THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #122 - July 30, 1996
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #122
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Topics for Today:
Bass stuff
Jackson Cannery intro chords
Re: Why the Beatles?
Re: THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #121
The boys on MTV
Oh, here we go again...
The one you've all been waiting for...
Any other bands?
Re:Issue #121 BFF Guitar songbook right there
BF5 T-Shirts
BFF T-shirts
Turning others on to BF5
Ben Folds Five Mailing List
BFF review in "War Against Silence"
The questions, and a couple Usenet posts
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 16:52:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: Enrique G Ramirez <riquer@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu>
Subject: Bass stuff
Hi:
I'm wondering what kind of equipment Robert Sledge uses. When I saw the
band on Conan O'Brien, Robert had a weird hybrid of amplifiers and
cabinets. However, when I saw BFF live at SXSW in Texas, he only had an
Orange 4X12 (or 4X10) cabinet, the same pedigree you see in T. Rex or
Black Sabbath videos. I wonder what prompted the change.
As for Sledge's bass, when I first saw it, it looked to me like one of
those old Alembic Spider basses that John Entwistle used to play.
However, upon a closer inspection, his bass has the same body as a Gibson
Explorer, yet has a headstock common to Hamer-brand guitars and basses.
What kind of bass is it?
And how does he get that tone? Is it a regular distortion pedal? A
fuzz-box? Overdrive?
thanks oh so very much .... rique!
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 02:25:25 GMT
From: Toru Kurihara <tkuri@usa.pipeline.com>
Subject: Jackson Cannery intro chords
Hi folks,
For playing that intro, play the lowest C and next C keys by your left
hand. Then,by your right hand, play these 3 keys in the middle if your
Piano: [F-B flat- D] and [F-A-C] one after another
Play those at a time, you can play Jackson Cannery intro, I think. I guess
the right hand might need a few more keys to make it perfect.
KURI
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 20:37:31 -0700
From: Richard A Kochman <rkdc@ix.netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Why the Beatles?
>But why is it every band like that gets compared to the Beatles?
Because anyway you cut it, the Beatles are pop gods
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 09:34:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: fender@grove.ufl.EDU
Subject: Re: THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #121
Hello out there,
If anyone wants it, I've constructed a fakebook of sorts (chords
above lyrics) that includes most of the songs on the debut disc. It's
formatted nicely and in MSWorks format (sorry!). If you're browsing the
web, you should be able find it at http://grove.ufl.edu/~fender/bffbook.wps
Enjoy,
Steve Clay
fender@grove.ufl.edu
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 13:36:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: "M. Doughty" <dlee2@bgsuvax.bgsu.edu>
Subject: The boys on MTV
While flipping through channels today, I stopped on MTV for a second.
Originally, it was because Jenny McCarthy was on the screen. :-) But
then they did some kind of "Beachhouse summer fashion report"...and the
intro to it used "Underground." They used the "Who's got the looks, who's
got the brains, who's got everything" part of the song.
Nice to know MTV is noticing BFF, even if they don't play them very much. :-/
Oh, and I don't have anything to say about Jellyfish.
Dan Lee ** Bowling Green State University ** Bowling Green, Ohio
Surrealist/Molson Drinker/Slacker/Hockey Freak/Awful Guitarist/Student
CLEVELAND INDIANS: AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS 1920, 1948, 1954, 1995
"I must confess: I ate the chump with guile."
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 17:28:04 -0400
From: Wri10@aol.com
Subject: Oh, here we go again...
Been a while. And sorry I missed the Q. and A. -- was on a romantic trip to
Niagara Falls with my dad, missed out on the whole thing.
Anyhow, I know it's getting tiresome the comparisons of Ben Folds Five with
Jellyfish, but here's another suggestion:
Maybe both bands were as heavily influenced by Todd Rundgren/Utopia as it
sounds. There have been many comparisons made here on the list, some of them
mine. If it's still "gettable", [though I somewhat doubt it], there's a
Utopia album fans refer to as the "suits" disc, it's the "Utopia" album
released on Network Records in 1982, re-released by Rhino in 1989 that really
strikes me as comparable more than any other. It has a few winners, all of
which might cause a Ben Folds listener to go "Hmm..." -- most notably, though
it's a little weaker than some of the other songs, "Bad Little Actress".
