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| | Label: Matador
Salesrank: 143982
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| Our Price: $2.50 |
| Used Price: $0.22 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Editorial Review:
Phair claimed that this album was a song-by-song answer to the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main St. While that's unlikely, it's an astonishing songwriting debut. Guyville got a lot of attention for its very frank sexuality, and though Phair knows how to shock, her real strength is lyrics that capture subtleties of extreme emotional states and interpersonal bargaining. Her voice isn't great, but all it has to do is ride the rails of her acutely observed, ingeniously melodic songs: "Divorce Song"'s laser-beam analysis of the moment when a marriage disintegrates, "Flower"'s coy lust, "Stratford-On-Guy"'s dizzying epiphany. She's also an inventive guitarist, and her arrangements--featuring coproducer Brad Wood--keep the album fresh and varied. --Douglas Wolk
Exile In Guyville Reviews:
Opening doors 
2000-01-03 - Liz Phair's debut album, "Exile in Guyville" is a step forward, a huge step, for women in music. Liz does what, for some reason, other women in music were unable to do--she cries out in this album from a place called "Guyville" where men in music have reigned supreme. A direct response to the 18 songs on the Rolling Stones' "Exile on Main Street," Liz Phair throws a few punches at the world of music, using explicit lyrics like terms of endearment, answering the question of "what are all of those good girls thinking on the inside?" Buy this cd for its insights on life, buy it for its importance in music today, buy it for its dry, honest lyrics, buy it for its unusual sound, for any of these reasons, just buy it. It's one of those albums all music collectors should recognize, respect, and own.
Frank, honest, but most importantly, great
1999-12-31 - While it's true that Liz Phair deals frankly with sexuality on this record, it's a real disservice to dwell on that too much. The album holds up so well becuase it's filled with great songs--some are about sex, yes, but many offer refreshing takes on other issues--dying romance, slacker boyfriends, paranoia, airline travel, even being short. Get this because it's a great rock record with a unique viewpoint behind it and leave the sex obsession to the critics...
still one of my favorites
1999-12-26 - while most of my cds end up collecting dust after I have listened to them a few times, this is one of the few albums I consistently return to. as a whole, her lyrics can be trite at times, at the very least a bit trying, but sometimes, she says something so completely well, so succinctly, that you can easily forgive some of the other, less impressive, lyrics. that she has been hurt by men is unquestionable: that she can be so unapologetic about her anger towards them is admirable. as for her voice: she will never be an opera diva, but then, I would never expect her to be. her voice, like her lyrics, are engaging, and she can be surprisingly precise with her off-kilter sound at just the right moment. overall, a cd that will always linger in my memory even after I have placed it back on the shelf.
To Norman Ludgate 
1999-12-20 - To the fan from Bristol England. Exile in Guyville will be re-released in Febuary of 2000. Hope I've been of service
Excellent CD
1999-12-08 - A friend of mine suggested that I give Liz Phair a try because I have this thing for fierce women in music. And just for the record, Alanis Morissette is not one of them. So I bought Liz Phair's stunning debut, EXILE IN GUYVILLE, about a year ago and listened to it. Happily. With Liz Phair's beautifully simple voice and lyrics, and her unequaled chord craftmanship, EXILE IN GUYVILLE is a great record to listen to. The album has a lot of foot-tapping, rage-rumbling rock songs like "6'1", "Never Said", and the hilarious "Fuck and Run." Liz Phair is not only an accomplished musician, but she's got a great sense of humor. Songs like "Dance of the Seven Veils", with smooth guitar riffs and lovely vocalization, "Flower", and "Soap Star Joe" are filled with humor and a few dirty words. Probably one of the greatest songs in Liz's career is the track "Mesmerizing", which is, essentially, mesmerizing. A great beat, a dreamy feel without being a slow song, the hand claps, the guitar riffs! The only problem with EXILE IN GUYVILLE is that quite a few of the songs are a bit on the slow side, which for many can be boring. This album, with 18 tracks, is not one you listen to straight through. But the fact remains that each of the songs is a masterpiece in itself. I give this album 4 stars.
