| I feel bad for Liz Phair.
First of all, this Exile in Guyville RERELEASE never needed to happen. The linear notes are so sexist by the guy who wrote it, who says people like Phair because she's just a "girl." He acts like all of her songs are like "Never Said" when most of her songs take any given scenario and write about them. Her music is extraordinary not because she sounds cool talking about sex, but because of that musical genius that Liz has, how she can do anything with that damn talent. Look at songs like "Headache" from whitechocolatespaceegg [the best record ever] or "Stratford on Guy"; we could all explain the songs' meaning in our own perspectives but then think others are stupid for their own off the wall opinions. So that introduction was really lame to me because Liz showed how women can and SHOULD be part of the business, that they should pick the guitar. She is not just a "girl" - She's a smart, talented woman. Seriously, if we all liked her because she was just a "girl" then we would be listening to Britney and Christina instead.
Rereleasing Guyville desensitizes the other records, gives into the dumb, small minded fucks who whined because she progressed her style while still being herself. Definitely didn't lose her edge, only the production style. Low-fi would have gotten boring anyway. There's nothing like that production quality in "Shane" or "Nashville." And anyway, the only good thing about the re-release was "Ant in Alaska!" That "Say You!" bullshit is a fucking tragedy. Why not release a studio version of "Hello Sailor?" That was all just really a waste.
I like Liz Phair because I truly believe she is a musical genius. Even if you're not a fan of her, elt's remember she crafts almost every single song on all of her records. I truly believe that Exile in Guyville, Whip-Smart, and whitechocolatespaceegg are all masterpieces. So what if she didn't do an EIG part 2? To me, Whip-Smart is the ALBUM, Guyville is the COLLECTION. Whip-Smart is such an amazing record, how can anyone NOT like it? Let's not forget that accoridng to Soundscan it's actually her best-selling record, believe it or not.
As for WCSE, to me it's this eclectic masterpiece that is a true balance between the first two, not to mention my favorite record ever. That one pretty much anyone can relate to because it describes scenarios from all walks of like.
"Headache" and "Girls' Room" are my favorite songs ever.
Now here's why I feel bad for her: I can understand why Liz decided to tragically sell out after wcse, why she completely lost her edge. WCSE could and should have been her best-selling record, and would of been had they released another single after Polyester Bride. Everyone in the world loves that song, and lots of other songs on there could have been big singles. But they weren't, and Liz wanted to be taken more seriously. So she gives in and makes "Why Can't I Breathe."
But then what? The album sold only as well as its predecessors, 400,000 copies back then. Is it gold yet? I think WCSE is overdue for certification too, by the way. I haven't listened to that record in a very long and only remember liking the title track and "Take a Look." I think I liked "Favorite" too but that was about underwear for God's sake! I guess "Extraordinary" was okay and I really hope "HWC" was a joke to her fans or something.
So I just think it's really sad that after putting herself through that she still didn't get the huge hit she's deserved all along. God knows "Somebody's Miracle" wasn't it either. It was cool getting a studio version of "Gigalo" from the girlysound; what was that song about hanging that guy? That one was awesome too.
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Linear Mode
