Hi, How Are You
Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album, commonly referred to as simply Hi, How Are You, is the sixth self-released music cassette album by singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston, recorded in September 1983. It is arguably his most popular album. Johnston claimed he was in the midst of a nervous breakdown while recording it, and called this his "unfinished album."
Hi, How Are You | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1983 | |||
Recorded | September 1983 | |||
Genre | Lo-fi[1] | |||
Length | 30:38 | |||
Label | Self-released Stress Records Homestead Records | |||
Producer | Daniel Johnston | |||
Daniel Johnston chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The album is one of the most sonically varied of Johnston's early output. While earlier records found him focusing on piano or chord organ songs almost exclusively, this album blends both approaches along with experiments in tape and noise collage, and some tentative guitar playing. Two songs ("Desperate Man Blues" and "Keep Punching Joe") feature Johnston singing along with an instrumental LP by Johnny Dankworth.
This was the first Daniel Johnston album to be given a widely distributed release as a vinyl LP; it was released on Homestead Records in 1988.
The cover of the album was also popularized by a shirt worn by Nirvana lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain.[2]
A 2015 documentary about Johnston, titled Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston? was named after the record.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Daniel Johnston. All tracks produced by Johnston.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Poor You" | 2:03 |
2. | "Big Business Monkey" | 2:02 |
3. | "Walking the Cow" | 3:34 |
4. | "I Picture Myself with a Guitar" | 0:45 |
5. | "Despair Came Knocking" | 2:44 |
6. | "I Am a Baby (In My Universe)" | 1:37 |
7. | "Nervous Love" | 0:18 |
8. | "I'll Never Marry" | 0:21 |
9. | "Get Yourself Together" | 0:32 |
10. | "Running Water" | 1:32 |
11. | "Desperate Man Blues" | 3:40 |
12. | "Hey Joe" | 2:44 |
13. | "She Called Pest Control" | 0:53 |
14. | "Keep Punching Joe" | 3:11 |
15. | "No More Pushing Joe Around" | 4:42 |
Total length: | 30:38 |
References
- Hi, How Are You at AllMusic
- "50 Artists Who Inspired Kurt Cobain". NPR.org. Retrieved November 12, 2017.