Daniel Johnston Fun CD

Live Recording

Personnel: Daniel Johnston (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Paul Leary (guitar, bass); Regina Carter (violin); John Hagen (cello); Bobbie Nelson (piano); Sandy Smallens (bass); King Coffey (drums).
Daniel Johnston's major-label debut is, arguably, his finest moment. With considerable help from Butthole Surfer Paul Leary, Johnston has never sounded so self-assured or confident before. Some of the songs are more polished, but they're never slicked up to such a degree that this sounds like a user-friendly approximation of Johnston's style; in fact, there are plenty of tracks that return Johnston to the keyboards ("Delusion & Confusion" and "My Little Girl") for his freewheeling, primitive workouts. Exhibiting some of his strongest songwriting to date, Fun is a rewarding record that never loses its initial, visceral appeal. ~ John Dougan
To the surprise of nearly everyone who had followed his career, Daniel Johnston was signed to Atlantic Records, which released FUN in 1994. Produced by Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers, the album is a perfect presentation of Johnston's music. He evolved from primitive self-recording, to working in a true recording studio, to finally finding a sympathetic and appropriate producer in Leary.
The first three songs alone show the wonderful range of this collection. "Love Wheel" is propelled by an incessantly rocking combo, "Life in Vain" is gorgeously embellished with a rich string trio, and "Crazy Love" finds Johnston alone at a Fender Rhodes piano, singing about one of his favorite subjects. Leary had the good sense to recognize the core strengths of Johnston's powerful songwriting and he let nothing get in the way. FUN is both well-produced and directly honest. This is the Daniel Johnston album to start with.

Rolling Stone (12/29/94-1/12/95, p.176) - "...Recalling the spirit of the prelapsarian Pee-Wee Herman, it's an aural dada playhouse wherein `Kool-Aid flows like wine'....Johnson and his motley playmates...are the cat's pajamas in some surreal cartoons."
Spin (10/94, p.112) - Highly Recommended - "...it's good to hear Johnston backed by Paul Leary on FUN....Scrapping the lo-fi aesthetic, [Leary] finds the hooks that Johnston's technical limits had hidden..."
Entertainment Weekly (10/7/94, p.76) - "...Thankfully, his eccentricities--spare production, wavering pitch, erratic phrasing--have made the major-label transfer practically intact, only better recorded..."
- Rating: B+
Musician (11/94, p.92) - "...He tugs at your sleeve with such intensity that you figure he must be onto something even though half the time you can barely make the message out..."