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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Brick (Radio Mix) (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 2. Annie Waits | |||
| 3. Philosophy (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 4. Underground (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 5. Landed (Strings Version) | |||
| 6. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
See all 18 tracks on this disc
| |||
| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Julianne (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 2. Video (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 3. Song for The Dumped (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 4. Missing the War (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 5. Mess (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 6. Magic (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
|
See all 21 tracks on this disc
| |||
| Disc: 3 | |||
| 1. Unrelated | |||
| 2. Best Imitation of Myself | |||
| 3. Rocky | |||
| 4. Boxing | |||
| 5. Julianne (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
| 6. Evaporated (with Ben Folds Five) | |||
|
See all 22 tracks on this disc
| |||
Editorial Reviews
Ever since breaking out of the alternative music scene with his piano, his band Ben Folds Five and the wildly popular hits "Underground" in 1995 and "Brick" in 1997, followed by a successful solo career, Ben Folds has maintained a strong presence as a well respected, critically acclaimed singer-songwriter of his era. With over 3 million units sold to date over his 15 year recording career, Ben Folds' wry, wise and infectiously melodic keyboard-centric storytelling style continues to delight his fervent fan base worldwide. Digging through his endless archive of material, Ben has compiled "The Best Imitation Of Myself: A Retrospective (1995-2011)." This is the first multi-disc career-spanning retrospective featuring over 60 hits, live and rarities tracks spanning Ben Folds' entire recording career from 1991 to 2011, including three brand new tracks with Ben Folds Five! This 3 CD version (covering the years 1991-2011) features 2 additional CD's containing approximately 40 previously unreleased and rare home demos, studio outtakes, alternate mixes, live tracks and three brand new tracks by Ben Folds Five. This 3 disc set is an exciting audio treasure trove for Ben's longtime fans as well as an alternative insight for welcome newcomers to the "fold". Along with the 3 CD expanded edition, fans will get access to the "Ben Folds 55 Vault", of which 5 bonus tracks are included for download with the purchase of this edition.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By D-Rich
Format:Audio CD
If you're reading this review, you're one of two kinds of people. Returning fans who can't wait to hear something new, or potential fans who are looking to start somewhere. I'm happy to say this set will satisfy both of your needs.
Disc One (aka the entire album if you're just buying the standard set) is a "best of" rather than a "greatest hits," which explains why fan favorites like Army didn't make the cut. The album doesn't suffer from this at all, as it allows the disc to represent Ben's finest work as opposed to his most well known. Not to worry though, as all the "hits" missing here are represented in some shape or form on Discs 2 and 3.
Disc Two is a live disc. The songs and performances are all good choices to be included here, as they capture Ben Folds (Five) at his (their) most energetic,interesting, and most quirky. Lots of good stuff to listen to here.
Disc Three is a disc of rarities, most of which haven't seen the light of day until now. Here you'll find alternate versions of songs, demos, unreleased material, and rare tracks. It's hard to review a disc of material that essentially wasn't meant to be released. A casual fan will probably find this disc unsatisfying, while a veteran fan (such as myself) will find themselves listening for hours and marveling at these recordings. Demos and unreleased songs reveal aspects of the creative process from the artist that can only truly be appreciated by knowledgeable fans. Die-hards, this disc is for you, and boy does it satisfy. New fans, listen to the first two discs, digest the material, and come back to this later when you're ready.
All three discs succeed in what they were meant to accomplish, making this "best of" album a must buy. There's no need to review the tracks as you would with a studio album, as the music speaks for itself as an impressive body of work from an impressive musical visionary. This is, indeed, the best of Ben Folds. I recommend this to anyone who's been looking to get into this brilliant artist, and to any seasoned fan who is looking for obscure
treasures.
Disc One (aka the entire album if you're just buying the standard set) is a "best of" rather than a "greatest hits," which explains why fan favorites like Army didn't make the cut. The album doesn't suffer from this at all, as it allows the disc to represent Ben's finest work as opposed to his most well known. Not to worry though, as all the "hits" missing here are represented in some shape or form on Discs 2 and 3.
Disc Two is a live disc. The songs and performances are all good choices to be included here, as they capture Ben Folds (Five) at his (their) most energetic,interesting, and most quirky. Lots of good stuff to listen to here.
