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The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

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    sonicdork favorited and reviewed The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
    
    Ben Folds gave a friend a cassette tape of this before its release in 1999 and that good friend in turn copied it, and gave a copy to me. (I still have it around here somewhere... it even has a weird... more
    
    Ben Folds gave a friend a cassette tape of this before its release in 1999 and that good friend in turn copied it, and gave a copy to me. (I still have it around here somewhere... it even has a weird jazz track that didn't make the record). From the first chords of "Narcolepsy", I was hooked. I think this was BFF's finest hour (this coming from a fan since 1995).
    
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    Jonathan Cinco Cinco liked and reviewed The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
    
    It's easy for many people to overlook this final offering from BFF (my best friends, forever) as it does make a peculiar follow up to the band's previous albums. It's so concise, it's so tight... more
    
    It's easy for many people to overlook this final offering from BFF (my best friends, forever) as it does make a peculiar follow up to the band's previous albums. It's so concise, it's so tight, musically...it's as if they felt they weren't being taken seriously, and found only themselves to blame. It's dark and moody, it makes you think about your life...it's incredible, and it's no wonder they split up after this release, stating they felt like they had done all they could together.
    
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    James Gray favorited and reviewed The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
    
    Classic masterpiece!
    
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    Mike Moody liked and reviewed The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
    
    BF5's masterpiece. Easily.
    
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    Marxo liked and reviewed The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner
    
    Epic! Probably my favorite album after the self-titled first major release.
    
    3 years
    
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Simultaneously challenging and accessible, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner is a song cycle about death and dying, people, relationships, optimism, innocence--you name it. On his first two albums, Ben Folds was quick to toss off bombs of blame (most notably on the vitriolic "Song for the Dumped"), but here he aims most of his criticism at the mirror. On the wondrously snarky "Redneck Past" he sings, "My ex-wives all despise me / try to put it all behind me / but my redneck past is nipping at my heels." Apparently he doesn't have a chip on his piano any more. The production is lush and ornate, with strings and horns embellishing Folds's usual quota of to-die-for hooks (which he seems to dash off as effortlessly as postcards from the beach). An obvious point of reference is Pet Sounds, but Ben Folds Five widen their scope to also include hints of Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, and even Queen, whose influence is front and center on the bombastic opener "Narcolepsy," a virtual homage to "Bohemian Rhapsody." Other highlights include "Army," a hilariously detailed indie-rock answer to Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant." --David Menconi

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The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

By Ben Folds Five, 1999

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The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

By Ben Folds Five, 1999

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