By Chris Molanphy
----------------------------
DATALOG: Release date: Jan. 13.
FILE UNDER: Songs in the attic.
R.I.Y.L.: Mid-period Joe Jackson, early Elton John, Presidents Of The USA.
----------------------------
The new Billy Joel? Or, as Ben Folds himself has dubbed it, "punk rock for sissies"? No matter what you call it, the music
of piano-rocker Ben Folds Five has won a lot of attention and devoted fans. And why not? Folds's almost scry gift for writing
ur-Tin Pan Alley melodies makes BFF easy to like; his lyrics--barbed, absurd, often heartfelt--and the band's devotion to their
indie-rock peers make BFF easy to respect, too. Naked Baby Photos is ex-label Caroline's last waltz with BFF, following
the band's departure for a major, and it's the right label to release this fan-oriented collection of live cuts and outtakes.
It may seem premature for a band with just two albums to release an odds-and-ends collection, and much of Naked is far from
essential. But Folds's scraps are better than many bands' main courses. Obsessives will salivate at the original 7" version of
"Jackson Cannery"; a live cover of Built To Spill's "Twin Falls" (sadly, their great take on the Flaming Lips' "She Don't Use
Jelly" isn't here); and "The Ultimate Sacrifice" and "Satan Is My Master," super-silly homages to heavy metal and Satanism,
respectively. But the real banquet is the roundup of previously unavavilable studio songs, like "Tom and Mary," a ragtimey tale
of romantic confusion; the poignant "Eddie Walker," a sort of prequel to Folds's georgious should-be classic "Alice Childress,"
and a toe-tapping "Emaline" that will keep those awkward Billy Joel comparisons coming.