Jim Allen, Author at Rock and Roll Globe

We The Cats: Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive at 40

June 28, 2021June 28, 2021 Jim Allen 3 Comments 1981, 40th Anniversary, AM, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Brian Setzer, Cab Calloway, Graham Maby, Joe Jackson, Jumpin' Jive, Louis Jordan, Night and Day

In the Summer of ’81, a New Wave firebrand became the first neo-swing king

Hard Rock Rock

The Last Rock Star: When Billy Squier Blew Up

May 21, 2021May 23, 2021 Jim Allen 2 Comments 1981, 40th Anniversary, Billy Squier, Capitol, Capitol Records, Don't Say No, MTV, Piper

40 years ago, America said yes to Don’t Say No

New Wave Post-Punk

The Art of Arson: The Birthday Party’s Prayers on Fire at 40

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021 Jim Allen 0 Comments Anita Lane, Mick Harvey, Nick Cave, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Phil Calvert, Prayers On Fire, Rowland S. Howard, The Birthday Party, Tracy Pew

Nick Cave’s incendiary introduction to the wider world

New Wave Rock

Face Dances At 40: How The Who Moved On Without Moon

April 1, 2021April 1, 2021 Jim Allen 2 Comments 1981, 40th Anniversary, Another Tricky Day, Face Dances, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Kenney Jones, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, The Who, You Better You Bet

In 1981, the rock gods rebounded from tragedy by getting in tune with the times

jazz New Wave

How Landscape’s Subversive Synth-Pop Helped Shape the ‘80s

March 9, 2021March 15, 2021 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1981, 40th Anniversary, Blitz, Einsten A Go Go, Jazz, Kraftwerk, Landscape, New Romantic, New Wave, Spandau Ballet, Ultravox, Yellow Magic Orchestra

Follow the journey from jazz to New Romantic as “Einstein a-Go-Go” turns 40

jazz Pop Progressive Rock

How Sting Built The Soul Cages 30 Years Ago

February 22, 2021February 22, 2021 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1991, A&M Records, All This Time, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Sting, The Last Ship, The Police, The Soul Cages

Looking back at the Policeman’s understated triumph as songpoet and stealth-progger

Fusion jazz Remembrance

Chick Corea: Mourning a Keyboard Colossus

February 12, 2021February 12, 2021 Jim Allen 1 Comment Bitches Brew, Chick Corea, Chick Corea Elektric Band, Circle, Gary Burton, Miles Davis, Return To Forever, RIP

A handful of highlights from a talent too big for boundaries

jazz Progressive Rock

Abracadabra In Osaka Unearths a Magic Moment in Soft Machine History

January 6, 2021January 6, 2021 Jim Allen 0 Comments 2020, Abracadabra In Osaka, Alan Holdsworth, Elton Dean, John Marshall, MoonJune Records, Soft Machine, Soft Works

The Soft Works lineup is heard live for the first time.

Art Pop Electronic

Life Before Autobahn: Kraftwerk’s Chaotic Debut Turns 50

December 24, 2020December 24, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1970, 50th anniversary, Andreas Hohmann, Florian Schneider, Klaus Dinger, Kraftwerk, Ralf Hütter

Ralf and Florian’s first LP has been out of print for decades. That’s a crime.

New Wave

Kings of the Wild Frontier: 40 Years of Antmusic

December 22, 2020December 22, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1980, Adam and the Ants, Adam Ant, CBS Records, Chris Hughes, Dog Eat Dog, Kevin Mooney, Kings of the Wild Frontier, Marco Pirroni, Merrick, Terry Lee Miall

How Adam & The Ants’ daft cultural collision began the ‘80s with a bang

Country and/or Western Folk North Americana

Bobby Bare Sings Shel Silverstein Plus: Outlaw Country’s Odd Couple Honored at Last

November 27, 2020November 27, 2020 Jim Allen 1 Comment 2020, Bear Family, Bobby Bare, Bobby Bare Sings Shel Silverstein Plus, Shel Silverstein

An epic, overdue box gives the overlooked duo its due

Dub/Reggae New Wave Power Pop Punk

They’ve All Gone…: Beat Crazy Turns 40

November 16, 2020November 19, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1980, Beat Crazy, Biology, Booker T. And the MG's, Booker T. Jones, Fit, Graham Maby, I'm The Man, Joe Jackson, Joe Jackson Band, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Look Sharp!, Mad At You, Pretty Boys

That time Joe Jackson subverted Rock ‘n’ Roll but nobody noticed

New Wave

How Ultravox Created The ’80s With Vienna

August 5, 2020April 30, 2021 Jim Allen 1 Comment 1980, 40th Anniversary, Billy Currie, Classix Nouveaux, Connie Plank, Duran Duran, Midge Ure, Spandau Ballet, Steve Strange, Ultravox, Vienna, Visage

One band’s reinvention became the New Romantic mission statement

Glam New Wave Pop Progressive Rock Rock Rockabilly

Ready, Freddie: How The Game Changed Queen 40 Years Ago

June 29, 2020June 30, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1980, Another One Bites The Dust, Brian May, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Queen, Roger Taylor, The Game

In 1980, the arena-rock royals’ finest moment embraced disco, rockabilly, and more

Glam Music Journalism

REQUIRED READING: Trouser Glitter

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020 Jim Allen 1 Comment 1977, Alex Harvey, Ira Robbins, Irvine Welsh, Marc Bolan, Roxy Music, Sparks, T.Rex, The Clash, The Damned, The Jam, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, Trouser Press, Trouser Press Books

Ira Robbins goes glam in his novel ‘Marc Bolan Killed in Crash’

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