Exile In Guyville

Very pleasantly surprised by this one. I was aware of Liz Phair, but had only really heard her awful potty-mouthed-Avril-Lavigne attempt of the early 2000s, whatever the album was where she extols the virtues of using men's bodily fluids as moisturiser. Leaning pretty heavily into riot grrl sensibilities and having some pretty funny and biting lyrics while maintaining a sound that is both accessible and varied is a pretty neat balancing act. You can clearly hear its influences in 90s alt rock, 00s indie and beyond.

Fine

I can’t remember when I first heard of Liz Phair, but I know it was sometime in the last ten years or so. I don’t remember ever hearing about her or any of her songs when this album came out. My only exposure to Liz’s music was through the 60 Songs That Explain the Nineties podcast that talked about “Fuck and Run,” but other than that, I’ve never heard one of her songs. But I’ve heard that this album is supposed to be fantastic, so I’ve been looking forward to this one, and I’ve resisted the urge to listen to it before it came up for me to review. I think this album absolutely lived up to the hype I’ve heard surrounding it. The songwriting is some of the best I’ve ever heard. I loved the rawness of the lyrics and that no topic seemed to be too taboo to be covered on this album. There’s so much to unpack in the lyrics of this album. I found myself really focusing on the music and Liz’s voice, but when I would pay attention to what she was actually singing, it was like a jolt that shook me awake. And even with the unfiltered quality of her lyrics, I had a hard time deciphering what was literal and what was hyperbole, trying to decide what was Liz’s real pain and what parts were her emotional reactions. The instrumentation was also raw and simplistic, but provided the perfect contrast and often distraction from the themes being sung about. The guitar playing was fantastic throughout, whether the melodies were faster and louder, or whether they were slower and softer. One thing that blew me away about this album was how strong it was from start to finish. The second half is still incredibly powerful and contains plenty of punches and surprises, and I found my jaw dropping open countless times over the whole runtime. I wish I had more time to go into individual songs, but I’ll just list my favorites: “6’1”,” “Help Me Mary,” “Never Said,” “Canary,” “Fuck and Run,” and “Flower.” This album was fantastic, and I think I’ll only enjoy it more with repeated listening. Exile in Guyville delivered on its hype, and is easily one of the best albums from the nineties that I’ve heard so far.

It's been awhile since I found another gem which made this project a bit tedious. I'm not sure I've heard from Phair before this. This is however a fantastic find and I like it very much so far.

Meah

Peak raw 90s. The lyrics, the sound, all of it. Somehow (misogyny) this didn't reach the levels of popularity and radio play as other musicians of the same time but it should have.

this is another album i was aware of in its time, but never really gave the time of day to, probably for dumb reasons. there's a lot here that later groups would've benefitted from - her crazy sexy voice, her refusal to back down lyrically - enough that i'm surprised i don't remember this album being a pivotal moment. in terms of my own tastes, the tracks i found myself liking best were the ones more atypical of her overall sound - but they wouldn't have made the album if they weren't worth it, so maybe there's more like those out there in her catalog. i'll have to give it a better listen.

Good album. The guitar and sound of this one clearly inspired a lot of the 00s indie rock girls. Concept/lyrics are pretty solid, but the vocals aren’t great. It was a nice listen overall. ***

Ugh, I feel bad poopooing such an important feminist, although I really didn't like this. I'm gonna stuck with two stars in recognition of her important contribution to society, although I was honestly teetering on one.

Not for me.

I certainly remember listening to this with a friend who was really trying to figure out a lot of things during college. We played racquetball hard every day and fell down laughing more often than not. But enough about Erica. Phair saves the two best songs of the album to mid way and toward the end. F and Run and Stratford on Guy are the clear favorites. Her guitar throughout and discordant vocals pepper all the songs and make for good listening-- and post racquetball bliss.

“Exile in Guyville” is incredible, though I struggle to explain why. Some reviewers take issue with Liz Phair’s voice, but I love it. It’s not conventional or pretty, and she leans into the imperfections from the start on “6 '1.” The overall sound and vibe feels stripped down, raw and real, lo-fi but recorded with clarity rather than sounding like it was recorded in a shoebox or underwater. And that’s all before you get to the bluntly honest songwriting or the broader ballsy concept of responding to the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street.” That Stones album was boring, it turned out. Liz Phair’s “Exile in Guyville” is anything but - I wish I had crawled out of the Seattle grunge-hole long enough to embrace it and recognize Phair’s refreshing voice in the mid-90s, but I’ll make up for lost time now and am happy to listen to it on repeat.

Look, I get why this wouldn't hit today the same way, but damn if it wasn't amazing to hear a woman brashly saying all the quiet parts out loud in 1993. Teenage me needed to hear what Liz had to say. 6'1 is still her best song and F&R is still devastating.

This is very lyrics forward, which usually isn’t my thing, but I was really digging it yesterday.

My favorite part of the album is the extended instrumental intro to Shatter because Liz isn’t singing and I like the music. I don’t like her vocals. Flower and Johnny Sunshine were decent too.

Onneksi luin wikipedia-artikkelin ennen levyn kuuntelua tällä kertaa, muuten olisin kannen perusteella odottanut jotain rajumpaa. Olikin rauhallisehkoa. Mutta hyvä asenne läpi levyn! Sanoitukset vetivät kuuntelemaan itseään, siitä iso plussa. Jos vielä melodiat olisivat samalla tavalla vetäneet.

Tämä on parhaimmillaan lyhyissä himmailuibiiseissä, joissa artistin suhde melodiaan muuttuu: sen sijaan, että kitara ja laulu muodostaisivat alati kehittyvän, kontingentin pötkön, kuten monissa levyn "rokimmissa" kappaleissa, balladeissa melodia itsessään näyttää riittäneen. Mikä lofi? Rummut ehkä, joo. 2,5

This was a lot. Not sure I'll listen again, but I can get the idea of its influence and role in music history.

You can listen to it in the background. But it is simply boring!

This is a pretty cool album, I see the vision. I can understand why people would love this, and while it isn't fully my thing I can 100% appreciate it. I'm tossing and turning on whether to give it a 3 or a 4, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt with a 4

Eh, kind of got bored about halfway through.

Whinging, whiney, crap.

Sometimes there needs to be a zero stars option...awful

Statement piece for early 90's. Phair comes out in an honest way and delivers a indie sounding album about female experience in music.

3-

4.5, great guitar tones, loved this one

Interesting. Definitely some Hole-esque riot-grl vibes combined with some "white guys play R&B in the late 60s" vibes. Not entirely sure my boat was floated enough to make this one I'll return to, but enjoyed the discovery none-the-less

My intro to Liz Phair was the video for Supernova probably on MTVs 120 mins. I immediately fell in love.. I bought Whip-Smart and this album right after. Guyville just rocks and it holds up very well for an album over 30 years old. I bet it would do much better if was released today.

I’ve been waiting for this record to come up. Another all time favorite for me, I remember being pretty blown away when it came out. These songs feel like diary entries translated into bitter, angry, acerbic, heartbroken / heartbreaking lyrics. The songs have the perfect level of raw-edged production. I went to see Phair perform the record for the 30th anniversary and she was fantastic.

