As mentioned yesterday when we showed you the Guyville Redux trailer, the release of the Exile in Guyville 15th Anniversary Reissue is just around the corner. It comes with previously unreleased tracks from the original sessions or, like “Ant In Alaska,” the “Girly Sound” demos. It finds Phair alone with a guitar and her heartache for close to six minutes. It worked to remind me of what made me like that album when it came out and basically ignore her work beyond that period: It’s stark and melodic with imperfect and forced but charming rhymes: “I look at my life and I know you’ve forgotten / the promise you made to me / I think that’s rotten.” It feels very real. You lose when you aim for that Avril thing. That’s not news, but how fun it is to hear newly unearthed vintage Phair is, maybe.
The other bonus tracks are “Wild Thing” (ostensibly inspired by the Troggs), the full band “Say You,” and an “untitled solo instrumental.” As far as the future: Use that creativity well, Liz.
The Exile In Guyville 15th Anniversary Reissue is out 6/24 on ATO. The live show we mentioned? These are all Sold Out:
06/23 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
06/24 – Chicago, Illinois @ The Vic
06/25 – New York, NY @ Hiro Ballroom
06/26 – New York, NY @ Hiro Ballroom
What would the current music industry do without nostalgia?
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This is by far the best bonus track, and actually would have fit on the album. “Wild Thing” is fun, but the other two — especially the reggae-lite of “say You” — should have remained in the vaults.
I guess it has something to do with whatever its involvement was during the EIG recording sessions, but there are songs from “Girly Sounds” that are light years better than “Ant in Alaska.”
wow I remember this song from highschool when I got the girl sound demos. I had a MUCH shittier version of this and I remember loving it
sigh, write these songs Liz!
Come on, do you really think the next two albums (even space-egg, yes) were THAT markedly inferior to EIG..? Or was it just that you weren’t the only one in your high school that knew about her anymore?
I think it was more the sound of Liz Phair that changed – after White Chocolate Space Egg. It became markedly more produced, a lot of people didn’t like that. I honestly, can say I loved the grimey-honesty of EIG, Juvenilia, Whip-Smart, what-have-you – it was untouched I suppose, which made it all the more remarkable.
Now success isn’t a horrible thing, but Liz Phair suffered. Maybe her writing about marriage caused a shift in listener dynamics, but she had to grow up sometime… However, I don’t feel she was in touch with her “music” when she co-produced songs with The Matrix.
Weird, just got a physical copy of the disc and “Wild Thing” is no longer on there.
The version of “Ant In Alaska” on the Guyville reissue is NOT from the tapes she recorded as Girly Sound. It is a re-recording, done during the Guyville sessions, just as “Wild Thing” (also originally appearing on the 2nd Girly Sound tape), “Say You,” and the untitled instrumental are from the Guyville sessions. I don’t know why people kept reporting that “WIld Thing” and “Ant In Alaska” were the Girly Sound versions, especially now that the advance copy has been sent out.
There might be better songs from the Girly Sound tapes, but evidently there wasn’t anything else re-recorded for Guyville, hence the appearance of just these 4 bonus tracks (now 3).
And I agree with the person who thinks Whip-smart is just as good, or whatever it was you were saying. Up with Whip-smart!
The fact that she never released (if she ever recorded) “Hello Sailor” anytime within the last 5 years is somewhat depressing. One of the better Girlysound songs conspicuously missing from this re-release.
this was a standout in the girly sound tapes and this version is just as beautiful. i love it. that voice is just so emotive even if it sounds lazy and beat up. love it. i love it when it goes to “you said i should let go of your hand….” so sad. beautiful song!!
her next record should be this way. no more faith hill cloning experiments, liz. please!
so, we know it’s been cut down to 3 bonus tracks. where or where is “wild thing”? it’s pretty apparent that a few folks have heard all four of the bonus tracks before the release, so anyone posting “wild thing” would be real nice.
re: hello sailor
She did re-write that song. I heard her play it live a couple times as “hello stranger.” same melody, slightly different lyrics, and totally no longer about the gulf war. I think that “do you love me” (also called “easy target” on some listings) was hands-down the best girlysong ever. if she ever re-recorded that I could die happy. happy, happy.
re: hello sailor
She did re-write that song. I heard her play it live a couple times as “hello stranger.” same melody, slightly different lyrics, and totally no longer about the gulf war. I think that “do you love me” (also called “easy target” on some listings) was hands-down the best girlysong ever. if she ever re-recorded that I could die happy. happy, happy.
When I was a freshman in high school, Whip Smart was my favorite CD. I still love it. There was intelligence in that voice … like in this track. She just seems in control.
methinks “wild thing” was dropped because of clearance issues with the use of the troggs song as it’s base.
Okay, I know this is totally lame of me, but I only knew a couple of Liz Phair’s songs until recently. Now I’ve tracked down all her albums – great stuff. You all seem to know the Girly Sounds songs so well – where do you find them? I thought they were unreleased demos.
Girlysound tapes are here.
I mean here:
http://girlysound.com/
Thanks tankboy, you rock!!