Overview
- Capitol/UMe announced on Tuesday, July 7, that Ben Folds Five (30th Anniversary) will be released on Sept. 4, 2026, as a newly remastered edition paired with the previously unreleased Shelved First Attempt.
- Shelved First Attempt documents the band’s first studio sessions produced by Dave “Stiff” Johnson and includes an unreleased take of “Underground,” an early version of “Evaporated,” and three outtakes called “Emaline,” “Dick Holster,” and “Eddie Walker.”
- The package will be issued on 2CD, 2LP (180-gram) and digital formats, and a limited run of 1,000 copies signed by Ben Folds, Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee will be sold exclusively through uDiscoverMusic.
- Ben Folds says he recently found the shelved tapes in his archive and that the Philly sessions, recorded on a roughly $14,000 Caroline Records budget, were set aside because the band felt they didn’t “feel like us.”
- The announcement also confirms the original lineup will reunite for its first run of live shows in more than 13 years, with dates to be announced soon, tying the archival release to renewed touring activity.