Song · King Crimson
“Neal & Jack & Me” by King Crimson
From the album Beat (1982)
“Neal & Jack & Me” by King Crimson appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1982 and 2010. It was first released in 1982 on the album Beat. Its best result is #84 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #119 alternative song of 1982.
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"Neal & Jack & Me" kicks off Beat, King Crimson's ninth studio album, released in June 1982, and it sets out the record's agenda: Adrian Belew's lyric tips its hat to Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady and name-checks On the Road, The Subterraneans, Visions of Cody and Satori in Paris. The Beat Generation angle came from Robert Fripp, who caught Belew reading Kerouac and suggested building the album's words on those books, with the 25th anniversary of On the Road as a spur.
Musically it picks up the thread from Discipline, Fripp and Belew locking guitar patterns in 5/4 and 7/8 over Tony Levin's bass and Chapman stick and Bill Bruford's drums, the same four players as last time, which was a first for King Crimson. Rhett Davies produced it, and it went out as the B-side of "Heartbeat", the album's only single.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 84 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982 | 107 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 408 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) | 885 |
Also listed as: Neal And Jack And Me.
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