This is a great album. I've listened to a lot. Probably the best Liz Phair record. If you're not digging it, at least check out Stratford-on-Guy.

I don't think I'm the target audience for this album and I felt like I wasn't the target audience the entire time listening to it. Her voice is unique, not good, but not terrible. It's different. And the lo-fi and stripped down production is good. But I was pretty bored listening to a lot of it. I'll have to give it another try sometime in the future, but for now, it was just okay.

Currently on 50% power because my earwax has betrayed me and plugged my hearing in my left ear. Well, I'll tell you one thing, the right audio output of this album sounds better than the entirety of "Exile On Main St.", that's for certain.

Es una música tranqui con guitarrita y supuestamente muy feminista. Me dejó muy poquito pero no me parece malo.

I had not previously heard this album. It's fairly basic 90s rock with female vocals. It was just ok. Not bad, but not great either. None of the tracks stood out to me. Would not seek this one out to listen again.

3. Decent in places

I'm fairly sure that Phoebe Buffay took inspiration from Liz Phair.

Never heard of her but it still somehow made me nostalgic

Now this album was curious. I found the lyrics and a lost of the music itself entertaining. However, the vocals weren't great, but I still enjoyed them a bit regardless. I honestly don't know where to put this album. It feels like something I'd change my mind about in the future, but that is not a possibility on this website. Based on my somewhat mixed feelings, but general enjoyment, I will give it a generous 4 out of 5. And that's unheard of.

This had a really clear throughline to a lot of artists from the current day that I really like - people like Courtney Barnett or even Soccer Mommy. It feels very of a piece with very specifically 90s feminism - i.e. a slightly 'ladette' culture of empowerment, so I guess it's like Hole in that sense. Still, whatever, enough social history, is it good? Yes! It's really listenable, and I thought the lyrics had a lovely mix of vulnerability and confidence.

Half decent album this one

I was ok

I'm of the female persuasion so a lot here spoke to me. I found the actual vocals a bit grating much of the time. Great but not pretty.

Found it rather boring. Sorry

p708. 1993. 3.5 stars. Sounds like Courtney Love's younger, pissed off sister, which ain't a bad thing. Came to this cold and was surprised how much I liked it. All it's missing are standout tunes.

Hated the vocals, sorry.

Quite nice energy and it felt quite modern but dull

I testi sembrano interessanti (anche se non li ho approfonditi tanto), la voce invece in certi punti non mi ha convinto. Alcuni riff di chitarra sono fighi. Nel complesso mi è piaciuto, ma non me la sento di sbilanciarmi su un voto alto. Un po’ troppo lungo, o si tratta forse di una lunghezza percepita?

🤷🏼‍♂️

On paper, this is something I should really enjoy; I think if I had head it at the time I would have enjoyed it but it didn't make it where I grew up. Hearing it as an as adult I find it bland. It's lost on me.

I wasn't wowed by anything but it wasn't bad. I could see this being an inspiration for a lot of female song writers that came after this.

A boring version of Hole A punk album without any punk

I'm at least familiar with Liz Phair, having heard her comeback album Soberish back in 2021. It was a decent experience from what I recall, but what we got here is her debut from when the hunger was fresh. From what I can gather, this album is framed with similar compositions and pacing to the Rolling Stones album Exile on Main St., which I unfortunately haven't listened to fully yet on this journey. Based on the songs I've heard off of Exile on Main St. thus far, there could be some merit to the comparisons. "6'1"" kicks the door down in the same way "Rocks Off" does, "Never Said" is as big and catchy of a single as "Tumbling Dice", and "Fuck and Run' does come off as a narrative flip of "Happy" where the woman is having trouble with finding a committed relationship. But I feel like there's more than just putting a spin on one of the Stones' classic albums. While it undoubtedly rocks, there's a lot more production techniques going on from the teamwork of Liz and Brad Wood that makes Guyville stand out, such as how the feedback of "Shatter" ebbs and flows in the background. Also lyrically, a lot of the content here is very transgressive, where Liz comes into a very male-centric scene with a lot of swagger in finding her place and exploring the various ways women have been taken advantage of in the past, with a bit of humor and wit thrown in. It's certainly commendable. I enjoyed this album a lot more than I expected. Guyville is one of those albums that is locked to a very feminist point of the early 90's, yet like other 90s classics this has stood the test of time. Check it out.

Very good songs from front to back, but I don't think it really reaches that next level of greatness that its legacy suggests. Perhaps it was more of a product of being ahead of its time, but nowadays there are a regular stream of albums released on its plane of quality.

Better than I expected early era 90s rock

this is one i've been meaning to listen to for a while now. listening to this album, you can tell its dna has been passed on to many modern artists, particularly the women-driven indie rock of the last decade plus. it has a rawness that i think was unique for the time but has been emulated for decades at this point. from a standpoint of production, i did enjoy the slightly raw sound. i thought her lyrics were honest but i did feel like not all of the songs landed with me. that being said, there are a few on here that are fantastic, such as, 'never said' - which i think is an all-timer. all that being said, for me, this one is good, not great. i think with time, i can definitely grow to love it, but as it stands right now, it was not out of the park for me.

After all the hype and reviews I read, I thought this would've been much better. To me this music is like a watered-down version of Juliana Hatfield. Are any of her albums on the list??? In the end, it was just ok for me.

I think I first heard of this album via the Pitchfork 'Best albums of the 90s' list a couple years ago. If I remember right, it was in the top 10, and one of two albums in the top 10 I had never listened to. Lucinda Williams was the other one, which I listened to, but never got around to Liz Phair until now. I have to say, I'm very surprised, as I was expecting it to be overrated. It's not at all, I'm very impressed! I love the guitar tone all the way through, and the songwriting is top notch. I get that it is probably a bit too vulgar for some people, but I think to some degree songs like Flower are attempts at trolling, or something similar. Like Courtney Love was doing around the same time, Liz has put out a very "unladylike" album that was definitely on par with the best male artists of tge time. After listening to this a third time, I was surprised to read on the wiki that most of the songs aren't about Liz herself. Most of them are so direct and confessional in nature that I assumed they were at least semi-autobiographical. That really shows how great the songwriting is on here IMO. Not to mention that there's 18 songs on here and none of them are duds!

Pretty good. Probably not something I'll come back to, but I did not have an issue listening to this.

it's fineeeeeee, nothing special. Standouts were 6"1", dance of the seven veils, shatter, and canary cause of the keysss

It was nice. At first I thought it was nothing remarkable (and it kinda is) but I liked it

If she hadn’t called herself the blowjob queen would pathetic sniggering white boy critics have cared? I think this is good though. And yes probably one of those albums you should hear.

I must be in a good mood. Liked every track. I really liked her voice. A sardonic story teller - keeps it interesting, and feels original, interesting. Like a less boring and less jagged version of the following, all rolled into one. Sheryl Crow , Courtney Love, Amanda Palmer and maybe hint of PJ - fits for me anyway. I have a head cold so maybe everything is wonderful or crap today. Let's be generous as I want to hear this again and follow what she does next....

My introduction to Liz Phair was Whip-Smart(1995) - the song, not the album. It was on some magazine compilation I’d acquired & it was definitely one of my favourite songs of the 90’s. Later I picked up her 1998 album Whitechocolatespaceegg & really enjoyed it, but I had never heard Exit To Guyville until last night. I've given it a few plays. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything on it as great as the track Whip-Smart, but I do like Never Said, Soap Star Joe, Mesmerizing, Fuck And Run (outstanding lyrics), Divorce Song, Shatter & Flower (more great lyrics). If I gave it a few more listens it may well be 4 stars but I’m giving it 3.

I have been ruminating on what to write for this album for a long time. I think the genius of the Guyville album is the way that it riles up rock snob white boy critics. Even the title is a provocation of the veneration of the Stones' Exile album and a call-out to the inherent sexism of alternative rock scenes. This album makes a lot of uptight white boys really mad. Liz Phair struggled for acceptance in a pretty exclusive male dominated indie scene, and she uses her gender and sexuality (a common target for criticism) to bait those white boy critics with their own fears and desires. She wants to be heard and so leans into being deliberately provocative. I don't think she was quite prepared for how this would resonate with audiences (her success was a bit surprising) and the subsequent fierce backlash from al rock gatekeepers. I think many of her critics were intimidated by her unapologetic persona and especially her blunt sexuality, and they really pushed back. But I think she captures well the weird and uncomfortable feeling of being a human being. There is a vulnerability and openness, and strength and humour and unvarnished desires and a willingness to be unlikeable. This is a picture of a real and complex human. The fact that she was a young woman was unforgivable to some but makes it real art in my opinion. It is soemthign we haven't really seen or heard before. I like the songs and the relatively unpolished production. It feels really immediate and real to me. I think these days there is a grudging respect for Guyville, although her later output was met with condescension and scorn, as if this was the only thing she was ever allowed to do (see Pitchfork's infamous 0.0 review of her self-titled album). I think this is an important album -- it is an intimate and complex portrait of a real human being. The way Liz Phair was treated was shamefully sexist. 4.5 stars, rounding up.

I liked it. I was expecting it to have a harder rock sound based on the album cover. It's certainly still rock though. I think I may need to give it a re-listen at some point, I wasn't really paying as much attention to the lyrics as I could've.

Pretty damn catchy, and good songs. Can't complain

Grating voice, nonsensical lyrics. ‘Shatter’ was the best song from this album, because she stopped singing for 3 whole minutes of instrumental bliss.

Reading some of the reviews here, I can only say: embarassing. This is a great record by a great and serious artist. Some here obviously do not understand that this record is SURELY not about female sexual phantasies, but about how easily males consume females and attribute how the execution of power - be it socially, culturally, economically established - pertains to their self-perceived grandiosity and establishes an interpretation of male/female relation that could not be more biased. This is a record about being outside and the longing to belong without having to submit. Apart from that, this is a bold statement musically, and one that deserves a place in this list.

Þetta var nú bara allt í lagi indie rokk en ekkert eitthvað stórkostlegt. Þetta ætti þess vegna bara að enda einhversstaðar í miðjunni því ég er ólíklegur að muna eftir þessu. Aftur á móti fær þetta einni stjörnunni minna vegna höfundaréttarvesens á örfáum lögum á plötunni. Búúúú!

Hard album to rate. Sometimes I feel like I am listening to Phoebe from Friends and then there some really good songs.

Very good!

Awful title aside this album somehow escaped my sphere but it's exactly what I would have listened to in the late 90s, early 00s.

I do love me some 90s chick rock. Everyone likes to say how Liz Phair peaked at her first album but when you’re first album is a masterpiece, how could you not.

Fun preppy rock. Was not prepared for how filthy the lyrics are. Made for a very uncomfortable train journey

Strong songwriting, a bit milquetoast.

3.5

Exile In Guyville is a really mixed bag in terms of quality for me. On one hand, there were songs that sounded great, had cool musical ideas, and had some pretty good singing by Liz but on the other hand some of the songs could be really boring, follow basic melodies, or just be way too repetitive and i also did find the pace of the album to be a bit too breakneck at points. The album mostly was good throughout its runtime but the bad parts were rather noticeable. Best Song: Canary Worst Song: Girls! Girls! Girls!

Felt a bit miserable, and not the best singer - couldn't get into the presumably deep messages she's putting out there. Gave up before the hour was done

Minnti að þetta væri betra en það. Samt allt í lagi.

Did Liz Phair sell out? I only ask because I've only heard her album with "Why Can't I?" Which isn't a great album, but it was kind of fun and upbeat in some ways. Almost felt like Avril Lavigne, but this album, which came prior is totally different. She is brooding and quiet and not as exciting. I skipped a lot of songs as they were very monotone. That's why I ask if she sold out because her music changed quite a bit between albums.

Wow, really enjoyed this one. I've heard Liz Phair's name before but not her music. Lots of great melodies driving this one, and the lyrics are strong too. This has to be a seminal indie rock album, right? I feel like this has to have influenced tons of artists working today. It's really strong. Glad to have heard it! Favorite tracks: Help Me Mary, Glory, Never Said, Explain it to Me, Shatter, Stratford-On-Guy. Album art: Liz seems to be angry, and my response to this is like that Seinfeld episode with Elaine's Christmas card...."I may be wrong, but I think I see a nipple." It's a decent cover, black and white isn't my favorite here. 4/5

I love this album. I love Liz Phair. I thought it would be hard for me to listen "objectively and with new ears". But it turns out I was able to do it. The songs that always hit hard, did again. And there are more than s few of them. But some if the songs I now hear as filler songs. Not great, maybe even just good. I would just skip them if listening on my own. They make the album too long and then by the end, I got a bit bored. I think maybe this album could be in just a slightly different order, and the boredom would be alleviated Still a wonderful album though

I've heard of Liz Phair, but had not, knowingly, listened to her music before. Initial reaction? Whatever indie-alternative. But this quickly grew on me. To the point where it became pretty great. If 90ies kids didn't include this on mixtapes along with songs from Kurt Cobain they surely made a mistake. That kind of 90ies great. Even if only as a document. That said, I did lose a bit of interest along the almost an hour. Tracks along the lines of Shatter, Glory, Explain It To Me or Mesmerizing? Yes. The upbeat ones, maybe not so much. Still, enjoyed this. A nice discovery, for me. Ah, come on. 5.

Creía que Exile In Guyville iban a ser hevilorros y resulta que son rock indieorros, y me gustan.

I enjoyed this a lot - mellow, lo-fi indie-pop. Clear to hear the enduring influence on female artists even up to the modern day (I'm thinking of the likes of Courtney Barnett, Soccer Mommy, Snail Mail, Boygenius). Love the guitar playing and lyrics. I also enjoy the laid back vocals - people expecting Whitney Houston wouldn't like this I guess, but it fits the vibe perfectly. This is an album I'd never heard before that's right up my street

love this album. Liz Phair was great before she turned poppy.

