CD Project Thing #18 - Belly, Ben Folds Five, Jay Bennett
Belly - "Star"
Belly - "King"
Two albums (the only two, I think) from mid-90s alternative group "Belly". If I recall correctly, one was Marisa's, one was mine (from BMG), but I can't remember which is which. They're decent enough, but just the greatest hits would have been enough. Sadly, these are basically totally unsellable (I even have an extra sealed copy of one that I can't even give away), so I guess I'm stuck with them.
Ben Folds Five - "Ben Folds Five"
Ben Folds Five - "Naked Baby Photos"
Ben Folds Five - "Whatever and Ever Amen"
Ben Folds Five - "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner"
Another band that I generally quite like, but I really can't distinguish the albums enough to really write full entries about each of them. "Ben Folds Five" is their debut. "Naked Baby Photos" is a live/rare/unreleased album that's basically just a big cash-in for their original label, but I can't deny that it's interesting. "Whatever and Ever Amen" is their first major label album, and their biggest hit. I have the reissue of it, which tacks on some rare tracks, some covers, and a Japanese version of one of their hits. Finally, "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner" is their last album and in my mind their weakest, but I still think of "Army" every time Chick-Fil-A comes up. Mmm, Chick-fil-A.
Jay Bennett and Edward Burch - "The Palace At 3:00 A.M. (Part 1)"
Jay Bennett is ex-Wilco, Edward Burch is some guy, and together they are Jay Bennett and Edward Burch. This is their first album (and only "real" one), and it's pretty decent. They do 3 Wilco songs (2 from the YHF Demos and "My Darlin'"), and two songs with Woody Guthrie lyrics that I assume are leftover from the "Mermaid Avenue" project. If I had to compare the sound to anybody, I'd probably say Elvis costello, and that's not really a bad thing.
Jay Bennett and Edward Burch - "Palace 1919"
Acoustic versions of the entire "The Palace At 3:00 A.M. (Part 1)" album, and then two John cale covers tacked on at the end. It's a mixed bag, with some versions better than the originals and some worse, but I'd have to say overall I think it's the better of the two versions.
Jay Bennett - "Bigger Than Blue"
Ditching Edward Burch (although not really, since he still shows up on a few tracks), this is Jay Bennett's first true solo disc. And, again, it's pretty Elvis Costelloish and pretty good. There's another YHF demo on here, and another Woody Guthrie song. Possibly my favorite Jay Bennett album?
Jay Bennett - "The Beloved Enemy"
The second Jay Bennett album of 2004 (and there were supposed to be 3, but the third never came out), it's much more bleak and depressing than the first. Apparently he was going through a divorce and some deaths at the time, which is why this is how it is and why the third never came out (which sucks, because Elizabeth Elmore had recorded some vocals for it). It's not a horrible album, but I've got to say I prefer the more upbeat stuff.
Belly - "King"
Two albums (the only two, I think) from mid-90s alternative group "Belly". If I recall correctly, one was Marisa's, one was mine (from BMG), but I can't remember which is which. They're decent enough, but just the greatest hits would have been enough. Sadly, these are basically totally unsellable (I even have an extra sealed copy of one that I can't even give away), so I guess I'm stuck with them.
Ben Folds Five - "Ben Folds Five"
Ben Folds Five - "Naked Baby Photos"
Ben Folds Five - "Whatever and Ever Amen"
Ben Folds Five - "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner"
Another band that I generally quite like, but I really can't distinguish the albums enough to really write full entries about each of them. "Ben Folds Five" is their debut. "Naked Baby Photos" is a live/rare/unreleased album that's basically just a big cash-in for their original label, but I can't deny that it's interesting. "Whatever and Ever Amen" is their first major label album, and their biggest hit. I have the reissue of it, which tacks on some rare tracks, some covers, and a Japanese version of one of their hits. Finally, "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner" is their last album and in my mind their weakest, but I still think of "Army" every time Chick-Fil-A comes up. Mmm, Chick-fil-A.
Jay Bennett and Edward Burch - "The Palace At 3:00 A.M. (Part 1)"
Jay Bennett is ex-Wilco, Edward Burch is some guy, and together they are Jay Bennett and Edward Burch. This is their first album (and only "real" one), and it's pretty decent. They do 3 Wilco songs (2 from the YHF Demos and "My Darlin'"), and two songs with Woody Guthrie lyrics that I assume are leftover from the "Mermaid Avenue" project. If I had to compare the sound to anybody, I'd probably say Elvis costello, and that's not really a bad thing.
Jay Bennett and Edward Burch - "Palace 1919"
Acoustic versions of the entire "The Palace At 3:00 A.M. (Part 1)" album, and then two John cale covers tacked on at the end. It's a mixed bag, with some versions better than the originals and some worse, but I'd have to say overall I think it's the better of the two versions.
Jay Bennett - "Bigger Than Blue"
Ditching Edward Burch (although not really, since he still shows up on a few tracks), this is Jay Bennett's first true solo disc. And, again, it's pretty Elvis Costelloish and pretty good. There's another YHF demo on here, and another Woody Guthrie song. Possibly my favorite Jay Bennett album?
Jay Bennett - "The Beloved Enemy"
The second Jay Bennett album of 2004 (and there were supposed to be 3, but the third never came out), it's much more bleak and depressing than the first. Apparently he was going through a divorce and some deaths at the time, which is why this is how it is and why the third never came out (which sucks, because Elizabeth Elmore had recorded some vocals for it). It's not a horrible album, but I've got to say I prefer the more upbeat stuff.
posted by Adam at 10:18 AM
3 Comments:
the third one did finally come out, but it sucks. And no elmore singing.
I knew another one had come out, but I was under the impression that it was a totally new project, not the previously promised third cd. In any case, I don't have it.
Well, it's the same title from what was supposed to be released long ago, but new label and given he had another year to work on it, probably vastly different from what had been planned at the time.
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