Liz Phair - Whip-smart CDs • Vinyl Records • LPs • Music Albums

the stranger ("May Queen") and more somber ("Shane," with "You gotta have fear in your heart" its chilling refrain) work is Phair's real victory.

Predecessors of the loosest sort to Phair, the Go-Go's combined gender breakthrough (by functioning as a Ronettes without Phil Spector) and music-biz smarts (by filling the airwaves with easy, California-dreamin' pop). A 36-cut retrospective might seem a bit of an embarrassment of riches, and, indeed, there's fare that's best left to cultists (live rehearsal bits, for example). But in tracing the band's trajectory from punk ("Johnny Are You Queer?") to girl-group glory ("Vacation"), Return to the Valley of the Go-Go's offers trippy joy in abundance. And of the three cool new songs, "The Whole World Lost Its Head" particularly proves that they haven't lost their touch. It makes you want to pogo all over again. (RS 698/699)

PAUL CORIO