Results for Exile in Guyville
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Touch and Go Records
This week Jim and Greg wanted to take a look at one of the music industry's most important independent labels: Touch and Go Records. Touch and Go recently turned 25 and celebrated with a three-day bash at Chicago's Hideout Block Party. Over the course of the show, you‘ll hear why Jim and Greg wanted to focus on this modest Chicago label. You’ll also hear from the founder himself, Corey Rusk, and a number of the label's artists, including Scott McCloud from Girls Against Boys, Janet Weiss from Quasi (and formerly Sleater-Kinney), Ted Leo, David Yow from Scratch Acid and The Jesus Lizard and recording engineer and musician Steve Albini of Big Black and Shellac fame.
Touch and Go's founder Corey Rusk is known not just as a tastemaker with an incredible ear for talent, but also as one of the most honest businessmen in the biz. This is what separates Touch and Go from other labels, major and independent alike. Rusk's business model, which doesn't shy away from the Internet and which relies merely on trust and a handshake, has kept it going for 25 years, helping it to outlive its peers. Labels like Twin/Tone in Minneapolis, which launched The Replacements, SST in California which launched Black Flag and Hüsker Dü, and I.R.S. in which launched R.E.M. and The Go Go's, all emerged in the early '80s after punk's mainstream explosion and before alternative's reign. However, Touch and Go is the only one of the bunch not only to stay in business, but to do so successfully and independently.
The best way to understand the label's significance is to sample some of the music. You'll hear these songs in our short-but-sweet montage of Touch and Go music:
- Killdozer, "Hi There"
- Girls Against Boys, "Kill the Sexplayer"
- The Dirty Three, "Doris"
- Jesus Lizard, "Mouth Breather"
- TV on the Radio, "Dreams"
- Butthole Surfers, "Fast"
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Art Star"
- Calexico, "Cruel"
Touch and Go has put out a lot of music over the past quarter century, but Jim and Greg both manage to pick their single favorite T&G tracks. Greg goes first and chooses "Stage 2000" by Seam. Touch and Go is often thought of as the place to go to for loud, hard-edged punk music, and that is certainly true. However, their roster is actually quite diverse, and there are a number of bands like Seam, who are making beautiful, soft, melodic music.“Stage 2000”is on Greg's favorite Seam album, The Problem With Me. That album was recorded with Chicago producer Brad Wood, best known for producing Liz Phair's classic Exile in Guyville.
Jim's Touch and Go pick is "Kerosene" by Big Black off their 1985 album Atomizer. Though Atomizer was initially released by Homestead Records, Big Black moved to Touch and Go a year later, and the label reissued the band's entire catalog. So we'll let Jim slide on this one — especially since no one has been as closely associated with Touch and Go as Big Black founder Steve Albini. Albini came to Chicago to study journalism at Northwestern, and Jim can hear this sensibility in his lyrics. Songs like "Kerosene" are essentially sensationalistic tabloid stories backed with thrashing noise-rock.
Go to episode 43reviews

Liz Phair Exile in Guyville
This month, Liz Phair's debut album Exile in Guyville will be reissued to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its initial release. This reissue will include the complete Girly-Sound tapes, which will be the first time that material will be released on a label for purchase. Back in 1991, Greg says that everybody in Chicago who cared about music had“a dub of a dub of a dub”of the tapes (which were recorded in Liz Phair's bedroom and released independently.) Many of the tracks evolved into material on Exile in Guyville. Jim and Greg agree that the album is a anthemic counter statement to Chicago's“Boy's Club”music scene. They both thought the album was great in 1993; and Greg says the recording "stands the test of time." Jim thinks that the idea that Exile in Guyville is a track by track response to The Rolling Stones' classic Exile on Main St. is strictly positioning, and“doesn't hold up.”Greg thinks that with the creation of that myth she was“playing the critics”and she was being "very tongue in cheek." 25 years later, Both Jim and Greg give Exile in Guyville a Buy It.
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Off the Rails
Sound Opinions is a show that celebrates music. But, once in a while we have to get a little negative and call out artists that disappoint us. In particular, there's a crop of singers and musicians who began as great talents with promising careers, but ended up breaking our hearts by going "Off the Rails." Think of it as the musical answer to“Jump the Shark.”Jim and Greg think these career wrong-turns are too big to ignore.
Go to episode 242featured songs
Featured Songs
- Slayer, War Ensemble, Seasons in the Abyss, Def American, 1990
- Janelle Monae, Make Me Feel, Dirty Computer, Wondaland, 2018
- Janelle Monae, Screwed (feat. Zoë Kravitz), Dirty Computer, Wondaland, 2018
- Janelle Monae, Dirty Computer (feat. Brian Wilson), Dirty Computer, Wondaland, 2018
- Janelle Monae, I Got The Juice (feat. Pharrell Williams), Dirty Computer, Wondaland, 2018
- Janelle Monae, Crazy, Classic, Life, Dirty Computer, Wondaland, 2018
- Janelle Monae, Pynk (feat. Grimes), Dirty Computer, Wondaland, 2018
- Liz Phair, Mesmerizing, Exile in Guyville, Matador, 1993
- Liz Phair, Bomb, Girly-Sound Tape 3, Not On Label, 1991
- Liz Phair, Girls, Girls, Girls, Exile in Guyville, Matador, 1993
- Liz Phair, Divorce Song, Exile in Guyville, Matador, 1993
- Liz Phair, Flower, Exile in Guyville, Matador, 1993
- Liz Phair, Soap Star Joe (Girly-Sound Version), Girly-Sound Tape 2, Not On Label, 1991
- Liz Phair, 6' 1, Exile in Guyville, Matador, 1991
- Slayer, Raining Blood, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Slayer, Black Magic, Show No Mercy, Metal Blade, 1983
- Slayer, Jesus Saves, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Slayer, Live Undead, South of Heaven, Def Jam, 1988
- Judas Priest, Grinder, British Steel, Columbia, 1980
- Motörhead, Overkill, Overkill, Bronze, 1979
- Slayer, Necrophobic, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Poison, Nothin' But a Good Time, Open Up and Say… Ahh!, Enigma, 1988
- Slayer, Angel of Death, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Louis Prima, Sing! Sing! Sing! (With a Swing), Sing! Sing! Sing! (With a Swing) (Single), Brunswick 7628, 1936
- Dizzy Gillespie, Manteca, The Complete RCA Victor Recordings, RCA Victor, 1947
- Slayer, Piece By Piece, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Slayer, Criminally Insane, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Run-DMC, Walk This Way (feat. Aerosmith), Raising Hell, Profile, 1986
- Slayer, Altar of Sacrifice, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Metallica, Master of Puppets, Master of Puppets, Elektra, 1986
- Slayer, Postmortem, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Slayer, South of Heaven, South of Heaven, Def Jam, 1988
- Slayer, Spill the Blood, South of Heaven, Def Jam, 1988
- Slayer, Spirit In Black, Seasons in the Abyss, Def American, 1990
- Slayer, Unit, World Painted Blood, American, 2009
- Slayer, Jihad, Christ Illusion, American, 2006
- Slayer, Disciple, God Hates Us All, American, 2001
- Slayer, World Painted Blood, World Painted Blood, American, 2009
- Slayer, Reborn, Reign in Blood, Def Jam, 1986
- Hatchie, Sure (Single), Sure (Single), Ivy League, 2018
- Tracy Chapman, Give Me One Reason, New Beginning, Elektra, 1995
- Allen Toussaint, Freedom for the Stallion (Live - Previously Unissued), The Complete Warner Recordings, Warner Bros., 2005
- Cowboy Junkies, A Horse in the Country, Black Eyed Man, RCA, 1992
- Dan Fogelberg, Run for the Roses, The Innocent Age, Epic, 1981
- Imani Coppola, Legend of A Cowgirl, Chupacabra, Columbia, 1997
Featured Songs
- Ozzy Osbourne, Crazy Train, Blizzard of Ozz, Jet, 1980
- Rod Stewart, You Wear It Well, Never A Dull Moment, Mercury, 1972
- Rod Stewart, Embraceable You, Stardust: The Great American Songbook Vol. III, J Records, 2004
- Lauryn Hill, Everything is Everything, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Columbia, 1998
- Lauryn Hill, Freedom Time, MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, Columbia, 2002
- The Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the U.K., Filthy Lucre Live, EMI, 1996
- The Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the U.K., Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols, Warner Bros., 1977
- Soundgarden, Fell on Black Days, Superunknown, A&M, 1994
- Chris Cornell, Billie Jean, Carry On, Suretone/Interscope, 2007
- Ice Cube, Bop Gun (One Nation), Lethal Injection, Priority, 1994
- Ice Cube, AmeriKKKas Most Wanted, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Priority, 1990
- John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, All Your Love, Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton, London, 1966
- Eric Clapton, Layla, Unplugged, Reprise, 1992
- Eric Clapton, Love In Vain, Me and Mr. Johnson, Warner Bros, 2004
- Liz Phair, 6'1, Exile in Guyville, Matador, 1993
- Liz Phair, Wind and the Mountain, Somebody's Miracle, Capitol, 2005
- Liz Phair, Bollywood, Funstyle, self-released, 2010
- Metallica, Battery, Master of Puppets, Elektra, 1986
- Metallica, The House That Jack Built, Load, Elektra, 1986
- Big Boi, Shutterbug, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, Purple Ribbon/Def Jam, 2010
- Big Boi, Tangerine, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, Purple Ribbon/Def Jam, 2010
- Big Boi, General Patton, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, Purple Ribbon/Def Jam, 2010
- Alejandro Escovedo, Tender Heart, Street Songs of Love, Concord Music, 2010
- Alejandro Escovedo, This Bed Is Getting Crowded, Street Songs of Love, Concord Music, 2010
- Tortoise, Ruba'iyat, Why Waste Time?, Thrill Jockey, 2010
- Drive By Truckers, George Jones Talkin' Cell Phone Blues, The Fine Print (Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008), New West, 2009
- Vince Gill, One More Last Chance, I Still Believe in You, MCA Nashville, 1992
- Gram Parsons, Return of the Grievous Angel, Grievous Angel, Reprise, 1974
Featured Songs
- Kanye West, School Spirit, College Dropout, Roc-A-Fella, 2004
- Buckcherry, Too Drunk, Black Butterfly, Eleven Seven, 2008
- AC/DC, It's a Long Way to the Top" (If You Wanna Rock and Roll), T.N.T., Albert Productions, 1975
- Abba, Mamma Mia, Gold, Polydor, 1993
- Chris Brown, Forever, Exclusive, CBE, 2008
- Smashing Pumpkins, I Am One, Gish, Caroline, 1991
- Nirvana, Heart Shaped Box, In Utero, DGC, 1993
- Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the U.K, Filthy Lucre Live, Virgin, 1996
- Liz Phair, Help Me Mary (Live), Exile in Guyville, Matador, 1993
- Sonic Youth, 'Cross the Breeze (Live), Daydream Nation, Enigma, 1988
- The Lemonheads, Mrs. Robinson, It's a Shame About Ray, Atlantic, 1992
- Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison Blues, At Folsom Prison, Columbia, 1968
- Johnny Cash, Busted, At Folsom Prison, Columbia, 1968
- Johnny Cash, Joe Bean, At Folsom Prison, Columbia, 1968
- Johnny Cash, Dark as the Dungeon, At Folsom Prison, Columbia, 1968
- Johnny Cash, 25 Minutes to Go, At Folsom Prison, Columbia, 1968
- Johnny Cash, Greystone Chapel, At Folsom Prison, Columbia, 1968
- Uncle Tupelo,“Cocaine Blues,”Live Recording, 1989
- One Day as a Lion, Wild International, One Day as a Lion, Anti-, 2008
- One Day as a Lion, If You Fear Dying, One Day as a Lion, Anti-, 2008
- Black Kids, Listen to your Body Tonight, Partie Traumatic, Almost Gold, 2008
- Black Kids, I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You, Partie Traumatic, Almost Gold, 2008
- Air France, No Way Down, No Way Down EP, Sincerely Yours, 2008
- The Nerves, Hanging On The Telephone, Nerves EP, Nerves, 1976
- The Nerves, When You Find Out, Nerves EP, Nerves, 1976
- The Feelies, Crazy Rhythms, Crazy Rhythms, Stiff, 1980
- Radiohead, The National Anthem (Live at Lollapalooza), Kid A, Parlophone, 2000
Featured Songs
- The Rolling Stones, Soul Survivor, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, All Down the Line, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Wild Horses, Sticky Fingers, Rolling Stones, 1971
- The Rolling Stones, Ventilator Blues, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Rocks Off, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Rip This Joint, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Tumbling Dice, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Flying Burrito Brothers, Colorado, The Flying Burrito Brothers, A&M, 1971
- The Byrds, You Ain't Goin Nowhere, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Columbia, 1968
- The Everly Brothers, All I Have to Do is Dream, All I Have to Do is Dream (single), Cadence, 1958
- The Rolling Stones, Torn and Frayed, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Happy, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Title 5, Exile on Main St. (Deluxe Edition), Universal, 2010
- The Rolling Stones, Sympathy For The Devil (Live), Beggars Banquet, Rolling Stones, 1968
- The Rolling Stones, I Just Want To See His Face, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- James Cleveland & the Angelic Choir, Peace Be Still, Peace Be Still, Savoy, 1963
- The Rolling Stones, Let It Loose, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Sweet Black Angel, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Shine A Light, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Rolling Stones, Loving Cup, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- The Band, In a Station, Music From Big Pink, Capitol, 1968
- The Rolling Stones, Stop Breaking Down, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- Pussy Galore, Loving Cup, Exile on Main St., Shove, 1986
- White Stripes, Rag & Bone, Icky Thump, Warner Bros., 2007
- Liz Phair, Johnny Sunshine, Exile in Guyville, Matador, 1993
- Red Red Meat, Rusted Water, Jimmywine Majestic, Sub Pop, 1993
- New York Dolls, Trash, New York Dolls, Mercury, 1973
- The Clash, Death or Glory, London Calling, CBS, 1979
- Wilco, Monday, Being There, Reprise, 1996
- Kings of Leon, Taper Jean Girl, Aha Shake Heartbreak, Columbia, 2004
- The Black Keys, Do the Rump, The Big Come Up, Alive, 2002
- The Rolling Stones, Shake Your Hips, Exile on Main St., Rolling Stones, 1972
- Electric Light Orchestra, Telephone Line, A New World Records, United Artists, 1976
- The Kinks, Top of the Pops, Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, Pye, 1970
- The Pharcyde, Devil Music, Labcabincalifornia, Delicious Vinyl, 1995
- Ziplock, Woods Island Club, Ziplock, Processional Cross, 2017
- Vangelis, Main Titles, Blade Runner, EMI, 1994
Featured Songs
- John Prine, Knockin On Your Screen Door, The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy Records, 2018
- John Prine, Illegal Smile, John Prine, Atlantic, 1971
- John Prine, Sour Grapes, Diamonds in the Rough, Atlantic, 1972
- Steve Goodman, City of New Orleans, Steve Goodman, Buddah, 1971
- John Prine, Hello In There, John Prine, Atlantic, 1971
- The New Lost City Ramblers, No Depression in Heaven, Songs from the Depression, Folkways, 1959
- The Carter Family, The Wandering Boy, "The Wandering Boy" (single), Victor, 1927
- John Prine, Sweet Revenge, Sweet Revenge, Atlantic, 1973
- John Prine, Speed of the Sound of Loneliness, German Afternoons, Oh Boy Records, 1986
- John Prine, If You Don't Want My Love, Bruised Orange, Asylum, 1978
- John Prine, God Only Knows, The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy Records, 2018
- John Prine, Bad Boy, German Afternoons, Oh Boy Records, 1986
- John Prine, All the Best, The Missing Years, Oh Boy Records, 1991
- John Prine, Lake Marie, Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, Oh Boy Records, 1995
- John Prine, Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore, John Prine, Atlantic, 1971
- John Prine, Boundless Love, The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy Records, 2018
- John Prine, Angel from Montgomery, John Prine, Atlantic, 1971
- John Prine, Sam Stone, John Prine, Atlantic, 1971
- John Prine, Clay Pigeons, Fair & Square, Oh Boy Records, 2005
- John Prine, Summer's End, The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy Records, 2018
- John Prine, When I Get To Heaven, The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy Records, 2018
- John Prine, Caravan of Fools, The Tree of Forgiveness, Oh Boy Records, 2018
- Courtney Barnett, Nameless Faceless, Tell Me How You Really Feel, Milk!, 2018
- Courtney Barnett, City Looks Pretty, Tell Me How You Really Feel, Milk!, 2018
- Courtney Barnett, Sunday Roast, Tell Me How You Really Feel, Milk!, 2018
- Courtney Barnett, Help Your Self, Tell Me How You Really Feel, Milk!, 2018
- Frightened Rabbit, The Modern Leper (Live on Sound Opinions), The Midnight Organ Fight, Fat Cat, 2008
- Frightened Rabbit, Poke (Live on Sound Opinions), The Midnight Organ Fight, Fat Cat, 2008
- The Black Angels, Telephone, Phosphene Dream, Blue Horizon, 2010
- Sonic Youth, Bull In The Heather, Experimental Jet Set, Trash And No Star, DGC, 1994
- Liz Phair, Fuck And Run, Exile In Guyville, Matador, 1993
- Versing, Call Me Out, Nirvana, Decency Den, 2017
- Algiers, The Underside Of Power, The Underside Of Power, Matador, 2017