Exile in Guyville

Liz Phair -- Exile In GuyvilleReleased June 22nd 1993Produced by Liz Phair and Brad WoodSo, for those who don't know who Liz Phair is, here's a one-sentence recap: Phair--a mostly unknown musician from Chicago--recorded some of her songs onto a four track recorder, sent a few cassette copies out and Matador Records decided to take a gamble and allowed her to record a demo only when it was done she told them "This isn't a demo, this is the FINISHED ALBUM,"--a double album, actually, 18 songs--they put it out anyway and it was an indie hit with Rolling Stone eventually listing it as one of the 500 best rock albums of all time--they place it at 327, I put it firmly in my top 50.If albums were romantic dates, Phair would be a keeper from the first one. She lures you in with the rock 'n' roll songs which are sparse and driving, shows you how smart she is with her conversationally direct lyrics, and then seals the deal with her seemingly knowledgeable and uninhibited talk about sex.But let's get to the songs. Because Phair writes some interesting and riveting songs. Songs which range from rockin' out with a definite Rolling Stones bent, to the introspective and moody, to the "studio as a toolbox" songs. The one constant is Phair's excellent use of the English language--not as poetry or, heaven help us all: "Poetry" (imagine that last word in flowery italics to get the full effect) but as smart, simple, meaningful, occasionally personal statements. If you're gonna make a statement, make it loud--and Phair does just that with self-assurance, unabashed wit, and a fearless helping of four-letter words that would make most young women her age blush. And some men, also. Even the title to some of her songs can't be printed in a family friendly museum such as this. Nor can entire verses of the seemingly innocuously titled song "Flower" which has some of the raunchiest lines ever put to music. Phair indulges in the sexually explicit--but not entirely for the shock value, she's making a point about modern human relationships and there's no denying that sex plays a large part of that.The album kicks off with the pedal pressed down hard for the two opening cuts, "6'1"" and "Help Me Mary" and then she takes a breath before getting into "Never Said Nothing"--a perfect pop song if there ever was one, and one of the defining songs on the album--and you're thinking how can this album get any better? And at that point you're not even a third of the way into it. The full band songs are contrasted with a few that are simply Phair's voice and electric guitar or an occasional odd instrument to add a touch of flavor.Another one of the defining songs on Guyville (Can there be more than one defining song on an album? I'm voting assuredly with a yes.) is "Divorce Song" which showcases Phair's knack for rolling guitar chord rhythms and has insightful lines such as:"I would have stayed in your bedFor the rest of my lifeJust to prove I was rightThat it's harder to be friends than loversAnd you shouldn't try to mix the two'Cuz if you do it and you're still unhappyThen you know that the problem is you"This song lays it all out in the open then slams the door shut with a rockin' harmonica outro over a rockin' beat. And one thing you can say about Phair is that she's a rocker--she doesn't play soft finger-picked acoustic ballads or weepy girl love songs and she doesn't attempt to outdo the guys by playing like a guy either. She has her own style that she stamps these songs with, completely original in her songwriting and delivery. She's more like her contemporary Jen Trynin than the come late to the party but got more famous Alanis Morissette, or female fronted bands such as Veruca Salt. Musically, Phair follows in the footsteps of Mick and Keef (Remember "Play With Fire" anyone?) and thematically she sings about personal relationships and sex in the modern world--but hardly ever about love itself. There's plenty songs here about lust and wanting, or about getting along with one another on this album, yet not one song strictly about love. The closest she gets is the song whose title we can't say here. Just let it be said that the song rocks and makes you think at the same time.The production by Brad Wood, who played the drum and bass parts here, is a perfect match to her songs. Never again would she have a producer who was so in tune with what she was creating. He marries Charlie Watts style drums to driving bass lines, reinforcing her electric guitar rhythms perfectly. He allows Phair to indulge in soft-amped up instrumentals and loopy intros. They play with studio trickery such as recording two snares panned to the far sides of the mix rather than right down the center like the norm and it totally works. The piano sounds are intentionally muddy and indistinct, the mixes are dynamic--from soft and cold to white hot in an instant, the electric guitars snap and hum like a good tube amp should. And let's pause for a moment and talk about the bass. (I'm a bass player, I'm entitled, so bear with me for a moment here.) Brad Wood's bass playing on this album is sublime. Nothing flashy--who has time for that?--and nothing that would make anyone think he was a virtuoso or prodigy. What he excels at here, though, is underpinning the songs, reinforcing the rhythm, adding little flourishes of countermelody around the vocals, all the while driving and pushing the songs further and faster. A perfect bassist.Oh yeah, one more thing: Is Guyville a "song by song answer" to Mick and Keef's classic album Exile On Main Street as Phair herself stated when this was released? Not exactly. My feeling is that Phair had an album with 18 songs and wasn't sure how to sequence it so she referenced the Stones album to see how they handled a double album with so many songs. She used their album as a template if you will and instantly had a title: Phair being the female musician outcast in a city full of male musicians was, herself, the "Exile In Guyville."

