Kerouac - Kicks Joy Darkness

This album was much better before some of the best tracks went missing.#15 Madroad Driving was great. Whats up itoons ?

He may be a little insane, but all the best of us are.

I picked this up when it came out in 97. Sal Paradise as his character is called in On The Road, one of Kerouacs greatest works if not the best. Its one my faves right up there with Visions of Neal and Dharma Bums. To read about him in his books is to know him as he speaks constantly about Kicks, Joy and Darkness in his works. He and his buddies would be proud if they heard this album. Its fitting since Jack wanted his work to live on forever. Thanks to Ginsberg, Burroughs and some of his other good friends his legend did live on in the eyes of many people. Kerouac inspired many singers, actors, artists, authors and free lance writers. I dont think any other author can make that claim. His style is free flowing and rhythmic and words just flow as you read them. A real beatnik first and a poet second from Lowell Mass he took up on the road early bumming and bouncing around the good ol USA. He writes for both Kicks and Joy but the darkness is always there. Morphine and Juliana Hatfield do a great job on this album by two of my favorite singers. He knew Neal Cassidy who he calls Cody in Road (Original title) which the Dead also wrote a song about as well. With good ol Neal at the wheel of the bus theres no telling where bus might stop. For Kerouac and or beatnik fans everywhere this is a must have.

The beatniks would be proud

Kerouac would be proud his art has been displayed with such attention & care. Yes, it's challenging & may be hard to peg at times but there is true beauty here. And just because you may not understand it, that doesn't mean it deserves a low rating.

I picked this up when it originally came out. It is nothing short of inspirational. From the opening Morphine track to the readings by Matt Dillon, Richard Lewis, Robert Hunter, and even Steven Tyler are all just simply incredible. If you are looking for something to deepen your appreciation of Jack Kerouac or just to have something 'niche' to play on a rainy sunday, this is the album for you.

What on Earth?

This is such a great tribute CD to Jack Kerouac. As a huge Kerouac fan I was little hesitant about it at first, but it really is amazing. Everything is read clearly and in a very cool fashion. I am very much impressed by this one.

This is not a traditional music album. It is a "spoken work" album. An album where a lot of people who are fans of and were friends with Jack Kerouac and even the man himself (a recording that I suspect dates back to the early 1960s). Some of the tracks do have a music bed under them, as a lot of spoken work performances do. I highly recommend the tracks by Maggie Estep, Juliana Hatfield, Richard Lewis, Allen Ginsberg, and Johnny Depp. For those Johnny Depp fans out there who may just be buying this because it has his name on it, I suggest getting one or two of the other tracks so you can can have more an appreciation of Kerouac's work. As for the work itself: it is a bit rough around the edges, sometimes idealistic, sometimes romaticized, unrelenting, reflective, and every bit of a painting of an era done via black and white photography. I suspect all these people (with the exception of Kerouac himself, Ginsberg, and Hunter S. Thompson) were influenced by Kerouac. I suspect Ginsberg and Thompson might've been influeced by him and influenced him. The best reason I can give you to check out this album . . . or some of these tracks is that it is great to see an artist given such a fitting tribute by other artists who get the art.

In a day and age of excess - this divides and multiplies all