Jim Allen, Author at Rock and Roll Globe

Friday, March 5, 2021

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, 2020August 5, 2020 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’

New Wave Progressive Rock Rock

Geopolitical Jams and No Cymbals: Peter Gabriel (3) at 40

May 30, 2020May 30, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1980, Biko, Games Without Frontiers, Genesis, Melt, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Public Image Ltd., Robert Fripp

How Peter Gabriel’s melting face set the pace for the ’80s

Blues Hard Rock

The Night ZZ Top Burned New Orleans Down: 45 Years of Fandango!

May 14, 2020May 14, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1975, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Fandango!, Frank Beard, Warner Bros., ZZ Top

Blues, boogie and sleazy swing = the greatest half-live album ever

North Americana

Heavy Harmony: Carla Olson’s Country-Rock Revival

May 9, 2020May 8, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments Carla Olson, Gene Clark, John York, Percy Sledge, Stephen McCarthy, Sunset Blvd. Records, Terry Reid, The Eagles, The Long Ryders, Timothy B. Schmit

Olson’s musical aviary brings Byrds, Eagles and other fellow travelers together

New Wave Pop

Argybargy at 40: When Squeeze’s Geeky Gambit Went Global

April 10, 2020April 10, 2020 Jim Allen 1 Comment 1980, Argybargy, Chris Difford, England, Glen Tilbrook, New Wave, Pulling Mussels From A Shell, Squeeze

Four decades ago Difford and Tilbrook made the New Wave safe for nerds

Music Journalism Records

The Sound of Solidarity: Artists Releasing New Music Right Now

March 31, 2020March 31, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments Bob Dylan, Dirty Projectors, Jim Lauderdale, Nine Inch Nails, Paula Carino, Uncle Leon & The Alibis

For every artist pushing their new album back to when things return to normal, there are more who are bravely staying on schedule

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