I’m against retrospective box sets on principle. If I’m a big fan of an artist, I own everything he or she has released and probably a few odds and ends picked up on the Web along the way as well. Invariably, the contents of a career-spanning release will be 90% redundant with what I already have.
For that reason, I initially decided not to buy Ben Folds’ 3-disc set, The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective.
But when I recently found myself at Best Buy with a $40 gift card, it seemed like a good purchase considering I was playing with the house’s money.
The first disc of the set is an 18-track best-of that, with a couple of exceptions, consists of songs pulled directly off of Folds’ solo and Ben Folds Five releases. Almost entirely unnecessary, but a nice selection nonetheless.
This disc does include a live version of ‘Smoke’ performed with a symphony orchestra that makes quite an impression. It also features ‘House,’ the first song recorded by Ben Folds Five since their breakup. Unfortunately, that song doesn’t live up to its promise, and doesn’t contain any of the elements that typified the Five’s best work. Folds may as well be joined a random backing band and not Darren Jesse and Robert Sledge given their contributions here. Where are the not-quite-ironic backing vocals, the monster bass and jazz-punk drums? A missed opportunity.
Disc Two contains live performances, some with a full band, some with just Ben and a piano. A duet with Rufus Wainwright on Wham!’s ‘Careless Whisper’ is a strangely wonderful find, as is Ben’s impromptu stab at Lyle Lovett’s ‘Long Tall Texan.’
Disc Three should be the real find — it’s an album of BFF and solo rarities. But about half of these tracks are demo versions of well-known songs and several others have long been available on the Web. A few new tracks pop up here but nothing revelatory.
All that said, I’m glad I bought this collection for one main reason: Folds writes detailed liner notes about every song, and reveals information about the writing and recording of each that serves as red meat for a fan like me. Also, the sound quality is pristine throughout and of course, it’s hard to go wrong with 3+ hours of Ben Folds music.
‘Amelia Bright’ is a lost Ben Folds Five track that I’d downloaded years ago but lost along the way. It’s nice to have it back again.
in a red 50’s dress from a thrift shop nearby
i laid on my back and stared at the sky
with amelia bright
hey something it’s new
it got into me, and i
hope that it got into you
but wait
like colors like paint
a trumpets been played, and i
hope that it’s inside
hope that it got into you
and there’s no doubt
here lies amelia bright
in a red 50’s dress from a thrift shop nearby
i laid on my back and stared at the sky
with amelia bright
there’s clothes that are put away
there’s me, spread all over the floor
i’m lost in one place
i’m stuck and I’m straight
and i hope that you feel the same too
and there’s no doubt
here lies amelia bright
in a red 50’s dress from a thrift shop nearby
i laid on my back and stared at the sky
with amelia bright
there’s no doubt
there’s nothing to work out
you’re alone, cause you’re always on your own
but when you yawn
it makes me wanna yawn too
blank expressionless clue
what got into you, with a
necklace no shoes
a promise of truth
and a life to re-write and improve
and there’s no doubt
here lies amelia bright
in a red 50’s dress from a thrift shop nearby
i laid on my back and stared to the sky
with amelia bright
amelia bright
amelia bright
Meet Me In Montauk 
When was this song recorded? I’m assuming it was after BFF’s first 2 albums given the quality of the recording and the sound which is similar to what he was doing on BFF’s last album together. Very nice song.
Meanwhile–how could you NOT post the Lovett cover? I must hear that ASAP. I also am curious to hear “Careless Whisper.”
I’m not sure I would want to own or wade through the whole 3 disc set to get to some of these gems, but it would be nice if those CDs found their way into my computer for some select downloading:)
Good ear. This was recorded in 2000 after Reinhold Messner when the band was starting work on their fourth album (which never came to be). Darren Jesse wrote it.
The ‘Long Tall Texan’ cover is kind of a throwaway between songs at a concert. He slips up on the lyrics about halfway through and it falls apart. I can burn you a disc of that and the other highlights.
Does the song play if I click something?
Clueless at MIA
Here is “Careless Whisper” performed live:
you got the lyrics to amelia bright wrong, you should check out Hotel Lights website for the correct lyrics. also, there’s really no such thing as “not quite ironic” backing vocals.
Thanks for the lead on the lyrics… I replaced them.
And yes, there is absolutely such a thing as ‘not quite ironic’ backing vocals. See Ben Folds Five’s three studio albums for evidence.