When Daniel left Austin in February 1987 he was in a bad state of mind. After retiring from the music business and returning to his parents’ home in West Virginia he would spend the next several months in bed medicated and depressed. As an ode to his hero John Lennon’s “Lost Weekend” he would later refer to this period as his “Lost Year.”
By the beginning of 1988 he had begun to feel better. The happening UK label Blast First (whose roster included Sonic Youth, The Butthole Surfers and Big Black) was planning to release Hi, How Are You on vinyl that summer and he was taking an interest in music again. He was calling and writing letters on a regular basis and soon we were making plans to promote the record release. But what he wasn’t doing was writing or creating new music on the family piano where he had previously composed and recorded much of his best work.
That changed one day when he looked under the bed and found a shoebox full of cassettes that have come to be known as The Lost Recordings. There were six tapes dating from 1980 – 1983 and he was excited by what he heard. He wasn’t so interested in releasing them right away, but they inspired him to start playing and writing again.
“I swear when I listen to these tapes I get a Deja-Fu [sic], and I can remember the moment and the melodies. Every time! It’s uncanny!”
By late 1991, Daniel had moved back to Texas along with his parents and soon afterward he would be residing at Austin State Hospital where I was able to visit daily. One day he asked what I had done with The Lost Recordings cassettes and suggested that I compile a couple of new cassette releases. This led to the simultaneous 1992 release of The Lost Recordings I and II on Stress Records.
And now, 32 years later, I’m proud to have worked on a couple of new releases – The Lost Recordings III and IV. The Lost Recordings III is the only release in the series that’s been left exactly as Daniel recorded it. The other tapes all contained glitches and audio problems that required some material being cut. This is pre-Songs of Pain early Dan still searching for his footing as a songwriter while showing flashes of genius and paying tribute to some of his favorites. He covers Lennon-McCartney, Neil Young and Paul Simon while doing his best Bob Dylan on “Ballad of a Teenage Acid Queen.”
I hope these songs provide you with as much pleasure as they’ve provided me.
Jeff Tartakov
Stress Records
By the beginning of 1988 he had begun to feel better. The happening UK label Blast First (whose roster included Sonic Youth, The Butthole Surfers and Big Black) was planning to release Hi, How Are You on vinyl that summer and he was taking an interest in music again. He was calling and writing letters on a regular basis and soon we were making plans to promote the record release. But what he wasn’t doing was writing or creating new music on the family piano where he had previously composed and recorded much of his best work.
That changed one day when he looked under the bed and found a shoebox full of cassettes that have come to be known as The Lost Recordings. There were six tapes dating from 1980 – 1983 and he was excited by what he heard. He wasn’t so interested in releasing them right away, but they inspired him to start playing and writing again.
“I swear when I listen to these tapes I get a Deja-Fu [sic], and I can remember the moment and the melodies. Every time! It’s uncanny!”
By late 1991, Daniel had moved back to Texas along with his parents and soon afterward he would be residing at Austin State Hospital where I was able to visit daily. One day he asked what I had done with The Lost Recordings cassettes and suggested that I compile a couple of new cassette releases. This led to the simultaneous 1992 release of The Lost Recordings I and II on Stress Records.
And now, 32 years later, I’m proud to have worked on a couple of new releases – The Lost Recordings III and IV. The Lost Recordings III is the only release in the series that’s been left exactly as Daniel recorded it. The other tapes all contained glitches and audio problems that required some material being cut. This is pre-Songs of Pain early Dan still searching for his footing as a songwriter while showing flashes of genius and paying tribute to some of his favorites. He covers Lennon-McCartney, Neil Young and Paul Simon while doing his best Bob Dylan on “Ballad of a Teenage Acid Queen.”
I hope these songs provide you with as much pleasure as they’ve provided me.
Jeff Tartakov
Stress Records
credits
released November 1, 2024
All songs written by Daniel Johnston except where noted.
Additional guitars and vocals by Tom Gruda, Sr.
Remastered in 24-bit Lossless Audio from the original source tapes by Kramer (Shimmy-Disc founder and longtime collaborator of Daniel Johnston).
All songs written by Daniel Johnston except where noted.
Additional guitars and vocals by Tom Gruda, Sr.
Remastered in 24-bit Lossless Audio from the original source tapes by Kramer (Shimmy-Disc founder and longtime collaborator of Daniel Johnston).