Guyville Reissue -- Just Got It

[Johnny_Sunshine]

The "Guyville" reissue just arrived in the mail for me. I must say, I was expecting a little more from the DVD accompaniment. The interviews are rather hard to understand at times because the whole thing is shot on a quite standard home video camera for the most part. it also gets a little dull at times. some of the exchanges are interesting, though, like between Liz and John Henderson, and his reasons for leaving the project. As for the album itself, the sound quality is definitely better -- everything is louder and clearer. The bonus tracks are alright, though not totally thrilling. "Ant in Alaska" sounds almost exactly the same as the Girlysound version, albeit more polished. "Say You" is decent, though what really shines in the instrumental track. it's very mysterious and brooding.

overall, the reissue is worth buying, though don't expect to be blown away. it's mostly worth it for the improved sound quality.

[PantherCageCode]

I just watched the DVD, and I thought it was actually really good.  I mean, I've read all the facts in interviews, so there wasn't too much new stuff I learned. However, it was cool to kind of have a visual of the people and places involved.  It was pretty entertaining.  The new songs are pretty neat, too.  Ant In Alaska is pretty much the same, true.  But, Say You is a cool type of music to hear from Liz.  I agree that the instrumental is the best of the unreleased ones, though.  It has a very adventurous sound.

Overall, the reissue is a great thing to have if you're a big fan, or haven't listened to all of guyville.

[socalledchaos84]

is there anything special in the packaging or booklet on this reissue? i bought the mp3's from amazon and was planning on buying the physical copy, but only if it has some cool features.

[PantherCageCode]

The packet is pretty much the original Guyville, with a short introduction written byu some guy about Liz and the record.  The introduction isn't exceptional, and I've seen parts of it before in articles about Liz, so I think you should keep your money, since you have the mp3's.

[socalledchaos84]

thanks for the response!

[DownDownDown]

So I take it that Wild Thing didn't make the album as has been reported.

Sorry, I've been on a long road trip and won't make it home until late tomorrow.  I'm in Tucson tonight.

[DownDownDown]

is there anything special in the packaging or booklet on this reissue? i bought the mp3's from amazon and was planning on buying the physical copy, but only if it has some cool features.

There is something that I noticed in the new packaging.  It's not exactly important enough to go buy the record, but it was not mentioned.

In the packaging that I have for the original, it looks like blue granite is the background for the two pages that feature triangles in the original.

In the rerelease of Exile, the blue granite is replaced by water waves that look like a pool surface.

I actually like this, as it kinda forces you to relook at the materials.  It's also something else to try to figure out.

I don't think that it necessarily means anything, because a lot of this seems to be there to provoke your thoughts.

I'll scan this in later and show everyone what I'm talking about...

[DownDownDown]

When I ripped the new Exile, it said that the Instrumental song was "Instrumental" on the outside packaging, but the CD-Text says that the name of the song is "Standing".

It is a cool song.

[Gevaudan]

Did anyone notice what was inserted into the choker?

[Lethe]

What is that thing?

So is there any NEW material on the Guyville reissue?  My music budget is pretty limited - I can't afford to fork out for new album art or remastered tracks, but if there's anything previously unreleased, I'd consider it.

[Gevaudan]

What is that thing?

It's the Mudflap Girl.  > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudflap_girl

So is there any NEW material on the Guyville reissue?  My music budget is pretty limited - I can't afford to fork out for new album art or remastered tracks, but if there's anything previously unreleased, I'd consider it.

Nothing new except the "Say You" song, which is a cover. Then "Ant In Alaska", which is pretty much as incredible as a studio version of a Girly Sound song can get, except the line "I look at the cars and I know you insure them" is gone... So the chorus is now "I look at the stars and I know you're under them, I look at the books and things people are reading..."  Sounded weird when I first heard it, but now it doesn't bother me.  The instrumental at the end, I think, seems to fit Guyville... definitely more than "Say You", which I just... I don't know. Maybe I just don't get it. Maybe the song means something to her and that time period.

And... Wild Thing of course didn't make the cut for the reissue, but it's interesting to hear if you can get a copy of the promo disc before they ditched it.

The DVD is interesting enough, and a good reason to buy the package, but if you get a copy, just remember it isn't some big HD experience. Filmed by Liz, complete with bad audio in some sections and all. But it's worth watching if you want to know more about the origins of the album and the recording sessions.  But of course, she never gets to the elusive "Ok, here's the breakdown of Guyville Vs. Mainstreet." Heh. Didn't figure she would.

The artwork for the record is the same for the most part. A couple more pages with a synopsis of the whole thing, can't remember who by right off hand. Then there's a photograph on the back of the outer cardboard sleeve. I'll give it a scan when I have more time. Nothing major. Apparently the same wall the stripper in the polaroids is standing in front of.  But... the polaroids have been tweaked to show the wall more. I could have done without seeing that. It's ok if it's subtle, but this wasn't in most spots. The overall print job on the cd booklet and back cover bug the crap out of me. I work with print on a daily basis so maybe I'm the only one that sees it because I'm just way too picky and snobbish about that sort of thing.

If anyone is just going to buy it just to have it, find and buy the vinyl. But remember it doesn't come with the DVD. Just the CD and the extra tracks are on an included 7".

[Gevaudan]

And copy screwups.
There are missing colons.
Jesus on a stick. 
How hard is it to actually proof the proof of the booklet and insert?

Geeeeeeeeeez. Am I being way too picky or does that bug the crap out of other people too?

[DownDownDown]

If you play the CD for the new version of Exile, you'll notice a good long gap of empty space between Strange Loop and Ant In Alaska.  There seems to be a post-track gap on Strange Loop and a pre-track gap on Ant In Alaska (Ant In Alaska counts down from 59 seconds).

I plan to create a slightly modified version of the new Exile with the one plus minutes of silence at the end of Strange Loop edited out and with the 59 pre-track gap removed.  It should be a better listening experience when this is done.

If you just hit the fast forward buttons, you won't notice the pre-track gap.  You have to just let it play through to notice it.

[PantherCageCode]

Does anyone know how many copies of the Guyville reisssue were sold in its first week?  I was thinking that it had the potential to chart higher than the original, which only peeked onto the Billboard chart at 196.

That would just be a neat little thing to happen.

[Lethe]

Thanks Gevaudan, for the wonderful, detailed reply.  Yes, I can see the Mudflap Girl in there now.

Fortunately for me, there was a free mp3 version of the new "Ant in Alaska" available on Stereogum.com recently.  (I haven't listened to it yet actually . . . it's buried in my music folder with a bunch of other Stereogum stuff . . . but I'm working on organizing my mp3's and it should turn up soon.  I love the Girly Sound version.  I wonder why they left out the line about insuring the cars?  It did strike me as unusual . . . but in a good way, memorable and meaningful and quirkily insightful.)  Maybe I'll be able to find "Say You" somewhere too.  Otherwise, I'll hold off if there's nothing else new.