Over the years I have been fortunate enough to have heard many thousands of albums and have written millions of words giving my opinion, but there is no doubt whatsoever that the band who had more impact on my life than any other, is the progressive flamenco rock band known by very few, Carmen. There was a time in my passion for music that I spent way too much money on Jethro Tull, building a collection of rare singles and albums, using as my guide Terry Hounsome’s excellent ‘Rock Record (Second Edition)’. As well as using it to see what versions of ‘Living In The Past’ I was missing I also started looking for material by groups featuring ex or future Tull members so soon discovered the wonderful Wild Turkey, as well as Blodwyn Pig, Paris, Aviator etc but it was when I picked up The Gods that I held in my hands the first material featuring John Glascock. Formed in 1965, the original line-up included John Glascock, his brother Brian, Mick Taylor (later with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and the Rolling Stones), Ken Hensley (later with Uriah Heep) and Joe Konas. Other members at various times included Greg Lake and Lee Kerslake, so it was quite a starting point for many, but I digress. I saw that according to the bible, John was later in Chicken Shack, and then in an outfit called Carmen. Chicken Shack are well known, but who were Carmen?

At one record fair or another I finally managed to find their debut, ‘Fandangos In Space’. I fell in love with the album so much that I tried to find out more about them, and as this was back in the dark ages (i.e. pre-internet) I did the only think I could think of, which was send a letter to Record Collector asking for any information. I was contacted by various people, some with items for sale (I ended up buying a promo poster for the debut, some singles and even a white label of the debut!), one of whom was David Rees, founder of ‘A New Day’ – the Jethro Tull fanzine. He had also seen my letter and asked me if I would feel able to write a review or feature on Carmen to appear in ‘AND’, which duly came to fruition in #17 (I think). That was the first time I had ever written about music and was what gave me the inkling that I might just like doing so again if the opportunity ever arose, neither of us having any idea of the monster he had unleashed.

Carmen were originally formed in 1970 by David Allen and his sister Angela, whose parents were flamenco performers who owned the El Cid restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. David was initially trained as a flamenco guitarist while Angela was primarily a dancer who also sang and played keyboards and eventually, they settled on a core with drummer Brian Glascock and Roberto Amaral, the lead singer who was also a flamenco dancer. They had real difficulties finding a bassist, and eventually Brian suggested his brother John who was still in the UK, and he flew over and joined the band. The line-up was settled but America was just not ready for this style of music so in 1973, after gaining no interest from labels, they decided to relocate to London, which they felt would be far more receptive. Brian felt unable to travel due to family commitments so the band headed overseas without him, and they soon recruited Paul Fenton. Carmen were set to take on the world.

A series of auspicious events meant they soon gained a manager, then Tony Visconti as their producer, and their music was released on Regal Zonophone while they also became great friends with David Bowie who invited them to play  on one of the final Ziggy shows which was broadcast in America as part of ‘Midnight Special’. From 1973-1975 they released three albums with the same line-up, and toured with many major bands, including three months with Jethro Tull. When performing they had a special platform which was miked with hotspots so Roberto and Angela could dance flamenco, with their heels forming an important part of the percussive element of the band. It turned out the world was never quite ready for a band who mixed strange time signatures and flamenco music with progressive rock and dance and even though there is no doubt in my mind that they are all masterpieces, the band broke up. It was at this point that John was given the opportunity to join Jethro Tull, replacing Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond in time to play on ‘Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die’ which also featured his partner, Angela, on backing vocals.

So there is the history, what about the music? Just a little more background – this is not the first time the albums have appeared on CD, as they were initially released by Line in Germany in the Eighties, but those were very basic releases and the first track on ‘Fandangos’ had the intro missing so I normally went straight to the vinyl when I wanted to play them. Then in 2007 they were released by Angel Air records in two double CD sets, the first containing the first two albums, and the second containing the third plus an album from David Allen’s new project, Widescreen. In addition there were a couple of bonus tracks on each set, and I am convinced that what we have here are the albums and bonus cuts from those releases. All the information pertaining as to who played and produced relate to the albums, and not to the bonus cuts, which is a real shame as it would be good to have that information. Much of the imagery is taken from the original albums, including the cover which is ‘Fandangos’ with the album title changed, but there is an excellent essay from well-known proghead and writer Steve Pilkington which is well worth reading.

