Ben Folds Five (album)
1995 studio album by Ben Folds Five
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Ben Folds Five is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Ben Folds Five, released on July 25, 1995.[1] A non-traditional rock album, it featured a sound that excluded lead guitars completely.[2] 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. Although it failed to chart, it sparked a bidding war that was eventually won by Sony Music.[3] Several live versions of songs originally released on Ben Folds Five reappeared later as b-sides or on compilations.
| Ben Folds Five | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 25, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | February 1995 | |||
| Studios | Wave Castle, North Carolina | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 46:14 | |||
| Label | Passenger | |||
| Producer | Caleb Southern | |||
| Ben Folds Five chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Ben Folds Five | ||||
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In September 2026, a 30th anniversary edition of the album was released including a bonus disc, Shelved First Attempt, featuring the band's original demo recording of the album with an alternate track listing.[4]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Chicago Tribune | [5] |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10[6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[8] |
| Houston Chronicle | [9] |
| NME | 9/10[10] |
| Pitchfork | 9.6/10[11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
Ben Folds Five received positive reviews from NME, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Entertainment Weekly. Michael Gallucci praised the album as "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."[2] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice selected "Boxing" as a "choice cut".[14] The Record concluded that the "performances are often mannered, the arrangements busy and tiring, and Folds's Joe Jackson Redux isn't anything close to the Bold New Sound it has been trumpeted as."[15]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Ben Folds, with additional lyricists noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jackson Cannery" | 3:23 | |
| 2. | "Philosophy" | 4:36 | |
| 3. | "Julianne" | 2:30 | |
| 4. | "Where's Summer B.?" | Darren Jessee | 4:07 |
| 5. | "Alice Childress" | 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" | Goodman | 4:34 |
| 12. | "Boxing" | 4:45 |
Personnel
- Ben Folds – piano, vocals
- Darren Jessee – drums, vocals, percussion
- Robert Sledge – bass, vocals
- Ted Ehrhard – violin, viola on "Boxing"
- Chris Eubank – cello on "Boxing"
Production
- Producer: Caleb Southern
- Mixing: Marc Becker
- Photography: Alexandria Searls
Charts
Weekly charts
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Certifications
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