Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road

Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road
Compilation album by Jack Kerouac
Released	September 14, 1999
Genre	Jazz, beat poetry, spoken word
Length	74:38
Label	Rykodisc
Producer	Lee Ranaldo, Jim Sampas
Jack Kerouac chronology
The Jack Kerouac Collection (1990) Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road (1999)

Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road is a compilation album by American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac. The centrepiece of the record is a 28-minute recitation by Kerouac from his book On the Road 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.^[1] 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 with Primus. Video footage of the recording of this track can be seen on the Primus release Videoplasty, and the track itself was later included on the Tom Waits collection Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Ain't We Got Fun?"	Fio Rito, Kahn, Russo, Whiting	2:34
2.	"On the Road (Jazz of the Beat Generation)"	Kerouac	28.45
3.	"On the Road"	Kerouac	2:18
4.	"Come Rain or Come Shine"	Arlen, Mercer	3:42
5.	"Orizaba 210 Blues"	Amram, Kerouac	9:34
6.	"When a Woman Loves a Man"	Hanighen, Jenkins, Mercer	2:57
7.	"Leavin' Town"	Handy, Segal	3:04
8.	"Washington D.C. Blues"	Amram, Kerouac	17:46
9.	"On the Road"	Kerouac, Waits	3:58
Total length:			48:38

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Richie Unterberger, in his review for Allmusic, 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".^[1]

Personnel

Musicians Jack Kerouac - Vocals Andreu Johnny Almendra - Bongos, Drums David Amram - Percussion, Piano, French Horn Candido Camero - Conga Ralph Carney - Saxophone Les Claypool - Bass, Percussion Vic Juris - Guitar Larry LaLonde - Guitar, Percussion Bryan "Brain" Mantia - Percussion John Medeski - Organ Midhat Serbagi - Viola Jane Taylor - Bassoon Victor Venegas - Bass Tom Waits - Vocals, Guitar, Percussion

Other personnel Douglas Brinkley - Liner Notes Bernd Burgdorf - Engineer, Mixing Greg Calbi - Mastering, Digital Transfers Biff Dawes - Engineer Steve Fallone - Mastering, Digital Transfers Robert Frank - 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 - Digital Transfers Jeff Sloan - Engineer Michael Stipe - Photography

References

1. Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road at AllMusic