Exile in Guyville is American singer-songwriter Liz Phair's 1993 debut album. Phair commented in interviews that the album was a song-by-song reply to the Rolling Stones' 1972 album Exile on Main Street. Some critics contend that the album is not a clear or obvious song-by-song response, although Phair apparently sequenced her compositions in an attempt to match the song-list and pacing of the 1972 album. Phair wrote and recorded songs on cassette tapes, which she circulated using the moniker Girly Sound, in the early 90s in Chicago. A Girly Sound tape made it to the head of Matador Records, and they signed Phair. Phair re-recorded several of the best songs from her Girly Sound tapes as well as several new songs, and the resulting album was released in 1993, receiving widespread critical acclaim. It was the number one album in the year-end critics poll in Spin Magazine and the Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. The video for "Never Said" even received airplay on MTV. In the spring of 1994, the album briefly made it to the U.S. charts, selling over 200,000 copies. As of July 2003, the album has sold 450,000 copies.
The album inspired a number of imitators, and the low-fidelity sound and emotional honesty of Phair's lyrics were frequently cited by critics as outstanding qualities.
It was ranked 15 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005".
VH1 Named "Exile In Guyville" the 96th Greatest Album Of All-Time link.
