Ben Folds Five have announced a 30th anniversary edition of their self-titled debut featuring a deep-lore treat for fans. Arriving September 4th via Capitol/UMe on 2xCD and 2xLP, the remastered album will also include the long-rumored, recently unearthed Shelved First Attempt version of the record.
As Ben Folds himself stated in a press release, the trio was given $14,000 from Caroline Records to make their first full-length. They spent that on three weeks in Philadelphia with producer Dave “Stiff” Johnson, but the resulting songs were never released. “We had taken the time we needed, and the advice of the very competent producer, but it resulted in an album that didn’t feel like us,” Folds said. “I only recently happened to have found a cassette of this shelved album. It’s not bad, though I recall it being hideous… It’s just not crazy like the album we all know.”
Shelved First Attempt includes three tracks that didn’t make the album’s final cut (“Emaline,” “Dick Holster,” and “Eddie Walker”), and early version of the eventual Whatever and Ever Amen standout “Evaporated,” and alternate versions of seven Ben Folds Five cuts. As a first listen, you can hear “Underground (Shelved First Attempt)” below.
Pre-orders and pre-saves for Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) are going on now. Signed editions of the vinyl limited to 1,000 copies are available exclusively via uDiscover Music. Check out the cover art, tracklist, and a look at the 2xLP edition ahead.
In addition to the remastered edition and Shelved First Attempt, Ben Folds Five — Folds, bassist Robert Sledge, and drummer Darren Jessee — will reunite for their first tour dates in over 13 years. Details on those shows are forthcoming, but Fold has a number of solo dates on the horizon, for which tickets are available here.
Recently, Folds called for support of the National Symphony Orchestra in the wake of Donald Trump’s name being removed from the Kennedy Center. Folds had previously resigned as the National Symphony Orchestra’s Artistic Advisor following Trump’s takeover of the institution.
Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) Artwork:
Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) Tracklist:
01. Jackson Cannery
02. Philosophy
03. Julianne
04. Where’s Summer B.?
05. Alice Childress
06. Underground
07. Sports & Wine
08. Uncle Walter
09. Best Imitation of Myself
10. Video
11. The Last Polka
12. Boxing
Ben Folds Five (Shelved First Attempt)
01. Underground
02. Julianne
03. Uncle Walter
04. Alice Childress
05. Evaporated
06. Dick Holster
07. Philosophy
08. Boxing
09. Emaline
10. The Last Polka
11. Eddie Walker
Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) 2xLP:
