REVIEW: Ben Folds Five, Naked Baby Photos (Caroline)
- Bob Gajarsky
'Pianos can't be used for alternative music.' 'Bands don't release rarities discs while on their ascent in the world of music.' Ben Folds Five continue to prove exceptions to both of these axioms with the release of an album full of rarities and live tracks, Naked Baby Photos.
NBP starts off quite promisingly. The band's first ever single, "Jackson Cannery" / "Eddie Walker", was limited to a press run of less than 1000 sold-out vinyl-only copies. "Cannery" was eventually reworked for the debut self-titled album, and this version's unevenly spaced vocal introduction provides an interesting example of the band's future maturation.
Other key cuts, including "Tom And Mary" and "Emaline" (both cut from the first album), showcase the depth of the BFF catalog and fit in perfectly with any fan's collection.
If Ben Folds Five had veered more towards metal music, rather than Squeeze or Joe Jackson...well, the results are here. "The Ultimate Sacrifice" gives a glimpse into one of BFF's hidden musical personalities. Ironically, Folds is shown on the cover wearing a Guns N Roses t-shirt - and on the back over, he has it pulled over his head, a la the Cornholio skit from Beavis and Butthead.
"Dick Holster" is 30 seconds of an instrumental ragtime outtake, while "For Those Of Y'All Who Wear Fanny Packs" is a soundcheck rap a la Vanilla Ice, but with no such attempts to be taken seriously. Thank goodness.
Most fans of BFF were first introduced to the band via their sleeper radio hit, "Underground", which is included here from a 1995 North Carolina concert. Another of the eight live songs which encapsulate this compilation is a previously unavailable cover of Built To Spill's "Twin Falls" from a 1996 Tokyo concert.
The only complaint here - where's their live cover of the Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star"? And why all the live versions of songs when, surely, studio versions of these same tracks exist? Given BFF's open attitude towards live recording, I'm sure many of the band's devotees already own many of these live tracks.
Until Ben Folds Five forget how to write alterna-pop music, it's hard to imagine them releasing a bad album. This rarities/live collection offers proof of the talent behind this trio, and is stronger than many band's best efforts.
