Welcome to My World

Daniel Johnston

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 2006)
• Original Release Date: April 18, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: High Wire Music
• ASIN: B000F1IPJ2
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,475 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

He is erratic, moody, adolescent, and unsettling, just as he is strikingly brilliant, and all depictions entwine on this collection that plucks from Daniel Johnston's most memorable work throughout a quarter-century of bare-bones recording. While his helium-pitched voice can often border on acquired taste territory, Johnston, who suffers from bipolar disorder, writes both gripping melodies and cutting, cunning lyrics--often about failed love, life's ambiguity and his passion for the Beatles and comic book heroes. Any Johnston follower might choose 21 different selections to represent such a catalog, but this package--culled mostly from his '80s songbook--is both symbolic and inclusive, including a pair of chord organ grinders that are among his most familiar: the childlike "Casper the Friendly Ghost" and the wistful "Speeding Motorcycle." Johnston's raw vulnerability shines most on "Never Before Never Again," on which he howls about a former girlfriend, and the fragmented and demented "Funeral Home," where he contemplates his last car ride (to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "Cadillac Ranch"). Welcome to My World is ideal for any newcomers to Johnston's music, provided they are willing to peel away his torment and contemplate his true genius. --Scott Holter

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Companion for "The Devil and Daniel Johnston", May 15, 2006

By	A. Herrmann "guitar music addict" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It should first be noted that the music of Daniel Johnston is not for everyone -- you will either love him or hate him, most will feel the latter. His voice sounds like a 14 year old who got into the parents' liquor cabinet, but like Bob Dylan, it's the perfect vehicle for his material. I recommend the excellent documentary currently playing in art movie theaters to learn about this unique singer songwriter's incredible life --you couldn't make up a story as sadly surreal. His music is best appreciated if you understand his history and are familiar with his artwork (his pen and ink cartoon-like drawings go for thousands of dollars). His songs, like his artwork, are replete with symbols and references to his internal mythology, a conglomeration of cartoons, comic books and fire and brimstone religion.
Welcome to My World is sort of a greatest hits of his early work, mostly recorded on cheap tape machines and often given away to people on the street. Daniel bares his soul -- listening to his music is like awkwardly being trapped with a stranger you run into, obviously a little off center, who rattles on providing too much information about his innermost feelings. But no other artist I have heard captures the angst of adolescence quite as well as Daniel, and his sense of melody, his ability to convey complex feelings with the simplest language, is brilliant. Strange, moving, disturbing stuff, an emotional car wreck that you just can't look away from. If you like the off beat and stark emotional honesty in your music, check him out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Widen your taste in music, May 15, 2008

By	C Wahlman "cdub" (Merrillville, IN) - See all my reviews

I heard of Daniel Johnston by accidently watching the "Devil and Daniel Johnston." And it was a total accident. I was flipping through the t.v., and I stopped when I heard this really weird, but amazing song. The song was "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievances." I ended up finishing the film, and then watching the whole thing again later. I liked the film, but the music kept lingering in my ears.

I went straight to Amazon and bought this cd, thinking it would be a good introduction to his music. It is. If you never heard him before, this is a great range of his material: from the early days to later material, the toy organ recordings and actual studio work.

You cannot listen to this all the time, nor can you introduce it to all your friends. It is unique and strange. Now it is all too clear why he just gave away copies of his tapes with very little explanation.

I would consider this cd to be upbeat and enjoyable. I listen to it now whenever I am having a bad day to perk myself up. I would not recommend this for everyone, but if your open minded this could be quite a gem.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome? Glad to be here., July 26, 2008

By	JackDaddy (Big Cement Pond, Florida) - See all my reviews

This is a good collection of Daniel's music. If this is all you know of Daniel, you would have missed a lot. Some of these tunes are taken out of context here although they stand alone well. Daniel is a master of recording arrangement as well as song writing.