Album
Poetry For The Beat Generation
1959 · Jazz, Non-Music
3 collectors on Gatefold own this
Poetry For The Beat Generation is a Jazz album by Jack Kerouac & Steve Allen, originally released in 1959. On Gatefold: 12 pressings tracked, owned by 3 collectors.
About
Jack Kerouac recorded three albums of his readings between 1958 and 1959. Each is a classic in its own right, but the first, <i>Poetry for the Beat Generation</i>, is arguably the most aurally appealing. Comedian/TV personality Steve Allen was a champion of visionary artists like Kerouac and Lenny Bruce, bringing them on his show to offer them mass exposure. But his support of Kerouac became more personal when Allen improvised jazz piano accompaniment for the iconoclastic writer's readings of the pieces on this recording. Allen provides just the right amount of sympathetic counterpoint without crowding Kerouac, as the Beat hero delivers his evocative, imagistic prose in his gruff-toned Massachusetts accent. Sometimes Kerouac's pieces are lighthearted and capricious, like "Goofing at the Table"; sometimes they're bittersweet narratives, like his account of his time as a train brakeman on "October in the Railroad Earth." But they consistently capture the human predicament in all its joy and sorrow, especially with Allen adding extra emotional coloring.
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The Clerk says
The Clerk knows this whole record — the pressing quirks, the credits, the take.
Tracklist
- 1October in the Railroad Earth (with Steve Allen)7:07
- 2Deadbelly (with Steve Allen)1:04
- 3Charlie Parker (with Steve Allen)3:43
- 4Sounds of the Universe Coming in My Window (with Steve Allen)3:17
- 5One Mother (with Steve Allen)0:47
- 6Goofing At the Table (with Steve Allen)1:43
- 7Bowery Blues (with Steve Allen)3:52
- 8Abraham (with Steve Allen)1:15
- 9Dave Brubeck (with Steve Allen)0:30
- 10I Had a Slouch Hat Too One Time (with Steve Allen)6:10
- 11The Wheel of the Quivering Meat Conception (with Steve Allen)1:52
- 12Mcdougal Street Blues (with Steve Allen)3:23
- 13The Moon Her Majesty (with Steve Allen)1:36
- 14I'd Rather Be Thin Than Famous (with Steve Allen)0:37
Sound DNA
- Jazz
- Cool Jazz
- stripped-back
- meditative
- poetic
Notes from the original pressing. Later editions may differ.
Recorded in 1958. This is the original release on Dot that was withdrawn quickly at release, with only approximately 130 copies believed to have been shipped to reviewers.
Credits
The people behind it.
Performers
- Steve AllenCOMPOSED BY, PIANO PIANO PIANO, MUSIC BY
3 collectors on Gatefold own this · 12 pressings tracked on Gatefold
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