Disc Three is a disc of rarities, most of which haven't seen the light of day until now. Here you'll find alternate versions of songs, demos, unreleased material, and rare tracks. It's hard to review a disc of material that essentially wasn't meant to be released. A casual fan will probably find this disc unsatisfying, while a veteran fan (such as myself) will find themselves listening for hours and marveling at these recordings. Demos and unreleased songs reveal aspects of the creative process from the artist that can only truly be appreciated by knowledgeable fans. Die-hards, this disc is for you, and boy does it satisfy. New fans, listen to the first two discs, digest the material, and come back to this later when you're ready.
All three discs succeed in what they were meant to accomplish, making this "best of" album a must buy. There's no need to review the tracks as you would with a studio album, as the music speaks for itself as an impressive body of work from an impressive musical visionary. This is, indeed, the best of Ben Folds. I recommend this to anyone who's been looking to get into this brilliant artist, and to any seasoned fan who is looking for obscure
treasures.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprised that I can still be surprised: this exceeded my highest expectations.
December 2, 2011
By LeftOfTexas
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've held off on reviewing this until I gave it a bit more time and consideration. I felt it would be a disservice to potential listeners to impart the manic ramblings of an enamored fanboy in the honeymoon phase of this release. As it turns out, "The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective (3 CD Expanded Edition)" isn't a one-night stand of an album. It stayed the night. It cuddled. It called the next day, and it didn't use my toothbrush without telling me.
I bought the three-disc version of Ben Folds' retrospective, and it lasts far beyond novelty, getting better with time.
I'll review the first disc initially, since it also reflects the standalone one-disc release. Ben Folds, whether with Ben Folds Five, as a solo performer, or in various collaborations, has amassed in the 20-year span of this album a wealth of quality material. Reflected in disc one of "The Best Imitation of Myself [...]" is an excellent cross-section of work from the original "Ben Folds Five" to 2011's collaborative effort with writer, Nick Hornby, "Lonely Avenue", along with an excellent new track, "House", which found Ben Folds Five reforming to record (along with two other tracks found on the three CD expanded version). While it opens with "Brick (Radio Mix)", BFF's highly successful single, it doesn't play out like a `greatest hits' record, which are often the obvious picks of an artist's or band's career. Instead you get a comprehensive idea of Folds' oeuvre--from his most heartfelt and sentimental releases like "The Luckiest" and "Don't Change Your Plans" to his most witty and irreverent tracks such as "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" or "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You"--that touches on the sheer latitude of his talent as a lyricist, musician, vocalist, arranger, producer, and live performer. Noteworthy in itself is the inclusion of "Landed" with string accompaniment (originally available as a bonus download with the album, "Songs for Silverman"), a live symphony performance of "Smoke", and an extended version of "Still Fighting It" (paired with "Gracie" as the songs written for his twin son and daughter). While the tracks aren't chronologically ordered, you will recognize how much he has evolved throughout the manifestations of his career as well as how cohesive and natural twenty years of music sits together on a disc. You'll also hear Ben Folds Five sounding just as good if not better than before, and will probably hope for another album by the trio.
But don't stop there when there are two more discs to be had (with excellent liner notes...yes I love the liner notes and have read them cover to cover...don't judge me). There's also a free EP download and access to the "Ben Folds Fifty-Five Vault" of further tracks that can be downloaded, albeit not for free. Surprisingly, it's not overkill and the "3 CD Expanded Edition" costs little extra. If you're considering getting the one-disc release, stop yourself and go for the three. It's absolutely worth it. The fold-out case also contains Ben Folds' face creepily superimposed on women's bodies, so you won't even be limited to your imagination on that front anymore.
If you've had the fortune of seeing a live performance, you'll know how well Ben Folds/BFF holds up on stage. Included in the second disc of live material are extensive amounts of unreleased recordings, all of which are top-notch in quality, capturing the intimacy and energy of seeing him live. One of my favorite tracks is a duet with Rufus Wainwright (in his new pants), covering "Careless Whisper" on a co-headlining tour. Other stand-out songs are "Fred Jones Part 2", which along with "Smoke" on the first disc was performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra on the "Live in Perth" DVD, "Missing the War" and "Mess" with BFF, and "Just Pretend" by The Bens (Folds, Kweller, Lee). Only four of the twenty one recordings have been previously released.