Not offensively bad but just kind of boring and I dislike the singer's voice. I don't see much to recommend here.

This album is indie rock similar to PJ Harvey or Hole. Liz Phair has that annoying strong feminist feel to her, similar to Sinead O'Conner. That kinda indie/punk phase. I'm a feminist. Fuck men. Look at my tits. As a matter of fact, the album cover features her tits. Because feminism.... I guess?? Just fuckin weird. Favourite songs: Fuck and Run, Divorce Song, Never Said, 6'1" Least favourite songs: Dance of the Seven Veils, Glory, Canary 2/5

Not bad

It wasn’t bad

Not familiar with Liz Phair at all, but reading about her it sounded like something I might be in to. This record was fine, pretty middle of the road for 90s indie stuff. Didn't make much of an impression on me.

I remember when this album came out. It was all over The Village Voice and other alternative media. It was not played on the radio, and I never got a copy, so it has taken me 31 years to finally listen to it. That's a good way to judge an album like this. Does it stand the test of time? Yeah. So never really knowing much about Liz Phair other than she was a big deal in the early 1990s when she appeared out of nowhere, for some reason I thought this would be a punkier album than it is. I love a songwriter with things to say and a variety of ways to say it. A few weeks ago, I reviewed Adele's album, and while she has a great voice, the album was a whole set of tracks about a weird attract/avoid relationship she was having, and the songs were much of the same. This is not the case with Liz Phair, who is much more in her power, and explores different sonic landscapes to do her thing. Dance of the Seven Veils and Shatter reminded me of Billy Bragg's first album, Solo Guitar (with a drone on Shatter, but still). Some of these songs approach the grunge formula of the day, and I kept expecting Fuck and Run to have a big grungy drop in it somewhere, and the fact that it didn't was a bit of a letdown. Flower is really the kind of song probably none of us had ever heard before. It predicts the anti-folk movement. So, an interesting album. Not quite Nirvana, not quite The Pretenders, not quite punk enough, not quite Billy Bragg, not quite Riot Grrrls. But it does what it says on the tin. I liked it.

I just lost a whole review of this album. Damn! I heard somewhere that it was a feminist song by song response to Exile on Main Street. This delivers, big time. It is a rollercoaster. Going from raw to raunchy to sweet to vulnerable to courageous. Vulnerageous? always real and honest and authentic. Liz Phair seems not interested in telling me a pretty story, or being nice, or playing guitar heroically, or finding the smart arrangement, or even singing well. She dips her pen in authenticity and joy and pain and experience, and looks curious about where or how deep she can go while still holding things together. And she ends up telling a beautiful story. When I first heard her in the 90s, I did not speak the language, at least not fluently enough to understand what the songs were about. But what I did pick up on and resonate with is the vibe, and the broader themes in the songs. Not unlike other grunge and lo-fi bands I was listening to at the time, she made me feel like I too could write songs if I could access that experience. That sense of self-authorship and self-permission still permeates these songs as I listen to them years after, this time understanding what she is talking about. With this record, Liz Phair opened a space of possibilities and permission for people who did not see themselves in the music that was around, much like she did not see or hear herself in Exile on Main Street. What she did to remedy that is create something beautiful that was truly and apologetically hers. Here was someone standing fully in her own power and fragility, and inviting us in. And so it became possible for others, particularly women, to do the same. I have a lot of respect and time for this. What a gift to the world!

I appreciate what she’s doing, but it’s just not for me. I think the songs are too sparse and her singing is off key sometimes. 2.8

Too long but otherwise fine.

It's been over a decade since I listened to this album and I definitely like it a lot more now than I did over a decade ago. Feels fresher to me. Love the sound.

I liked some of it. But I mostly forgot since was working and it blended in the background Will I listen to again: 25%

My Gosh I love this album so much!

Ok

Occasionally weird and more interesting than I expected. Not quite enough for me to want to revisit though

rebellious

There’s some pretty good indie rock on this album, and there’s some not so good stuff. One of the songs I remember most is ‘Flower’, which isn’t good because I really really don’t like it. Anyway 3

It started quite nice but then it was too long in the end and sounded too similar.

Irritating voice, average songs, waste of time.

Netter Indie Rock, den man gut nebenbei hören kann.

This album was a fun one for a few reasons: - I learned that Spotify cuts to the radio feature anytime I change audio devices, so a ton of albums have been cut short - I finally got a chance to look at the reviews of this album to realize I'm missing a lot of nuance and context... realizing I have been having the albums on in the background, not paying full attention Gave this album a second listen with the context of the reviews and Wiki and liked it a bit better. I won't need to revisit, but it's gone from a 2 to a 3.

This album is an excellent example of some of the challenges that come with the format of this project. I find myself over and over having a difficult time contextualizing the the records that we're listening to and as in everything, context matters. We hear these things out of context and then we're asked to rate them. Something feels not right about that. It's great to discover things that we've not heard before and it's great to go back and listen to things that we've heard numerous times and have forgotten about or dismissed on a certain level due to familiarity. But .... It's difficult to understand why these records were considered ground-breaking. We can't un-hear things while looking back. The way we hear about music has changed, the distribution channels have changed, the politics have changed and all of these issues matter when it comes to the reception of these creations put out by these artists. I remember when this record was released; the write-ups, the criticisms, the hoopla ..... Mentioning this record in the same breath as "Exile on Mainstreet" .... I'll admit, I scoffed heartily. I mean, that's one tight record; the playing, the writing, the production, it's all there. Who would dare? Well, Liz Phair did. Say what you will but that's a ballsy move and I gotta give it up for that. Additionally, in 1993 the sexual politics of this record (within the music biz) are so out front. Now, we take it for granted but then? So, I'm listening to this and I'm trying to keep this stuff in mind, admit to myself my built-in prejudices and assess fairly. There's some really good writing here, some really good songs. Sometimes it DOES remind me of "Exile on Mainstreet". There's also some of it that just doesn't hold up. There's some of her singing that I just can't get past. So, I ask myself, why do I give artists like Bill Callahan a pass on his singing but not Liz? She owns her voice just like he does and that's what matters; it's HERS, her art, like or not, here it is. I'm not sure I know the answer yet. Anyway, it's not perfect but 4 stars for owning it.

Super cool album. The first half of the album was super edgy teenage angst but by the end it turned into something entirely different! It got weird in the best way. Favorite song was Johnny Sunshine. Added to my Spotify library.

Rock, but not outstanding

This would not be regular rotation for me.

Another album I wore the grooves out of back in the day. Another album that I struggle to properly rate. When I set out on this project I envisioned the 5 star rating to be reserved for the greatest albums of all time. The icons. But I’m approaching 15% completion of the list and I have come across a few of these albums that were monumentally important to me as a young man that I hold in very high regard but can quite call them some of the greatest albums ever made. But this album is higher than a 4 star album. So I’m doing it. 5 stars for Liz. She is an icon.

Liz Phair, Urge Overkill, Lemon Heads, Juliana Hatfield, The Breeders, Sebadoh etc etc all made some excellent indie rock albums during the first half of the 90s (counterpointing all those copycat grunge albums). Exile In Guyville is one of these albums. At the time I liked, for some reason, Phair's second album Whip-Smart a bit more, but in 2024, playing both albums back to back, I can see the appeal of EiG much clearer and agree EiG is the better album. I am not sure if I can still stand the typical 90s-indie-rock lyrics, but just give five stars for nostalgia reasons.

Proper songs in many cases and I like the overall style.

I dig girl rock and 90s music, but I did not enjoy this album nor Liz Phair overall. Her voice is mediocre and the music is meh. I dug some of the lyrics though. (I do want to give props to Liz for the album cover, a little nip is always hot.)

Just another meh album I couldn’t be bothered with finishing.

Took me back in time. Not sure I wanted to go.

2.5

I didn't really care for this.

I really like this so far and it really exemplifies the sound of women's rock in the early 90s. The more I listened to it, the more I liked it. Definitely has a couple tracks I'll come back to! There's a variety of sound to the album but it never strays from a core sound so that it all ties together really nicely

Hard to call this good or bad. It's just there. I knew the song Fuck and Run but that was it. The rest of the album seems fine.... 3/5

Ok so I never want to hear that again. Never heard of the artist or album and I was happier for it.

Again middle of the road. I didn't find it super special. Wasn't terrible had a good voice and good guitar playing but aside from that it was just. Mid.

I really like Never Said, Shatter, Strange Loop. My favorite genre is indie but the indie albums I’ve heard so far on this list have been very average.

Some of those lyrics were a choice for the 90s. The sound was okay. She sounds like a grown woman trying to make mid-20s alt music though. Idk how to explain it completely. The 90s had a sound. That’s all I’m saying.

Pretty good no complaints

Interesting listen, not totally my thing but I liked it. Good album.

Ok I don’t know what I expected, but I really enjoyed this.

I never knew enough about the Rolling Stones to appreciate the intertextual conversation between Exile in Guyville and Exile on Main Street, but that absence has never meant that Exile in Guyville is somehow lacking or that my enjoyment was any less. This is a record that was excellent upon arrival and has stood the test of time for me. Incredible songwriting that is still affecting from humor to heartbreak and a lot of other vibes along the way.

This was such a solid album, the singers got a wonderful voice that is supported by a solid tempo and great background guitar. Okay apparently this whole album is about fucking, her whole personality is lust and I kinda respect the shit out of that Favorite song: FLOWER JUST WOW Least favorite: none 4/5 so good, so underrated.

Neutral milk hotel meets velvet underground

I liked a few songs. Overall vocals were not great and most songs were kind of boring.

Man! This album had me from the very first note of the music. I loved the melody, and I love the tones! Then, Liz began singing. I hadn’t listened to her music since probably 1995. I used to think she was cool. Actually, she was cool. But for me, I have to leave it as that. Was. Music is so subjective. Way more people hate the Eagles than I ever anticipated. Way more people thought that this album was worth five stars. “Genius“ they say. I was honestly so distracted by her singing in flats, oops, I mean, just flat, that I couldn’t even focus on those melodies. I tried listening to it on a run, and it just turned into a slow walk. Depressing. I’m not sure when Blowjobs and Hummers became genius, but I miss that boat. In 1995, I was young and angsty. Just like this album, I’m glad that’s over.

Mostly filled with boring songs with lackluster vocals. Some of the lyricism on display here is also not my favorite. One or two good tracks on here.

Album d'américaneries sans trop d'intérêt que je ne vais pas commenter plus que ça par manque de temps mais surtout d'envie. Je vous invite en revanche à me faire une liste des coquilles et différentes fautes d'ortographe qui se cachent dans mes quelques 1080 critiques pour les corriger une fois que le générateur aura les fonctionnalités d'un vrai site internet et pas celles d'une page web des années 90. Cela se passera bien sûr via l'adresse électronique robertestleperedemikeladd@gmx.com

C'était banal et sanas intérêt, critique que je pourrais coller sur au moins 500 albums de cette liste. Si vous aussi vous voulez nous rappeler à quel point la liste de Robert est une arnaque, vous pouvez nous contacter à l'adresse mail suivante: robertestleperedemikeladd@gmx.com

Seems overrated. Alt-rock with a hint of early 70s rock n roll (the Exile on Main Street influence). Slightly juvenile sex talk and swearing like 1987 Beastie Boys having a go at Alanis Morrisette. A low 3.

‘A girl and her guitar’ the album

this album was a struggle. liz phair's exile in guyville boasts a clever title but that's about it. like many debut albums, it's nothing remarkable. in fact, she's not even singing that good. there was a huge push for female vocalists in the nineties, but i guess this was just too indie for me. i can kind of get why this was a big deal, but i was very relieved when i finished the album.

Liz Phair definitely falls into that 90s gritty women vocals "bucket" that I enjoy so very much. Unlike most of these women, though, Liz really didn't try to fit squarely into the grunge genre, the rock genre, or the pop genre. She kind of bounces around and does her own thing. She is categorized by some as "indie", and that may very well be the best fit for her. To me, that indie quality makes her a little less interesting than many of her early 90s gravely voiced female, more rock-oriented cohorts. There is still a baseline enjoyment that takes place here, for me. At times, the songs even sounds a bit like 90s women folk, but with the dichotomy of the gritty vocals. Overall, I do think this album is a worthy inclusion. But I don't think it's as hard-hitting as it could be.

Enjoyed her sound and the heavy guitar!

Reminded me of Courtney Barnett. Honest lyrics and stripped down sound were enjoyable

Not my style. 2/5

6'1 3.5 Help Me Mary 3.4 Glory 3 Dance of the Seven Veils 2.8 Never Said 3.7 Soap Star Joe 3.5 Explain it to Me 2.8 Canary 2.9 Mesmerizing 3 Fuck and Run 2.8 Girls! Girls! Girls! 2.5 Divorce Song 3.1 Shatter 3 Flower 2.9 Johnny Sunshine 3 Gunshy 3.1 Stratford-on-Guy 3 Strange Loop? 2.8 Score: 3.04

OK, ohne irgendwie besonders hervorzustechen! 3/5

This album was sterile, and an absolute bore. It was only just under an hour, but with 17 tracks I kept hoping it would end so I could move onto something more substantive. I won't listen to this again. 1/5.

Another classic

8/10 would listen again

I get quite excited when an artist and album I’ve never heard of comes up on my list. I hope that it will be a gem which I have previously missed. But not this one. What a load of old tosh. I’m no expert on the Stones’s Exile On Main Street but see no similarity at all. Out of interest I googled the comparison reviews and to me they all seem to be academic highfalutin nonsense. Making it something its not.

Great 90s guitar sound and very short songs with good hooklines! Liked it

wow i hated this a lot. something about this indie/bedroom sound really rubs me the wrong way

Meh.

Indie singer songwriter with edgy lyrics, I enjoyed.

This is one of those albums that you can tell has influenced a lot of stuff that came out after it. I feel like there wouldn’t be a Phoebe without this album, for instance. It has that kind of raw, blunt energy in its lyrics and very singular vision in its instrumentation. Like, she’s probably not playing all the instruments on the album but it feels like she made the whole thing herself. There are a lot of highlights: the lyrics/meaning behind Fuck and Run, Divorce Song, and Flower hit especially hard, and I feel like the slower songs are Liz’s strong suit on here musically, especially Canary which is amazing. However, I don’t think it’s consistent enough to give a 4. Very strong 3 though.

I really appreciate that they started with a song about my height, that was cool. Some songs would start and I would like them, but were so repetitive that I was over it by the end. Never Said (Nothing) is a great name for a song where she says nothing. Some of it sounded demo-ish which I’m down with, but on Explain It To Me, the whole rhythm section fell apart for a couple bars and they didn’t think to do a retake??? That or they were playing some big brain polyrhythms. Also if you listened to the 2018 remaster what happened at the end of Strange Loop.

Part of me really wants to give this a 1. Not a single song or moment stuck out to me on the whole album. It feels scattered, unstructured, and zero-dimensional to me. However, Liz is consistent with her approach and I feel like there is <i>something</i> there with some meaning in the consistency…I just don’t know what

I have to agree with ben here that nothing really stood out. I saved Glory. I have nothing else to add here and no reason to give this anything than the 1 it deserves.

Too I-am-woman-hear-me-whine for me. Which… you know… I love Alamo’s and I love Brandi Carlile and I know I *should* love Liz. But mostly I just kept checking the track numbers to see how close I was to done with this album.

This is alright, probably not really for me. Her voice reminds me of Courtney Love. I'm not really a fan and probably won't listen to this again.

I know virtually nothing about Liz Phair but this was a good listen.

Different in a good way, not bad and would recommend

Cool sound and guitar moves. It looks a bit raw, but that's what gives it life. Plus Liz has a very timbre to her vocals. A special plus for the fearless lyrics.

I have always loved this record. When this came out we were a couple years into grunge being everything. Liz really flipped grunge on it's head for a second. They writing is so clever and the hooks ands grooves are infectious. This is basically a female Matthew Sweet.

Awesome stuff. Had not listened to this whole album before. The 90s weren't so bad.

Heard of this artist, maybe listened to a song on the radio, never this album. Interesting music, very cool. Love her lyrics. Nothing you'd expect. Won't be able to listen to the whole album.

Yes, yes, yes! I'm very surprised I didn't come across this album in high school/college -- younger me would have loved it (and honestly needed it). Inject this anti-patriarchal rage into my veeeeiiiiins

fantastic

Favourite tracks: 6'1; never said; girls girls girls; fuck and run; shatter; divorce song; explain it to me; johnny sunshine

Better than expected!

Surprise - no idea Liz Phair was already singing in 1993. The songs are weird though, nothing like the one track I know her for. This definitely sounds like one of those albums that is significant historically but doesn't make fantastic listening. Maybe it'll grow on me but right now kind of meh. Which is disappointing, I guess, I want to like it.

I must say, this album really underwhelmed me. It honestly just feels like the same song 18 times. I genuinely have nothing to say about this album, it was so forgettable to the point where I feel like I can't even review it because I can't remember a single thing about it. There was nothing overtly bad about this album, but it was just so generic. While there's nothing to actively dislike here, there is nothing this album does that any other album does in a more interesting way.

“In 2013, The New Yorker's Bill Wyman dubbed it "patently one of the strongest rock albums ever made", feeling that each song "reverberates powerfully". He described it as "arguably the quintessential example" of indie rock.” What?!?! The reviews of this album confuse me, because I found it very underwhelming. The best parts I could find were the piano parts on some of the songs, but the vocals are boring and amateurish, the songs don’t get me excited at all, and it’s just an overall dull album. Unfortunate as I’ve heard her name forever, never actually dig into it, but now that I’ve heard it, I’m not impressed. Listen again: nope Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song: Canary (for the piano)

Finally an album I was glad to discover!

4.5/10

heldigt at jeg først hører denne som 35årig for hvis jeg havde hørt den for 15 år siden havde den nok været meget definitiv for mig...........

Yess, vild med den her specifikke genre af 90erindierock. Jeg synes hun har en fed stemme, i modsætning til andre kommentatorer her i gruppen!! Fuck and run, fuck and run, even when I was 17 😮 Fuck and run, fuck and run, even when I was 12 😱

Hun har godt nok en træls stemme.. Tænker at pladen er på listen på grund af nogle tekster, men det er svært at tænke på når de bliver leveret så ringe..

Pretty solid, better than expected

Was excited for this one but it fell flat

Meh, it’s was fine?

Liked parts of this album, but some of the lyrics were lacking a refined edge. 3/5 Might listen again

This was sooo much better than I expected. Loved it. Almost a 5 star. Loved her voice and the instrumentals too. Well mixed album for sure.

Great music. Shit singing. Lyrics that have me confused about whether she is filled more with misandry or self-loathing. She needs therapy and to stop blaming all men for her shitty life choices.

I don't like this kind of singer-songwiter

Going into this album, I wasn't that excited. I could tell that there was a good intent behind the album based on the research I did, but I wasn't sure if I would like the album or not. Fortunately, I thought it was a good album. I like the singing. It's nice. The concept behind the album is certainly respectable. Although, if I had listened to Exile on Main Street before this one, I would probably be able to appreciate it more. The sound is good, but it gets slightly repetitive near the end. The writing is also well made. Based on the pre-research, I expected it to be way too vulgar for my tastes. Fortunately, while the themes are always there, it really isn't that bad in that department. Overall, this seems like the kind of album that I'd be able to appreciate more on a re-listen, if I ever decide to do that. High 3/5.

inject it into my veins

I honestly don't get why people like Liz Phair. She sings off key. Her voice is much worse than even the harshest, bad singing punk singers. At least with those singers, they can carry a tune. Which leads me to the second point of this album - there is no tune to most of these songs. Often, it's just howling. It's like listening to little children make up songs, only with irritatingly repetitive guitars in the background. The good news is that she got better over time and Whip-Smart is a pretty good record. This, however, is supposed to be her great indie album. No. It's not. Back in the 90s, she was hailed for her honesty. That translates to using the F word a lot and talking about sex. Sure, but does that make her music good? No, it doesn't. Instead, it's like listening to a low rent version of a off kilter Patti Smith album. I'm five minutes into listening to it again (so that you don't have to) and I'm already annoyed at it. Just... no.

Opzich wel goeie, dikke 4

2*

It’s not like I’ve never heard of Liz Phair before, so why didn’t anyone tell me how good she actually is?

Prettt cool

Not for me

Decent 90’s alternative album.

Niet mijn ding

Some moments of excitement but not my fav in general

This was very bland. The vocal delivery was monotonous, the band was basic, and even the lyricism wasn’t biting enough to make up for the plainness

This was bold and grand and good fun.

Was very worried after the opener that this might be a massive dud - but really picks up. Responded most to the acerbic, low-key acoustic tracks. Some of the rock songs didn't do enough instrumentally to really get me excited. Would need another pass on the lyrics but sounds like there's some gems in there and I'm sure that's what elevates it to a classic for many. Three and a half. Fave track: Dance of the Seven Veils

Bold and sweet. This is a really really really good record from an eclectic collection of a prolific songwriter. I’ve got the CD in my car. Four and a half. Fave track: Fuck and Run

Just ok.

