Ben Folds retrospective for October release as 1- and 3-disc editions
aaamusic | On 10, Sep 2011
BEN FOLDS
THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF:
A RETROSPECTIVE
Released: 10th October, 2011
Single CD & expanded 3CD
with the first new tracks by Ben Folds Five in 11 years
On October 10th “THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE”, the long-awaited, career-spanning anthology chronicling the musical adventures of US pop’s quintessential post-modern singer-songwriter-pianist, BEN FOLDS is released
The most comprehensive and definitive BEN FOLDS collection ever assembled, THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE is re-mastered from original master tapes, bringing together Ben’s biggest
hits, deepest catalogue fan favorites, hidden treasures, and collectible rarities – whilst premiering the first newly-recorded BEN FOLDS FIVE tracks in 11 years.
This retrospective will be available as a single disc or in an expanded three CD set with corresponding digital equivalents,.THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE features liner notes and track-by-track song annotations by Ben himself. He writes: “This is the album I will submit for the next Voyager to be launched into space. It’s my best shot at an honest assessment of where I was in each period of my career. . . . In the end we tried to put together a collection of the unrepeatable, each recording hopefully representing a moment that was somehow otherwise beyond my ability”.
THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE is a carefully-curated 18-track 1CD / single download distillation of the essence of two decades of BEN FOLDS’ music, from the break-out hits Underground and Brick with BEN FOLDS FIVE, through solo work and unexpectedly delightful collaborations ranging from You Don’t Know Me with Regina Spektor to From Above, with lyrics by best-selling author Nick Hornby. Coming right up to date, it closes with House, one of three new BEN FOLDS FIVE songs recorded especially for this retrospective.
Whilst the 18 track version is the perfect point of entry for newcomers, the 3CD is a treasure trove for the initiated. This bonanza for dedicated Ben Folds aficionados has, on the 2nd disc, 21 live tracks of solo and
BFF gems, 17 of which are previously unreleased. The 3rd disc comprises 22 rare solo and BFF demos and studio outtakes, alternate mixes – all but four of which are previously unreleased – and the debut releases of Tell Me What I Did and Stumblin’ Home Winter Blues, the further pair of the three brand new BEN FOLDS FIVE tracks recorded especially in 2011. The 3CD version also includes a 24-page booklet.
After THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE was assembled from “literally hundreds of recordings”, according to Ben, an additional 55 completed tracks remained. Too many for inclusion on the retrospective and too good to put back on the shelf, the tracks will be available in a special online Ben Folds ’55’ Vault. Fans purchasing the three-disc expanded edition will be given an individual code redeemable for a bonus 5 song downloadable EP from the Ben Folds ’55’ Vault in addition to access to 50 Ben Folds ultra-rarities available for purchase exclusively on the site.
As both a solo artist and leader of Ben Folds Five, BEN FOLDS has sold more than 3 million records over the course of his 17-year recording career.
Disc One – THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF:
01. Brick (Radio Mix) (with Ben Folds Five) (Taken from Brick single – 1998) / 02. Annie Waits (Taken from Rockin The
Suburbs – 2001) / 03. Philosophy (with Ben Folds Five) (Taken from Ben Folds Five – 1995) / 04. Underground (with Ben Folds
Five) (Taken from Ben Folds Five – 1995) / 05. Landed (Strings Version) (Taken from Landed (Digital Single) – 2005)
06. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces (with Ben Folds Five) (Taken from Whatever and Ever Amen – 1997)
07. Don’t Change Your Plans (with Ben Folds Five) (Taken from The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner – 1999)
08. The Luckiest (Taken from Rockin The Suburbs – 2001) / 09. Smoke (with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra) (Audio
taken from Live in Perth – 2005) / 10. Rockin’ the Suburbs (Taken from Rockin The Suburbs – 2001) / 11. Kate (with Ben Folds
Five) (Taken from Whatever and Ever Amen – 1997) / 12. Gracie (Taken from Songs for Silverman – 2005) / 13. Still Fighting It
