Twenty Eight Years and One Day Later...
The Complete Sessions at West 54th Street - Ben Folds Five (Blast from the Past Tuesday)
The Complete Sessions at West 54th Street is an album I’ve been holding onto for a while. I like to take a little time before I circle back to cover an artist twice, and since I wrote about Ben Folds Five & “Kate” back in March, I thought it would be a bit until I covered it. But these past few weeks, every track from this collection has made its way to my head… and would you believe that the actual performance just happened to turn twenty-eight years old as of YESTERDAY? That’s some crazy cosmic timing if I do say so myself. I figured I’d give a breakdown of a couple of the songs on this album… though I would recommend you listen (and watch) it all the way through when you get the time!
Track Four - “The Last Polka”
Watching this one is what sealed the deal on this session being one of, if not my absolute favorite live performance of all time. There’s nothing better than opening on a shot of Ben literally stomping on the piano, pounding on it with his fists like it did him wrong, only to end the section with one of the most perfect flourishes I’ve ever heard. This is just one example of the genre-bending power the Five had — who the heck could make a polka sound so good?? Robert Sledge makes good use of the fuzz on his bass in this song, and I like to watch him get more into it. Can I mention Sledge’s outfit too— it’s like watching Shaggy from Scooby-Doo fulfill his rockstar dreams, and it’s totally awesome. Darren Jessee is absolutely perfect on the drums as usual — spinning the sticks and landing right on time. The whole thing is exhilarating to watch, especially in the middle breakdown. Just one of many examples of what a terrific trio they truly were.
Track Five - “Selfless, Cold, and Composed”
This may be my favorite Ben Folds Five song of all time. The coolest thing is I heard it in this context first. I still remember exactly where I was — on a plane, headphones in. I heard that crazy mini drum solo at the beginning, and I was already hooked. But I swear to god I fell in love with what was to come. “Selfless, Cold, and Composed” is a dark, noir-esque jazz-type number that glides like rain down a windowpane. I like how they take it fast in this version, and I especially like the time signature switch-ups you get with both the piano and the drums. It’s cool to watch how they check in with each other during the song, little glances to make sure they’re still together… which, of course, they are. Such a winner every time.
Track Eight - “Smoke”
“Smoke” was the one that I probably told the most people about when I watched it. This is the type of thing that makes me feel lucky to be alive to watch it. Who in the WORLD would play piano with one hand and a mellotron with another, blowing into it to create that accordion-keyboard-harmonica cross?! And who in the UNIVERSE would ever think to strum the strings of the piano with a guitar pick while playing it just to give even more cool texture ?! I mean come ON! (Hopefully my liberal use of capitalization accurately represent that I basically think this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.) The drums are so great in this too — the cymbal being a constant is this great sort of echo, a punctuated sound to a more elongated piano part.
Track Twelve - “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces”
Here’s another one that goes in the “are you kidding me” category. This performance specifically was one I just KNEW I had to watch the video for when I heard it. You can literally hear them rushing the tempo in every chorus, and I don’t really know who’s driving it. It’s like a big challenge, like a whole big game of “I dare you to keep up” all throughout. This may be one of the first instances where I really considered piano a percussion instrument, though of course it technically always is. But that thing is getting hammered in the same way that the drums are. About three quarters of the way through is when you can see them start to grit their teeth and really commit, big ol’ grins taking over their faces as they commit to making this one the greatest.
Track Fourteen - “She Don’t Use Jelly”
We’ll end with one that I think captures the heart of any who hear it. While “She Don’t Use Jelly” is technically a Flaming Lips song, it belongs to Ben Folds Five in my book, and it’s all because of this performance! I’m a sucker for a band who shares vocals, and this is exactly that. All three of them have such different voices, and they compliment each other really well. I’m also a sucker for good harmonies and key changes… and this song has plenty of both! It’s a fun track, with cute lyrics and a melody you can easily sing along to. What might be my favorite part of the video is the guys dancing in the back — the very same ones who were doing backflips and a mini mosh-pit during “Underground” are swaying along to this song with the same enthusiasm!
If I had a time machine that let me go see one live performance, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it to go to the West 54th Sessions. There is literally not one skip on there, and I would do anything just to see that energy at work in person. I will say, while that can’t happen… yet…. the videos do a great job of capturing it so that I can enjoy watching Ben Folds Five at work twenty-eight years and one day later!!
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