Great folky Punk vibe. Whyhyhyhyhy haven‘t I discovered this before?

Confesso que quando começou, esperava ser bem pior. Começa com um rock genérico dos anos 90, uma Alanis Morisette na fase ruim, mas o disco vai se salvando conforme a minutagem vai passando. Ela tem uma composição profunda e consegui perceber muitas influências de bandas atuais nesse tipo de som: soft rock com leves pegadas eletrônicas e uma voz feminina que mescla entre o doce e o agressivo.

Muchaasmuuy guaysss

3-4

sjećam se da sam očekivao više od ovog albuma

Gear: Moondrop Variations Mische: 😴 Mugge: braucht kein Mensch Wertung: 1-2/5

One digs the melancholia and languor (plus the pluck and attitude generally). A few perfectly (if grittily) formed gems, but this one is more about mood and tone and vibe, on which dimensions it mostly excels. Def has a '90s feel and energy and one wonders how meaningful it might be to hip young women today compared to say Jenny Lewis or Courtney Barnett or the Boygenius ladies. Could it be that it remains slightly under teh radar, still? Rounding up only a bit for cultural influence and a certain cool factor and because one roots for underdogs, including confused young people of the '90s (because one can relate). One hopes that doesn't feel patronizing to LP.

I meannnnn its alright?!

It was bearable.

Classic. Iconic. 5⭐️

In a modern context there’s absolutely nothing wrong with what Liz is doing here. When looked at in context it is no wonder that many woman spun this as an act of sexual rebellion. Shes snarky, kinda mean and knows exactly what she does and doesn’t want. Great stuff.

I’m just not sure I’ll ever go back and listen again, but it was a nice listen

Revisit

"Fuck and run, fuck and run, even when I was 17 / Fuck and run, fuck and run, even when I was 12". *Exile In Guyville* is filled with shocker lines like that, but it shouldn't divert your attention from how *elegant* Liz Phair's songwriting can also be at times. Phair knows how to craft a memorable song, both lyrically and melodically (see "Fuck And Run", "Glory", "Flower", and especially the stellar hooks of "Stradford-On-Guy" towards the end). Musically speaking, the tracklisting is a little patchy and indolent once in a while--especially in the first part of this record--and I'm always surprised reviewers rarely comment upon that "flaw". But keep on listening, by all means. Soon, you'll find your way into the bedroom-aesthetics displayed here, evoking a sense of intimacy very few records can pull off (sometimes disturbing, sometimes charming, sometimes both in the same tune). I never bought that selling point stating that this LP was a song-by-song response to "Exile On Main Street", by the way. To me, it's clearly an afterthought justifying the strange twists and turns in this album, going from MOR-so-called-"alternative" cuts to more leftfield or minimalistic ones. That selling point sure placed Liz Phair as a complex artist who had something extremely relevant to say about how sexist and prejudiced male rock musicians can be--a message that has lost none of its potency in 2024. Still, a lot of her songs, exploring her own contradictions, sheer impulses, and somewhat confusing aspirations, speak for themselves. No need to invoke the ghosts that the Rolling Stones had already become in 1993 to enjoy said tunes, even ironically. It sounds as if I'm partly criticizing Phair here, but I'm only underlining how fresh and "original" and personal and pertinent *Exile In Guyville* still sounds today. Its "lesser" tracks are not exactly "fillers", for instance, they're just part of a poetic patchwork-like structure that few artists can create. Oddly enough, sophomore LP *Whip-Smart* is much more cohesive AND dynamic, at least musically speaking. And yet it wasn't as praised as Phair's debut. I always found that quite unfair (un-PHair?). But I guess this situation says something about the particular impact this debut had for so many listeners. *Exile In Guyville* is a record where the whole is clearly more than sum of its discrete parts. And those are the albums you will always return to with a lot of pleasure, even decades after. If only because you will never fully solve their mystery. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential albums" (rounded up to 5). Which translates to a 9.5 grade for more general purposes (5 + 4.5). Number of albums left to review: 317 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 306 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 167 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many other records are more important to me): 221

Monotone melodies. Flat voice. Don’t like.

It was ok. Not really made for me.

Parecido por estilo y rango vocal a otras cantantes estadounidenses. Mezcla de pop y algo de rock. Canciones muy parecidas. Se puede escuchar, pero pasaría sin pena ni gloria

Not for me

Not my favorite

good music

I really thought I’d like this more. A lot of pressure on the cover me thinks.

Liz is horny

Like, I get it, but I struggled to really /like/ it.

I honestly wasn’t in a huge music listening mood today but I still gave it my best effort and it was ok. This was ultra 90s in the best and worst ways from confidently trashy lyrics to lame slow songs and extremely 90s production. Mesmerizing was the standout for me. I’m sure this was groundbreaking from a general sound and writing perspective back in the early 90s but for me it was pretty forgettable.

On first listen I find this inconsistent - some of it immediately catches my ear (Canary, Divorce Song, Stratford-on-Guy) and some will likely need repeat listens.

Nicht unsympathisch, aber doch etwas dünn

Maybe an influence to Sheryl Crow? I like the simple guitar and vocals well enough.

This was cool. I had heard some of her stuff but liked a lot of this.

3.65

- These lyrics are so authentic and real - Love the soft rock sound - Guitar tone is super fun - High 4

- never been a huge fan of this annoyed vocal sound - some of the lyrics are really interesting and raw

Interesting album. Decent sound

Rating: 6/10

Wow, she’s not a very good singer, especially the first couple of songs. Unless this is affected to follow the whole bit about copying the Stones’ “Exile On Main Street”. I do like the overall sound (of the music), it has an open, sparse, not-overproduced sound that is refreshing for the early 90’s. Lyrically, there’s nothing dramatic here, nothing outstanding, but neither insipid. On the other hand, there’s a lot of profanity that comes off as gratuitous. I don’t mind profanity, but I do mind gratuitous. Meanwhile, some of these songs are quite good. All are at least OK. I’m left thinking high 3, leaning towards rounding up. But over a full hour, it starts to lag a bit, and I sure wish she could sing a little better. so I’ll round down. 3/5

It felt kinda monotone. Not my vibe. - 5/10

Not bad, but just so long. I was putting off reviewing this because I couldn't figure out which songs I liked.

strange bc I like the vibe of the album and it's not painful to listen to, I just dont think any of the songs are good -- wouldn't listen to any of em again. 5/10

It grew on me as I listened. Liz has a nice voice, but her songs are kinda floppy and I don’t love the style. Still, not bad. 6/10

4/10 - Kinda bad overall. I liked some of the instrumentals but her voice did not really do it for me. Seems to be a consistent thing with some of these albums. I liked a few songs but Flower absolutely caught me off guard.

Didn’t like it very much, got pretty bored throughout 5/10

Holds up really well for a 30 year old album, and you can really hear the influence this has on a lot of indie today. 6.5/10

Some decent songs.

This should have been right up my street but it wasn’t. A track would get me interested but the next one would lose me. I want to give it a 2.5. Disappointing. Prefer PJ Harvey any day. Oh and the number of guys on here mentioning the nipple is truly pathetic

nice

Do not care for her voice

La portada no está mal.

It’s definitely not bad, but its edginess can sometimes make me cringe. Like “watch out, y’all, here comes a badass.” Eh. I think her voice is perfectly average. The mixes are pretty cool sometimes, though. I dunno. Not bad, not great to me.

This album is an amazing artistic statement and as a debut that is impressive, I wish it were more flushed out across a larger band it feels like a single musical strand at times and while I want to go back and relisten I also feel like I want to because it is so well regarded but I am not as enthralled. Her guitar playing is great and the themes are are very powerful but I can’t remember one song that really felt unforgettable. What did I miss.

Kind of fun.

No conocía a Liz Phair y estaba listo para hacer un chiste de que me gusta más Ric Flair (WOO!), pero me ha gustado bastante. Buen rock, buenas letras y buena voz: buen disco.

This was a nice album. i liked the vibes. Will listen to again

canary walked so labour could run last quarter is a little flat but many stellar love at first measure moments and great style from phair

6'1'' Glory Never Said Divorce Song

Bad length. Bad music. Idc about this.

not great

A few good songs. Bad length

Rated 3 more for memories than love of the music. Song was everywhere when I moved to Chicago at age 23. I never understood all the hype.

I thought this album was a pretty good listen. It's a shame that some of the tracks are missing off spotify

Listening to 'Exile In Guyville' I understand why the critics at the time were and still are lyrical about Liz Phair's debut album, but I also understand why this album did not sell by the millions. Liz is a great songwriter and the album is quite lo-fi, which adds to the rawness of the songs. At the same time, Exile In Guyville is a blueprint for the indie rock that would later be mass-produced in the 1990s. Liz Phair's debut album could not commercially match Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, released two years later, but has been much more influential musically.

fav songs: glory, dance of the seven veils, canary, flower, fuck and run, stratford on guy, ant in alaska i love female art.

Obviously I've heard of Liz Phair over the past 30 years but I couldn't have named one of her songs. I didn't make it all the way through this. Her voice isn't very dynamic, the songs are just a little boring. I don't get the draw.

Walking through midtown

A Woman's Grunge.

Horny 90s alt-grunge girl. Very strong songwriting, didn't add anything to the playlist but did enjoy it.

Creía que Exile In Guyville iban a ser hevilorros y resulta que son rock indieorros, y me gustan.

Angry girl rock that I might like more than Alannis!

I think if I were in college in the 90s this would have been on heavy rotation. I enjoy this album for what it is, and I can see how important it is to the genre and time period. For me now, it's fine. Nothing I would listen to all the time, but I'm glad I experienced it. I think my favorite songs from it are "Dance of the Seven Veils" and "Never Said." Also after listening to this I totally understand why people said Liz Phair sold out when she became more mainstream. This album is definitely better than that.

Didn't like this one. I can only assume it's popularity is based on being a early version of better female fronted grunge/alt from the early 90's. Better listen to early Hole or even 4 non blondes.

Liz Phair is awesome and Matador Records is arguably the most important American record label of the last 40 years. I don’t feel like there’s much else I need to add here.

The album is okay, none of the songs particularly stood out for me but if it was playing in the background somewhere it would be fine. Went 2 star as no stand out song. I imagine it was a stand out with having such a strong female voice and lyrics in 93.

What a weird album. Making the wrong things work in a good way.

Some interesting back tracks and rhythms on a few songs. Not too much interesting vocally

Hat ein bisschen die freche Art von Stella Donnelly, wenn sie über Beziehungen singt. 2,5

Hurray! So good.

I felt lucky to discover this album through the best 500 albums challenge and now I just love this album so much

The blueprint for all of the indie girlies

Sounds very 90's alt-singer-songwriter. I guess because it is. It's alright, but I'm not really into it that much.

This is a great album. Liz has a great voice and a unique style - well, unique at the time. It's clear that a lot of other 90s bands stole from her bag of tricks.

Too much filler. The legit songs are okay but there is a lot of just single chord stroking here.

A classic. The perfect indie rock guitar album. Amazing lyrics and guitar tones.

Whoa she said cunt! Decent alt rock from the 90s. Not sure how I hadn't heard any of this. Probably because I was a child in the 90s and there's a lot of dirty swear words on this

Pretty lewd. Also pretty decent. Would listen again

Enjoyed the song writing. Pretty bold

This album has been talked about as some sort of generational work for women my age, but I never really connected with it. Even Liz Phair seems a little baffled by the reception of her album in that regard. The album fits in well with other things that were going on musically in 1993, but what really works on this album is Phair's songwriting. Lyrically, her songs are frank and emotionally honest, in a way that was uncommon for women artists at the time. Her vocals are rough though, which works about half the time. One thing I will say for this album is that it has aged really well. She could put it out today and it would sound just as fresh. Fave Songs: Never Said, Shatter, Johnny Sunshine, Explain It to Me, Gunshy

Oof! Terrible. So out of tune that I couldn't be arsed to listen to the lyrics.

I found her voice pretty nondescript so wasn’t really listening to the lyrics until Flower where I realised I’d maybe misinterpreted everything before it. However, I think I’m most drawn to the instrumental and production when listening to albums so as this was quite bland in that regard it’s not one I’m going to go back over.

meh

Not what I was expecting. Can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I think definitely worth another listen

I didn’t need to listen because I have played it over 100 times and it’s amazing

Really did not enjoy this album. It's very nineties and for me the bad nineties. A strong pass from me.

Awful whining whinging voice

I had heard of Liz Phair and heard some of her music before but this is my first full listen-through of one of her albums. It's excellent. I really like her style on all levels: as a composer, writer, and performer. I will have to listen to more of her work. It's really, really good.

Interesting album. Something I wouldn't listen to normally, but it kinda fit the mood I was in. Will probably link this to playing Uncharted forever now. Interesting voice and reminds me of indie movies with shoegaze soundtracks. + Glory + Dance of the Seven Veils + Soap Star Joe + Fuck And Run + Flower + Johnny Sunshine + Gunshy

Liz Phair, dearly beloved of mid 90s music press, but somehow passed me by. To my great regret, because I really enjoyed this

Don't know what they told you Don't even care what about All I know is I'm clean as a whistle, baby I didn't let the cat out I love this album. Everything about it is great. 5/5

Love this album

4.0

A couple of questions gnawing at me after first listen. Who thought it was a good idea to give this woman a mic? And then who thought it was a good idea to let them into the studio to produce an album? And finally, who listened to this and thought this would be a great addition to the best albums of all time. Outside of all the Elvis Costello trash, this album is defintely one of teh biggest headscratchers for me.

I'd give it a zero if I could. Out of tune, drones on. No thanks

Sounds a bit like a less good Sheryl Crow.

This sucks. It just doesnt go anywhere. Her music is just so tired sounding. Flower is just really uncomfortable to listen to.