Ben Folds Five Digest

Issue #108 - June 28, 1996



                     Ben Folds Five Digest, Issue #108
 
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Topics for Today:
 
      XTC starter set
      Re: Todd Folds Ben Folds Five? Heaven!
      non-BFF
      BFF and Neil
      fixing the info
      more info to fix
      me and my damn corrections!
      You guys turned me on to Jellyfish!
      BFF Comparisons?
      Bristow, Va
      something refreshing
      Article on ATN's page
      This is my last posting about Jellyfish, and I will keep it brief
      Re: Ben Folds Five in London
      Squirrel Nut Zippers(&BFF in Atl
 
 ==============================================================================

 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 17:59:26 -0400
 From: J9Good@aol.com
 Subject: XTC starter set

 I have to disagree with the "XTC starter set" suggested in a recent issue
 (Nonesuch, Oranges & Lemons, & Skylarking).  To leave out the earlier stuff
 would be criminal!  For the novice, I'd start with Black Sea and English
 Settlement, and then Skylarking.

 That's all -- now back to your regularly scheduled programming.  -- J9

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 18:01:43 -0400
 From: Wri10@aol.com
 Subject: Re: Todd Folds Ben Folds Five? Heaven!

 Hey, Hopalong III --

 I won't quote the previous post, it's not necessary -- but I will quote Paul
 Sheaffer.  YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!  Todd Rundgren should produce some album, though
 I'm not sure it would be wise to let him produce the second... I think it
 works best when a band has "seasoned" a little bit.  Look what he did for XTC
 (Skylarking) and Cheap Trick (Next Position, Please).  Both bands who've
 drawn from similar wells, one might add, to Ben Folds Five.

 And maybe he'd write a song for them like he did for Cheap Trick during the
 "Next Position" sessions.  And hopefully, they wouldn't hate him like Andy
 Partridge did after the XTC sessions.  Some thanks Todd got for "Dear God".
  But there you go, it's why I think the guy should stick with American and
 Canadian pop bands, if he's going to produce other people's work.

 Jules Shear produces too, doesn't he?  That might be a good match, too.

 A topic worth discussion!

 Melinda

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 96 19:33:04 -0500
 From: Nina Hays <nimsey@neosoft.com>
 Subject: non-BFF

 -- [ From: Nina Hays * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --

 p-way-g.  there is a photographer with the same last name that i met.  so i
 had to ask him.
  		
  		>Joseph Puig (anybody know how to pronounce that?),
  		>the guy who produced the Jellyfish albums.
 nina

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 22:08:20 -0400
 From: Kymberleyh@aol.com
 Subject: BFF and Neil

 > I just heard (I think) that BFF is opening for Neil Young at a pavilion
 > concert in Northern Virginia...is this correct?  It also said Jewel would
 > be playing as well...The radio was kinda fuzzy so I couldn't be sure if I
 > heard it correctly.

 yeppers, you heard right!!  opening is BFF, jewel is 2nd and then neil.  i
 believe the show is july 18, a thursday.

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 22:12:24 -0400
 From: Kymberleyh@aol.com
 Subject: fixing the info

 In a message dated 96-06-21 18:21:33 EDT, you write:

 > Jellyfish is a great British band, perhaps best known commercially for
 > their song "The King is Half Undressed"

 jellyfish are from san francisco, california NOT britain.  and i think they
 are probably known by a lot of people for a lot more that the king is half
 undressed.  of course, that and babys coming back are probably thier biggest
 hits.  (sorry if im defensive)
 if you love good pop and super songs and lovely harmonies then jellyfish is
 for you!

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 22:18:38 -0400
 From: Kymberleyh@aol.com
 Subject: more info to fix

 > Oh, and if you've heard the new single "Are You a Boy or a Girl?" by
 Imperial Drag, >that sould give you a slight sense of the Jellyfish sound,
 given that Imperial Drag >features the lead singer of Jellyfish as well as
 one other member.  One more thing, if >you've heard of "The Moog Cookbook,"
 it too is put together by the lead singer of >Jellyfish.

