The debut album from piano-playing Ben Folds' smart-ass trio is a potent, and extremely fun, collection of postmodern rock ditties that comes off as a pleasantly workable combination of Tin Pan Alley showmanship, Todd Rundgren-style power pop, and myriad alt-rock sensibilities. The gimmick here is that not a single guitar was used on the 12 songs; but the way that Folds and his bandmates unravel their instruments (piano, bass, and drums make up this combo), even the most hardened noise    [ read more ]

CD $14.23

VINYL FORMAT. Includes download card! Ben Folds is best known as a solo artist and as the front-man/pianist of Ben Folds Five. He is celebrated for a sound that bridges the worlds of jazz and power rock. Ben Folds Five broke onto the scene as a refreshing break from the 90's angst rock norm. Way to Normal is the first full length release since Songs for Silverman, a very honest look at the last few years of Folds' life. "It's a fairly un-orchestral record," Folds tells Paste. "It's a fairly ly   [ read more ]

2xLP $18.99

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VINYL FORMAT. On 180 gram vinyl! Limited edition live LP of Ben Folds 2002 tour: Ben Folds Live and a Piano. Most of these tracks were originally recorded with a full band backing as Ben Folds Five, but the more spare versions presented here allow a glimpse at lyrical subtleties that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Includes a cover of Elton Johns' "Tiny Dancer."

2xLP $21.99

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This premium super deluxe box set includes the vinyl, the deluxe CD/DVD package, a bonus CD of live recordings and a fluorescent 2'x3' poster, all in a collectible 12"x12" foil-stamped box. Ben Folds is best known as a solo artist and as the front-man/pianist of Ben Folds Five. He is celebrated for a sound that bridges the worlds of jazz and power rock. Ben Folds Five broke onto the scene as a refreshing break from the 90's angst rock norm. Way to Normal is the first full length release si   [ read more ]

2xCD+LP+DVD $88.99

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Ben Folds is best known as a solo artist and as the front-man/pianist of Ben Folds Five. He is celebrated for a sound that bridges the worlds of jazz and power rock. Ben Folds Five broke onto the scene as a refreshing break from the 90's angst rock norm. Way to Normal is the first full length release since Songs for Silverman, a very honest look at the last few years of Folds' life. "It's a fairly un-orchestral record," Folds tells Paste. "It's a fairly lyric-driven rock record." Fo   [ read more ]

CD $14.99

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As the title suggests, Naked Baby Photos opens the vaults to capture Ben Folds Five in their developmental stages, splitting its 16 tracks evenly between studio rarities and live performances; about half have never been available before in any recorded form. In addition to those previously unavailable tracks, Folds collectors will be enticed by the band's rare debut 7", "Jackson Cannery," and the original demo of "Bad Idea," which the band considers superior to the version released on the {^T   [ read more ]

CD $15.18

Ben Folds is at his best when he melds the acerbic with the heartfelt, a balancing act that he's honed to perfection on the warm and ballad-heavy Songs for Silverman. Opening track "Bastard," with a fuzzed-out bassline right out of 1995, kick-starts a record that plays like a show in reverse. The meat's all upfront, so those expecting a show-stopping encore will just have to listen to it backward, as this is Ben Folds the family man, not the embittered youth who joined the "Army" on 1999's Unautho   [ read more ]

CD $23.99

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Superficially, there's not much separating Ben Folds' first official solo album, Rockin' the Suburbs, from his records with Ben Folds Five. It's hard to note any difference, really, since he still works from the same vantage point, borrowing equally from new wave, '90s irony, and a love of classic pop. Still, there is a difference, even if it's hard to pinpoint -- perhaps it's an increased focus, perhaps it was a hot streak from Folds, or perhaps the Five really were more of a group than they seemed    [ read more ]

CD $12.99

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The follow-up to the popular Whatever and Ever Amen, Ben Folds Five's third LP, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Mesner, continues the eclectic and clever songwriting that has become the group's trademark. Like other piano-based rock composers such as Randy Newman and Todd Rundgren, principal songwriter and de facto leader Ben Folds combines an off-beat world view with equally off-kilter musical arrangements to create a thoroughly original sound. The pseudo-lounge break in {&"R   [ read more ]

CD $7.59

The Ben Folds and a Piano tour of 2002 offered fans just that: the man and his instrument. Culled from those performances, Ben Folds Live documents Folds, his piano, and most importantly, his songs. Most of Ben Folds Live's tracks were first recorded by Ben Folds Five, with live versions of four songs from Folds' solo debut, Rockin' the Suburbs, also included. The classic trappings of live albums are still present. While the new versions of the familiar tunes are at times interesting an   [ read more ]

CD $7.59

The Ben Folds and a Piano tour of 2002 offered fans just that: the man and his instrument. Culled from those performances, Ben Folds Live documents Folds, his piano, and most importantly, his songs. Most of Ben Folds Live's tracks were first recorded by Ben Folds Five, with live versions of four songs from Folds' solo debut, Rockin' the Suburbs, also included. The classic trappings of live albums are still present. While the new versions of the familiar tunes are at times interesting an   [ read more ]

CD $7.59

Ben Folds' seventh studio recording begins appropriately with an Elton John spoof. After a string of introspective albums, the old-school (as in Ben Folds Five era) "Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head)," with its bombastic strings, "Benny and the Jets"-inspired piano motif and not-so-subtle refrain of "They're watching me, watching me fall" marks a return to the snarky, sarcastic days of old when Folds' signature blend of nerdy bravado and apathetic melodiousness wrested dominance of the    [ read more ]

CD $11.38