Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Grateful Dead, and Randy Newman are just some of the legendary artists who've also only scored one top 40 hit. Ben Folds Five never notched a follow-up hit, conferring "one-hit wonder" status on the band. pushed the envelope, too, welcoming a klezmer band on "Steven's Last Night in Town," nodding to jazz on "Selfless, Cold and Composed," and utilizing strings on both the former and the raw, pained "Evaporated." The cathartic ballad "Smoke" and sing-along ode to "Kate" further distinguished Whatever and Ever Amen, but most of the attention went to, of course, "Brick." The touching, semi-autobiographical ballad made it all the way to No. Folds' profane but jubilant (and melodic, natch!) revenge fantasies struck a universal chord with every college kid who gave the album a listen, whether taunting former schoolmates who did him wrong on "One Angry Dwarf" or an ungrateful ex on "Song for the Dumped." Folds and co-producer Southern lost none of the first album's charm in crafting a record for a wider audience, filled with poignant relationship dramas, keenly-observed character studies, and just plain fun outbursts. Whatever and Ever Amen marked the group's major label debut via Sony, and is arguably an even tighter, more impressive set of songs than its predecessor as it deftly touches on a range of universal emotions. Four tracks from the 1998 rarities compilation Naked Baby Photos have been added here.
The ambitious debut, produced by Caleb Southern, introduced such fan rocking fan favorites as "Philosophy" and "Underground" as well as the bittersweet ballad "Boxing" (later covered by Bette Midler). Folds' development as a songwriter is in clear evidence on these albums - as well as the impeccable musicianship of his bandmates Darren Jessee (drums) and Robert Sledge (bass). The first four discs of the box capture Ben Folds Five's original run of albums, with bonus tracks appended to the debut album and 1999's The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, and 1997's Whatever and Ever Amen expanded to two discs. In an interview with Paul Myers published in the accompanying 60-page book, Folds repeats the oft-quoted description of his band and their music as "punk rock for sissies," but more seriously acknowledges that he melded "punk rock spirit" with "a vocabulary - like melody and chords and music and stuff - that was probably more Broadway than it was rock." While he still hasn't gotten to Broadway yet, take one listen to the original cast recording of the blockbuster Dear Evan Hansen and you'll hear something awfully similar to Ben Folds on songs like "Sincerely Me." Folds wore his musical influences on his sleeve: "I've always loved jazz extensions and schlocky seventies piano chords." Of course, many of those "schlocky" chords have proven timeless. Appropriately named for his lone hit single, the hefty Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1994-2012 impressively traces Folds' career from Ben Folds Five through his solo recordings to the Five's 2012 reunion album, adding a varied selection of odds and ends to the album-by-album chronology. Edsel has recently taken stock of that impressive discography and assembled the ultimate tribute to Folds' artistry. To date, Folds has released four albums with his band, three solo records, full-length collaborations with Hornby and chamber ensemble yMusic, and various live sets and compilations. He's collaborated with literary giants like Neil Gaiman and Nick Hornby, shared his pop bona fides with William Shatner (!), played with symphonies, written a concerto, led master classes, and, oh yeah - continued to regularly record smart and snarky pop music.
Now, more than 23 years later, the (sorta) angry young man of that LP has (shudder) attained true respectability. Filled with rich melodies, inescapable riffs, the most aggressive piano this side of Jerry Lee Lewis, and a youthful dose of attitude, Ben Folds Five channeled Todd Rundgren, Elton John, and Queen - with a dash of Randy Newman here and George Gershwin there. Upon its release in August 1995, the eponymous debut of Ben Folds' quirkily-named trio sounded like nothing else you might have found in the racks of your local Tower, HMV, or Sam Goody.
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