Carmen (rock band)
Encyclopedia
Carmen was a British-American band active from 1970–1975. Their style was a fusion of rock music
and flamenco
music and dance. While the band achieved some success in recording and performance, its greatest significance lies in later contributions of its members to more famous rock groups.
.
In London, they became friendly with several rock stars of the time, including David Bowie
. Marc Bolan
, and Bryan Ferry
. Obtaining the services of producer Tony Visconti
, released three albums: Fandangos in Space
(1973), Dancing on a Cold Wind
(1974), and The Gypsies (1975). By early 1975, the band was enjoying its greatest success, playing as an opening act at concerts by Santana
, Blue Öyster Cult
, and Electric Light Orchestra
, and touring for three months as the opener for Jethro Tull
. A series of unfortunate events then occurred while the group was recording The Gypsies at Longview Farm. Paul Fenton seriously damaged his knee, stopping his career as a drummer for many years. Carmen and Tony Visconti ended their musical relationship, and the band's manager left. Carmen disbanded shortly after finishing their last album in 1975.
, and castanets—all supported by a traditional rock rhythm section.
fame among others. In 1984 he was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent surgery. He then reinvented his life, earning much acclaim as a photographer, first working in the field of erotic anthropology and then as a black and white family portrait specialist near London. The recent re-release of Carmen’s three albums, by Angelair, was the catalyst for David’s inspiration to make new music. His first album of new instrumental music in 30 years, released in the same package as The Gypsies brought David into contact with renowned producer and mixer Laurence Lush. The new album became the seed for a new band - Widescreen. Widescreen has now become FLAMEXICANO!. Channeling much of the progressive flamenco rock flavour of Carmen’s music, FLAMEXICANO! combines Charlotte’s fiery surf violin and sweet french accordion, Devid Del'Aiera's thunderous double basslines, Pablo Parrachino's snake-hipped percussion/drums and David Clark Allen's intricate guitar and brutal vocals giving FLAMEXICANO!'s music a film score quality which falls somewhere between Sergio Leone and Nine Inch Nails.
Glascock joined Jethro Tull
in 1975, and Angela Allen, his romantic partner at the time, contributed backing vocals on Tull's recording Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!
. Their relationship ended shortly after, and in 1979, at the age of 28, Glascock's life sadly was cut short due to complications caused by a congenital heart condition. Angela Allen currently resides in London and still continues to sing, recently contributing vocals for the Widescreen album.
Paul Fenton was badly injured in a fall from a horse around the time of Carmen's break-up. He had already built a career for himself as a drummer outside of Carmen, in particular working with Marc Bolan's T-Rex; he's currently playing in a Bolan tribute band.
Roberto Amaral, who currently resides in Van Nuys, California, has continued to create music as a singer, songwriter and producer. At the same time he has established himself as the leading flamenco teacher/choreographer in Southern California. After over 30 years, his dance companies Fuego Flamenco and Espana clasica continue to received public and critical acclaim. He is currently collaborating on writing the book and musical score for an original stage play incorporating flamenco dance. He has also formed a production company called Delicia Music.
The first two albums were re-issued by Angel Air records as a 2 CD set in October 2006. Carmens' third album -The Gypsies - was re-issued by Angel Air records in May 2007, also as a 2 CD set. The second CD is entitled 'Widescreen' and contains new instrumental music by David Clark Allen. FLAMEXICANO! ( the artists formerly known as Widescreen) has now become the new musical project of David, the founder of Carmen. The band - David, Charlotte, Pablo and Devid - brought their cinematic electroflamenco musical vision straight into the La Linea Festival where they opened for the Buena Vista Social Club, Eliades Ochoa and Ojos de Brujo. FLAMEXICANO! is a fiery, passionate remix of Carmens unique musical style.
David Allen - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Flamenco Guitars, Lyrics
Adam Moody - Guitar
Mark Moody - Bass Guitar
Brian Glascock - Drums
December 1971-1973 Lineup
David Allen - Lead Vocals, Lyrics, Acoustic Flamenco Guitars, Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
Roberto Amaral - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Lyrics
Adam Moody - Guitar
Nigel Griggs - Bass Guitar
Brian Glascock - Drums
1973-1975 Lineup
David Allen - Lead Vocals, Electric Guitars, Acoustic Flamenco Guitars, Lyrics, Backup Vocals, Synthesizer, Mellotron, