Ben Folds Five (album)

Ben Folds Five
Studio album by Ben Folds Five
Released August 8, 1995
Recorded Wave Castle, North Carolina, February 1995
Genre Alternative rock
Length 46:14
Label Passenger
Producer Caleb Southern
Ben Folds Five chronology

Ben Folds Five
(1995)		 Whatever and Ever Amen
(1997)
Singles from Ben Folds Five
  1. "Jackson Cannery"
    Released: 1995
  2. "Underground"
    Released: April 8,1996
  3. "Where's Summer B.?"
    Released: June 7, 1996
  4. "Philosophy"
    Released: 1996
  5. "Uncle Walter"
    Released: 1996

Ben Folds Five is the self-titled debut album by Ben Folds Five, released in 1995. A non-traditional rock album, it featured an innovative indie-pop sound, and excluded lead guitars completely.[1] The album was released on the small independent label Passenger Records, owned by Caroline Records, a subsidiary of Virgin/EMI. Ben Folds Five received positive reviews, and spawned five singles. The record failed to chart, but sparked an intense bidding war eventually won by Sony Music.[2] Several live versions of songs originally released on Ben Folds Five reappeared later as b-sides or on compilations.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Chicago Tribune [3]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [4]
Melody Maker June 8, 1996, p. 48
NME (9/10) April 27, 1996, p. 53
Option January, 1996, p. 92
Pitchfork Media (9.6/10) [5]
Robert Christgau [6]
Rolling Stone [7]
The Village Voice February 20, 1996

The album received positive reviews from NME, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Entertainment Weekly. Allmusic gave Ben Folds Five 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a potent, and extremely fun collection of postmodern rock ditties that comes off as a pleasantly workable combination of Tin Pan Alley showmanship, Todd Rundgren-style power pop, and myriad alt-rock sensibilities."[1]

Track listing

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

No. TitleLyrics Length
1. "Jackson Cannery"    3:23
2. "Philosophy"    4:36
3. "Julianne"    2:30
4. "Where's Summer B.?"  Folds, Darren Jessee 4:07
5. "Alice Childress"  Folds, Anna Goodman 4:34
6. "Underground"    4:11
7. "Sports & Wine"    2:58
8. "Uncle Walter"    3:51
9. "Best Imitation of Myself"    2:38
10. "Video"    4:07
11. "The Last Polka"  Folds, Anna Goodman 4:34
12. "Boxing"    4:45

Personnel

Production

Charts

Peak positions

Chart Position
Australian ARIA Albums Chart[8] 37
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart[9] 72

Certifications

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Region Certification
Japan (RIAJ)[10] Gold


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Gallucci, Michael. Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five at AllMusic. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  2. ↑ Kurutz, Steve. Ben Folds Five at AllMusic. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  3. ↑ Stewart, Allison (30 November 1995). "Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five (Caroline)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  4. ↑ Mirkin, Steven (28 July 1995). "Ben Folds Five Review". Entertainment Weekly. p. 62. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  5. ↑ Schreiber, Ryan. "Ben Folds Five: Ben Folds Five". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 11 March 2000. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Ben Folds Five". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  7. ↑ Cohe, Jason (5 October 1995). "Ben Folds: Ben Folds Five : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "australian-charts.com Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five" (ASP). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
  9. ↑ "ベン・フォールズ・ファイヴ-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of Ben Folds Five by Ben Folds Five]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
  10. ↑ "RIAJ > The Record > May 1997 > Certified Awards (March 1997)". Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2014-02-02.