''Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road'' is a compilation album by American novelist and poet

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...

, released posthumously on September 14, 1999. The centrepiece of the record is a 28-minute recitation by Kerouac from his book ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...

'' that was recorded on an acetate disc in the 1950s but thought lost for decades, and had only recently been rediscovered at the time of release. Other tracks feature Kerouac singing renditions of Jazz hits from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s alongside songs and poems of his own composition. The album closes with a cover of Kerouac's track "On the Road" (itself included earlier on the disc) performed by

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

with Primus. Video footage of the recording of this track can be seen on the Primus release ''

Videoplasty ''Videoplasty'' is the third home video by Primus, following 1993's '' Cheesy Home Video'' and the fan club exclusive ''Horrible Swill''. ''Videoplasty'' was released at the end of 1998 to complement the band's recent covers EP ''Rhinoplasty'', ...

'', and the track itself was later included on the Tom Waits collection '' Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards'', along with a version of the same song titled "Home I'll Never Be".

Track listing

Critical reception

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

, in his review for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, describes the album as "a worthy collection of Jack Kerouac's narratives and poetry", noting that it is particularly enjoyable to hear Kerouac recite his work "since his prose had much of a jazz rhythm, and since he was an engaging reader/performer himself." Unterberger goes on to say that Kerouac's singing is "unexpected, and amusing if not brilliant".

Personnel

;Musicians *

- Vocals *Andreu Johnny Almendra - Bongos, Drums *

David Amram David Werner Amram III (born November 17, 1930) is an American composer, arranger, and conductor of orchestral, chamber, and choral works, many with jazz flavorings.

- Percussion, Piano, French Horn *

Candido Camero Candido is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Candido Amantini (1914–1992), Italian Roman Catholic priest * Candido Camero known simply as "Candido" (1921-2020), Cuban percussionist * Candido Jacu ...

- Conga * Ralph Carney - Saxophone * Les Claypool - Bass, Percussion *

Vic Juris Victor Edward Jurusz Jr. (September 26, 1953 – December 31, 2019), known professionally as Vic Juris, was an American jazz guitarist. Music career Juris was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but he moved with his family to Parsippany early in ...

- Guitar *

Larry LaLonde Reid Laurence "Larry" LaLonde (born September 12, 1968), also known as Ler LaLonde, is an American musician best known as the guitarist for Primus, a position that he has served since 1989, where he is known for his experimental accompaniment t ...

- Guitar, Percussion *

Bryan "Brain" Mantia Bryan Kei Mantia (born February 4, 1963), known professionally as Brain, is an American rock drummer. He has played with bands such as Primus, Guns N' Roses, Praxis, and Godflesh, and with other performers such as Tom Waits, Serj Tankian, Bill ...

- Percussion * John Medeski - Organ *Midhat Serbagi - Viola *Jane Taylor - Bassoon *Victor Venegas - Bass *

- Vocals, Guitar, Percussion ;Other personnel *

Douglas Brinkley Douglas Brinkley (born December 14, 1960) is an American author, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities, and professor of history at Rice University. Brinkley is the history commentator for CNN, Presidential Historian for the New York Histori ...

- Liner Notes *Bernd Burgdorf - Engineer, Mixing *Greg Calbi - Mastering, Digital Transfers *Biff Dawes - Engineer *Steve Fallone - Mastering, Digital Transfers *

Robert Frank Robert Frank (November 9, 1924 – September 9, 2019) was a Swiss photographer and documentary filmmaker, who became an American binational. His most notable work, the 1958 book titled ''The Americans'', earned Frank comparisons to a modern-da ...

- Photography * David Greenberg - Photography *Jimmy Harned - Assistant Engineer *Dan Lawrence - Engineer, Mixing *Jerry Newman - Engineer, Mixing *Frank Olinsky - Art Direction, Design * Lee Ranaldo - Producer, Digital Editing *Jim Sampas - Producer, Engineer, Digital Transfers *

Sean Slade Sean Slade (born 14 November 1957) is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer. On many of his productions he worked in partnership with Paul Q. Kolderie. Career Slade was born in Lansing, Michigan, United States. He graduated from Yal ...

- Digital Transfers *Jeff Sloan - Engineer * Michael Stipe - Photography

References

{{Authority control Jack Kerouac albums 1999 compilation albums On the Road