Various Artists

The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered

Editor's Review:

Alas! Daniel Johnston, we hardly knew ye. Criminally under-the-radar, it seems more people know of Johnston as a passing reference invariably strung between Syd Barrett and Brian Wilson than for his actual music. For your elucidation, some history: touted amongst the hipster elite, Daniel Johnston enjoyed underground celebrity status in the late ‘80s and ‘90s as the premier outsider singer / songwriter, heralded by the likes of Sonic Youth, Half-Japanese and later, Kurt Cobain. Tormented by nearly lifelong mental illness, the Austin, TX-based Johnston produced multitudes of lo-fi cassettes featuring his plaintive high-tenor voice and rudimentary piano and guitar skills. But what shone through Johnston’s lapses in technical proficiency was a disarming honesty usually reserved for children, and a rarely matched level of expressiveness. Crazy Zen shit. Now, the likes of Beck, Death Cab for Cutie and Bright Eyes lead an excellent cast of players to once again champion Johnston’s marvelous songcraft.
While the first disc offers (mostly) awesome pairings of cover artist and Johnston song (e.g., Eels’ “Living Life,” Sparklehorse & Flaming Lips’ “Go”), the second disc mirrors the track list of the first, only giving us Johnston’s original versions. Which is a fantastic idea. Considering the eccentricities of the artist, perhaps it’s best that Johnston’s songs are first masticated by Ben Gibbard and company; a less adventurous ear will better appreciate the inner beauty of Johnston’s material through the spit-polish of notable indie rock acts. But what is undeniable is the indomitable spirit found on the flipside. Discover him through the covers, but then embrace the real thing. Oh, and by the way, as it turns out, Daniel Johnston isn’t actually dead…
– Maurice S. Teilmann

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Album Cover
Record Label Gammon Records
Released December 2004

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. My Life Is Starting Over Again – Teenage Fanclub with Jad Fair
  2. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievience – Clem Snide
  3. Impossible Love – Gordon Gano
  4. Living Life – Eels
  5. Walking the Cow – TV on the Radio
  6. Good Morning You – The Rabbit
  7. Sorry Entertainer – Calvin Johnson
  8. Devil Town – Bright Eyes
  9. Dream Scream – Death Cab for Cutie
  10. True Love Will Find You in the End – Beck
  11. Go – Sparklehorse w/ Flaming Lips
  12. Blue Clouds – Mercury Rev
  13. Love Not Dead – Thistle
  14. Like a Monkey in the Zoo – Vic Chesnutt
  15. Dead Lovers Twisted Heart – Starlight Mints
  16. Story of an Artist – M. Ward
  17. The Sun Shines Down on Me – Guster
  18. King Kong – Tom Waits

Disc 2

  1. My Life Is Starting Over Again
  2. Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievience
  3. Impossible Love
  4. Living Life
  5. Walking The Cow
  6. Good Morning You
  7. Sorry Entertainer
  8. Devil Town
  9. Dream Scream
  10. True Love Will Find You in the End
  11. Go
  12. Blue Clouds
  13. Love Not Dead
  14. Like a Monkey in the Zoo
  15. Dead Lovers Twisted Heart
  16. Story of an Artist
  17. The Sun Shines Down on Me
  18. King Kong
  19. Rock This Town
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