Daniel Johnston’s triumphantly swaggering “To Go Home” strides out at the head of four quality tracks from the very on-form M. WARD. Surrounded by his own production, his own friends (Mike Coykendakll, Rachel Blumberg, Jordan Hudson, Howe Gelb, Neko Case et al.) and his own distinctive approach this is the very stuff of good record collections. The gatefold 7” double vinyl is exactly how the fondlables (Zappa F.) should be presented: sumptuously beautiful to look at, nicely informative and reassuringly heavy. A poster too!
We know “To Go Home” from the Post-War album. But “Cosmopolitan Pap”, “Human Punching Bag” and “Headed For A Fall” are new releases. “Headed For a Fall”, written by Kevin Welch, Jimmie Dale Gilmour and David Hammond opens with a sweetly slurred brass section (like a slowed down ROY WOOD’S WIZARD) and opens out into a great big country tune of epic proportions. First ragged cousin to LAMBCHOPS’s country/soul drift.
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“Cosmopolitan Pap” includes Howe Gelb sitting in on a WARD tune. The tempo has s Johnny Cash rasp about it and there’s some dinky piano runs, a lap steel guitar, and a slightly mad reverb on the vocal. Nice.
And “Human Punching Bag” is so so sad. Worth the money all on its own. A bit reminsicent of The Eagles’“Desperado” in tone and tune. But much more melancholy raw. This is WARD at his very best, with one of his own songs. There’s a dragging piano: too tired, too drunk, too worn down. There’s a big splashing drum kit flopping its sad way home and there’s WARD’s close-mic’ed voice crooning and sighing the sad tale. Exquisite.
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