Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
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Free Music Notes for Whatever and Ever Amen
Free Music Review: An even better version of Whatever And Ever Amen.
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the reissue of Ben Folds Five's breakout album Whatever And Ever Amen. The original was a great album, and this one is even better. This has a lot more songs than the original version had. I will get to the extra songs later on in this review.
The original had their first modern rock radio hit The Battle Of Who Could Care Less, that made me get the original in the first place. Then they released the song Brick which was a huge hit on radio and MTV and VH1 back in the day. It also contained the follow-up songs One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces, and Song For The Dumped, which were both not nearly as big of hits as Brick. There were other good songs on the album including Kate and Steven's Last Night In Town.
If you like Ben Folds Five or Ben Folds' music, or are just finding them out, pick this up because this is a great place to start. Even if you have some of their stuff already, pick this great reissue of a great album up now. Even if you have the original version like me.
The main reason to get the reissue if you already or don't already have the first version is for the songs Video Killed The Radio Star and She Don't Use Jelly, which are both cover songs by the way. This new version also includes other good songs like For All The Pretty People, Mitchell Lane, and Air. It also has a couple of other tracks not on the original Whatever And Ever Amen.
My five favorite songs off of this reissue are:
Battle Of Who Could Care Less, Brick, One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces, Video Killed The Radio Star, and She Don't Use Jelly.
So pick up this new expanded version of Ben Folds Five's biggest album Whatever And Ever Amen. I am sure you will like, like I do.
Also try other Ben Folds Five albums: The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner (which is the follow-up to the original version of Whatever And Ever Amen. Also try some of their earlier stuff like: Ben Folds Five (their self titled debut album), Naked Baby Photos (don't be thrown off by the title, this is a rarities b-sides compilation album).
Also check out Ben Folds' solo albums: Rockin' The Suburbs (his first solo album), Ben Folds Live (which includes Ben Folds Five songs and new live songs), and Songs For Silverman (which comes out later this month).
So pick up some of those, as well as this. By picking this up or any of those, you will discover some great music from a talented musician. Ben Folds is great whether solo or with Ben Folds Five.
Free Music Review: Arguably not as great as his solo album "Rockin' The Suburbs", but it's still an amazing record - most will love it!
Hit: 5 Stars
My personal favorite Ben Folds record is definitely "Rockin' The Suburbs", but "Whatever And Ever Amen" remains another classic pop rock album. Every song here is fun and catchy, and the lyrics are always fun to listen to closely. He usually tells some pretty funny stories as well as some genuinely emotional ones. This is his most commercially successful album as it had the monster hit (and classic) song "Brick", which is definitely his best song. This is just fantastic piano-driven pop rock. Everything about it is perfect and it's indeed very emotional! Ben Folds has a good enough voice, though he's arguably not "great" - he definitely gets the job done. Overall it's just a very unique album in today's world - it brings you back to the glory days of Billy Joel. I personally think "Rockin' The Suburbs" had better songs as-a-whole, but most people will still agree that his album is also a classic. You might not like this all at first (I didn't either), but give it some time and you will start to love it. Highly recommended!
Highlights include:
"One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces"
"Song For The Dumped"
"Brick"
the rest are great too, just not *as* great
Free Music Review: An Essential Album
Hit: 5 Stars
Buoyed by the success of the song "Brick," Whatever And Ever Amen went on to be Ben Folds Five's best selling album by a landslide. And why not? The album contains the most diverse collection of songs that the band wrote (with Folds of course at the helm) while they were together. Tongue-in-cheek bubblegum pop (Kate), a very mature take on forgetting the past (Smoke), songs that dabble in jazz styles (Selfless, Cold, And Composed, and Steven's Last Night In Town), and a raw, candid examination of one's self (Evaporated). The bonus tracks on this re-mastered edition are just icing on the cake as they say. Though I recommend their self-titled debut for an introduction to the band (and really, it's great to listen to their albums sequentially as you can really see the growth in their songwriting), you certainly can't go wrong with WAEA.Free Music Review: Better than your average reissue
Hit: 5 Stars
If you are a recent Ben Folds Five Fan, this is a great album to start with, as it contains many of the songs that launched the band to mainstream popularity including "Brick" and "Battle of Who Could Care Less." The reason you should start here, instead of with the original recording, are the extras... (Including a cover of "Video Killed the Radio Star," and the flaming lip's "She Don't Use Jelly.") Most reissues are simply a way to capitalize on a fan base that must have everything an artist has done. If you are looking to add to your Ben Fold's collection, this disc has a significant amount of new material which makes it better than your average reissue.Free Music Review: Piano pop.
Hit: 5 Stars
I had heard their song "Air" on the Godzilla soundtrack I had on cassette when I was in elementary school (don't ask me why I owned it). That song was pretty cool but I didn't really start listening to them. I strayed away from them, actually, because a local artist in my area sounds just like them (and I wasn't a fan of that local artist). It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I heard "Song For The Dumped." That hooked me in. After buying this album I was pleased to see the bonus b-sides they included. Like a lounge version of "She Don't Use Jelly" (originally by The Flaming Lips). All in all, very catchy piano pop.