 Imperial Drag's singer is eric dover who was not the singer of jellyfish but
 he was the guitar player on their spilt milk tour.  imperial drag doesnt
 sound anything like jellyfish. i think ID is more influenced by gary glitter
 and t rex than queen and the beatles.  The other member of ID that was in
 jellyfish is roger manning who was one of the original members (keyboard).
 The moog cookbook was not put together by the lead singer of jellyfish, but
 was put together by roger manning and brian kehew.  and you should all check
 out the moog cookbook.  its moog covers of todays rock "classics".

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 22:51:12 -0400
 From: Kymberleyh@aol.com
 Subject: me and my damn corrections!

 In a message dated 96-06-25 01:02:09 EDT, you write:

 > Umajets is the closest Jellyfish sounding band from any ex-member of
 Jellyfish.  This
 > contains an old guitarist of the band.

 actually tim smith used to be jellyfish's bass player, and yes, umajets is
 pretty jellyfishish and roger manning and eric dover both play on the record.
 i really feel bad that this is all going in the bf5 mailing list but i cant
 stand to see it wrong. sorry.

 ==============================================================================

 Date: 26 Jun 1996 23:29:16 CST
 From: rosaliem@bbs.exoticomm.com
 Subject: You guys turned me on to Jellyfish!

 Wow! You guys have corrupted me...Due to the rave reviews from the
 Jellyfish fans on this list, I was inspired to buy "Bellybutton" and
 "Spilt Milk" today. I love it! I think I have heard them before but did
 not know it was Jellyfish. The music is great; I listened to both the
 cd's over and over.


 HOWEVER, Ben Folds Five is still my #1, they have so much life and
 spirit in them (or did they just forget to take their Ritalin?).

 So thanks again you guys for converting me!


 By the way: Frank, what is UCT time? Are you in England or something?
 Fancy that...

    [With a global readership, we need one clock to specify as the cutoff
 time. If I said "8:00" or something like that, the exact time would be
 somewhat ambiguous. UCT is the "new" name for Greenwich time, and also
 the time that all Unix machines keep internally the world over. -fjm]

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Wed, 26 Jun 1996 23:30:35 -0600
 From: ead1613 <elizabeth.dayton@m.cc.utah.edu>
 Subject: BFF Comparisons?

 Hi,
 Just an FYI...a lot of you mention XTC, well, geffen has all the xtc
 library for 7.99 list price (I got oranges & lemons for 4.99!) Now's the
 time to have a little xtc experiment; try Skylarking 1st. It's a rock
 classic. I hear a lot of Joe Jackson vibe too in the posts, which I can
 dig, but in sound only, gratefully. Joe has his head so far up.....these
 days. He is also the most arrogant, pompous, english twit I've ever met
 (he was a frightful bore when I met him on the Big World tour back in
 86).
 I think his music has suffered because he is so full of himself that he
 has lost touch with his critical side. He probably thinks the sound his
 stomach makes when hungry would make great records. Big World was the
 last time Joe saw inspiration.
 Ben Folds will survive because of his wit and ability to laugh at
 himself and others...long live bff
 	brad dayton

 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 "I saw the crescent                |
 you saw the whole of the moon..."  | elizabeth.dayton@m.cc.utah.edu
 -Mike Scott, _the_ Waterboy        |
 -------------------------------------------------------------------

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 01:29:54 -0400 (EDT)
 From: The Computer GEEK! <jgore@nrv.net>
 Subject: Bristow, Va

 > 1) Nissan Pavilion is not "a couple of miles from DC."  It's
 > about 32 miles away.  For a 7 pm weekday show (like the one we're discussing)
 > you should probably allow a good two hours to get there if you're coming from
 > DC.  2) It's actually west of DC, not south, though if you were to stop in
 > Bristow or even Manassas (the nearest "big" town) it would be clear that you
 > are in The South.

