More Songs of Pain is the fourth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded a ...

, recorded late 1982 and early 1983. The album was re-released on cassette in 1988 by Stress records, made available in downloadable

mp3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

format by

Emusic eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. In exchange for a monthly subscription eMusic users can download a fixed number of MP3 tracks per month. eMusic was established in 1998, is headquartered in New York C ...

in 2000, and in 2003 released on CD by Dual Tone, as the second half of the compilation ''Early Recordings Volume 1''.

Background

''More Songs of Pain'' was Daniel Johnston's final album recorded in his parents' basement in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. During the sessions, Johnston was 21-22 and would have been studying for his Senior year at Kent State University in East Liverpool, Ohio, if he had not been taken out of education by his parents out of fear of him failing to graduate. The album is placed between '' The What of Whom'' (August 1982) and ''

Yip/Jump Music ''Yip/Jump Music'' is the fifth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded over the summer 1983. The album was re-released on cassette in 1986 by Stress records, and in 1988 released on CD and double LP b ...

'' (April 1983). The album introduces the recurring character of Joe, a stand-in for Johnston, 'an average guy trying to defeat his demons.' Joe would feature heavily in the lyrics to

Hi, How Are You ''Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album'' is the sixth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in September 1983. The subtitle refers to the length of the album; Johnston had intended for it to be an h ...

, and would appear on the cover of

Retired Boxer ''Retired Boxer'' is the seventh self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in 1984. The album's nine songs are performed in Johnston's usual confessional piano ballad style. This album, like those before it ...

. As well as having an improved sound quality than '

Songs of Pain ''Songs of Pain'' is the first album by folk singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded on a simple tape recorder and released on Compact Cassette. Johnston recorded these songs in the basement of his parents' house in West Virginia.

', 'More' also showcases Johnston becoming less self referential in his lyrics, with only More Dead Than Alive''' referring back to 'Monkey in a Zoo'.

Legacy

In 2003, Jason MacNeil writing for

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

described ''Songs of Pain'' and ''More Songs of Pain'' as "Overall easy on the ears," but said that Johnston's "whiney vocals" could be "challenging at times". He also compared the album to later acts such as

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a ...

and Ben Folds. MacNeil also considers "You Put My Love out the Door" as a highlight of the album, calling it "a melodic and somber mid-tempo tune where Johnston pours his heart out yet again about an old flame", but criticized " Never Get To Heaven" as "ragged and average". In 2006,

Kimya Dawson Kimya Dawson (born November 17, 1972) is an American folk singer-songwriter, one half of the anti-folk duo the Moldy Peaches. Dawson's work with the Moldy Peaches earned them a cult following and critical acclaim, with their 2001 song "Anyone El ...

covered "Follow That Dream" for the Daniel Johnston tribute album ''I Killed The Monster''. In 2010,

Douglas Wolk Douglas Wolk (born 1970) is a Portland, Oregon-based author and critic. He has written about comics and popular music for publications including ''The New York Times'', ''Rolling Stone'', ''The Washington Post'', ''The Nation'', ''The New Republi ...

writing for

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described ''More Songs of Pain'' as "a accomplished if less bracing take on a lot of the same themes [...as

]". When ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' published their "12 essential Daniel Johnston tracks" list in 2019, "Phantom of My Own Opera" was included. NBC News described ''More Songs of Pain'' and Johnston's other 1983 albums as having "oblique, yet touching lyrics", as well as "oddly contagious melodies".

Track listing

Original Cassette

2010 The Story Of An Artist box-set

2019 CD Re-issue

Release history

''The Lost Recordings''

Recorded concurrently with ''More Songs Of Pain'', ''The Lost Recordings'' is a two-volume set of albums containing previously unreleased material from 1983. The tapes were re-discovered by Johnston in 1990, when they were found underneath his bed. Both volumes of The Lost Recordings contain 'unfinished sketches' and 'half-hearted demos.' Additionally, both album covers are dated 1983; yet, Johnston's official digital download website dates it as 1981 - 1983, whilst his physical media store dates it as 1979 - 1983. Love Defined would later be re-recorded for '

', and ' Happy Talk' would receive a studio recording on ' It's Spooky.' The album also features a shorter version of 'Blue Cloud' from the More Songs of Pain album.

Track listing

Volume One

Volume Two

References

{{Authority control Daniel Johnston albums 1983 albums Albums recorded in a home studio