Hard, tight Beatlesque harmonies, an excellent keyboard player,
"nudge-nudge, wink-wink" lyrics on many songs. It really reminds me more of
Ben Folds Five than Something/Anything, though most people tend to compare
BF5 to that album of Todd's. And it's the one that hews closest to the
Jellyfish as well.
Enough -- I know, it's boring when old people come on here and try to compare
new bands to the moldy old stuff they listen to.
But if they could just get Todd to produce an album for Ben Folds Five. Then
you'd know what I'm talking about, dammit!
Write when you get work,
Aunt Walter
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 17:48:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: Marc <mjt7742@is2.NYU.EDU>
Subject: The one you've all been waiting for...
UNDERGROUND
I was never cool... in school.
{single note}
Ab {let ring}
I'm sure you don't remember me.
{vibes} B+
And now it's been ten years, I'm still wondering who to be.
Abm7/Gb Gb
I love to mix in circles, cliques and social codaries (?) [that's me]
Abm B+/E B/Eb F half-dim.7
Hand me my nose ring (can't we be happy),
B/Gb Gb
Show me the moshpit (can't we be happy),
Emaj7
We can be hap-py un-der-grou-nd.
{piano} B B B B B B B B A
Eb E F# G# Gb E Eb Eb Db
{bass} B C# D# E Eb Db B B A
Intro:
||: B B+ | B6 B+ :|| x2
Verse 1:
| B B+ | B6 B7 | E B/Eb | B/Ab A/Gb |
| E | Em7 Em/A | B D | E E/Gb |
Verse 2: (repeat verse 1)
Interlude:
|(7/8) B |(4/4) B/A | B/Ab | G Gb |(5/8) - |
Chorus 1:
|(4/4) B | C#7 | E | {no chd.} | B | C#7 | E |
Ev'-ry--thing's hap-py un-der-grou|nd
{piano} B B B B B B B B | | |
Eb E F# G# Gb E Eb Eb | A (chd.) | |
{bass} B C# D# E Eb Db B B | |Gb-Bb-Db-Eb-Gb|
Verse 3: (repeat verse 1)
Chorus 2: (Repeat chorus 1 then Rit. and replace the bass line after the A
chord with two more measures of A)
Interlude 2:
||: B B+ | B6 B+ :|| x3
| Emaj7 | A7 |
Chorus 3: (repeat chorus 1, replace bass line after A chord with another
measure of A)
Conclusion:
||: B B+ | B6 B+ :|| x4
||:(3/8) G | Gb | B | B :|| x3
{quick jazz waltz}
{piano solo}
||: G13 | Gb13 | B13 | B13 :|| x3
| G {piano tra-la} | Gb {tra-la} | B | {roll up B chd.} |
___________________________________________________________________
I found the Beatles that someone's mom was talking about. It's really
strong in this tune (check out the bass lines).
More to come...
-Marc
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 18:33:14 -0400
From: KatieKamm@aol.com
Subject: Any other bands?
Hi. I just started listening to the BF5, I love them! Does anyone know of
any bands similar to them.
[There's some band.. uh, Squid I think... -fjm]
==============================================================================
From: Schmooze1@aol.com
Subject: Re:Issue #121 BFF Guitar songbook right there
I had to actually print out the last newsletter. Now we are only missing a
few songs. Isn't it funny how when we get our heads together we can do such
a thing? As a future intellectual property lawyer, I wonder who gets the
rights to this......Probably Ben, after all it is his music.
Counting down to Aug. 13 - BFF time here in DC
Andy
==============================================================================
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 22:54:14 -0500
From: "J.J. Engel" <JJEngel@mail.utexas.edu>
Subject: BF5 T-Shirts
Well kids... I may be able to get my hands on some shirts. Of course
they're just the shirts the sell at the shows. My byfriend works at a small
cd shop here in Austin. It specializes in hard to find stuff. Anyway, he
told me that they have shirts on order. As soon as they come in, I'll let
you guys know and I can work out the details with anyone that wants one.
