrestling world by trying to relive their Rodeo clown days in professional wrestling rings soon after they notified the Firesign Theatre of their objections to someone using the name or anything like it, the Firesign Theatre would have been named the Fighting Clowns to this day. In other words, after the group's CBS contract expired and CBS dropped comedy artists from its productions in general, there was this material left in the studio some of it dating all the way back to nineteen sixty nine, called the origins of the Fighting Clowns, which was sent to the Firesign Theatre like as if some one were cleaning house and they thought the recorded package, a reel of tape and a rare laser disc, apparently never released to the public, was theirs, which it was. The group was delighted and saddened because, not only did the set contain their effort as a comedy musical group, and their first recorded times together, but also because they realised the record was proof they were more than comedians, they were musicians, and the album Fighting Clowns is their musical. It was recorded on eight track recording equipment and transferred to disc. Most of the album dates back to the days just before the Woodstock Music Festival, which sort of interrupted the group and the release of the album as their first public display of their talents. It would be eleven years before the songs about nuclear war and Ronald Reagan, originally about his term as California Governor, would be combined with brief snippets and odds and ends to make the 22 minutes of the original long enough to make it out of the half hour television series length that would have rivalled the Monkees TV show, planned for another network, at the time, had the Firesign Theatre enough financial support for TV contract insurance. They almost got that money together by selling a house and studio near the Woodstock site where the album was recorded originally. The had to sell the house because the Woodstock film crews had rented it but because of some mix up in communication the house was wired, with underground cable, to relay everything to another recording studio for the Woodstock film and albums, and the crews from that effort made them an offer they couldn't turn down, twice what the property was worth plus college scholarships and jobs in California at a radio station, which led to positions with the Monkees, an invaluable show business experience. Fighting Clowns is not as mysterious as later, now earlier Firesign work, and the theme of a Funway and Four Guys, the Gabs, the 8 Shoes, trying to be funny was repeated in a more science fiction way in the Bozos On This Bus album, but Fighting Clowns should not NOT be in your Firesign collection, because it has that first effort appeal, and lacks the over dubbing that makes Giant Rat of Sumatra, a later earlier album, difficult to interpret. So there you are. When someone asks you for a simpler more direct Firesign Theatre album, I recommend Fighting Clowns. After hearing it, you WILL know why every one is a bozo on this bus. There is even an excellent song, or, TWO, on the album which explains it all. This album will make you wonder why they never did make that TV show they were planning about four funny guys trying to make a living, oh well, at least their goat never butted THIS group of Fighting Clowns out of the wrestling ring."