Ben Folds Five – Ben Folds Five (2xLP, 30th Anniversary Edition)

Ben Folds Five's Ben Folds Five arrived in 1995 as the Chapel Hill trio's debut, and it still sounds like a sly alternative to the guitar-heavy mid-'90s rock around it. With just piano, bass and drums, the band built a fast, funny, sharp-edged kind of power pop that helped the record stand out early on, from the sarcastic rush of "Underground" to the punchy hooks of "Jackson Cannery" and "Philosophy."

What makes this 30th anniversary edition especially appealing is that it treats the album as a beginning rather than a fixed monument. The newly remastered original LP is paired with the long-shelved first attempt at the album, recently rediscovered by Ben Folds on digital audio tape in his personal archive. Produced by Dave "Stiff" Johnson, that bonus disc opens a genuine window onto the band's early shape, with alternate versions of album songs, an early take on "Evaporated," and rare outtakes including "Emaline," "Dick Holster" and "Eddie Walker."

For anyone who knows Ben Folds Five mainly through later records, this set is a useful reminder of how fully formed the trio already was: big melodies, quick wit and restless musicianship, all packed into a debut that helped push them well beyond local-band status.

Features

• 2xLP, 33RPM, 180g, Black Vinyl, 30th Anniversary Edition
• LP1 newly remastered original album
• LP2 features the previously unreleased "Shelved First Attempt" early version of the album
• Expanded liner notes and photos

Reviews

• a potent, and extremely fun, collection of postmodern rock ditties - AllMusic.com