Texans have their fair number of musical exports, but none they're as protective over as Daniel Johnston. This beacon of authenticity enthralled listeners with his emotional straightforwardness, including supporters like Kurt Cobain, Sonic Youth, and Built To Spill, among many others.
Now, a posthumous 2-LP vinyl re-release expands Johnston's 1991 album Artistic Vice with outtakes, rehearsals, and even previously unreleased songs. It comes out October 18, including the song "All Good Children Got To Die," which just premiered October 8 via Spin.
Fans who still feel raw about Johnston's 2019 death — he was living near Houston in Waller and is buried in Katy — will be hit with heightened feelings by this living eulogy. The track, remastered by Johnston's friend Kramer, is as lo-fi as ever, in Johnston's usual style, but with an upbeat blues guitar providing a base. The lyrics start with the cleverly delightful metaphor, "Been gettin' fat on my humble pie/Pretty soon, I'll up and die," and continue on in simple coupled rhymes consoling the listener.
The cheery and nostalgic visualizer by Fly Eye Media features photos of Johnston, drawings of Casper the Ghost (famously, one of the few dead children anyone wants to think about), some of Johnston's own drawings, and close-ups of the Artistic Vice album cover. Another image depicts the cool geodesic dome where the album was recorded.
These visuals are a preview of similar things to come in the collector's edition vinyl — which will be peach and light blue — including a lyric booklet with rare photos and words from Johnston's bandmates in Eye Band. The entire second album will be made up of the archival material mentioned above. This isn't a cobbled-together afterthought, but a collection of works that were intended to make it onto the album in some form or another, and never did.
This album was significant in Johnston's career because it was the first time he fronted a band. But it was about a dozen albums into his career (depending on how you count some releases), and it came several years after Hi, How Are You, still the artist's best-known collection, which he used to hand out around Austin.
The re-released Artistic Vice is put forth by Eternal Yip Eye Records and Thirty Tigers. Johnston's brother, Dick Johnston, leads a team of workers and volunteers, according to a press release, to continue the artist's legacy.
Artistic Vice re-release set.Courtesy of Eternal Yip Eye Records and Thirty Tigers
The tracklists for the two vinyls are as shown below. Pre-orders ($32.98) are available at hihowareyou.com or through other local and online stores stores here.
LP1 Tracklist:
1. My Life Is Starting Over
2. Honey I Sure Miss You
3. I Feel So High
4. A Ghostly Story
5. Tell Me Now
6. Easy Listening
7. I Know Casper
8. The Startling Facts
9. Hoping
10. It's Got to Be Good
11. Happy Soul
12. The Dream Is Over
13. Love of My Life
14. I Killed the Monster
15. Laurie
16. Fate Will Get Done
LP2 Tracklist:
1. All Good Children Got To Die
2. Christian Martyrs
3. Easy Listening
4. I Know Casper
5. Penny Penny
6. You Said You Didn't Really Love Me
7. Piano interlude
8. Happy Soul
9. Got To Be Good
10. It's Over
11. Love of My Life
12. Something Fantastic Rolling Over My Soul
13. Boogie
14. I'll Be Going Home Someday
15. Dead Dogs Eyeball (Variation)
16. Ego Trip