The third disc of twenty-two rarities is where the expanded collection truly holds its own. Usually such a disc is pleasing to only the most froth-mouthed of fans and is veritably cringe-inducing to anyone of sounder mind. Sometimes rarities are rare for a reason. Such is not the case here, and in fact, many of these unreleased songs, demos and alternate mixes are better than other bands' albums. On this disc as well are the other two new Ben Folds Five recordings, "Tell Me What I Did" and "Stumblin' Home Winter Blues", which are painfully good. In many of the demos, I expected the same poor recordings that I found on a certain file-sharing site in the late 90's--for each download, I've since given myself thirty lashes and ten minutes of frowning time in front of a mirror--but like the live performances, the recordings are of excellent sound quality. My favorite tracks--along with the new BFF recordings--are the unreleased original version of "Evaporated", the demo of "Losing Lisa" with different lyrics from the album version, the cover of "Such Great Heights", "Amelia Bright", and "Because the Origami" from the über-collaboration earlier this year, 8in8, which teamed Ben Folds with Neil Gaiman (whose performance of "The Problem With Saints" on their six song album, "Nighty Night", was mind-blowing), Damian Kulash, and Amanda Palmer who alternates vocals with Folds on the track. Again with twenty two songs, there are no throwaway tracks to be found.
Overall, the only song that is repeated in the sixty-two songs on the 3 CD edition is "Julianne", and the two versions are vastly different in execution. Absent are tracks exclusive to "Naked Baby Photos", "Ben Folds Live", and much of the material from his three EPs, later collected in "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, The LP." As well, you'll find no "Fear of Pop" songs in case your inclination is toward William Shatner or rubber sleds; while Folds did some great songs as Fear of Pop, they wouldn't have fit so comfortably in this retrospective and were a wise omission. Happily included were a couple tracks from his contribution to the "Over the Hedge" soundtrack. I thought I'd heard it all, but was thankfully proven wrong and once again reminded what musical excellence can be achieved with a piano, bass, and drums.
If you've only heard "Brick" on the radio and liked it, buy this. If you've enjoyed one of his live performances, whether alone on piano, with a band, or backed by a symphony orchestra, buy this. If you own his entire catalogue from "Ben Folds Five" through "Lonely Avenue" and "Nighty Night", buy this. If you've only seen him on `The Sing-Off' and find the timing of his retrospective dubious, buy this, and find yourself asking why there aren't more genuinely talented individuals like Ben Folds on our airwaves.
I bought the three-disc version of Ben Folds' retrospective, and it lasts far beyond novelty, getting better with time.
I'll review the first disc initially, since it also reflects the standalone one-disc release. Ben Folds, whether with Ben Folds Five, as a solo performer, or in various collaborations, has amassed in the 20-year span of this album a wealth of quality material. Reflected in disc one of "The Best Imitation of Myself [...]" is an excellent cross-section of work from the original "Ben Folds Five" to 2011's collaborative effort with writer, Nick Hornby, "Lonely Avenue", along with an excellent new track, "House", which found Ben Folds Five reforming to record (along with two other tracks found on the three CD expanded version). While it opens with "Brick (Radio Mix)", BFF's highly successful single, it doesn't play out like a `greatest hits' record, which are often the obvious picks of an artist's or band's career. Instead you get a comprehensive idea of Folds' oeuvre--from his most heartfelt and sentimental releases like "The Luckiest" and "Don't Change Your Plans" to his most witty and irreverent tracks such as "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" or "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You"--that touches on the sheer latitude of his talent as a lyricist, musician, vocalist, arranger, producer, and live performer. Noteworthy in itself is the inclusion of "Landed" with string accompaniment (originally available as a bonus download with the album, "Songs for Silverman"), a live symphony performance of "Smoke", and an extended version of "Still Fighting It" (paired with "Gracie" as the songs written for his twin son and daughter). While the tracks aren't chronologically ordered, you will recognize how much he has evolved throughout the manifestations of his career as well as how cohesive and natural twenty years of music sits together on a disc. You'll also hear Ben Folds Five sounding just as good if not better than before, and will probably hope for another album by the trio.
But don't stop there when there are two more discs to be had (with excellent liner notes...yes I love the liner notes and have read them cover to cover...don't judge me). There's also a free EP download and access to the "Ben Folds Fifty-Five Vault" of further tracks that can be downloaded, albeit not for free. Surprisingly, it's not overkill and the "3 CD Expanded Edition" costs little extra. If you're considering getting the one-disc release, stop yourself and go for the three. It's absolutely worth it. The fold-out case also contains Ben Folds' face creepily superimposed on women's bodies, so you won't even be limited to your imagination on that front anymore.