(Extended Version) (Alternate Mix from Rockin The Suburbs – 2001) / 14. You Don’t Know Me (featuring Regina Spektor)
(Taken from Way To Normal-2008) / 15. There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You (Taken from Supersunnyspeedgraphic, The
LP – 2006) / 16. Still (Taken from Over The Hedge-Music From The Motion Picture- 2006) / 17. From Above (with lyrics by Nick
Hornby) (Taken from Lonely Avenue – 2010 / 18. House (with Ben Folds Five) (New Track – 2011)
Disc Two – LIVE (1997-2011):
01. Julianne (with Ben Folds Five) / 02. Video (with Ben Folds Five) (both recorded at Studion in Stockholm, Sweden, on
March 12, 1997 03. Song for The Dumped (with Ben Folds Five) (recorded for Hard Rock Café Live television program on
June 12, 1998) & originally released in 2000 on the album The Best of Hard Rock Café Live (Sire 31069-2) / 04. Missing the
War (with Ben Folds Five) / 05. Mess (with Ben Folds Five) 06. Magic (with Ben Folds Five) (all recorded live at the Royal
Albert Hall in London, on December 14, 1999) / 07. Selfless, Cold and Composed (Recorded at Bowery Ballroom in New
York, NY on December 9 2001) 08. Zak and Sara 09. Girl (both recorded at Roseland Ballroom in New York, NY on June 13,
2002) 10. Just Pretend (with the Bens) (Recorded at Palais Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, on March 24, 2003) 11. Fred
Jones Part 2 (with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra)(Recorded at Kings Park in Perth, Australia on March 12 & 13
2005 and originally released in December, 2005, on the Epic DVD Live in Perth / 12. Careless Whisper (featuring Rufus
Wainwright) (Recorded at Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA on August 24, 2005) / 13. All U Can Eat (Recorded at Ben’s
Studio in Nashville, TN on October 24, 2006 and originally released February, 2007, on the DVD Live at My Space
14. Long Tall Texan (Recorded at the Warehouse in Houston, TX on October 24, 2008) / 15. Army (with Ben Folds Five)
16. Battle of Who Could Care Less (with Ben Folds Five) (Recorded at UNC Memorial Hall, Chapel Hill on September 18,
2008 for the MySpace “Front to Back” series) / 17. Kylie from Connecticut (Recorded at the State Theatre, Detroit, MI on
October 9, 2008 and originally released in April, 2009 on the iTunes release The Sound of Last Night … This Morning
18. Effington (Recorded at Ax Hall, Seoul, South Korea on June 9, 2011) / 19. Picture Window (Recorded at Hammersmith
Apollo in London, on February 20, 2011) / 20. Sentimental Guy (Recorded at Diamond Hall in Nagoya, Japan on June 7,
2011) / 21. Not the Same (Recorded at A.E.C. Theatre in Adelaide, Australia on May 22, 2011 )
Disc Three – RARITIES (1991-2011):
01. Unrelated (Unfinished Song Demo – 1996) / 02. Best Imitation of Myself (Demo – 1991) / 03. Rocky (4 Track Home
Demo – 1993) / 04. Boxing (Demo – 1993) / 05. Julianne (with Ben Folds Five) (Unreleased 1st Album – 1994) /
06. Evaporated (with Ben Folds Five) Unreleased 1st Album – 1994 / 07. Alice Childress (Originally released on Rare on Air
3: KCRW Performances – 1997) / 08. Barrytown (with Ben Folds Five) (Originally released on Me, Myself and Irene
Soundtrack – 2000) / 09. Amelia Bright (with Ben Folds Five) (Mitch Easter Sessions – 2000) / 10. Tell Me What I Did (with
Ben Folds Five) (New Track -2011) / 11. Rock Star (Demo – 2000) / 12. Losing Lisa (Demo – 2000) / 13. Break Up at Food
Court (Demo – 2000) / 14. Wandering (Demo – 2000) / 15. Hiro’s Song (Demo – 2000) / 16. The Secret Life of Morgan
Davis (Alternate Mix – 2001) / 17. Such Great Heights (Alternate Mix from MySpace sessions – 2006) / 18. Bitches Ain’t
Shit (Originally released as b-side of Landed 7″ vinyl single) / 19. Time (Alternate Version – 2004) / 20. Sleazy (Originally
released on Download to Donate’s Tsunami Relief – 2011) / 21. Because the Origami (with 8in8 – Ben Folds, Amanda
Palmer, Neil Gaiman and Damian Kulash) (Originally released on Nighty Night – 2011) / 22. Stumblin’ Home Winter Blues
(with Ben Folds Five) (New Track – 2011)
Title Format Cat Number Barcode Dealer Price
THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE 1CD 88697944452 886979444522
THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE 3CD 88697926832 886979268326
THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE 2LP 88697968981 886979689817
THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE 1CD digital equivalent G010002695959U 886443167162
THE BEST IMITATION OF MYSELF: A RETROSPECTIVE 3CD digital G010002711282B 886443204232
