Ben Folds Live

Ben Folds Live is a live album by Ben Folds, released on October 8, 2002. This album marked the first official release of the Ben Folds' improvisation, "Rock This Bitch". The song, which changes with every performance, is now a staple of his live performances, with recorded versions also appears on his later albums Songs for Goldfish (under the name "Weather Channel Music") and on the Live in Perth DVD (in which he "rocks this bitch orchestrally" with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra).

Ben Folds Live
Live album by
Ben Folds
ReleasedOctober 8, 2002
RecordedMarch 2 – July 6, 2002
GenreAlternative rock
Length71:10
LabelSony
ProducerMarc Chevalier, Ben Folds
Ben Folds chronology
Rockin' the Suburbs
(2001)		 Ben Folds Live
(2002)		 Speed Graphic
(2003)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Pitchfork Media7.1/10 [2]
Rolling Stone [3]
Uncut [4]

This album was made available for a limited time with a bonus DVD. It had 8 tracks, including a video of the audience shooting the front cover (during which they all gave him the finger and yelled "Ben Folds sucks!"). This was also notable for the first appearance of the altered, minor-key version of the Ben Folds Five favorite "Song for the Dumped" on an official release. This version also includes Darren Jessee's "missing lyrics" ("You fucking whore" repeated a few times).

The Japanese release of the album included a live version of "Eddie Walker" and the studio recording of "Bizarre Christmas Incident". The 'L' in "Live" on the front cover is actually an upside-down 'F', as though it used to say "Ben Folds Five", the name of Ben's group before he began his solo career.

The cover of the album was taken June 8, 2002 by David Leyes at Avalon in Boston, MA during the "Ben Folds and a Piano" tour. The original image is of everyone in the crowd giving Ben the middle finger, however the fingers are edited out of the photo in the cover shown here. The "explicit" version of the cover shows the fingers.[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ben Folds, unless otherwise noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" 4:17
2."Zak and Sara" 3:24
3."Silver Street" 3:41
4."Best Imitation of Myself" 3:13
5."Not the Same" 4:31
6."Jane" 2:34
7."One Down" 4:03
8."Fred Jones Part 2" 4:39
9."Brick"
  • Folds
  • Darren Jessee
4:45
10."Narcolepsy" 6:04
11."Army" 3:41
12."The Last Polka"
3:55
13."Tiny Dancer"
5:23
14."Rock This Bitch" 1:17
15."Philosophy" (Inc Misirlou) 7:16
16."The Luckiest" 4:39
17."Emaline"
  • Folds
  • Evan Olson
3:48
Total length:71:10
Japanese bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
18."Eddie Walker" (live)3:25
19."Bizarre Christmas Incident" (studio)2:25
Total length:77:00

Limited Edition Bonus DVD
  1. "Not the Same" (Same version as Track #5 on the CD)
  2. "Philosophy (Inc Misirlou)"
  3. "Army"
  4. "Album Art Antics" (photographing the cover; see above)
  5. "Eddie Walker"
  6. "The Ascent of Stan"
  7. "Tiny Dancer"
  8. "Song for the Dumped" (in a minor key)

Personnel

Production
  • Producers: Marc Chevalier, Ben Folds
  • Engineer: Marc Chevalier
  • Mixing: Marc Chevalier
  • Mastering: Ted Jensen
  • A&R: Ben Goldman, James Hynes, Fleming McWilliams
  • Project manager: Scott Carter
  • Compilation: Marc Chevalier
  • Crew: Marc Chevalier
  • Photography: David Leyes, Steve Volpe, Ben Folds
  • Package design: John Heiden

Charts
Chart (2002) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 60
US Top Internet Albums (Billboard) 60

References
  1. Vanderhoff, Mark (October 8, 2002). "Ben Folds Live - Ben Folds : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  2. Mitchum, Rob (October 27, 2002). "Ben Folds Five: Ben Folds Live". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. Edwards, Gavin (November 19, 2002). "Ben Folds: Ben Folds Live : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 15, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  4. "Ben Folds Live CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  5. "David Leyes Shooting Ben Folds Album Cover". YouTube. June 8, 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
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