Okay... that's all.
"she's got the air to float above it..."
"emmaline"
BF5
Nikki
==============================================================================
Date: 26 Jul 96 13:31:33 EDT
From: Bob Taylor <103311.464@CompuServe.COM>
Subject: BFF T-shirts
Can you inform me as how to buy a Ben Folds Five T-shirt (preferably the
"Middle C" shirt), without paying $17.70 to CDnow? I'd appreciate your
help. Thanks.
==============================================================================
Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 14:52:15 -0400
From: PowerVegan@aol.com
Subject: Turning others on to BF5
I got my BF5 t-shirt from Allison yesterday (allison@servtech.com) and I love
it. Thanks, A.T.!
I thought some of you might be amused by the comments my drummer made after I
gave him a BF5 tape and asked if he'd like to learn some of the songs. This
is an excerpt of what he left on my answering machine:
"Hey Michael, I was just listening to the Ben Folds Five tape, and man, it's
just blowing my mind! These guys are like the next Beatles or something...
Are there any particular songs you want to learn first? I was thinking
maybe the Uncle, uh Uncle Harold and Underground. So let me know which ones
you want to do first because this whole thing is just one big mind-f***. Man,
there's a lot of changes, but I'm really digging it..."
Later, when we were playing, he said, "Man, you are the biggest BF5 fan. I
challenge anyone else who thinks they're as big a fan as you to take you
on... This should be like your band -- this is the kind of band you would
start." He knows how to get on my good side, huh? :-)
I have a good story about getting arrested in the local mall for playing the
piano in the food court, but there's no BF5 content (besides the fact that it
involves a piano, and it wasn't even a Baldwin), so I thought I'd throw out a
feeler to see if anyone wants to hear it before I post something potentially
off-topic...
-- Michael Bluejay (Austin, TX)
[Anyone who wants to hear about Michael's run-in with the gendarmerie
should e-mail him directly. -fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 19:06:45 -0400
From: dARTH VADER <"slept@cris.com"@cris.com>
Subject: Ben Folds Five Mailing List
I saw BBF at Mama Kin in Boston in March (?) and thought it was the best
live show I'd ever seen. I met Ben and Robert, and they seemed like
really nice guys. I've become a pretty big fan since then, and would
like to thank the guys of Ben Folds Five for still writing good music in
this musically impotent age. Good Luck.
Phillip Ouellette
==============================================================================
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 20:08:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: eric t beteille <beteille@mary.iia.org>
Subject: BFF review in "War Against Silence"
Alerted by a member of the Crowded House mailing list, I have
discovered a web site full of one guy's opinions on some pretty
good albums, including our beloved BFF. IT's a combo interview
with two other albums by other artists, so excerpts would make
little sense. Instead, check out:
http://metaverse.com/vibe/twas/twasart.html
Speaking of Crowded House, a post last week mentioned BFF. Former
CH member Neil Finn and Tim Finn (aka the Finn Brothers) just
finished a US tour, a very minimalist venture, since it was just
the two brothers on stage, playing every instrument. A lot of
good piano work by the brothers, leading one CH fan to compare
a keyboard version of "Chocolate Cake" to BFF's "Jackson Cannery."
Apparently, there is a bit of cross-pollenation betwen the two
fan bases, as one of the CH list admins is also a recent BFF
convert.
Regarding BFF on MTV, I saw "Underground" once on the YackLive
show, where they run obnoxious comments from AOL chat people under
the videos. This was a few months ago, when YackLive ran in the
late afternoons. The only AOL comment I can remember is "What
is this, country music?" to the line dancing Western theme at the
end of the video.
Anyhow, check out that review!!
Eric
==============================================================================
[Ben and Chuck are working on the questions. I've got about half of
the answers back, and when the whole package is complete I'll post it
in a special edition, and put it on the web page.
