The Three Faces of Al
Encyclopedia
The Three Faces of Al is a 1984 comedy album by the group Firesign Theatre.
It features the group members reprising their most popular characters from earlier collaborations, notably hard-boiled detective Nick Danger
and his nemesis, Lieutenant Bradshaw.
A recurring theme in previous albums was Danger insulting Bradshaw by forgetting his current rank, referring to him as Sergeant
Bradshaw, when Bradshaw had been promoted to Lieutenant
. In this album Bradshaw is the District Attorney, but Danger still refers to him by his police rank.
In earlier albums the characters refer to the "Anselma Pederasty
" case. Even though this album occurs years later than the other albums, it is about that case, but Anselma Pederazy is a mob boss
. The case was not actually about pederasty.
David Ossman does not appear on the album, having already left the group. Ossman would return for good in 1998, on the album Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death
.
The initial release on Rhino Records was at the dawn of compact disc
s, and was among or possibly the first comedy CD issued by any record company. The CD wasn't produced in very large quantities, however, and after it went out of print it became something of a collector's item for many years. The album was finally reissued on CD in 2008 as part of the Firesign Theatre's Nick Danger box set, "Box of Danger" on the Shout! Factory
label.
It features the group members reprising their most popular characters from earlier collaborations, notably hard-boiled detective Nick Danger
Nick Danger (fictional character)
Nick Danger is a fictional character featured in several of the albums produced by the comedy group The Firesign Theatre: How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All , Nick Danger: The Case of the Missing Shoe , The Three Faces of Al and The Bride of Firesign .Voiced by...
and his nemesis, Lieutenant Bradshaw.
A recurring theme in previous albums was Danger insulting Bradshaw by forgetting his current rank, referring to him as Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Bradshaw, when Bradshaw had been promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. In this album Bradshaw is the District Attorney, but Danger still refers to him by his police rank.
In earlier albums the characters refer to the "Anselma Pederasty
Pederasty
Pederasty or paederasty is an intimate relationship between an adult and an adolescent boy outside his immediate family. The word pederasty derives from Greek "love of boys", a compound derived from "child, boy" and "lover".Historically, pederasty has existed as a variety of customs and...
" case. Even though this album occurs years later than the other albums, it is about that case, but Anselma Pederazy is a mob boss
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. The case was not actually about pederasty.
David Ossman does not appear on the album, having already left the group. Ossman would return for good in 1998, on the album Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death
Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death
Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death is a comedy album by The Firesign Theatre that was released in 1998 on Rhino Records.-Synopsis:The album takes the form of a fictional radio broadcast on the night of December 31, 1999...
.
The initial release on Rhino Records was at the dawn of compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s, and was among or possibly the first comedy CD issued by any record company. The CD wasn't produced in very large quantities, however, and after it went out of print it became something of a collector's item for many years. The album was finally reissued on CD in 2008 as part of the Firesign Theatre's Nick Danger box set, "Box of Danger" on the Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
label.