First of all, big BIG thanks to Ryan. Ryan was kind enough to update word press for me, so now I’ll be able to blog directly from my iPod…
…if I were so inclined.
Ryan is embarking on his 2008 World* Tour soon!
*”World” to Ryan means Seoul, South Korea and Various Girly and non-Girly Parts of Japan.
Thanks, Ryan!
So I’m enjoying a nice Saturday afternoon in my kitchen, listening, as the title would suggest to Ben Folds Five’s “Whatever and Ever Amen,” one of my all-time favorite records. It’s such a great record, but it’s probably third of four on Ben Folds Five’s catalog behind “The Unauthorized Biography of Rienhold Messner” at number one and the self-titled debut, “Ben Folds Five,” at number two.

Whatever And Cover Amen
Of course, this changes on a daily basis, specifically right now. I liken Ben Folds to the Star Wars movies. Which one is your favorite? The correct answer is, of course, The Empire Strikes Back, but for me it’s usually whichever one I’m watching at the moment.
That’s how I tend to feel about Ben Folds and his music, pre- or post-Five.
But it made me think…
If I had to rank the records, how would I go about doing it? I think I’d have to break it down into eras.
So…
For Ben Folds Five, my order would go as such:
- The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
- Ben Folds Five
- Whatever and Ever Amen
- Naked Baby Photos
Now… I’m not saying Naked Baby Photos is a bad album by any means. In fact, I love it. Goofing around doesn’t get any better than “Satan Is My Master.”
Reinhold is just such a fantastic record. Arranged strings, beautiful harmonies, and many other instruments you just don’t find that often with a three piece band.
For the Ben Folds Solo Albums, my list looks thusly:
- Rockin’ The Suburbs
- Songs For Silverman
Woah. I guess that’s it. I’m anxiously awaiting “Way To Normal” coming out at the end of September. I’ve heard a few songs due to the leak, and they’re just awesome.
Rockin’ The Suburbs brings such fantastic tunes as “The Ascent of Stan” and “Losing Lisa,” arguably two of my favorite songs Ben has ever written. Then of course, there’s “Not The Same,” a concert favorite, due to involving the audience in the three part harmonies.
Songs for Silverman is to Rockin’ The Suburbs as Reinhold is to Whatever and Ever, yet, I rate Suburbs higher than Silverman. I honestly don’t know why, but I just feel a constant need to reiterate that because it’s second, it doesn’t mean that I don’t love it.
“Landed,” from Silverman, is one of the best break up songs I’ve ever heard. Listening to the beginning, I’ve often come close to crying. No! Really! And the end of the song puts me in a much better mood. It actually makes me feel hopeful. How a song can make you feel two very different things over the course of three minutes or so is something that should not be overlooked! I go from feeling down at “We hit the bottom/I thought it was my fault/and in a way I guess it was” to a hopeful and happy attitude at “Down comes the reign of the telephone czar/it’s okay to call, I will answer for myself.” I can’t think of another song that makes me feel that way.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” comes to mind. Yeah, well, listening to the lyrics, I tend to be upset throughout, yes, even through the “rockin” parts.
That just leaves EPs, Live Albums, Miscellany
- Sunny 16
- Songs For Goldfish
- Speed Graphic
- Super D
- Ben Folds Live
- SuperSunnySpeedGraphic the LP
Sunny 16 gets the nod simply for “There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You.” The title of the song alone is a fact. Think about it. Think of the coolest person you know. Now, there’s got to be at least one person in this entire world who you think is cooler than them. For me, whenever I try to think is cooler than someone I know, I always get stuck on either Bill Murray or Jack Nicholson. I can’t decide which of those two is cooler than the other, which I guess means they’re each cooler than the other!
Goldfish goes second. Yeah. It’s mostly a compilation of live songs that we’ve all heard, um, a million times before, but it’s Ben’s cover of Lucinda Willaims’s “Side of the Road” that gives it a big bump.
Speed Graphic is number 3 because of “Give Judy My Notice” and “Protection.” Judy is another one of those fantastic break-up songs, and Protection just plain and simple rocks.
Super D comes in at number 4. My favorites are “Adelaide” and “Kalamazoo.” Adelaide is Ben’s love note to the town he was living in at the time, and Kalamazoo is a haunting tale.
Number 5 Is Ben Folds Live. I had to rank it kind of low, because it’s just Ben and his piano, which is absolutely great, but sometimes, I just want to hear the entire band.
I actually didn’t purchase number 6, Supersunnyspeedgraphic, The LP, because it’s just a compilation of the three LPs, so it automatically gets ranked at the bottom. However, it is a fantastic way to (legally) obtain Ben’s cover of Dr. Dre’s “Bitches Ain’t Shit,” a song that has recently been retired from live shows.
So… there it is. My Ben Folds album rankings. Were someone to ask me to combine the list into one uber list, I don’t think i could do it. i love all of the records, and doing this much has pained me! Ow! My knee!
Wait… why does my knee hurt?
Anyway, maybe one day (I’ve learned not to say “in the next post”) I’ll rank the indivdual songs on the albums, but don’t bet on it! :D
I’m now going to go make tacos for lunch. That’s right. Lunch. Yeah. I went there.