Finally, Usenet this'n'that: -fjm]
From: jpfreaks@aol.com (JPFREAKS)
Date: Tue Jul 23 08:06:46 1996
Newsgroups: alt.music.moxy-fruvous
Just a little note to yawl about something Jean said. Definitely check
out Ben Folds Five if you can. They kick boo-tie!! Kind of like Elton
John-on-speed, Squeeze-Jellyfish type stuff, great tenor vocals, energetic
piano, AND a guy that reminds some of us of Peter Brady, all in one band.
Jean and Murray caught the Ben Folds Five set at South by Southwest while
they were there, and they were floored. I was too- I mean, it wasn't as
purely amazing superfantastic as a Fru show, but it was great.
My 2 cents,
Angel
Subject: Re: THE VELDT
From: Jeff Hart <jhart@nando.net>
Date: 28 Jul 1996 16:49:57 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.music.chapel-hill
Ruby Ji Sinreich <rubyji@sunsite.unc.edu> wrote:
<snip>
>BTW, comparing the Veldt to Ben Folds Five isn't going to get you very
>far. BF5 does not seem to associate themselves much with this 'scene,'
>and vice versa. I think we can all live with that arangement. Not that
>they're not good at their thing, but they don't seem to get (or give)
>tons of support around Chapel Hill.
Ben Folds Five, in their first year ('94) here progresively
built a following and were able to fill the Cradle to almost
3/4 capacity by their 7" single release party. Craig Zearfoss
and I videotaped their first gig at 506 on a Sunday night and
their was a measurable increase in local support in that year.
Paying customers would seem a tangible show of support.
Newsgroup/critical buzz is nice but doesn't pay for gas to the
next gig. Since taking off nationally, they probably don't pay
a lot of lip service to Chapel Hill because only Darren Jessee
is the only member actually from Chapel Hill/Carrboro. Ben and
the bassist's roots are Greensboro. Ben was in Nashville after
Greensboro and just before relocating here. Why they don't
promote or don't talk a lot about this area's music in
interviews is probably because they weren't here very long as
the BFF. I think Mojo and Q have done stories on 'em ,but I
haven't seen them yet to know exactly what was said concerning
NC. Someone mentioned something to me, but I want to read it
for myself.
</snip>
Jeff
Subject: Re: THE VELDT
From: tmorman@email.unc.edu (Todd Morman)
Date: 28 Jul 1996 22:12:15 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.music.chapel-hill
Ruby wrote some s*** I disagree with:
>> [...] BF5 does not seem to associate themselves much with this 'scene,'
>>and vice versa. I think we can all live with that arangement. Not that
>>they're not good at their thing, but they don't seem to get (or give)
>>tons of support around Chapel Hill.
That "vice versa" seems to imply that there's something called "this
'scene'" that deliberately doesn't associate itself with Ben Folds Five,
an assertion that strikes me as so offbase as to be ludicrous. And the
idea that BF5 doesn't "get" or "give" tons of support around Chapel Hill
also strikes me as revealing more about Ruby, and her definition of Chapel
Hill, than it reveals about the actual situation of Ben Folds and the
local audience.
I just felt compelled to comment because of the common error lurkers seem
to make here, namely that this group speaks with one voice, or that one
person's posts somehow represent "alt.music.chapel-hill".
Oh, and Ruby: "we" make music? What is *that*? Or have I missed something?
Jeff wrote some shit that is more on-the-mark:
>Ben Folds Five, in their first year ('94) here progresively
>built a following and were able to fill the Cradle to almost
<rest of quote deleted>
Thanks for the well-thought out perspective, Jeff. Btw, don't know if you
missed it, but there was also a two-page spread on BFF in a recent Spin.
Perhaps if 1 and 2/3 of those two pages had been something other than a
photo of the band (Spin Spin Spin oh how the once-ok have fallen), they
might have had more of a chance to say something.
<...>
todd hell I don't even visit my relatives out of a sense of obligation
anymore morman
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