#Ben folds five singles full#

Simply named вЂњOne Chord Blues/BillieвЂ™s Bounce,вЂќ the song features Folds singing cleverly improvised lines like, вЂњI donвЂ™t know what IвЂ™m gonna sing/Some bullshit,вЂќ as he continually plays-you guessed it-a single piano chord in a traditional blues-style rhythm, with bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee improvising behind him. One of the more interesting moments of the collection is the eighth track, which is an improvised piano-based blues number recorded at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Some of these new songs translate live better than others, at least on these recordings for instance, the fuzzy, distorted bass on вЂњErase MeвЂќ sounds far more muddled in the live version and almost overpowers Ben and his piano at times, while the rapid-fire piano intro and noisy energy of the single вЂњDo It AnywayвЂќ are perfectly expressed (and clearly well-rehearsed), showing all three members in top form as performers, even if the recording itself is a bit jumbled at times. Not surprisingly, Ben Folds Five Live is heavy on new material, with four of the 15 tracks coming off of The Sound of the Life of the Mind (the groupвЂ™s most noteworthy album, Whatever and Ever Amen, also adds four songs into the mix, meaning over half of the tracks are from those two albums alone). The collection, straightforwardly titled Ben Folds Five Live, is a pretty solid release that should satisfy the bandвЂ™s core fanbase, although ultimately, it is unable to really capture the spirit and energy that Folds is known for in his live performances-meaning it wouldnвЂ™t be a suitable replacement for actually seeing the group in person.

So, now that the reunion has happened, the band has thoughtfully put together a compilation of 15 live tracks from various venues during the 2012-2013 tour in support of their latest album, 2012вЂ™s The Sound of the Life of the Mind.

#Ben folds five singles full#

For longtime fans of singer/songwriter Ben Folds and his once-dormant pop-rock band Ben Folds Five-and especially for those who were late to the party and didnвЂ™t discover the group until after theyвЂ™d disbanded-one of the more exciting things about the bandвЂ™s reunion in 2011, even more so than the release of a whole album full of new material, was the chance to see (and hear) some of the bandвЂ™s classic songs performed live again by the original trio.