Customer Reviews

Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Now and then a CD gets better the more you listen. Such is the case with Kicks Joy Darkness, a tribute to Jack Kerouac. It was released in 1997, but I recently rediscovered it and put it in my car so I could listen again. I'm glad I did.

The CD is a tribute in words, music and voices to one of the greatest writers of our time. Here, his work is interpreted by a diverse range of talents, including actor Matt Dillon, Morphine, Michael Stipe, the awesome band Come, and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, as well as Jack's contemporaries Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg.

The best two tracks are "Dream: "Us Kids Swim off a Gray Pier" by Tyler, who does a phenomenal job of evoking Jack's images of summer through spoken word, and "MacDougal Street Blues," which is Jack's own voice backed by the late great Joe Strummer on electronic beat and keyboards. It's nothing short of sublime.

I like Jack's work because he seems to be a reluctant hero, which is what he was. Once his "On the Road" was reviewed by the New York Times in 1957, he was touted as The Next Big Thing and the spokesperson of a generation (the Beat generation for sure). And sort of like Kurt Cobain in the Nineties, who was also given the role of spokesperson of a generation against his will, Jack resisted. He never wanted to be anything but a writer, so fame ate him up and overshadowed the very thing that had catapulted him to the forefront in the first place - his talent.

My only complaint about this CD is that none of Jack's novels (his best work) are represented here, which is why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5. I recommend picking up this CD as it's definitely worth a listen.

Kerouac enthusiasts are well-served with recordings of their master's work read by others. I can think of several such albums already available, mainly of his well known books: On The Road, The Dharma Bums, Visions of Cody, Big Sur, and Mexico City Blues. There are also Jack's own recordings, released on a 3-CD Rhino Records set, in which he tends to explore more unfamiliar territory, such as his Pomes All Sizes, Old Angel Midnight, and Book of Blues, with just the occasional excursion into the more familiar realms of The Subterraneans, Desolation Angels, Lonesome Traveler, and Visions of Cody.

Such is the case with this tribute CD from Rykodisc where the producer (and nephew of Jack's last wife) Jim Sampas, has deliberately chosen more unfamiliar texts for the galaxy of star talents on this release to read. The reasoning behind this decision was apparently to show Kerouac in a different light, and to demonstrate the wide range of his different styles. In this objective Sampas has succeeded admirably.

Accordingly, there are readings of the more obscure items from Pomes All Sizes and Book of Blues as well as four texts which have never before been published: Brooklyn Bridge Blues, America's New Trinity of Love: Dean, Brando, Presley, and two dreams: "On a Sunny Afternoon...", and "Us Kids Swim Off a Great Pier". The excellent 32-page booklet includes the full text of all the readings, and so represents the first publication of these items. It also has some photos of Jack, and paintings by him which have not been widely seen.

So, who is reading the texts? A host of talent from the worlds of music, film and literature. The late Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs are present, as are Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Hunter S Thompson and Jim Carroll. The musician readers include R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, John Cale, Warren Zevon, the Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, Eric Anderson and Julia Hatfield. Other musicians, such as Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, ex-10,000 Maniacs guitarist Rob Buck, and Jeff Buckley provide backings for the readers. From the land of film and stage come Johnny Depp and Matt Dillon, as well as comedian Richard Lewis. There's even a previously unheard recording of Kerouac himself, reading from his MacDougal Street Blues, with over-dubbed bass, synth and guitar by Joe Strummer. Jack can also be heard in the background of Robert Hunter's reading from Visions of Cody, skatting "A Foggy Day in London Town" from a rare tape recorded at the Cassady's home in 1952.

What of the readings? Well, they cover a wide range of interpretations, from the stark Lydia Lunch on Bowery Blues and the wild Maggie Estep on Skid Row Wine to the child-like rendition by Julia Hatfield of Silly Goofball Pomes, and the improvisation of Patti Smith on The Last Hotel, the poem of Jack's which always reminds me of Arthur Rimbaud. The readers I most enjoyed were those who sounded like Jack and who phrased like Jack, since I truly believe that no one can read Kerouac as well as Kerouac did. Accordingly, my favorite reader has to be Lee Ranaldo, who delivers a magnificent reading of a letter to John Clellon Holmes in which Jack is telling of his encounter with the beautiful "Good Blonde" who gave him a lift up the west coast in 1955. I could listen to that voice reading Kerouac all day long. All night too. Runners up in this category would have to be Robert Hunter (Visions of Cody), Warren Zevon (Running Through - Chinese Poem Song), and Matt Dillon (Mexican Loneliness).