If you've had the fortune of seeing a live performance, you'll know how well Ben Folds/BFF holds up on stage. Included in the second disc of live material are extensive amounts of unreleased recordings, all of which are top-notch in quality, capturing the intimacy and energy of seeing him live. One of my favorite tracks is a duet with Rufus Wainwright (in his new pants), covering "Careless Whisper" on a co-headlining tour. Other stand-out songs are "Fred Jones Part 2", which along with "Smoke" on the first disc was performed with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra on the "Live in Perth" DVD, "Missing the War" and "Mess" with BFF, and "Just Pretend" by The Bens (Folds, Kweller, Lee). Only four of the twenty one recordings have been previously released.
The third disc of twenty-two rarities is where the expanded collection truly holds its own. Usually such a disc is pleasing to only the most froth-mouthed of fans and is veritably cringe-inducing to anyone of sounder mind. Sometimes rarities are rare for a reason. Such is not the case here, and in fact, many of these unreleased songs, demos and alternate mixes are better than other bands' albums. On this disc as well are the other two new Ben Folds Five recordings, "Tell Me What I Did" and "Stumblin' Home Winter Blues", which are painfully good. In many of the demos, I expected the same poor recordings that I found on a certain file-sharing site in the late 90's--for each download, I've since given myself thirty lashes and ten minutes of frowning time in front of a mirror--but like the live performances, the recordings are of excellent sound quality. My favorite tracks--along with the new BFF recordings--are the unreleased original version of "Evaporated", the demo of "Losing Lisa" with different lyrics from the album version, the cover of "Such Great Heights", "Amelia Bright", and "Because the Origami" from the über-collaboration earlier this year, 8in8, which teamed Ben Folds with Neil Gaiman (whose performance of "The Problem With Saints" on their six song album, "Nighty Night", was mind-blowing), Damian Kulash, and Amanda Palmer who alternates vocals with Folds on the track. Again with twenty two songs, there are no throwaway tracks to be found.
Overall, the only song that is repeated in the sixty-two songs on the 3 CD edition is "Julianne", and the two versions are vastly different in execution. Absent are tracks exclusive to "Naked Baby Photos", "Ben Folds Live", and much of the material from his three EPs, later collected in "Supersunnyspeedgraphic, The LP." As well, you'll find no "Fear of Pop" songs in case your inclination is toward William Shatner or rubber sleds; while Folds did some great songs as Fear of Pop, they wouldn't have fit so comfortably in this retrospective and were a wise omission. Happily included were a couple tracks from his contribution to the "Over the Hedge" soundtrack. I thought I'd heard it all, but was thankfully proven wrong and once again reminded what musical excellence can be achieved with a piano, bass, and drums.
If you've only heard "Brick" on the radio and liked it, buy this. If you've enjoyed one of his live performances, whether alone on piano, with a band, or backed by a symphony orchestra, buy this. If you own his entire catalogue from "Ben Folds Five" through "Lonely Avenue" and "Nighty Night", buy this. If you've only seen him on `The Sing-Off' and find the timing of his retrospective dubious, buy this, and find yourself asking why there aren't more genuinely talented individuals like Ben Folds on our airwaves.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have to give Ben Folds credit for his generosity if nothing else. His Three CD "Best Imitation Of Myself" best of is packed with hits, live tracks and oddballs. He also regroups The Ben Folds Five for three new songs (or one, "House," if you're buying the single disc edition. But if you're getting the deluxe version, Folds is all but daring you to say "but you should have put THIS song on the album instead of..."
Which kind of fits into Folds' offbeat personality. His best songs alternate between earnest emotion and nerdy snark, along with being a dutiful acolyte of Elton John and Todd Rundgren. Like Rundgren, Folds is 100% OK with taking a song you think should go one way and then bend it exactly towards the opposite ("Anna," "Army" - here in a live version). He also tends towards the hyper-literate in his emotional songs, which does make them standouts. It's that trait that made "Brick" the most unlikely of top 40 singles, a ballad about taking your girlfriend to get an abortion shortly after the Christmas holiday. Better still is "The Luckiest," a gorgeous ballad from "Rocking The Suburbs," about love everlasting with a twist. Why it never became a single I wonder about, and so does Folds in the collection's extensive liner notes.