 Sorry, I forgot _exactly_ where Bristow, VA was. I don't usually go out of
 my way to get up to NOVA that often. But from what my friends say, it's a
 great place to see a show. I'll be driving down to NC to see it though. I
 love seeing shows at Walnut Creek. anyway.

 **************************************************
 Go ahead and laugh all you want
      I got my philosophy
      And I trust it like the ground
      That's why my philosophy
      Keeps me walking when I'm falling down

 ************** jason *****************************

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 11:17:08 -0400 (EDT)
 From: Marge Bouvier <mjt7742@is2.NYU.EDU>
 Subject: something refreshing

   I know a lot of you like Jellyfish... A lot... But, over the past
 several mailings I have been reading nothing but Jellyfish.  And most of
 it is repetitive.  You can say what you'd like: Free speech and all, but I
 have had my fill of aquatic jellies for the month and would like to end
 the debate over where they're from or what albums are out in the U.S. and
 who inspired their style.  That's what the Jellyfish-Net is for.
   In other news, I thought Frank's election was a great innovention.  Way
 to get people involved.
   Finally, just want to say that Ben Folds has inspired me on stage.  I
 play with Five 8th's, we're a New York City band, and as a tribute to Ben,
 during my encore piano solo (over Chick Corea: La Fiesta-like changes) I
 turned ass-backwards and started playing with my butt.  I hope no one is
 offended by my plagiaristic attempt to score points with my crowd.  It
 worked, though.  I thank Ben.  Thank you, Ben.

 Love,
 Marc

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 12:26:56 -0400 (EDT)
 From: Odds <oddsman@wam.umd.edu>
 Subject: Article on ATN's page


 From: http://ATN.addict.com/ATN News of the World


      The average rock jock would be tempted to thrash Chapel Hill, North
      Carolina's Ben Folds within an inch of his grand piano-toting,
      no-guitar havin', wuss rock life. Where the hell does he get off
      yodeling in his cracked Todd Rundgren voice that "I've got my
      philosophy," while banging on a piano, with only a bass and drums
      to back him up? That's not rock, that's the tuxedoed trio playing
      down at the mall during Christmas. Ironically, though, it is rock,
      and just as there are only three members of the Ben Folds Five,
      there are more ways to shake the house than stratospheric guitar
      solos and verbal angstfests. It's still a hard sell, though. Folds,
      who formed the band almost two years ago after trying his hand at
      session drumming in Nashville and doing time in an off-Broadway
      production of The Buddy Holly Story, in some ways is more punk rock
      than his fiercer mohawked brethren. Without a guitar, rounded out
      by Robert Sledge's rock steady bass and Darren Jessee's
      understated-but-full kick drumming, the band make a joyful noise on
      their self-titled debut, all the while making a case for baby
      grands as rock-worthy instruments. Singing about the usual
      suspects: frustrated adolescent boys, boys who've been dumped, boys
      who don't fit in, etc., Folds whips along through his jazzy tunes
      in his high and sweet voice and even finds time to tweak his own
      scene. In "Underground," a petite rock opera during which Folds
      does his best Freddie Mercury meets Todd Rundgren imitation, the
      singer skewers the indie scene with the lines, "I was never cool in
      school/I'm sure you don't remember me/and now it's been ten
      years/I'm still wonderin' who to be/I love to mix in circles,
      cliques and social coteries/hand me my nose ring/show me the mosh
      pit/we can be happy underground." After watching Folds play his
      instrument into the ground at a Chicago club earlier this year, I
      can tell you this: if you don't think he's going to play the hell
      out of the piano after lugging it in and out of a van for a year,
      you're the one who needs a good thrashing. Hell, they laughed at
      Elton John and look where...never mind.


