Which Ben Folds 5 Release Was the Band’s Best?
Monday, October 26th, 2009Ben Folds Five rocked the music world in the 90s with some truly original piano driven alternative rock. This was an original band, and we’ve yet to see another band come along and reproduce its sound.
The band split up at the end of the decade, which led to the birth of Ben Folds’ solo career. While this has been great in many ways, I’m of the belief that they were better as a unit, as I preferred their music a bit more.
It’s not the same without a talented bassist and drummer backing him up, not to mention the subtle but effective backup vocals. This was truly a great band.
The band released three full length albums during the decade, and these all occurred over the course of a five year span. While they did have some supplemental material and EPs, we’re just going to look at their three major albums.
Was their best album their self titled debut? Packed with some amazing songs like Philosophy, Jackson Cannery, Underground, Boxing, and so many other memorable hits, it could very well be this. The raw energy of the band was awesome here.
The band’s next album was Forever and Ever Amen, released in 1997. Riding some commercial success on the heels of Brick, the band became bigger with this release. Still, it was the lesser known songs on this CD that really shone through.
The band’s third and final album came in 1999. The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner was highly anticipated, but fell short of critics’ expectations. However, this album has picked up steam over time, as many people believe it’s gotten better with age.
Neither the self titled debut or Reinhold Messner seem to compare in depth and charm to Forever and Ever Amen, thereby getting the vote for the best Ben Folds Five album of all-time.
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