It presents the "Greatest Hits" from their nine Columbia albums and includes two tracks that were previously released only on a single.

[3] Most fan sites agree that this album is a good place to start for someone who has never heard of The Firesign Theatre.

The New Rolling Stone Record Guide claims that this album was "brilliantly selected and programmed" (175)[4] while The Goldmine Comedy Record Price Guide offers no comment beyond its 2 star marking.

Instead, in 1993 a new collection was put together under the title Shoes for Industry: The Best of the Firesign Theatre and was released by Sony/Legacy.

Shoes also includes tracks which members of the group had released on their various "solo" projects.