Ben Folds Five (CD) ~ Ben Folds Five (Artist) Cover Art

Ben Folds Five (CD)

By: Ben Folds Five (Artist)

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Ben Folds Artist Snapshot:

North Carolina's Ben Folds Five flouted convention at every turn; for starters, they were a trio, not a quintet. And for an (initially) indie pop-rock band, the absence of guitar (leader Folds was a singer/pianist) was an anomaly. The band's mix of catchy popcraft and offbeat, light-hearted lyrical content. After breaking through to the majors with two late-'90s albums, Folds dismantled the band and continued as a solo artist, scoring a big hit in 2001 with the characteristically quirky "Rockin' the Suburbs." Folds would continue to release crisp pop records sporadically throughout the '00s, while remaining a tremendous concert draw. Along the way, he would produce the long-awaited album by William Shatner.

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Track Listing

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DISC 1 for Ben Folds Five (CD) Album By Ben Folds Five (Artist)
1   Jackson Cannery
2   Philosophy
3   Julianne
4   Where's Summer B.?
5   Alice Childress
6   Underground
7   Sports & Wine
8   Uncle Walter
9   Best Imitation Of Myself
10   Video
11   Last Polka, The
12   Boxing
 

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Review

Rolling Stone (10/5/95, p.69) - 3 Stars - Good - "...a truly formidable talent, brimming over with melodic gifts...pop bliss in a jaunty piano-bass-drums package..."
Entertainment Weekly (7/28/95, p.62) - "...favors the early-70s blue-eyed soul of Todd Rundgren and Elton John. Even if they are sometimes derivative, their energy and earnest charm will win you over." - Rating: B+
Option (1-2/96, p.92) - "...Folds stretches the tension between the band's uniqueness and mimicry to the breaking point. This is the oddest and most impressive pop debut of the year..."
Melody Maker (6/8/96, p.48) - Recommended - "...three undernourished dudes from North Carolina whose line-up is distinguished by its absolute lack of electric, or even acoustic, guitars....Imagine a world where it's OK to admit to adoring `schlocky bullshit pop'....BEN FOLDS FIVE lays down a luminescent cartoon rug into that world..."
Village Voice (2/20/96) - Ranked #36 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll.
NME (Magazine) (4/27/96, p.53) - 9 (out of 10) - "...playing songs that have more in common with Gershwin than Cobain...[Ben Folds Five] is slacker culture with good whisky instead of bad drugs....crammed full of genius moments..."

Title Note

Ben Folds Five: Ben Folds (vocals, piano); Robert Sledge (bass); Darren Jessee (drums).

Additional personnel: Ted Ehrhard (violin, viola); Chris Eubanks (cello).

Recorded at Wave Castle, North Carolina in February 1995.

All songs written by Ben Folds except "Where's Summer B.?" (Ben Folds/Darren Jessee), "Alice Childress" and "The Last Polka" (Ben Folds/Anna Goodman).

In the mid-1990s, while legions of angst-ridden, guitar-brandishing alternative-rock groups were riding the post-Nirvana wave of success, North Carolina's Ben Folds Five quietly released its self-titled debut, which featured very little angst and no guitars. Cheeky even in name (the ensemble is actually a trio), the band presents a highly melodic fully formed sound, with Ben Folds's emotive vocals, witty lyrics, and energetic piano playing coasting gleefully over the rhythms of bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee.

While Joe Jackson, Randy Newman, Elton John, and other like-minded performers are immediately clear as influences, Folds establishes his own identity with a quirky indie-rock aesthetic, whether he's offering up odes to production lines (the buoyant "Jackson Cannery"), anti-love songs (the gleeful "Julianne"), or eccentric character sketches (the lively "Uncle Walter"). BEN FOLDS FIVE's crowning moment, however, is the infectious, falsetto-laden "Underground," which skewers the college-rock scene with smarts and killer songcraft. For fans of Folds--and melodic, piano-driven pop in general--this record is essential.

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