Terry Allen - Juarez

Audacious, ambitious, and outlaw, Terry Allen's Juarez stands out in any time period.  In fact, it was released in 1975, and its song cycle of of the road, featuring unreliable "facts", fringe characters, sex, violence, and a touch of Mexican history realized the young Texan art student's eccentric vision.  It was accompanied by a series of lithographs, and eventually a screenplay and sculptural and video presentation.  But at its core, it is a special set of connected songs, well written and sincerely performed.  The primary instrumentation is Allen's piano, underpinning Allen's Texas twang delivering lyrics that are gritty but poetic.

Hailing from small-town Texas, Allen is better known as an painter, sculptor and performance artist, and his work in those areas has drawn praise and awards.  But Juarez deserves to live again, and to delight those that were unaware of its existence.  It now has been reissued by Paradise of Bachelors, and for the first time since the '70s is available with Allen's artwork.  The release is in vinyl, CD and digital formats.

I've tried to provide a flavor for the tale, and the quality of the music, with the streams below.  But the only way to truly appreciate this album is to go to the Bandcamp link and play it start to finish.  It is worth your time.











Bandcamp for Juarez
Paradise of Bachelors