Exile In Guyville, one of my favorite records ever, is being reissued as a 2-disc CD+DVD edition on June 24 via ATO. I haven't cared much for most of the stuff Liz Phair did after this album but how could you realistically top it? Probably not by going all pop and having your album produced by The Matrix. But anyway.I had a long obsession with this record that began when a girlfriend played the titillating "Flower" for me. She was the same girl who'd given me Sonic Youth's Goo for my birthday in my sophomore year. It's a story for another time, but she obviously steered me toward some great stuff.
Anyway. I was a sexually confused 17 year old and had just graduated high school when Exile came out and it really hit me. It was so varied; by turns dirty and weird and poppy and and atmospheric and lo-fi. I fell for it hard. It's supposed to be a track-by-track response to the Stones' Exile On Main Street. I don't know about that but I do know that out of 18 songs not one of them is a dud. Exile In Guyville is probably the most fully realised debut records I own.
Remember the video for "Stratford-On-Guy"?
