Daniel Johnston: “Fun” (1994/2020) Vinyl Review

There seems to be a tremendous amount of death lately. Seriously, since the beginning of 2016, which was the Year of Death, including the death of democracy, the grim reaper has barely paused for a breath. In September we lost Daniel Johnston, a singular voice in the music world. When Newbury Comics announced it would be releasing a limited edition of his 1994 LP Fun, I placed my order immediately. That album was Johnston’s first release on a major label, Atlantic, and apparently it did not sell well at the time, and ended up being his only release for Atlantic. As far as I know, it is out of print on CD. But it is now available on bright blue clear vinyl, so it looks great in addition to sounding great. For those who might be unaware, Newbury Comics has been releasing a series of limited edition records on colored vinyl, including music by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Willie Nelson and Butthole Surfers. The Daniel Johnston record is limited to a pressing of 500 copies. The album was produced by Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary, who also plays on half of the album’s tracks. Butthole Surfers drummer King Coffey also plays on a few tracks. All of the album’s songs were written by Daniel Johnston.

Side A

The album opens with “Love Wheel,” which has a rock and roll sound. My girlfriend said it reminded her of the Bay City Rollers, which made me laugh. But yeah, it has that fun, straight rock and roll sound. A cheerful sound, you know? Perhaps that’s unexpected from Daniel Johnston, but it’s wonderful. A Daniel Johnston track you can dance to. This is one of the tracks to feature King Coffey on drums. That’s followed by “Life In Vain,” which is more in line with what one might expect from this songwriter. The line “It’s so tough just to be alive” is fucking heartbreaking. This track features strings, which sound so pretty. Regina Carter is on violin, and John Hagen is on cello, and I love what they add to this song. Don’t be surprised if this one causes you to tear up a bit.  Then on “Crazy Love,” Daniel Johnston performs solo on keys, like his first recordings. “I love that girl so long/I feel just like King Kong.” Daniel then turns to the blues with “Catie,” which is sort of a play on “She Caught The Katy,” opening with lines from that song and then moving off into its own direction. This track features probably the album’s most unusual vocal performance, and, surprisingly, a belch at one point.

On “Happy Time,” Daniel’s vocals are accompanied by just cello. That’s John Hagen again on cello. Of childhood, he sings “It must have been a happy time,” which is funny and yet depressing. This is one of my favorite tracks. “The GI Joes, the plastic monsters/My dad’s model airplanes/Life magazines, the Bible stories.” That’s followed by “Mind Contorted,” on which Daniel’s vocals are accompanied by Paul Leary on guitar. “I’ve been through some hard, but I’m feeling so much better/And I’m standing in your yard, I could be there forever.” I love the honesty that runs through all of Daniel Johnston’s music; it’s like he had no choice in the matter. And this one has an undeniably sweet quality. “Every time I think of you, I feel like writing a song/And if I could win your heart, I never thought it’d take so awful long.” “Jelly Beans” is an odd science fiction number, sort of, the beginning delivered as spoken word, with Daniel Johnston accompanying himself on keys. That’s followed by “Foxy Girl,” which has more of a rock sound, with Paul Leary on both guitar and bass. The first side of the record ends with “Sad Sac & Tarzan.” The lines from this one that stand out for me are “Looking for salvation/We had an ice cream soda.” Perfect.

Side B

Like the first side, the second side of this record opens with a rock song, a track with a full band sound, which is interesting to me because on its initial release, this album was available only on CD, not vinyl, and yet the tracks seem perfectly organized for a vinyl release. Anyway, the song is titled “Psycho Nightmare,” and is one of the tracks to feature King Coffey on drums. “Every single thing you dream of could happen to you.” That’s followed by “Silly Love,” on which Daniel Johnston performs solo, playing guitar, the only track on this LP on which he does so. Its opening lines are “I’ve come this far, and I know I can make it/I’ve got a broken heart, and you can’t break a broken heart.” Those are some excellent opening lines. But perhaps the song’s best line is this: “You must be wrong if you think you don’t love me.” This is another of the record’s highlights. On “Circus Man,” Daniel Johnston performs solo on keys, again like on his earlier recordings. Then Bobbie Nelson backs him on piano on “Love Will See You Through,” a fun and positive tune, a total delight.

I love “Lousy Weekend.” Sure, perhaps it’s in part because it is the weekend right now as I’m listening to the record, and the country is growing worse by the minute, making every day lousy. The first line made my girlfriend and me laugh out loud, “Talk about a lousy weekend.” This track features Regina Carter on violin. Paul Leary is on guitar, and Sandy Smallens is on bass. King Coffey plays tambourine. “I think you’re all a bunch of creeps/And I would like to see you all gone/Stop coming round my door/I don’t care for you no more/Wish you would all just go away/Oh, oh, oh, the telephone rings/Oh, oh, oh, there’s nobody there.” That’s followed by “Delusion + Confusion,” with Daniel playing keys. “And my heart needs attention, I feel rejection.” Then Daniel Johnston delivers “When I Met You” a cappella. “I found the truth/And I swear it nearly flipped me through the roof.” That’s followed by “My Little Girl,” another tune that Daniel performs solo. This one is kind of goofy, a bit chaotic. The record concludes with “Rock ‘N’ Roll/Ega,” a song with two distinct sections, two distinct sounds. It begins with vocals and acoustic guitar as Daniel sings, “I looked for hope, but all around me people didn’t seem to care.” It then kicks in with a force as he sings about rock and roll, and how it saved his soul. The song then returns to the acoustic feel as he sings about reality: “If I ever thought that I could be happy/Dreams like that always faded away/And all the girls already had boyfriends.”  I love this; it’s like during the chorus he takes on a different personality, a stage persona, and as the song goes on, he’s able to stay in that persona longer. King Coffey plays drums on this track.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Love Wheel
2. Life In Vain
3. Crazy Love
4. Catie
5. Happy Time
6. Mind Contorted
7. Jelly Beans
8. Foxy Girl
9. Sad Sac & Tarzan 

Side B

1. Psycho Nightmare
2. Silly Love
3. Circus Man
4. Love Will See You Through
5. Lousy Weekend
6. Delusion + Confusion
7. When I Met You
8. My Little Girl
9. Rock ‘N’ Roll/Ega

Fun was released on blue vinyl on January 24, 2020. My copy arrived on January 29th.