Folds, naturally leans on that album and "Whatever and Ever Amen," his two most commercially successful. He doesn't slack for the other albums, though, with songs from each album included. On the live disc, he digs even deeper from other albums, and the rarites disc has a few worthy B-Sides (his hilarious cover of "B^tch@s Ain't Sh!+") and soundtrack contributions, like his cover of Steely Dan's "Barrytown." However, the disc is loaded with demos of never finished songs, along with the other two new BF5 recordings. It's obvious that Folds is smarter than the average pop-star and pretty humble (who else would record stuff like "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You" or feel comfortable covering Wham's "Careless Whisper" with Rufus Wainwright?
That is what makes "Best Imitation Of Myself" cool. Ben Folds has the chops, the knack for melody, and sense of humor to take average pop and make it into something better. Even if you don't have any of his albums or maybe just one or two, this is as solid a retrospective of one man's work as you'll find by any 'star' of the 90's and beyond.
Which kind of fits into Folds' offbeat personality. His best songs alternate between earnest emotion and nerdy snark, along with being a dutiful acolyte of Elton John and Todd Rundgren. Like Rundgren, Folds is 100% OK with taking a song you think should go one way and then bend it exactly towards the opposite ("Anna," "Army" - here in a live version). He also tends towards the hyper-literate in his emotional songs, which does make them standouts. It's that trait that made "Brick" the most unlikely of top 40 singles, a ballad about taking your girlfriend to get an abortion shortly after the Christmas holiday. Better still is "The Luckiest," a gorgeous ballad from "Rocking The Suburbs," about love everlasting with a twist. Why it never became a single I wonder about, and so does Folds in the collection's extensive liner notes.
Folds, naturally leans on that album and "Whatever and Ever Amen," his two most commercially successful. He doesn't slack for the other albums, though, with songs from each album included. On the live disc, he digs even deeper from other albums, and the rarites disc has a few worthy B-Sides (his hilarious cover of "B^tch@s Ain't Sh!+") and soundtrack contributions, like his cover of Steely Dan's "Barrytown." However, the disc is loaded with demos of never finished songs, along with the other two new BF5 recordings. It's obvious that Folds is smarter than the average pop-star and pretty humble (who else would record stuff like "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You" or feel comfortable covering Wham's "Careless Whisper" with Rufus Wainwright?
That is what makes "Best Imitation Of Myself" cool. Ben Folds has the chops, the knack for melody, and sense of humor to take average pop and make it into something better. Even if you don't have any of his albums or maybe just one or two, this is as solid a retrospective of one man's work as you'll find by any 'star' of the 90's and beyond.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ben Fold CD
I love The Luckiest on this CD. THe rest of the
songs I can do without. His has a bit of a trashy
mouth and I wasn't expecting that.
songs I can do without. His has a bit of a trashy
mouth and I wasn't expecting that.
Published 8 days ago by Jayne M. Poston
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW!!!
I've always enjoyed listening to Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five but never became a true "fanatic" until I bought this CD. If you like Ben to the slightest degree..... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Missy
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic Album
really great price for alot of Ben Folds music. Great songs picked for each album. Includes alot of the classic songs and some I have never heard. Really great 3 cd package
Published 3 months ago by carrie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good CD
Not quite sure what I expected from this album, but it didn't quite meet my expectations. I think I would have liked more live versions of the songs or acoustic versions. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kir
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for BFF fans
I am happy to be able to get my hands on this! I had to listen to it immediately and it filled me with joy.
Published 4 months ago by mightywashtub
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love It
I don't have enough thumbs to point upwards. It was a most definitive collection of Ben Folds goodness. Geeky Fun!
Published 4 months ago by Badallona
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great collection
Great sampling of BF over the years. Great add to your collection and highly recommend for the new BF fan.
Published 5 months ago by doug
5.0 out of 5 stars
Do it Anyway...
Quite simply this 3 disc retrospective of Ben Folds career is a MUST HAVE. It flows together so well You won't get sick of it even after MANY listens. Read more
Published 5 months ago by TheTuneFreak
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Ben Folds, come on
How can it NOT be awesome!?!? One of the best vocalist/piano players of our day, possibly the most original musician in the 1900's with only Elton John to compete with.
Published 5 months ago by i_eat_food
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must for Ben Folds Enthusiasts
If you like Ben, you will like this. As it is a 'best of' there are obviously a lot of songs that you probably already have. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Laura Wilson
