Daniel Johnston’s ‘Artistic Vice’ to be reissued with unreleased songs
A beloved figure of DIY, lo-fi, and outsider music, the late Daniel Johnston has maintained an incredibly dedicated cult following in the five years since his passing. A testament to his continued relevance, Johnston’s 1991 album, Artistic Vice, is now being repressed onto double vinyl and will reportedly include a plethora of previously unreleased songs from the Sacramento artist.
Prior to his debut studio album Artistic Visions, Johnston had spent years constructing his own DIY releases, recording the material onto cassette tapes and distributing them throughout the local music scene via the McDonalds branch that he worked in. His unique voice and methods of recording music eventually led Johnston to grow a cult following, which has never particularly subsided.
Artistic Vice was Johnston’s first studio album, but he had made a total of 12 DIY albums and cassettes prior. Recorded after Johnston’s time at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, the record is unsuspectingly complex and offers a departure from many of the dark themes explored in previous releases like 1990. However, the album was released when Johnston’s genius was finally reaching widespread audiences, largely thanks to CD reissues and various artists citing Johnston as an influence.
Since 1991, Artistic Vice has never been fully reissued, though it had often been compiled with Johnston’s previous release, 1990. To remedy this, Eye Records, alongside BMG, have unveiled plans for the Artistic Vice Collector’s Edition. The deluxe double-album reissue will be pressed on heavyweight coloured vinyl, featuring the original LP and an extra record of previously unreleased songs cut from the album back in 1991.
This previously unheard material is largely comprised of demo songs, rehearsal outtakes, and tracks that were simply cut from the final mix of the record. One of these new tracks, ‘All Good Children Got to Die,’ has been released ahead of the album, giving a feel both for the emotional weight of Johnston’s material during this time and the incredibly high level at which the lo-fi master was operating.
In addition to this exciting new material, the collector’s edition of Artistic Vice is also set to feature a brand-new lyric booklet and rare photographs of Johnston and The EYE Band, who he worked with on the album.
Artistic Vice marked the first time Johnston had fronted a band rather than working entirely independently, and this added new layers to his distinctive style. Members of the group have provided quotes and anecdotes for the new edition of Artistic Vice, which comes 33 years after the album originally hit the shelves.
Artistic Vice Collector’s Edition is due for release on October 18th. The album has been remastered by Johnston’s old collaborator Kramer, whose record label Shimmy Disc originally published Artistic Vice back in the 1990s.
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