Canon - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
The far-reaching lexis used to describe Buffalo, New York, singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco includes "influential," "persistent," and "cutting-edge." And 18 albums released in the 18 years since the launching of her own Righteous Babe record label means "prolific" must also be high on that list. DiFranco commemorates her nearly two decades in the business with a two-CD, 35-song retrospective that offers a sequential glimpse into the socially conscious messages and punk/folk articulation that has made her an international paladin. From early recordings such as "God's Country" (1993) and "You Had Time" (1994), where DiFranco took aim at religious autonomy and failed partnerships, to later songs that tackled violence against abortion providers (1999's "Hello Birmingham") and a pair of '80s-era presidents (2002's "Your Next Bold Move"), DiFranco's poetry-fraught lyrics are the unfeigned star of the compilation. Can't-miss selections like "32 Flavors," "Untouchable Face," and "Cradle & All" make the cut, while staunch DiFranco followers will be seduced by five new renditions of old favorites, including the intrepid "Napoleon," which blasts the rock-biz elite, and "Shameless," with its candid discourse on infidelity. The divinely packaged set includes a booklet thoroughly lined with lyrics and a recording dossier. --Scott Holter

Album Description
Throughout her career, Ani DiFranco has given her own take on tired rock star cliches. When other artists answered to major labels, she opted to start her own. While other guitarists relied on electric heroics, she pounded on a strangely tuned acoustic. And when faced with the task of releasing a career retrospective, Ani created anything but the traditional "greatest hits" package. With Canon, the double-disc set, fans will get an unprecedented look at how the artist sees her prolific career, and newcomers will get the ultimate primer in DiFrancology. Because like everything else she creates, Ani made this record to her precise specifications, carefully selecting 36 songs from her voluminous back catalog, including tunes from her first album and her 19th.

Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Decent...a little underwhelming November 13, 2007
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

I have been an Ani Difranco fan for over fourteen years - even having the pleasure of seeing her in small intimate venues before she became quite the force she is today. Like all Ani fans I was very pleased to hear she was "re-imagining" some of her classic songs on this compilation, but I feel kind of ambivalent about most of them. Definitely the two that stick out are "Both Hands" and "Overlap" because they really feel different than the originals, but "Your Next Bold Move," "Shameless," and "Napoleon" don't veer from the originals enough to live up to the hype.

As for the collection itself, I think it falls short in a lot of ways for both the old and new fans. Granted, it's incredibly difficult to sum up a career as prolific as Ani's (18 full-length albums and 3 ep's) in two discs because there are always going to feel like there are songs missing. I say Kudos to Ani for trying to make a career retrospective "that's arranged and intended to be played from beginning to end," as the review on her website says. However, since she's never had any legitimate radio hits, the entire line-up comes off as seeming really subjective. While retrospectives can irk the hardcore fans the most because they are so invested in their favorite songs, I am somewhat miffed that she couldn't find one single song off of Imperfectly to add to the collection (because I think that is easily the best album of her early career).

Overall, I think the first disc has a more accessible track list and is easier to be played over and over. These songs are definitely of a faster tempo because they are from the time in Ani's career when she was more of a folk-punk artist. The second disc is much more subdued being from her later jazzier period. While each has their own merits, I tend to prefer the earlier stuff more. Songs like "Buildings and Bridges," "32 Flavors," "Dilate," and "Little Plastic Castle" never disappoint, even after playing them for ten years.

In general, I think the old fans might be disappointed by the track listing here because it just doesn't do her justice. Whereas the Ani novice isn't really going to get a feel for the magic and intensity of her music just from listening to this compilation either. If retrospectives are a good way to introduce new fans to old music, then I'd recommend Living in Clip (the double-live CD she put out in 1997) or So Much Shouting So Much Laughter (the double-live one from 2002) instead. Both of those albums have a much better track listing than Canon and they are rich and full of Ani's energy, wit and banter to boot.

5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely brilliant! September 30, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

I only learned about Ani diFranco yesterday browsing the net. I heard a couple of tracks and was hooked! I purchased the two-album Canon set hoping it would get me uptodate with this artist - if you know what I mean. I am totally hooked. Her voice is fantastic, musical arrangements are excellent, and the lyrics have substance! I thought listening to 36 tracks in a row might get boring. Not a bit of it. The musical surprises keep coming and I can't praise it enough! I'm not a great fan of folk music generally - but this is great. Enough said. At least listen to the samples to see what you think. (A bit of coarse language here and there.)

5 out of 5 stars

Wow ! Total Pleasure September 15, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

I love Ani. Her music, her spirit...
I already own everything available by her, but I also like compilations, new ways of listening to what has become too familiar through addictive listening. Even though this compilation does not contain all of my favorites,(Rush Hour ?)... I was sort of pulled in by the advertised alternative versions of songs available here, (they are cool), but I was mostly hoping there might be an up gragde to cutting edge standards of the sound quality. Yippie eye aye, the sound quality met and surpassed all of my hope, uniformly clear and beautiful.
As a long time fan of Ani, I am really glad to own this compilation.

4 out of 5 stars

All of my favorite Ani songs on one album... October 11, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

This album is a two-disc set of Ani's greatest hits...she also has new versions of a few songs. Her new version of "Napoleon" is terrible and the new version of "Both Hands" is quite poppy, but it is growing on me. This is definetly a great buy.

4 out of 5 stars

A nice re-introduction to Ani Difranco October 29, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Back in my college days, I was a staunch supporter of the whole grassroots/DIY music scene. One of my favorite artists in this scene was Ani Difranco. I had read quite a bit about her and on a whim decided to check out her music. Unfortunately my taste in music changed over the years and my interest in Ani waned. Recently I tried listening her recent albums but I couldn't get into them. I was very pleased to see that she had finally put out a two disc greatest hits compilation called CANON. CANON did not disappoint me. It was a nice reminder to what made me fall in love with Ani's music. Between the two discs, disc one is my favorite because they contain all of my favorite Ani Difranco songs like "Little Plastic Castle" and "You Had Time". I couldn't get into disc 2 since I am not a huge fan of Ani's more recent material. I thought it was interesting that Ani would re-record a few of her classic songs on both discs. Most of them I didn't mind but I wasn't particularly fon do the re-recorded version of "Both Hands". I think the original version was perfect in every sense of the world. All in all, I think CANON is a good introduction to new Ani Difranco fans as well as a refresher course for old fans like myself.

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