You could be forgiven for never having considered exactly what the sweaty, inflated machismo of The Darkness' "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" would sound like played on the old Joanna by a straight-laced looking bloke called Ben with a sensible haircut. But then you probably don't lurk on Ben Folds fan-site forums after dark, do you? You've probably never made claims that Folds has done for the piano pop song what Hendrix did for the guitar either. You might be right on that one, but you're certainly all the poorer for having never heard that cover, all warm falsetto-fired super-harmonies and intense hammering at both ends of the piano. And that's before we even start considering The Cure's "In Between Days" as breezy concerto and a thrillingly subversive reworking of Dr Dre's misogynistic "Bitches Ain't Shit" as an ELO-style ballad with dead-pan enunciation of street cussing all the way to the finish line. All of these are gathered from celebrated internet-only EP releases from the last couple of years onto one physical release for the first time, along with original works like the deep string-sewn tapestry "Still", which confirm the solo Ben Folds to be one of the most accomplished and quirky talents in US indie. --James Berry

I have most of BF's albums and this is up there with the rest in most part including the covers.

Funny , clever and memorable

To all those considering buying this rather than the EPs.. You are missing out on 'Kalamazoo' which to my mind is one his best songs. Ever. Why that song is not included on this compilation is utterly beyond me.

Oh I could get in a bugbear about this. You're a loyal fan. You spend a lot of money buying "internet only" ep's (paying a fortune in postage from overseas to boot) and then a little further down the line you find out that most of these tracks are collected together on a single disc best of. But wait, don't go, because whilst you may have all of the tracks already you can get an autographed booklet and a free bonus DVD with "classic" video's on it.

Firstly, despite the blurb that these are all brand new recordings or remasters of the original's we already have, you'd be hard pressed to notice the difference most of the time.

Anyway, if you like Ben's crazy cover versions at his live gigs, you'll enjoy his take on The Darkness' Get Your Hands Off My Woman and Dr Dre's Bitches Ain't S**t (the latter of which works surprisingly well as a piano-driven ballad). His version of The Cure's In Between Days is also to be found on here and is the most straightforward reworking of the three; if you like the original you'll enjoy this too.

And as much as I might frown at the fact that I've got most of these tracks already, Ben has at least had the decency to throw in the best one's from his EP collection. I'm particularly fond of There's Always Someone Cooler Than You, All U Can Eat and Rent A Cop.

Throw in a slice of The Bens, and a soundtrack song from Over The Hedge and you have a collection that is good, if not a must-have (especially if you have any of the afforementioned EP's from which the tracks are taken).

Still if you weren't able to snap up the EP's at the time and you're a Ben Folds fan, well then you'll have nothing to complain about will you?

I was already a huge fan of Ben. So i was expecting a brilliant album. I could, if i wanted, have downloaded all four EP's that comprise this album separately. But i bought the album instead. And my god, is it good. Just listen to the two opening tracks. They will explain it all.
I don't have the time to write a full review. But my god, this is good.