Jim Allen, Author at Rock and Roll Globe

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

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

Remembrance Rock

Six Reasons To Miss Keith Olsen

March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 Jim Allen 2 Comments Fleetwood Mac, Keith Olsen, Lindsey Buckingham, Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield, Sammy Hagar, Stevie Nicks, The Scorpions, Whitesnake

The producer’s passing leaves a hole in the rock ‘n’ roll firmament

New Wave

Get Happy!! Turns 40

February 25, 2020March 3, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1980, Armed Forces, Bruce Thomas, CBS Records, Elvis Costello, Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Get Happy!!, My Aim Is True, Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve, This Year's Model, Trust

How Elvis Costello’s soul searching about face expanded the New Wave lexicon in 1980

Folk Progressive Rock

Stormwatch: The Final Fling for Jethro Tull’s Classic Lineup

February 7, 2020February 10, 2020 Jim Allen 0 Comments 1979, 40th Anniversary, Chrysalis Records, Heavy Horses, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Martin Barre, Rhino, Songs from the Wood, Stormwatch

With death, dissolution and the ’80s looming, they dug deep for one last blast

Glam New Wave Pop Post-Punk Rock

Quiet Life At 40: How Japan Traded Glam Rags for the New Romantic Crown

January 6, 2020January 6, 2020 Jim Allen 2 Comments 1979, 40th Anniversary, Classix Nouveaux, David Sylvain, Duran Duran, Giorgio Moroder, Life in Tokyo, Mick Karn, Quiet Life, Robert Fripp, Spandau Ballet, The Velvet Underground, Ultravox

At the end of 1979, David Sylvian’s arty crew was born anew

Experimental jazz Rock Soul

Chicago Transit Authority’s 50th Anniversary Recalls a Time When Chicago was Cool

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 Jim Allen 1 Comment 1969, 50th anniversary, Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority, Peter Cetera, Rhino, Terry Kath

Despite a controversial new remaster, the double-length debut of this legendary big band at its most experimental continues to reveal new shades of fancy colours a half-century later

Folk Pop Roots

ALBUMS: Thanks for the Dance is Leonard Cohen’s Letter from Eternity

November 22, 2019November 27, 2019 Jim Allen 0 Comments 2019, Arcade Fire, Beck, Damien Rice, Daniel Lanois, Feist, Happens to the Heart, It's Torn, Jennifer Warnes, Legacy Recordings, Leonard Cohen, Thanks for the Dance, The National, The Night of Santiago, You Want it Darker

The master songwriter’s posthumous envoi arrives

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