Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – c. September 11, 2019)
was an American singer-songwriter and visual artist regarded as a
significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes.
Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded alone in his home, and
his music was frequently cited for its "raw" and "childlike" qualities.
[CD1] - Songs of Pain (1981)
[CD2] - Don't Be Scared (1982)
[CD3] - The What Of Whom (1982)
[CD4] - More Songs Of Pain (1983)
[CD5] - The Lost Recordings I (1983)
[CD6] - The Lost Recordings II (1983)
[CD2] - Don't Be Scared (1982)
[CD3] - The What Of Whom (1982)
[CD4] - More Songs Of Pain (1983)
[CD5] - The Lost Recordings I (1983)
[CD6] - The Lost Recordings II (1983)
Johnston spent extended periods in psychiatric institutions and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He gathered a local following in the 1980s by passing out tapes of his music while working at a McDonald's in Austin, Texas. His cult status was propelled when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was seen wearing a T-shirt that featured artwork from Johnston's 1983 album Hi, How Are You.
Beyond music, Johnston was accomplished as a visual artist, with his illustrations exhibited at various galleries around the world. In 2005, his struggles with mental illness was the subject of the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He died in 2019 of undisclosed causes at the age of 58.
Limited edition 6-CD box set of the very early recordings by one of the most gifted songwriters of the last three decades. Daniel Johnston - The Story Of An Artist includes his six cassette-only albums recorded between 1980 and 1983. packaged in individual sleeves, plus a 64-page booklet with Daniel's artwork from those years and extensive notes by Everett True. Find out why people like Tom Waits, Beck, Matt Groening, Johnny Depp, Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder and so many others found these recordings so worthy.
[CD1] - Songs of Pain (1981) [00:55:53]
Songs of Pain is the first album by folk singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded on a simple tape recorder and released on Compact Cassette. Johnston recorded these songs in the basement of his parents' house in West Virginia. It was recorded in 1980 and 1981, and handed out to friends by Johnston.
All songs written by Daniel Johnston.
1. Grievances – 2:49
2. A Little Story – 3:30
3. Joy Without Pleasure – 1:55
4. Never Relaxed – 3:28
5. Brainwash – 2:40
6. Pot Head – 3:23
7. Wicked World – 2:35
8. Lazy – 2:41
9. I Save Cigarette Butts – 5:26
10. Like a Monkey in a Zoo – 3:28
11. Wicked Will – 1:45
12. An Idiot's End – 4:36
13. Wild West Virginia – 2:39
14. Since I Lost My Tooth – 1:21
15. Urge – 2:36
16. Living Life – 4:08
17. Tuna Ketchup – 2:06
18. Premarital Sex – 3:05
19. Don't Act Nice – 0:37
20. Hate Song – 2:07
[CD2] - Don't Be Scared (1982) [01:00:09]
Don't Be Scared is singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston's second self-released album, recorded and released in 1982.
All songs written by Daniel Johnston.
1. Going Down – 2:57
2. Lost Without a Dame – 2:58
3. Harley Man – 2:03
4. Something More – 3:23
5. Evening Stars – 2:04
6. Cold Hard World – 3:10
7. I Had a Dream – 2:40
8. The Story of an Artist – 5:08
9. My Yoke Is Heavy – 5:53
10. Stars on Parade – 2:42
11. And You Love It – 4:01
12. I Had Lost My Mind –
13. The Sun Shines Down on Me" – 2:50
14. Lone – 4:09
15. Don't Be Scared – 3:20
16. Lullaby – 3:12
17. I Was Alone – 4:44
18. Mother Mom Said – 3:37
[CD3] - The What Of Whom (1982) [01:00:53]
The What of Whom is the third self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1982.
All songs written by Daniel Johnston.
1. Man Obsessed – 1:28
2. Peek A Boo – 4:50
3. Never Before, Never Again – 1:48
4. The Goldfish & The Frog – 2:20
5. Scuttle-Butt – 2:10
6. Heart, Mind and Soul – 5:22
7. Blue Clouds – 5:34
8. Surely You Don't Work All Night – 4:11
9. I Can't Think Anymore – 2:21
10. Excuse Me – 0:17
11. Polka Dot Rag – 5:28
12. Why, Without You – 3:23
13. An Incoherent Speech – 1:28
14. Wicked World – 4:16
15. To Go Home – 4:30
16. Scrambled Eggs – 5:02
17. Peace & Tranquility – 2:47
18. When You're Pretty – 2:54
[CD4] - More Songs Of Pain (1983) [00:45:54]
More Songs of Pain is the fourth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded late 1982 and early 1983.
All songs written by Daniel Johnston, except where noted
1. Phantom Of My Own Opera
2. Man At War
3. Only Missing You
4. More Dead Than Alive
5. I Will (John Lennon/Paul McCartney)
6. Poptunes
7. You Put My Love Out The Door
8. You're Gonna Make It Joe
9. Never Get To Heaven (Burt Bacharach/Hal David)
10. Follow That Dream
11. POW
12. For the Love Of Pete
13. Blue Cloud
14. Grievances Revisited
15. True Grief
16. My Baby Cares For The Dead
17. Mabel's Grievances
[CD5] - The Lost Recordings I (1983) [00:57:45]
1. Take a Little Walk
2. Before It's Too Late
3. Oh What a Wonderful Feeling
4. I'd Like to Say Goodbye
5. That's Silly
6. There Ain't Much You Can Do
7. I'm a Song
8. You Should Have Been My Wife
9. You Ruined It for Yourself
10. Once Upon a Dream
11. I Love You
12. Scattered Like Birds
13. More About Wicked Will
14. Good Luck
15. Got to Go On
16. It's Real
17. If You Were Here Today
18. Girlfriend
19. Void (Space for the Memories)
20. Sad and Lonely
21. I'm Nervous
22. Cosmic Kid
23. Never Die
24. Kiss Me Again
25. I Wish I Could Call You
26. Love Is Weird
27. Burn Baby Burn
28. No Fun
29. Art Piece
30. Instrumental
[CD6] - The Lost Recordings II (1983) [01:00:27]
1. All Around The World
2. You're Not Laura
3. I'm Gonna Buy Me A Car
4. Out West
5. The Undertaker's Assistant
6. Dreams Come True
7. Mean To Me
8. Fly Me To The Moon
9. Love Defined
10. Love
11. How I Love The Organ Music
12. We Could Be Together Again
13. Happy Talk
14. The Miracle Of Love
15. Who Killed The Monkey
16. The Wedding
17. Unfinished Symphony
18. Blue Cloud
19. I Never Meant To Be Spooky
20. Dream Lover
21. What's The Matter With Me
22. If I Kissed You Once
23. I Give Up
24. Lonely Orphan On The Run
25. The Goat Show
26. You've Got A Funny Sense Of Humor
27. Last Song For You
