Ben Folds Live
| Ben Folds Live | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | October 8, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | March 2 – July 6, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 71:10 | |||
| Label | Sony | |||
| Producer | Marc Chevalier, Ben Folds | |||
| Ben Folds chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.1/10 [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| Uncut | [4] |
Ben Folds Live is a live album by Ben Folds, released on October 8, 2002. This album marked the first official release of the improvisation, "Rock This Bitch". The song, which changes with every performance, is now a staple of his live performances, with recorded versions also appears on his later albums Songs for Goldfish (under the name "Weather Channel Music") and on the Live in Perth DVD (in which he "rocks this bitch orchestrally" with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra).
This album was made available for a limited time with a bonus DVD. It had 8 tracks, including a video of the audience shooting the front cover (during which they all gave him the finger and yelled "Ben Folds sucks!"). This was also the first appearance of the altered, minor-key version of the Ben Folds Five song "Song for the Dumped" on an official release. This version also includes Darren Jessee's "missing lyrics" ("You fucking whore" repeated a few times).
The Japanese release of the album included a live version of "Eddie Walker" and the studio recording of "Bizarre Christmas Incident". The 'L' in "Live" on the front cover is actually an upside-down 'F', as though it used to say "Ben Folds Five", the name of Ben's group before he began his solo career.
The cover of the album was taken June 8, 2002 by David Leyes at Avalon in Boston, MA during the "Ben Folds and a Piano" tour. The original image is of everyone in the crowd giving Ben the middle finger, however the fingers are edited out of the photo in the cover shown here. The "explicit" version of the cover shows the fingers.[5]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Ben Folds, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" | 4:17 | |
| 2. | "Zak and Sara" | 3:24 | |
| 3. | "Silver Street" | 3:41 | |
| 4. | "Best Imitation of Myself" | 3:13 | |
| 5. | "Not the Same" | 4:31 | |
| 6. | "Jane" | 2:34 | |
| 7. | "One Down" | 4:03 | |
| 8. | "Fred Jones Part 2" | 4:39 | |
| 9. | "Brick" |
| 4:45 |
| 10. | "Narcolepsy" | 6:04 | |
| 11. | "Army" | 3:41 | |
| 12. | "The Last Polka" |
| 3:55 |
| 13. | "Tiny Dancer" | 5:23 | |
| 14. | "Rock This Bitch" | 1:17 | |
| 15. | "Philosophy" (Inc Misirlou) | 7:16 | |
| 16. | "The Luckiest" | 4:39 | |
| 17. | "Emaline" |
| 3:48 |
| Total length: | 71:10 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Eddie Walker" (live) | 3:25 |
| 19. | "Bizarre Christmas Incident" (studio) | 2:25 |
| Total length: | 77:00 | |
Limited Edition Bonus DVD
[edit]- "Not the Same" (Same version as Track #5 on the CD)
- "Philosophy (Inc Misirlou)"
- "Army"
- "Album Art Antics" (photographing the cover; see above)
- "Eddie Walker"
- "The Ascent of Stan"
- "Tiny Dancer"
- "Song for the Dumped" (in a minor key)
Personnel
[edit]- Ben Folds – vocals, piano
- John McCrea – vocals on track 8 (of CD)
Production
[edit]- Producers: Marc Chevalier, Ben Folds
- Engineer: Marc Chevalier
- Mixing: Marc Chevalier
- Mastering: Ted Jensen
- A&R: Ben Goldman, James Hynes, Fleming McWilliams
- Project manager: Scott Carter
- Compilation: Marc Chevalier
- Crew: Marc Chevalier
- Photography: David Leyes, Steve Volpe, Ben Folds
- Package design: John Heiden
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 60 |
| US Top Internet Albums (Billboard) | 60 |
References
[edit]- ^ Vanderhoff, Mark (October 8, 2002). "Ben Folds Live - Ben Folds : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- ^ Mitchum, Rob (October 27, 2002). "Ben Folds Five: Ben Folds Live". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- ^ Edwards, Gavin (November 19, 2002). "Ben Folds: Ben Folds Live : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ^ "Ben Folds Live CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
- ^ "David Leyes Shooting Ben Folds Album Cover". YouTube. June 8, 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
