The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective
Encyclopedia
The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective is a compilation album
by American
singer-songwriter
Ben Folds
and his alternative rock
trio Ben Folds Five
, released in the United States of America on October 11, 2011 by Legacy Records. The title comes from a song from their 1995 self-titled debut album
.
The standard-edition album contains 17 popular songs from the band's discography and Folds' subsequent solo career, as well as the new Ben Folds Five single "House", which debuted on the website for the NBC
competition show The Sing-Off
, on which Folds is a judge.
An expanded edition includes 43 additional tracks over three discs, including two more new songs from Ben Folds Five recorded in 2011. Folds also made available through his website the additional album Fifty-Five Vault
, a 56-track collection of rarities. A five-track sampler from this album, Free Folds Five, was included with digital copies of The Best Imitation of Myself.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
and his alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
trio Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five
Ben Folds Five is an alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds , Robert Sledge , and Darren Jessee . The group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes...
, released in the United States of America on October 11, 2011 by Legacy Records. The title comes from a song from their 1995 self-titled debut album
Ben Folds Five (album)
Ben Folds Five is the self-titled debut album by Ben Folds Five, released in 1995. A non-traditional rock album by any estimation, it was an indie pop album that excluded lead guitars completely...
.
The standard-edition album contains 17 popular songs from the band's discography and Folds' subsequent solo career, as well as the new Ben Folds Five single "House", which debuted on the website for the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
competition show The Sing-Off
The Sing-Off
The Sing-Off is an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It premiered on NBC on December 14, 2009, and is produced by Sony Pictures Television....
, on which Folds is a judge.
An expanded edition includes 43 additional tracks over three discs, including two more new songs from Ben Folds Five recorded in 2011. Folds also made available through his website the additional album Fifty-Five Vault
Fifty-Five Vault
Fifty-Five Vault is a Ben Folds compilation album featuring 56 tracks, mostly unreleased live recordings and demos. It was released jointly with The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective as a digital-only album available via Folds' website....
, a 56-track collection of rarities. A five-track sampler from this album, Free Folds Five, was included with digital copies of The Best Imitation of Myself.