Ben Folds Five is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Ben Folds Five, released on July 25, 1995. A non-traditional rock album, it featured a sound that excluded lead guitars completely. The album was released on the small independent label Passenger Records, owned by Caroline Records, a subsidiary of Virgin/EMI. Ben Folds Five received positive reviews, and spawned five singles. Although it failed to chart, it sparked a bidding war that was eventually won by Sony Music. Several live versions of songs originally released on Ben Folds Five reappeared later as b-sides or on compilations.
In September 2026, a 30th anniversary edition of the album was released including a bonus disc, Shelved First Attempt, featuring the band's original demo recording of the album with an alternate track listing.
Reception
Ben Folds Five received positive reviews from NME, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Entertainment Weekly. Michael Gallucci praised the album as "a potent, and extremely fun collection of postmodern rock ditties that comes off as a pleasantly workable combination of Tin Pan Alley showmanship, Todd Rundgren-style power pop, and myriad alt-rock sensibilities." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice selected "Boxing" as a "choice cut". The Record concluded that the "performances are often mannered, the arrangements busy and tiring, and Folds's Joe Jackson Redux isn't anything close to the Bold New Sound it has been trumpeted as."
Track listing
Personnel Ben Folds – piano, vocals Darren Jessee – drums, vocals, percussion Robert Sledge – bass, vocals Ted Ehrhard – violin, viola on "Boxing" Chris Eubank – cello on "Boxing"
Production Producer: Caleb Southern Mixing: Marc Becker Photography: Alexandria Searls
Charts
Weekly charts Chart PositionAustralian ARIA Albums Chart37Japanese Oricon Albums Chart72
Certifications
References