Allen Ginsberg does a fine reading of the previously unseen Brooklyn Bridge Blues, recorded at the Town Hall, NYC, in 1995. Only 8½ of the total of 10 choruses were read by Allen because, on the day, the last page had somehow become lost. To rectify this shortcoming, Eric Anderson can be heard performing the missing 1½ choruses on a separate track, from the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, no less, with the sounds of the traffic passing by.

As well as the Kerouac readings, two of the tracks feature new material. The band Morphine perform "Kerouac", their own tribute to the man, and Hunter S Thompson, after reading a short extract from one of Jack's letters to William Burroughs, adds his own "Ode to Jack" in homage to his hero.

The musical accompaniments cover a wide spectrum of styles. No jazz, which Jack preferred, and which backed some of his own recordings, but rock sounds of varying intensities and complexities. I still reckon that Jack would have approved.

The CD as a whole presents a vast variety of content, reading styles and musical accompaniments, all fitted together in a pleasing sequence that would be hard to beat. The playing time is extremely generous at 79½ minutes, and the complete package is indeed a fine tribute to Jack Kerouac. Producer Jim Sampas is to be congratulated in putting it all together. Let's hope that this is but the first of many such projects.

Kicks Joy Darkness: This is worth at least two listens by anyone interested in the beat era.

A great variety of people here from Johnny Depp to Allen Ginsberg to Steven Tyler, Matt Dillon, Maggie Estep etc backed up, in most cases, by one band or another.
Oddly, Allen Ginsberg's recitation is one of the weakest.

This CD is great for those mixed CDs you burn for your strange friends who like Lord Buckley-esque found-sound 'The Books' type stuff.

A well chosen and diverse mix of musicians, poets and writers contribute intimate interpretations of Kerouac's poetry. Haunting, graceful, raw and humorous, a brilliant album highly recommended. Special hilights-Hunter S Thompson's gonzo "Ode to Jack," Morphine's smoky "Kerouac," and Maggie Estep & the Spitters aggressive "Skid Row Wine." Jack himself is heard to a house beat by Joe Strummer on "Macdougal St Blues." One of a kind.

This CD would serve as a great introduction to Kerouac's work. The balance between spoken word and musical performance is near perfect and serves to show the timelessness of effective poetry.

For those of you who know Kerouac, you know that my screen name comes from "The Brooklyn Bridge Blues" - a track on this wonderful CD. For those of you who aren't that familiar with his work, I would highly recommend this collection.

Lydia Lunch's version of "Bowery Blues" is reason enough to get it - sultry, dangerous and mad with introspective passion. John Cale does a really nice rendition of "The Moon", one of Jack's more beautiful poems.

There are other gems here, as well. Juliana Hatfield's take on "Silly Goofball Pomes" has that perfect, childlike sound. "Mexican Loneliness" and Jack's "Dream" highlight his descriptive brilliance.

Very nicely done..

A very good CD. Includes some of Kerouac's greatest poetry, and even bits of music. Although only 1 track (Track 9: Mac Dougal Street Blues) is actually rehersed by Kerouac, the other poems are still magnificent. All poems on this CD were written by Kerouac (Except for the first), but only one recitied by him. The rest are recitied by people such as Steve Tyler, Eddie Vedder, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jim Carrol, etc. It even includes music, one song sung by Eddie Vedder (Track 11: Hymn). Although most of the CD is poetry. I would highly recomend this CD for all who enjoy Kerouac's work.

yes. these selected readings of kerouacs work reveres his brilliance.what a comfort it is to know that people of today respect and acknowledge the superb depth of kerouac's expertise. we are on the brink of a new beat era, a bohemian revival, if you will. delve into this album and acknowledge that there is more to the words than first thought. acknowledge, and know.

This is so cool. Today's artists perform his words, in their own way. I really liked Juliana Hatfield's readings. There is straight readings and others with music. Some are very strange. END