38 songs, 2 ½ hours in length, Carmen sound as exciting to these ears as they did the first time I came across them more than 40 years ago. Their reliance on flamenco mixed with modern progressive rock (well, modern at the time, love the Mellotrons), commercial songs and great harmony vocals mean they sound like no-one else although if someone twisted my arm behind my back, I would say there are times when it sounds as if Gentle Giant were an influence. ‘Fandangos In Space’ is easily the most played vinyl in my collection, so listening to this CD is like returning to an old friend and I find myself adding my own vocals to the harmonies which definitely lowers the quality but makes me smile. Roberto had a wonderful range and is a great singer, moving easily through to higher notes when the need arises, and in many ways, it is surprising that he did not undertake more singing in the years since Carmen, but instead he threw himself into flamenco dance, leading to him being awarded the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award from the Santa Barbara Flamenco Arts Festival in 2004.

Roberto and Angela used dance as a strong percussive element within the music, and one can hear the heel stamps and claps and well as castanets etc. They are both credited with “footwork”, the only time I have ever seen that on an album. Paul had to find a way to sit in with the dance, which was often in 6/4, keeping it tight, but also ensuring he was not getting in the way of the stamps and claps. John’s playing is immediately recognisable to anyone who has played the classic trio of ‘TOTRNR’, ‘Songs from the Wood’ and ‘Heavy Horses’ as much as I have, and one can only wonder what he would have achieved in music if he had not passed away with at the tender age of 28. David was the primary songwriter, although the others did get credits here and there, especially as they progressed, and while it was not unusual for John to play chords, David could often be found picking as opposed to striking riffs. Four-part vocal harmonies were common, with all apart from Paul taking on lead parts over the course of the three albums.   

Every time I play Carmen I ‘see’ them in my mind as this is extremely visual, with some of the numbers featuring pounding footwork and dynamism while at times they can be gentle and almost dreamy. Personally, I have always felt the music to be extremely open and something that can be played and enjoyed on first hearing, and it is no lie when I say that whatever song I am playing is my favourite. Since I first started listening to these albums more than forty years ago, they have often found their way back to my player, and unlike many albums from this period I don’t feel they have aged at all and are still incredibly fresh, exciting and invigorating. They incorporate the styles and flavours that David picked up from his parent’s flamenco restaurant where he had been appearing from the age of four yet bring that into a modern era so that while there are still plenty of acoustic guitars there is also room for the rock element plus passion and soul. This is music which has a depth and vitality that is missing from many bands that sold countless millions of albums, and I have often wondered why this band never gained the success they so richly deserved.

As Carmen toured with other bands, including the likes of Santana, Blue Öyster Cult and ELO, they gained confidence and some of those influences did have an impact on them, but they never lost their focus. The two final bonus cuts are interesting, at least to me, as I am somewhat responsible for the former while the latter is not a Carmen track at all. The first is a song that was released on a single but has never been available elsewhere, “Flamenco Fever”. This is one of the singles that I paid extortionate money for years ago but am now glad that I did as if this is indeed the Angel Air version then what can be heard on this CD was remastered from my own copy which I lent the label. The second song was a 2007 recording from Widescreen with Angela singing, “Only Talking (For John)” which is very personal, very moving, all about the person she lost.

All praise to Cherry Red for making these albums available again, all in one set. I must admit I had not played all three back-to-back for some time and it was thoroughly enjoyable. I generally play ‘Fandangos’, but the others are just as strong which again beggars the question as to why this band never made the big time they deserved. Hopefully this set has some success, and we eventually get a live recording as the material must be out there. There is high quality video/audio of the ‘Midnight Special’ show and I find it hard to believe there is not more of that available, or of other shows. Until that comes out then discover one of the finest progressive rock bands to never get the kudos they so richly deserved, Carmen.

If I had never discovered their music, nor written to Record Collector, or been asked to then write an article on them, then I doubt I would have had the life of music I have had for nearly 40 years, and for that I will always be grateful.
Review by Kev Rowland 10/10