Exile in Guyville
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Template:Album infobox Exile in Guyville is American singer/songwriter Liz Phair's 1993 debut album. (See 1993 in music). Phair commented in interviews that the album was a song-by-song reply to the Rolling Stones' 1972 album Exile on Main Street. Her claim notwithstanding, it is difficult to see the record as more than a general reply to the Rolling Stones.
Phair wrote and recorded songs on cassette tapes, which she circulated under the title Girlysound, in the late 80's in Chicago. A Girlysound tape made it to the head of Matador Records, and he signed Phair. Phair recorded the best songs from her Girlysound compilations, and the album was released in 1993 and received widespread critical acclaim. It was the number one album in the year-end critics poll in Spin Magazine and the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll, and "Never Said" received airplay on MTV. In the Spring of 1994, the album had briefly made it to the US charts, and it had sold 200,000 copies.
The album inspired a number of imitators, and the low-fidelity sound and emotional (and lyrical) honesty of Phair's lyrics were frequently cited by critics as outstanding qualities.
In 2003 the TV network VH1 named Exile in Guyville the 96th greatest album of all time.
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Track listing
all songs by Liz Phair
- "6' 1" - 3:05
- "Help Me Mary" - 2:16
- "Glory" - 1:29
- "Dance of the Seven Veils" - 2:29
- "Never Said" - 3:16
- "Soap Star Joe" - 2:44
- "Explain It to Me" - 3:11
- "Canary" - 3:19
- "Mesmerizing" - 3:55
- "Fuck and Run" - 3:07
- "Girls, Girls, Girls" - 2:20
- "Divorce Song" - 3:20
- "Shatter" - 5:28
- "Flower" - 2:03
- "Johnny Sunshine" - 3:27
- "Gunshy" - 3:15
- "Stratford-On-Guy" - 2:59
- "Strange Loop?" - 3:56
Personnel
- Liz Phair - guitar, vocals
- Casey Rice - guitar, cymbals, background vocals, handclapping
- Brad Wood - organ, synthesizer, bass, guitar, percussion, bongos, drums, background vocals, drones, feedback
Production
- Producers: Liz Phair, Brad Wood
- Engineer: Brad Wood
- Assistant engineer: Casey Rice
- Arranger: Liz Phair
- Design: Liz Phair
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Heatseekers | 12 |
| 1994 | The Billboard 200 | 196 |