“Grim, funny, epic and intimate all at once, Juarez belongs in a genre unto itself. Timeless.” – James Sullivan, Rolling Stone
“The path that Allen chose was even wilier [than his country music contemporaries]: smuggling his outsider storytelling into the art world, leaning on his gnawing Texas twang to ground his imaginings in an uncivilized landscape. With Juarez, he conjures a still-Wild West, at once romantic and grotesque, nourishing and mystical, and complete with a colorful quartet of characters.” – Jewly Height, NPR Music
Our deluxe reissue of Terry Allen’s classic 1975 debut Juarez is out this Friday, May 20—pre-orders to date have already begun shipping—but you can stream it in its full remastered glory now via Rolling Stone Country, or below. Along with the stream, writer James Sullivan discusses the High Plains, Marfa whorehouses, and “the ooze” with Terry ahead of the release. Juarez follows the haunting story of Sailor, Spanish Alice, Jabo, and Chic Blundie as they travel from San Diego and Los Angeles to Ciudad Juárez (via a bloody detour through Cortez, Colorado), and the sordid adventures they find in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
PRE-ORDERS:
$10.00 – $42.00
Other ways to purchase this release: iTunes | Amazon | Bandcamp
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/170655337?secret_token=s-sTCkS” params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
This definitive reissue of Juarez was remastered from the original analog tapes and features reprints of a series of lithographs created by Allen that were only included in the first run of 50 copies of the album. It also includes essays by Brendan Greaves of Paradise of Bachelors, musician Dave Alvin, and art critic Dave Hickey. It is the first time the album has been available on vinyl since 1980. Juarez will be followed by a reissue of Allen’s second classic album Lubbock (on everything) this fall.
The Quietus is sharing a history and analysis of the accompanying Juarez suite of lithographs here. You can also view the entire original 1975 Juarez box, released by Landfall Press, below.
Texas Monthly recently shared a new video of Allen and his sons performing the Juarez track “What of Alicia” at Texas Tech. Watch that below.
Terry Allen is also an acclaimed visual artist, and he will sharing the live performance iteration of his new kinetic video installation MemWars at SITE Santa Fe tomorrow, May 17th. MemWars is an exploration of memory, personal history, and stories spawned from America during wartime, and investigates the mysteries of songwriting. Terry will be joined by his wife, actor and writer Jo Harvey Allen, and his son, musician Bukka Allen, for this one-time only performance of songs and stories related to the video. Tickets and info at SITE Santa Fe’s site HERE.
Allen’s legacy as a visual artist is just as legendary as his music, with works included in the collections of MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, LACMA, and other world-class institutions.