 ****************************************************************************
 *  Kevin Gandel                         *           Maintainer             *
 *  Criminology and Criminal Justice     *             of the               *
 *  University of Maryland, College Park *    Unofficial Odds Home Page     *
 *  Oddsman@wam.umd.edu                  *     http://www.wam.umd.edu/      *
 *  http://www.wam.umd.edu/~oddsman      *       ~oddsman/Odds.html         *
 ****************************************************************************

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 16:11:27 -0500
 From: Hopalong Cassidy III <gmcnulty@students.wisc.edu>
 Subject: This is my last posting about Jellyfish, and I will keep it brief.

 Hey there all you Jellyfish fans!!!  Since there seems to be an underlying
 theme lately, I was thinking that perhaps I should pull a Frank Maynard and
 start mediating my own mailing list, a sort of off-shoot of the BF5 digest.
 Let me know what you all think, but please don't send responses to Frank.
 I'm sure that he has enough to sift through as it is.  Send all email to:

 gmcnulty@students.wisc.edu

 If there is enough response, I may just set up a "BF5 fans who love
 Jellyfish" digest!!!

 DJgeomacIV

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Geoffrey McNulty             |
 Asst. Promotions Director    |  "...emptiness is lonliness,
                              |      and lonliness is cleanliness,
 UW Madison Student Radio     |      and cleanliness is godliness,
 gmcnulty@students.wisc.edu   |      and god is empty just like me..."
                              |                   --William Corgan
 (612) 688-0973               |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Madison Student Radio -- "It's coming...are you?"

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 20:30:45 -0400
 From: Jessica237@aol.com
 Subject: Re: Ben Folds Five in London

 Hi all!
 Ben Folds Five are playing the Readings Festival in London in late August.
 The concert is sort of like Lollapalooza, but it's in London. Ben Folds Five
 is playing what is an equivalent to the second stage at Lollapalooza, called
 the NME Stage (for those of you who don't know, NME is a music magazine that
 comes out weekly). There are some pretty amazing groups playing, but I can't
 get to the concert. Also, unfortunately, like Lollapalooza, it is a whole lot
 of money to go. It is a long concert, but I can't make it out there then
 anyway. My luck, I'm going to London the very next day the festival is over.
 . . There is a Reading Festival Web Site if you want more information. . .
 Quick question. . .there is a Macintosh Music Festival, which will be going
 on for a week. I think it's in July. . .well, I think I heard the deejay
 saying yesterday on the radio that BFF are playing at this festival. I'm not
 sure about it, though. Other groups playing at it are pretty new bands, such
 as Nada Surf, Superdrag, etc. The bands play in clubs around NYC for the
 whole week, but you have to be 18 and over to go. I'm not of age for it, so I
 can't go. If someone know if BFF is playing, please let me know.
 Well, sorry this is so long, but I just wanted to inform all of you. . .
 Jess

 ==============================================================================

 Date: Thu, 27 Jun 1996 23:47:02 -0400
 From: Hotdoglove@aol.com
 Subject: Squirrel Nut Zippers(&BFF in Atl

 I live in Norcross, which is near Atlanta, and I heard on the radio the other
 day, and called to confirm, that Neil Young and Jewel and (!) Ben Folds Five
 are going to be at Lakewood Amphitheatre on August 10!!!!!!

 Also, to the person who knows of the Squirrel Nut Zippers and likes them, my
 friend bought the CD a couple of days ago, and we carpool together, and we
 have been listening to it NONSTOP!  It's a great CD, and I found out that
 they are coming to town for the Olympics!  The lovely jazzy sounds that they
 emit are just great driving music.  We both especially like "Hell" and
 "Prince Nez".  Does anyone know of a mailing list for this band?  Please tell
 me if you do.  Hotdoglove@aol.com.

 Thanx, Bye!
 Sara

 ==============================================================================

    [Here's an interesting quote from the Odds mailing list from Craig
 Northey, one of the band members:

 We'd love to tour with BNL and BFF (haven't met them yet) just to watch
 them lift the keyboard gear while we ate chips and laughed.

     The ballots are coming in by the truckload. I think we have our 25
 button winners by now. Thanks to everyone who has voted so far. -fjm]

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