Box sets are always an interesting premise, often comprised of rare tracks, outtakes, demos, and live material. But rarely are they essential in learning more about the artist’s development. Girly-Sound to Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Box Set is an exception.
It charts Liz Phair’s trajectory from bedroom rocker to full-fledged star with the release of her 1993 classic, Exile in Guyville. So much has been said about Guyville already that it doesn’t need to be repeated here; it’s an essential album that you must own, and the fact a remastered and near-complete collection of Phair’s self-produced and eponymous 1991 Girly-Sound tapes are included along with it makes the collection can’t-miss.
Simply put, they’re some of the most sought-after bootlegs in rock. Not only are they the genesis of Phair’s debut album, but songs in the collection actually make up the backbone of her career; she has referred to them as a “library” which she has pulled from when recording.
Here, you hear early versions of Guyville classics like “Fuck and Run,” “Divorce Song,” and “Flower,” a song titled “Gigolo,” which would become “Can’t Get Out of What I’m Into” on Somebody’s Miracle. What is remarkable about these tapes and Guyville is how much of Phair’s sound has made it through the quarter century and into the sounds of bands like Waxahatchee and Snail Mail.
Phair took a series of left turns in the two-plus decades since this record, and as bewildering as it was for some of her fans, it’s hard to believe that the same person that made these songs and a record as powerful and immediate ever made anything other than what she wanted to make. Phair hasn’t released a record since 2010. Girly-Sound to Guyville reminds us what kind of artist she was and the influence she’s had since. It’s time for a comeback.
