The What of Whom
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2016) |
| The What of Whom | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1982 | |||
| Recorded | August 1982 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 59:43 | |||
| Label | Self-released Stress Records (1987 release) | |||
| Producer | Daniel Johnston | |||
| Daniel Johnston chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
The What of Whom is the third self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1982.
The album was released on cassette in 1988 by Stress Records, made available in downloadable mp3 format by Emusic in 2000, and re-released on CD-R by Eternal Yip Eye Music in 2004. In between some songs, Daniel has little snippets of himself talking, or small skits of background noise concerning his everyday life.
Background
[edit]The album was recorded in August of 1982 between Johnston's Junior and Senior years studying at Kent State University, East Liverpool, Ohio .The album, like Songs of Pain and Don't Be Scared before it, was recorded in his parents' basement in West Virginia, where the 21 year old Johnston was living at the time.[2] A guest writer for Atwood Magazine noted influences from Elvis Costello and The Beatles (particularly young John Lennon) on the track 'Man Obsessed.'[3] During this same time, Johnston recorded an unreleased tape known as 'Ugly Music' for his friend John Fair. The tape was largely made up of material written for Songs of Pain, but also included Don't Be Scared and What of Whom songs, as well as 3 unreleased songs.[4]
Artwork
[edit]The cover artwork is a drawing by Johnston of a woman's torso, inspired by Venus de Milo and Venus of Willendorf. The torso represents sex[5] and the objectified, mystified, and dehumanized way women are portrayed in his lyrics and artwork.[6]
Legacy
[edit]In 2010, when Douglas Wolk reviewed the album for Pitchfork as part of the 'Story of an Artist' box-set, he described both it and Don't Be Scared as 'lacking in quality control.'[7]
In the months following Johnston's death, several retrospectives on his career were published. New York Times' '12 essential Daniel Johnston tracks' article written by David Peisner features the first two tracks from The What Of Whom .[8] Atwood Magazine's retrospective called Man Obsessed 'A darkly comedic inversion of 60s beat era pop'.[3] When reviewing the album. Alison Alber (writing for Mxdwn) mentioned the song as an example of Johnston's lyrical talent.[9]
A 2023 exhibit of collage artwork by Daniel and his sister Marjory Johnston at the Street Gallery in Austin was titled after the album.[10][11][12][13]
Covers
[edit]Several notable musical acts have covered material from the album, "To Go Home" has been covered by Groovie Ghoulies,[14] M. Ward (on his Post-War album) and The Copyrights.[15] "Blue Clouds" has been covered by Mercury Rev (for The Late Great Daniel Johnston tribute album) and Adam Stafford.[16] "Man Obsessed" has been covered by "Weird Paul" Petroskey,[17] and Built to Spill covered "Heart Mind and Soul" for their Daniel Johnston tribute album.
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Daniel Johnston. All tracks produced by Johnston
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Total length: | 30:04 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Excuse Me" | 0:17 |
| 11. | "Polka Dot Rag" | 5:28 |
| 12. | "Why, Without You" | 3:23 |
| 13. | "An Incoherent Speech" | 1:02 |
| 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 |
| Total length: | 29:39 | |
Release history
[edit]| Year | Label | Format | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Self Released | Cassette | USA | |
| 1987 | Stress Records | |||
| 2004 | Eternal Yip Eye Music | CD-R | ||
| 2010 | Munster Records | CD | Spain | As part of 'The Story Of An Artist', a 6 disc box-set containing Johnston's albums recorded in West Virginia between 1980 - 1983. |
| LP | ||||
| 2012 | Eternal Yip Eye Music | Cassette | USA |
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r214193
- ^ The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Dr. Jeff Feuerzeig, 2005
- ^ a b Writer, Guest (2019-10-30). "In Memoriam: Tortured Loser Genius Hero; The Legacy of Daniel Johnston". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^ Daniel Johnston tape he made for me., 6 October 2017, archived from the original on 2021-12-15, retrieved 2021-10-30
- ^ Daniel Johnston's Symbolical Visions
- ^ Yazdani, Tarssa; Goede, Don (2006). Hi, how are You?: The Life, Art & Music of Daniel Johnston. Last Gasp. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-0-86719-667-2.
- ^ "Daniel Johnston: The Story of an Artist". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^ Peisner, David (2019-09-12). "Daniel Johnston's Essential Songs: Listen to 12 Tracks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^ "Album Review: Built to Spill - Built to Spill Plays The Songs of Daniel Johnston -". mxdwn Music. 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^ Sibling Revelry in “Daniel & Marjory Johnston: The What of Whom”
- ^ https://www.kut.org/people/mike-lee-kut (2023-02-24). "'It was fun, too!': 'The What of Whom' spotlights artwork by Daniel and Marjory Johnston". KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ Sightlines (2022-12-31). "The Line-up: Ten exhibitions to see in January". Sightlines. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ https://www.facebook.com/311748092248591. "9 enticing art exhibits to whet the appetite in Austin this January - CultureMap Austin". austin.culturemap.com. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help); External link in|last= - ^ Groovie Ghoulies - Re-Animation Festival (Lookout! Records, LK 182, 1997)
- ^ Kepi Ghoulie & The Copyrights - Re-Animation Festivalv (Stardumb Records, SDR.70, Eccentric Pop Records, EP 48, Kepiland, KEPILAND 5030, 2019)
- ^ "This Year Has Vanished: Adam Stafford Live | Wise Blood Industries". 2016-09-11. Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^ Paul Petroskey - Your Favorite Gum (Home-Aid Recordings, HAR-005, 1999)
