It’s been 25 years since Exile In Guyville titillated audiences with its raw, stripped-down take, part confessional and part satire, on singer-songwriter Liz Phair’s experiences with fuckboys in all their various forms. It says something about how far we haven’t come that songs like “Fuck And Run” (“whatever happened to a boyfriend / The kind of guy who tries to win you over?”) are just as relevant now as they were in 1993, and today Matador Records announced that it’s giving a new generation the opportunity to get acquainted with Phair’s debut—and for longtime fans to scratch that collector itch.
On May 4, Matador will release Girly-Sound To Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Box Set, a massive, 7-LP (or 3-CD) affair, which includes a remastered version of Exile To Guyville as well as the Girly-Sound Tapes, demos Phair recorded on cassette in 1991 and sent to a few friends in the Chicago music scene. Those were dubbed and passed around, then dubbed and passed around some more, eventually leading to Phair signing her first record contract. They’re restored for the first time in this box set, which also includes the obligatory book full of photos and essays and other ephemera.
Phair is also planning a tour to support the release, performing exclusively songs from the Girly-Sound Tapes. Those are below, as well as the NSFW art for Girly-Sound To Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Box Set—which you can pre-order here—and audio of the restored Girly-Sound version of “Divorce Song.”
Nipple below, so use caution before scrolling down at work.
Liz Phair Girly-Sound to Guyville Tour 2018
5/31 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge
6/1 – San Francisco, CA – Swedish American Hall
6/2 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile
6/4 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
6/6 – Boston, MA – Sinclair
6/7 – Brooklyn, NY – National Sawdust
6/8 – Wichita, KS – Wichita Riverfest
6/9 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle