Ancient History

      NOTE:  The last text-only discography was version 1.2; 
             this alpha of version 2.0 was never published.
             
             
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                      Liz Phair Discography v. 2.0
                              X July 1995
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Master of Ceremonies:  Charles (pushover@omni.voicenet.com)

Deputy Ringleaders:   Will, Irvin, Emma, Peter, Martijn




Thanks to Phair Phans the world over you have on your hot little screen a fairly 
complete discography of Liz Phair's recorded output. This document includes 
information on Liz's regular and promo-only releases and commercially available 
bootlegs (that is, boots on CD). This document does not include live recordings 
circulating exclusively on tape; a separate listing of concert information, 
including known tapes, will be available shortly.

If you have additions, comments, corrections, or flames, please direct them 
to pushover@omni.voicenet.com. I *love* e-mail.



What's New this Version:

    updated -- Girlysound info
    NEW -- "Jealousy" promo single
    NEW -- info on forthcoming Jealousy CD5
    NEW -- Syndicated radio show listings
    updated -- "Carnivore" 7" info
    added -- Exile advance cassette info
    NEW -- UK Supernova promo
    plus miscellaneous corrections, etc.


I.     The Main List (includes guest appearances)
II.    Compilations
III.   Girlysound
IV.    Syndicated radio shows
V.     Bootlegs




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various artists, Chinny Chin Chin: 4 N.Y. Bands
1992 (I think)
See Eye/Shimmy Disk  WORD 003-4
CD

White Babies

I don't know precisely why she's on this disk, her song tucked away among the 
Kicking Giant cuts, but here Liz sings a version of "White Babies" (aka "Black 
Market Babies" of Girlysound fame) into the telephone answering machine of 
Kicking Giant member Tae Won Yu. Audio verite fans: the recording features 
faraway-sounding guitar, oodles of tape hiss, and the answering machine's 
annoying beep tone. 

By the way, Tae was one of the two "official"/"original" recipients of Liz's 
homebrew tape experiments known as Girlysound. I'm not telling who the second 
person supposedly was. The other artists on this CD are Sleepyhead, Fantastic 
Palace, and Wall Drug (with Mark Ibold, later of Pavement fame).




Ashtray Boy, the Honeymoon Suite
1992 (I think)
Feel Good All Over  FGAO 020
LP(?)/CD/CS(?)

Shirley MacLaine
Infidel

Liz is listed as a bona fide member of Ashtray Boy on the liner notes ("Liz 
Phair, vocals"), but the band is really the baby of Guyville resident (and 
displaced Aussie) Randall Lee, aided and abetted by Justin Niimi (drums) and 
David Trumfio (bass). Liz shares lead vocals on "Infidel", sings backup on 
"Shirley MacLaine", and is also credited for her "bits", which I trust 
means her compositional input.

The album is pretty good, incidentally.



Exile in Guyville
May (I think) 1993
Matador  OLE 051
2-LP set/CD/CS

6'1"
Help Me Mary
Glory
Dance of the Seven Veils
Never Said
Soap Star Joe
Explain It to Me
Canary
Mesmerizing
Fuck and Run
Girls! Girls! Girls!
Divorce Song
Shatter
Flower
Johnny Sunshine
Gunshy
Stratford-on-Guy
Strange Loop?

The earth-shattering debut, winner of the Village Voice's 1993 Pazz and Jop 
Critic's Poll, Spin's Record of the Year award, and numerous other critical 
accolades. To my knowledge, Matador did not press advance or special 
promo-only copies of Exile in Guyville with alternate art, etc. However, 
no-frills advance cassettes, packaged with a simple red j-card, appeared 
about six months before the record's official release.



"Carnivore"
September or October 1993
Minty Fresh  mf-4
7"

Carnivore
Carnivore (raw)

The initial copies were pressed on clear red vinyl; a later (2nd? 3rd?) 
pressing used blue wax. I also have a report of a half-red, half-blue disk. 
The record has no A or B side, which are instead labelled "Eat" and "Meat". 
Trivia: the single was initailly scheduled to appear on Arlington, Virginia's 
Simple Machines label (run by folks from Tsunami) as part of their "Working 
Holidays" series. Rumor has it that Liz didn't get the master to the label in 
time.



Liz Phair: Five songs from the album Exile in Guyville
early (?) 1994
Matador  PRCD 5510
promo-only CD

Stratford-on-Guy
Never Said
Help Me Mary
Mesmerizing
Strange Loop?

This promo-only release has a back insert featuring a track listing and the 
dancing woman seen on the artwork for Exile. There is no front insert, just a 
large sticker trumpeting Exile as Spin's Record of the Year, etc. and the 
wishful phrase "Billions & billions sold". The disk is silkscreened with song 
titles, running times, etc. -- just the thing for those picky radio programmers.



"Supernova"
early September 1994
Matador  PRCD 5828-2
promo-only CD

Supernova (edit) [the video/no fuck word edit]
Supernova (uncensored)

The front CD insert features a picture of Liz in a blue silk dress wearing a 
coil of star-shaped tinsel on her head. The picture is obviously from the same 
photo shoot featured in the November 1994 issue of CMJ New Music Monthly. The 
photo on the back insert is the same one that appears on the regular issue of 
the "Supernova" CD and 7" single.



"Supernova"
early September 1994
Matador  OLE 103-7
7"

Supernova
Combo Platter

Initial copies were pressed on clear blue vinyl; I don't know if the entire run 
was pressed as such. "Combo Platter", which bears a "girlysound" subtitle on 
the sleeve and is in fact nothing more than two of her early tape experiments 
jammed together (see the Girlysound section, below), incorporates fragments of 
"Johnny Sunshine" played backwards. Has anyone felt the urge to kill their 
parents or submit to Satan after listening to this?



whip-smart
September 20, 1994
Matador  OLE 107 [Atlantic 92429]
LP/CD/CS

chopsticks
super nova
support system
x-ray man
shane
nashville
go west
cinco de mayo
dogs of l.a.
whip-smart
jealousy
crater lake
alice springs
may queen

The disc some Exile in Guyville fans love to hate. Nice silkscreening on the CD; 
the LP is pressed in white vinyl.

A promo-only advance CD was released in early September (Matador PRCD 5827) with 
a black and white reproduction of the album cover as the front insert. The back 
insert (also black and white) features a track listing and some art lifted from 
the front cover. The cases of some copies are stickered with a "Not for sale" 
type warning. The disc is silkscreened in red, but has the same design as the 
regular release with an additional "promo copy not for sale" tag added.

The advance cassette (released around July 1994???) had alternate art consisting 
of the song titles in different fonts overlapping one another, with small 
envelope icons marking the start of each side. The spine says "LIZ PHAIR 
WHIP-SMART" and the back panel has a graphic of a pair of scissors.



"Supernova"
October 1994
Matador  OLE ???
CD

Supernova (edit) [video/no fuck word edit]
Supernova (uncensored)
Combo Platter

Matador cleverly compressed the material from the "Supernova" 7" together with 
the radio-friendly no cussin' edit (previously available only to discriminating 
music insiders on the promo-only release) onto this Digipak CD single. I don't 
have a copy: would somebody please e-mail the catalog number?



"Supernova"
late 1994
Matador [Germany]  7567-95831-2
CD

Supernova (album version)
Supernova (clean version)
Combo Platter (girlie sound)

The European issue of this CD5 is almost identical to the U.S. release except 
for its shuffled song order and packaging variants. The disc comes in a slim 
jewel box instead of "the ever annoying digipak" (quoth a faithful 
correspondent) and labels "Combo Platter" as a "girlie sound".



"Supernova"
late 1994???
Matador/Atlantic [U.K.]  A8224CDDJ
promo-only CD

Supernova (clean version)
Supernova (lp version)
Combo Platter (from girlie sounds)

This U.K. promo comes in a slim jewel case without inserts, but bearing a large 
blue case sticker reading "liz phair / supernova / radio version / track 1". 
The disc is silkscreened in blue and simply lists track info.



various artists, Music from the motion picture Higher Learning
November (?) 1994
550 Music/Epic Soundtrax  BK 66944
CD/CS

Don't Have Time

Liz serves up the standout cut on the soundtrack of director John Singleton's 
latest flick. If memory serves me correctly, "Don't Have Time" plays as the 
credits roll....



"whip-smart"
December (?) 1994
Matador  PRCD 6037
promo-only CD

whip-smart (album version)

Nothing fancy here -- just a single tune destined (they hoped, they hoped) for 
heavy rotation on your local radio station. The front insert is a fold-out and 
features two nice pictures of Liz. The back insert shows a fragment of a tacky 
50s-styled illustration of a buxom, barely-dressed, cigarette smokin' bad girl 
and the words "Whip Smart" (like an old pulp cover or movie poster). The CD is 
silkscreened (in red) with the same art and the back insert is printed in three 
colors.



"whip-smart"
February or March 1995
Matador  PRCD 6122
promo-only CD

whip-smart (remix)
whip-smart (album version)

The remix is substantially different and tones down the aural chaos of the album 
version. Liz's vocals are right up front and the acoustic guitar is much more 
prominent, with the jungle noises toned way way down. Personally, I like this 
version more than the original (but still not as well as her stripped-down live 
rendition).

The art on this version is virtually identical to the first "whip-smart" promo: 
it uses the same front insert (they didn't even bother to reprint it -- it bears 
the PRCD 6037 matrix number of the 1994 issue) and the same back insert design. 
However, the back insert is printed in one color and the CD itself has no 
special silkscreening, just artist and track info. This version of the single 
also bears a case sticker trumpeting the remix.



Ben Lee, Grandpaw Would
March 1995
Grand Royal  GR015
CD/CS

Away With the Pixies

Liz sings backup on "Away With The Pixies" from Ben Lee's upcoming debut solo 
album Grandpaw Would. The disc is produced by Brad Wood and Casey Rice (do these 
names sound familiar?).



"Jealousy"
April or May 1995
Matador  PRCD 6199
promo-only CD

Jealousy

Just a stray album cut. Breaking the ice for the commercial release of...



Jealousy [alternate title: Juvenilia]
scheduled for release July 25, 1995
Matador  ???
CD

Jealousy [album version]
Turning Japanese [studio recording, backed by Material Issue]
Animal Girl [live on Dutch radio]
California
South Dakota
Batmobile
Dead Shark
Easy

The last five tunes here are from Liz's Girlysound days. Served up on CD (and 
minus the hiss of our Nth generation tape dubs), we'll soon learn how these 
songs *really* sound.




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This section lists album cuts repackaged on various artist compilations: comps 
featuring otherwise unreleased material appear on The Main List.

Liz's music has appeared on several promotional and radio-only compilations: 
I've seen at least 4 or 5 different ones. However, all merely reprised album 
cuts; none offered funky remixes, etc. So I know this list is incomplete. If 
you have information on other compilations which include Liz's music, drop me 
a line at pushover@omni.voicenet.com.

"Whip Smart"
various artists, 1st Quarter Sampler
January or February 1995
Atlantic  PRCD 6039
promo-only CD

"Girls! Girls! Girls!"
various artists, soundtrack to the motion picture Amateur
March 1995
Matador ????
CD/CS



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According to legend, Liz recorded the Girlysound material in her bedroom at her 
parents' suburban Chicago home after a stint in San Francisco. The first 
cassettes were reportedly recorded and released on a dare, though some material 
was written during her undergrad days at Oberlin.

There's a load of songs floating around the taper's circuit bearing the 
"Girlysound" tag. Since Liz has repeatedly registered her distaste for an 
official release of these demos, we may never know precisely how many (and 
which) songs were given the Girlysound treatment. What follows is a list of 
stuff I have on tape, along with a few cuts rumored to be among the Girlysound 
canon. Some of the song titles are guesses; your names may differ. Comments and 
additions, please.

