The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective

The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective
Compilation album by Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five
Released October 11, 2011
Genre Alternative rock
Label Legacy Records
Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five chronology
Lonely Avenue
(2010)		 The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective
(2011)		 Fifty-Five Vault
(2011)
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The Tune [1]

The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Ben Folds and his alternative rock trio Ben Folds Five, released in the United States of America on October 11, 2011 by Legacy Records.[2] The title comes from a song from their 1995 self-titled debut album.

The standard-edition album contains 17 popular songs from the band's discography and Folds' subsequent solo career, as well as the new Ben Folds Five single "House", which debuted on the website for the NBC competition show The Sing-Off,[3] on which Folds is a judge.

An expanded edition includes 43 additional tracks over three discs, including two more new songs from Ben Folds Five recorded in 2011. Folds also made available through his website the additional album Fifty-Five Vault, a 56-track collection of rarities. A five-track sampler from this album, Free Folds Five, was included with digital copies of The Best Imitation of Myself.

Contents

Track listing

Disc 1

All songs written and composed by Ben Folds, except where noted. 

Standard Edition
No. Title Lyrics Length
1. "Brick (Radio Mix)"   Folds, Darren Jessee 4:43
2. "Annie Waits"     4:17
3. "Philosophy"     4:36
4. "Underground"     4:11
5. "Landed (Strings Version)"     4:28
6. "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces"     3:52
7. "Don't Change Your Plans"     5:11
8. "The Luckiest"     4:44
9. "Smoke (with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra) (Perth, AU 2005)"     5:33
10. "Rockin' the Suburbs"     5:00
11. "Kate"   Folds, Jessee, Anna Goodman 3:14
12. "Gracie"     2:40
13. "Still Fighting It (Extended Version)"     5:06
14. "You Don't Know Me (featuring Regina Spektor)"     3:12
15. "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You"     4:11
16. "Still"     2:38
17. "From Above (with Nick Hornby)"   Folds, Hornby 4:04
18. "House"     3:43

Disc 2

Live 1997-2011
No. Title Length
1. "Julianne (with Ben Folds Five)"    
2. "Video (with Ben Folds Five, recorded at Studion in Stockholm, Sweden on March 12, 1997)"    
3. "Song for The Dumped (with Ben Folds Five, recorded for Hard Rock Café Live television program on June 12, 1998)"    
4. "Missing the War (with Ben Folds Five)"    
5. "Mess (with Ben Folds Five)"    
6. "Magic (with Ben Folds Five, recorded at Royal Albert Hall in London, UK on December 14, 1999)"    
7. "Selfless, Cold and Composed (Recorded at Bowery Ballroom in New York, NY on December 9, 2001)"    
8. "Zak and Sara"    
9. "Girl (Recorded at Roseland Ballroom in New York, NY on June 13, 2002)"    
10. "Just Pretend (with the Bens, recorded at Palais Theatre in Melbourne, Australia on March 24, 2003)"    
11. "Fred Jones Part 2 (with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, recorded at Kings Park in Perth, Australia on March 12 & 13 2005)"    
12. "Careless Whisper (George Michael cover, featuring Rufus Wainwright, recorded at Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA on August 24, 2005)"    
13. "All U Can Eat (recorded at Ben's Studio in Nashville, TN on October 24, 2006)"    
14. "Long Tall Texan (recorded at the Warehouse in Houston, TX on October 24, 2008)"    
15. "Army (with Ben Folds Five)"    
16. "Battle of Who Could Care Less (with Ben Folds Five, recorded at UNC Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill on September 18, 2008 for the MySpace "Front to Back" series)"    
17. "Kylie from Connecticut (recorded at the State Theatre, Detroit, MI on October 9, 2008)"    
18. "Effington (recorded at Ax Hall, Seoul, South Korea on June 9, 2011)"    
19. "Picture Window (recorded at HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London, UK on February 20, 2011)"    
20. "Sentimental Guy (recorded at A.E.C. Theatre in Adelaide, Australia on May 22, 2011)"    
21. "Not the Same (recorded at A.E.C. Theatre in Adelaide, Australia on May 22, 2011)"    

Disc 3

Rarities 1991-2011
No. Title Length
1. "Unrelated (Unfinished Song Demo - 1996)"    
2. "Best Imitation of Myself (Demo - 1992)"    
3. "Rocky (4 Track Home Demo – 1993)"    
4. "Boxing (Demo - 1992)"    
5. "Julianne (with Ben Folds Five) (Unreleased 1st Album - 1994)"    
6. "Evaporated (with Ben Folds Five) (Unreleased 1st Album - 1994)"    
7. "Alice Childress (with Ben Folds Five)"    
8. "Barrytown (Steely Dan cover, with Ben Folds Five)"    
9. "Amelia Bright (with Ben Folds Five)"    
10. "Tell Me What I Did (with Ben Folds Five, new track - 2011)"    
11. "Rock Star (Demo - 2000)"    
12. "Losing Lisa (Demo - 2000)"    
13. "Break Up at Food Court (Demo - 2000)"    
14. "Hiro's Song (Demo - 2000)"    
15. "Wandering (Demo - 2000)"    
16. "The Secret Life of Morgan Davis (Alternate Mix - 2001)"    
17. "Such Great Heights (Alternate Mix from MySpace sessions - 2006)"    
18. "Bitches Aint Shit (Dr. Dre cover)"    
19. "Time (Alternate Version - 2004)"    
20. "Sleazy (Ke$ha cover)"    
21. "Because the Origami (with 8in8 - Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman and Damian Kulash)"    
22. "Stumblin’ Home Winter Blues (with Ben Folds Five, new track - 2011)"    

Free Folds Five

No. Title Length
1. "Underground (Demo, 1992)"    
2. "Steven’s Last Night in Town (Demo, 1994)"    
3. "Song for the Dumped (Demo, 1994)"    
4. "Narcolepsy (with Ben Folds Five) (Recorded live on 11/21/99, Brussels, Belgium)"    
5. "Dr. Yang (Recorded live on 11/23/08, Leuven, Belgium)"    

References

  1. ^ "The Tune review". http://www.the-tune.net/review-ben-folds-the-best-imitation-of-myself-a-retrospective/. 
  2. ^ http://benfolds.com/news/details-upcoming-retrospective-album-announced
  3. ^ http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/about/benfolds.shtml

External links

Ben Folds
Studio albums
Other albums
EPs
Special B-Sides • Speed Graphic • Sunny 16 • Super D • Live at Tower Records
Singles
"Rockin' the Suburbs" • "Still Fighting It" • "Tiny Dancer" • "Adelaide" • "Bitches Ain't Shit" • "Landed" • "Jesusland" • "Bastard" • "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)" • "You Don't Know Me" • "From Above" • "Saskia Hamilton"
DVDs
Related articles
Ben Folds Five
Studio albums
Compilation & Rarities albums
Singles
"Jackson Cannery" • "Underground" • "Where's Summer B.?" • "Philosophy" • "Uncle Walter" • "Battle of Who Could Care Less" • "Kate" • "One Angry Dwarf & 200 Solemn Faces" • "Brick" • "Song for the Dumped" • "Army" • "Don't Change Your Plans"
DVDs & Videos
Related articles