| Product Summary | | Label: Passenger | | UPC: 00017046950121 | | Release Date: 7/25/1995 | | Buy.com Sku: 60041401 | | Item#: M4FVFQ | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 24730 | Format:  CD |
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| Song Listing |  |
Disc 1
| | Song Title | Sample | | 1. Jackson Cannery ~ Ben Folds Five |  | | 2. Philosophy ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 3. Julianne ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 4. Where's Summer B.? ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 5. Alice Childress ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 6. Underground ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 7. Sports & Wine ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 8. Uncle Walter ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 9. Best Imitation Of Myself ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 10. Video ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 11. Last Polka, The ~ Ben Folds Five | | | 12. Boxing ~ Ben Folds Five | |
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| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | 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. |
| | Artist Overview | | 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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| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 07/25/1995 | | Original Release Date : 1995 | | Catalog ID : 9501 | | Label : Passenger Records | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00017046950121 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | 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..." |
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