This is my favorite album of the last 30 years or so, and nothing really comes close.These days I can't even imagine listening to an 18(!) song recording, and liking them all.I remember hearing 'Never Said' on the local hipster radio station back when it was just released,instantly loved it, and waited through the next couple of songs they played so I could get her name.Because of its amateur/DIY approach, the whole thing has a strange, uniquely atmospheric moodthat is very hard to describe, and unreproducible. The occasional seesawing between victim/vampire personae,from song to song, I think has a lot to do with its ultimate success. A lot of reviews over the years havewent into depth about EIG, so there's not much more I can add, but if you've never heard this, you're truly missing something.

This is not the 25th Anniversary edition. It's the 25 year old disc, which is excellent, and I have had it for 25 years. Do not buy this thinking it's the anniversary edition. It's improperly marked.

This is the definitive Liz Phair Album that you need. Her most revered work, and an insanely influential album from the 90's.We saw her tour where she played the whole album live in October 2008 at First Avenue in Minneapolis.We got pregnant that night.You'll make a baby because of this album.

When am I gonna learn to read the reviews before I buy something? Well, in this case it's confusing because Amazon has the reviews of the original EXILE and of the 2008 rerelease all mixed in together. The original album is great--five-star--essential, in fact. The 2008 version is apparently remixed, with the main effect--so far as I can hear--of making some of the vocals less clear. The three extra tracks don't add anything. "Ant in Alaska" starts off understated and interesting, but when the volume goes up it turns into something that could have gone on Phair's JUVENILIA--and wouldn't have made that album any better, worse, or different, just one song longer. "Say You" sounds like Phair and the musicians having fun in the studio; well, good for them, but the song doesn't seem to have any relation to EXILE. The last track, titled "Instrumental" on the cover and "Standing" on the disc readout, is the one piece that sounds like it could have been an EXILE outtake, and that I'll be listening to again, but it wasn't worth the price of the whole album. (The rerelease also includes a DVD, but I'm not set up to play DVDs at the moment and so can't report on it. Other reviews seem to indicate that it's mostly other musicians talking about Phair and EXILE, which might be a bit interesting, but doesn't sound like a must-have.)

Liz Phair's first big release on Matador records. This album is amazing and after losing my original copy, I am buying it again. She is an old soul, with confident and often surprisingly complex lyrics. Guitar work is solid and not over produced. Less is more. Some of the dirtiest lyrics I have heard on a couple songs (not a bad thing), but they are in such an appealing format, you find yourself just tapping your foot to some of the crazy stuff she says.

Lovely and brash pertinent and unapologetic

You should all go and buy this cracking cd

Un must have degli inarrivabili anni '90. Buona la prima per Liz Phair. Non raggiungerà più queste vette (ma era impresa ardua. Unica pecca:per album di questa durata opterei su doppio LP su 3 lati, che permetterebbe di non doversi alzare ogni 13 minuti. (Ad esempio "No city to love" delle Sleater Kinney è su 3 lati)

Les compos ne sont guère époustouflantes mais correctes et variées, ce qui en fait un album riche et plein. C'est au niveau de la production que l'album creuse son sillon: jamais commercial, un petit style rock indé, un poil sale mais pas trop, une instrumentation dépouillée. Son qui colle parfaitement au propos de la dame, qui trouvait là une petite niche dans le folk au féminin qui nous abreuve des mêmes donzelles charmantes et sensibles. Ici, c'est plutôt crû, pas sirène pour un sou, et c'est fait bien là la différence. Ce son, enfin, permet à l'album de supporter le passage du temps sans encombre. Liz Phair ne fera jamais aussi bien, ayant sans doute tout dit avec cet album pas indispensable mais très convaincant dans le genre.

Alle Erwartungen positiv erfüllt.