|   Ben Folds Five...Why Not More Discussion on RR? | Audio Girl
Mar 1, 2003 8:32 PM | | I don't recall reading that much here about this group -- particularly "Whatever and Ever Amen". This release just seems like something a number of folks would like here...even discriminating tastes like Stone, RPM, and dbi. Maybe even YECHie.
Just curious. My audio equipment salesman turned me on to this on Friday, and he listens very little to anything other than classical, jazz, 50s, 60s vocals (Sinatra, Vaughan, Dinah Washington, etc). |
| "Brick" | Audio Girl
Mar 1, 2003 9:03 PM | | 6am, day after Christmas
I throw some clothes on in
the dark
The smell of cold
Car seat is freezing
The world is sleeping
And I am numb
Up the stairs to her apartment
She is balled up on the couch
Her mom and dad went down
to Charlotte
They're not home to find us
out
And we drive
Now that I have found someone
I'm feeling more alone
Than I ever have before
She's a brick and I'm drowning
slowly
Off the coast and I'm headed
nowhere
She's a brick and I'm drowning
slowly
they call her name at 7:30
I pace around the parking lot
then I walk down to buy her
flowers
And sell some gifts that I got
Can't you see
It's not me you're dying for
Now she's feeling more alone
Than she ever has before
She's a brick and I'm drowning
slowly
Off the coast and I'm heading
nowhere
She's a brick and I'm drowning
slowly
As weeks went by
It showed that she was not fine
They told me "Son, it's time
To tell the truth" and
She broke down and I broke
down
Cause I was tired of lying
Driving back to her apartment
For the moment we're alone
She's alone
I'm alone
Now I know it
She's a brick and I'm drowning
slowly
Off the coast and I'm heading
nowhere
She's a brick and I'm drowning
slowly |
| Actually, I thought there had been quite a bit ... | Davey
Mar 1, 2003 9:43 PM | | especially after his solo album came out about a year and a half ago and Troy fell in love with it and used it on all his comps and turned a bunch more people onto him. I have the debut and album three but skipped yours (number two) since I'm not really that big a fan. I do kinda like the self-titled debut but never cared much for the Reinhold Messner disc. I have a rarities disc too that Rae put together since he's a big fan. Anyway, it's definitely some high quality pop music in that classic Elton John mold and that Brick song was actually a decent size hit for them if I remember correctly. I recall the video was kinda neat with them playing in a reflective pool of water or something like that :-) |
| Whatever & Ever Amen | J
Mar 2, 2003 1:40 PM | | I'd think you'd like this one, Dave. I like it way better than Reinhold Messner & though I do like the solo stuff that I've heard through Troy's comps, there's something about this particular rec that hit me just right at the time. If this is his best work--and I've seen a few people mention in various places that it is--then I'd guess, AG, that since it came out about 6 years ago & everything that has come since hasn't been quite as good, that might be why he's not mentioned more often. It has a lot of different styles on it, but seems to have the feel of an old-fashioned r'n'r rec in a way that's difficult to explain, but let's just say that you don't get the same 'feel' from a lot of 'rock' records that you used to get a long time ago. It's as though certain aesthetic aspects of what constitutes a 'rock' record have changed, not saying that's a bad thing, but Whatever & Ever Amen was one of those records that I thought of as a complete piece of work. Lazy reviewers called him a Billy Joel/Elton John for the 90s, and a friend of mine derisively concurred with that, but I'm not so sure. 'It's safe,' he said of the tunes. I don't know, I really dug the aggressive rockers, like 'One Angry Dwarf' and the song about breaking up with the girlfriend & 'give me my money back, you bitch.' There is a Joe Jackson-style ballad (which I love), and 'Kate' sounds something like what I remember Todd Rundgren sounding like, but the tunes are good. There might be a clunker or two on the rec, but I think it holds up, overall, better than Reinhold Messner. I'm still curious to hear the first BF5 rec.
Ironic that Brick became the hit, the first single was actually the Battle of Who Could Care Less or whatever it was called. |
| I agree with Davey. I remember a bunch of posts on BFF in... | Swish
Mar 2, 2003 7:59 AM | | the past. I saw them live a few years back, and have most of their stuff (didn't care of Reinhold Messner either), and really like his solo record. I do like "Whatever and Ever, Amen", and I guess I need to dig it out and play 'cause I haven't heard it in a long time. Actually A.G., the song "Kate" is on one of the comps I sent you.
I wanna be KATE!
KATE!
KATE! |
| I did a search | Audio Girl
Mar 2, 2003 9:49 AM | | but mostly BF5 were referenced in the Tuesday Tune threads, latest purchases, just not many threads with details about their catalog of releases or indepth reviews. There were a few -- just not much. Most dated back to 2001, early to mid 2002. I'll look again, maybe I missed them since it was kinda a fast search.
Thanks for the feedback, Dave and Swishy |
| re: Ben Folds | Troy
Mar 2, 2003 10:56 AM | | Like Davey say, I raved about "Rockin' the Suburbs" constantly when it originally came out. Put a bunch of tracks from it on my "Summer '01" comp. It's one of my favorite releases from that year and I still play it frequently.
I prefer it to the BF5 releases because of the denser production. While the writing on the earlier albums is really great too, they seem too minimal for my progboy taste.
The Early Elton John reference dbi made is a good one, but Folds's tongue in cheek writing tone also reminds me of Randy Newman. Folds has a flair for the theatrical as well.
I rec you try some "Yazbek" if you like Folds. |
| BFF? Try just BF now. | Ed TBPO
Mar 2, 2003 2:47 PM | | The band broke up a couple of years ago, and Ben just put out a live compilation of work after putting out a solo record. "Rockin the Suburbs" is from that solo album. I remember being turned on to them on the first album on KCRW (RIP) here in La la land quite a while ago now. "Brick" is supposedly autobiographical. Though I haven't been lucky enough to catch his live shows, from what I heard he's quite the hoot. His take on the Flaming Lips' "She Don't Use Jelly" is way too funny. |
| Lounge-a-palooza | Davey
Mar 3, 2003 3:34 PM | | Yeah, that lounge version of She Don't Use Jelly is pretty funny. It's one of the tracks on the comp Rae did that I mentioned. Pretty funny country-tinged mini version of Oasis' Champagne Supernova too :-) |
| If you like Ben Folds.... | tugmcmartin
Mar 3, 2003 7:21 AM | | You should check out a song by The Argument called "Inflatable Amy". Very much like Ben Folds. Piano based and very quirky and funny lyrics. In fact, this song has moved to the top of my list of all-time best love songs. I think they have this song on MP3.com if you want to check it out.
Tug |
| MP3 | Audio Girl
Mar 3, 2003 8:43 AM | | Where do you tend to listen to MP3s? I'd like to find a site for free downloads but wouldn't mind identifying one that also has MP3s for download at a cost. Thanks! |
| MP3 | tugmcmartin
Mar 3, 2003 9:09 AM | | I listen to MP3's at work. Both downloads and stuff transferred to the computer from original CDs from home. MP3.com is free, but they're pretty limited in the number of tunes per artist. It is, however, a pretty good tool for hearing new bands. Also use WinMX if i'm looking for introductory material to new artist. I might check out EMusic.com (see post below), but not sure about the content. |
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