Ben Folds Five
Wikimp3 information about the music of Ben Folds Five. On our website we have 17 albums and 30 collections of artist Ben Folds Five. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that Ben Folds Five represents Alternative genres.
Biography
[Edit]Singer/pianist Ben Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is best known as the leader of the power pop trio Ben Folds Five, but has also struck out on his own as a solo artist. Despite playing in bands in high school, his musical career didn't really get off the ground until the late '80s, as a bassist for Majosha (the outfit issued such obscure releases as Party Night: Five Songs About Jesus and Shut Up and Listen to Majosha). Proving his multi-instrumental talents, Folds also played drums as a session musician in Nashville. After relocating to New York, Folds started acting again (he'd previously done some theater in high school) and signed a publishing deal with Sony Music.
Moving back to North Carolina, in 1994 Folds formed Ben Folds Five, a trio that also included bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee. Whereas most alternative bands of the '90s specialized in distorted teen-angst rock, the guitarless trio was a refreshing break from the norm, its sound akin to such past power popsters as Todd Rundgren, Jellyfish, and early Joe Jackson, and such piano-driven artists as Billy Joel and early Elton John. But like punk bands, Ben Folds Five put on a high-energy, blistering live show. The band was signed to the independent Caroline Records shortly afterward, resulting in its self-titled debut one year later. Due to airings of the humorous anthem "Underground" (which poked fun at the politics of the punk/alternative scene) on MTV's 120 Minutes) and constant touring, quite a buzz was stirring for the band by the time of its second album.
Released in 1997, Whatever and Ever Amen was pure pop perfection — easily one of the year's best releases and perhaps the best power pop release of the '90s. The band's songwriting and sound had improved even further, as evidenced by such gems as "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," "Fair," "Kate," and "Battle of Who Could Care Less," plus their whimsical tribute to breakups, "Song for the Dumped." But it was the ballad "Brick" that broke the band commercially — unlike the majority of Ben Folds Five's material, which was upbeat, the song contained melancholic music and vocals, as the lyrics told the story of a teenage couple who decides to get an abortion (it has been speculated that the tale was autobiographical for Folds). The single didn't hit until several months after the album was released, which meant that the band stayed on the road for well over a year, playing with such notables as Dave Matthews, Beck, and as part of the 1997 H.O.R.D.E. festival — earning Whatever platinum status.
While 1998 didn't see a new studio album by the band, Ben Folds Five's former label issued a 16-track rarities collection (Naked Baby Photos) as Folds released his first solo album, Volume 1, under the pseudonym Fear of Pop. Although the album went largely unnoticed, it included the song "In Love," which included overly dramatic vocals from none other than Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner (comparable in approach to Shatner's must-hear 1968 album, The Transformed Man) and which was performed on The Conan O'Brien Show shortly after the album's release. Ben Folds Five regrouped with 1999's The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, which was a more mature work than its predecessors, although the energetic leadoff single, "Army," showed that Folds' humorous approach hadn't dulled at all.
Folds officially went solo again in 2001 with Rockin' the Suburbs. A series of EPs followed, with the new long-player Songs for Silverman dropping in 2005. He released Supersunnyspeedgraphic: The LP in 2006, followed by the full-length Way to Normal in 2008. In 2009 Folds contributed two songs to University A Cappella!, a collection of covers of some of Folds' best tracks by various university groups. Lonely Avenue, a collaboration with British novelist/essayist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About a Boy), arrived in 2010, followed by the 18-track Retrospective: The Best Imitation of Myself 1995-2011, which represented Folds' first U.S. career overview. The compilation included a new song with the original Ben Folds Five, who re-formed the following year and released their fourth studio album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, followed by Ben Folds Five Live in 2013.
Title: Playlist: The Very Best of Ben Folds Five
Artist: Ben Folds Five
Genre: Rock, Pop, Alternative
Title: Whatever and Ever Amen (Remastered Edition)
Artist: Ben Folds Five
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Pop, Alternative, Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: Whatever and Ever Amen
Artist: Ben Folds Five
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Pop, Alternative, Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: Ben Folds Five
Artist: Ben Folds Five
Genre: Rock, Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Pop, Alternative, Songwriter/Lyricist, Indie
Title: Playlist: The Very Best Of Ben Folds Fi
Artist: Ben Folds Five
Genre: Tech House, Hip Hop/R&B, Rock, Alternative, Indie, Classical
Title: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
Artist: Ben Folds Five
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative, Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: " Brick ": The Songs Of Ben Folds (CD1)
Artist: Ben Folds Five, Ben Folds
Genre: Indie Rock, Songwriter/Lyricist
Collections
Title: 21 Sweet 90s Hits!
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Rap, Rock, Pop
Title: No Boundaries: A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees
Genre: Rock
Title: Compact Disc Club - Flirt CD 1
Genre: Pop
Title: The Truth About Cats And Dogs
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: 90'S One Hit Wonders
Title: 100 Hits - 90s Pop (CD4)
Title: Best Alternative Indie - Pop - Rock 2012 (CD1)
Genre: Rock, Pop, Alternative, Indie
Title: The Truth About Cats & Dogs
Genre: Rock, World Music, Pop, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Y-100: Sonic Sessions, Volume 2
Genre: Alternative Rock
Title: Sabrina, The Teenage Witch: The Album
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: We Love The 90 - The Real Party (CD7)
Genre: Rock, Dancefloor, Disco, Pop, Pop Rock
Title: # LOVE Piano 2015
Title: 100 Hits: Indie
Genre: Indie Pop
Title: 100 Hits: 90s Pop (CD4)
Genre: Pop
Title: Rock 90s Vol. 4 (Original Soundtrack) (CD3)
Genre: Rock, Punk, Pop, Alternative, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Flirt: 20 Years Anniversary (CD1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock, Pop, Funk
Title: 100 Hits Just Be Good To Me (CD3)
Genre: Soul, Gospel, Power Pop, Punk, Reggae, World Music, Latin, Pop, Alternative, Indie, Folk
Title: Power Pop Essentials 2020 (CD1)
Genre: Dancefloor, Pop, Dance Pop
Title: 100 Greatest 90s Indie Classics (CD2)
Genre: Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Alternative
Title: 90s Hidden Gems (CD1)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Rock, Punk Rock, Dancefloor, Pop, Dance Pop
Title: 90s Alternative Rock Essentials (CD2)
Genre: Rock, Punk Rock, Alternative
Title: Best Of Rock: 1997 (CD2)
Title: 90's Drive - Rock 2023
Featuring albums
Title: Burt Bacharach - One Amazing Night
Artist: Burt Bacharach
Genre: Jazz, Crossover Jazz, Rock, Pop, Alternative, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective
Artist: Ben Folds
Genre: Rock, Pop, Alternative, Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: The Best Imitation of Myself - A Retrospective
Artist: Ben Folds
Genre: Rock, Pop, Alternative, Songwriter/Lyricist, Contemporary Folk
Title: Me, Myself & Irene [Music From The Motion Picture]
Artist: Myself, Irene (OST) Me
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: The Best Imitation Of Myself
Artist: Ben Folds
Genre: Electronica, Tech House, Hip Hop/R&B, Rock, Death Metal, Alternative, Songwriter/Lyricist, Indie