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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Songs made out of glass. Performances of heart.., November 24, 2004
If I was forced to make a recommendation for someone who could and would only buy one Ani disc, this would be the release I recommend. Why? It is the perfect crossroads between earlier Ani and later "band" Ani.
For my purposes here, I am considering "a band" to be 3 or more people. This band (Ani, Andy on drums, and Sara Lee on bass) is easily my favorite band that Ani has ever put together, so far. First of all, this band is still mainly about Ani, and that isn't the case with her later, larger bands. The larger her bands became, the less that the core of the sound revolved around Ani, and that was almost always disappointing to me. In theory I don't have anything against Ani being in 5 or 6 person bands. It was the specific bands themselves that made me largely dislike their concert sound, not the fact that she was in bands at all. I'm sure Julie and those horn players were great fun, and nice people to be around, but musically they should have been thanking their lucky stars that they were ever able to stand on the same stage as an artist of Ani's caliber, because none of them were even close to her league. Beyond that, the larger her bands became, the worse her concert sound became. Oftentimes being muddy and boomy.
That was the bottomline for me. None of Ani's later, large, electric bands had any musicians in them who were even 25% of the musician that Ani is, so it was disappointing to hear her so often buried in a muddy mix of musicians who were so far beneath her. With those bands, when she'd come out and do a Garden of Simple or Both Hands by herself (or at least with the band playing very slightly behind her), it was the highlight of the night because you could hear HER perfectly.
That is why Living In Clip is such a great live document. This band is excellent, and their sound is open. No matter how deep of a groove Sara lays down, Ani's guitar and lyrics still cut right through. And yes, Sara is my favorite electric bassist Ani has toured with so far. This band is just so sympathetic to the song and the mood, whether that means rocking it hard, or playing so delicately as to frame Ani in the most vulnerable light.
These 2 discs both contain many definitive (of commercially available) versions of the tunes they contain. Hide & Seek, I'm No Heroine, Every State Line, 32 Flavors, Joyful Girl, Fire Door, Letter To a John, Overlap, etc... as they were performed here on this set all stand proudly near the top of her entire recorded output thus far.
If Ani ever releases a live "band" disc that is better than this one I will be ecstatic, as well as shocked, because Living In Clip is a masterpiece.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In a seperate class from the studio albums, September 20, 2000
This album is a great documentation of what her live shows are like. Anyone who has seen her live, knows that this is truly her forte. The songs on the studio albums are great, but they just don't translate to the listener the way they do when she's onstage, bouncing around, giggling that signature Ani Giggle, and telling those wonderful stories. I'm glad that "Gravel" first appeared here before the version that showed up on LITTLE PLASTIC CASTLE. It's more raw, angry, and even fun than the studio version. "Out of Habit" is a great example of some of the older stuff that she plays live (though not often lately) as they show up in these little half song/half story performances. You can't help but feel that you are standing right in front of the stage with everyone else and laughing about the hookers on the corner that she thought were women. Although she is a folk singer, you can fully understand her capability to rock when you hear "Shy" and "Napolean" which both take on a new energy when played live. The audience also plays an active role in the raw energy that comes out of a live show. When she delivers some of her lines, they take on this power from the uproar of cheers and hollers from the audience. On "I'm no heroine" you can't help but want to be in the audience when she says "You think I wouldn't have him, unless I could have him by the balls" and the audience explodes, half out of recognition of the song's first line and half out of pure love FOR that line. If you've never been to one of Ani's shows... I highly suggest you get this CD so you can get the true Ani experience. Actually, no... I changed my mind... if you are going to be seeing Ani in the NEAR FUTURE... then DON'T buy this CD! Go to the show. Get completely and utterly blown away. And THEN, go out and get this CD and relive those wonderful moments over and over.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ani 101, February 9, 2000
If you've never dipped your little toe in the Ani ocean, but are curious, I would start with this album. It is chock full of amazing songs in a setting where she shines - live in concert. There is not a bad song in the bunch (save the orchestra version of the incredible "Both Hands"). After "clip", I would move to "Not a Pretty Girl" and "Out of Range". P.S. I'm a hetero, white, upper-middle class male.
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by Ani DiFranco 