In no particular order:

Flower
Beg Me
Whip-smart
Speed Racer (aka Go Speed Racer)
Why I Left California (aka I Tried to Tell You)
Dakota (aka South Dakota)
Stratford-on-Guy
Shane 
Willie the Six-Dicked Pimp (aka Give Me My Boyfriend Back)
Divorce Song
Go West
If Ever I Pay You Back
Your Love Means Nothing/Do You Love Me?
Soap Star Joe
What's Taking You So Long?/Ant in Alaska (aka I Know It's Not Easy)
Hello Sailor
Wild Thing
Fuck and Run
Steady Job (aka Can't Get Out of What I'm Into)
Fire Up the Batmobile
Head On (Sometimes a Dream is What Makes You a Slave)
(aka What Makes You a Slave, Sometimes a Dream)
It's Not That Easy
Chopsticks
Black Market White Baby Dealer (aka Black Market Babies)
Johnny Sunshine
Elvis (aka Elvis Be True)
Fuck or Die

Five other songs were supposedly released on Girlysound cassettes but are not 
in wide circulation. These tunes are: "Miss Lucy," "Dead Shark," "One Less 
Thing," "In Love With Yourself" and "Money."  "In Love With Yourself" and 
"Money", edited together with the backwards "Johnny Sunshine" bits, comprise 
"Combo Platter" from the "Supernova" single.



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Thus far, Liz has appeared on two syndicated radio shows. These programs are 
typically distributed to local radio stations on compact disc for local airplay. 

I've given as much program information as I have, listing the name of the 
syndicated show, the suggested air date, contents, etc.


On the Edge (hosted by Tom Calderone)
Show 95-02 (week of January 2, 1995)

Interview segment #1
Whip-smart [album version]
Interview segment #2
Never Said [album version]
Interview segment #3
Supernova [censored version]
Interview segment #4
Hurricane Cindy (acoustic)
Interview segment #5
Untitled (acoustic) [Beginning to See the Light]

Cool interview snippets (random quotes: "Singing my own lyrics embarasses me", 
"I always rip myself off", "Artists come from a demented bunch -- we're all a 
bit loony", "I don't play that well, I don't sing that well"). The two acoustic 
cuts were recorded in the studio. The entire Liz segment runs about 19 minutes. 
There's no information on when or where the session was recorded. Very nice.



In Concert: New Rock
Semi-Acoustic Special, Part 1
Show 95-18 (week of April 24, 1995)

Beginning to See the Light
Untitled [Wasted Away?]
Mesmerizing

Recorded at Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, 1994 (I'm still looking for 
the precise date). All three cuts are acoustic. Great intro to the second 
number: "This is a song about drugs.... But I know none of you are on any." 
At the end of the number she quips, "This is where the inhalation goes 
[pronounced toking sounds].... You gotta do some bong sounds for me...." The 
segment runs about 10 minutes and sounds great. Wish I could have been there.



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Although there have been rumors of other boots on CD (Exile in Minneapolis, 
anyone?), to date I have confirmed information on just one commercial Liz 
bootleg on compact disc. This situation will surely change in the coming months 
as tapes of Liz's recent solo tour change hands. 


Fuck and Run
Toad's Place, New Haven, CT, April 25, 1994
Alley Cat AK 056

6'1"
Stratford-on-Guy
X-Ray Man
Help Me Mary
Soap Star Joe
Alice Springs
Jealousy
Supernova
Explain It to Me
Glory
Whip-smart
Fuck and Run
Cinco de Mayo
Never Said
Strange Loop
Mesmerizing
Divorce Song
Shatter
Flower
Girls! Girls! Girls!

Nice quality audience recording, probably from a DAT. Running time: just shy of 
70 minutes. A good show with Liz and her touring band. Liz's voice and delivery 
steadily improve as the set progresses (the sloppy and out-of-tune "Girls! 
Girls! Girls!" excepted). As she did on other dates during this tour, this 
version of "Divorce Song" includes a bridge from the Stones "Emotional Rescue". 
The show is very similar to her NYC performance a few days later at the Academy, 
even sharing some of the same 'tween song patter.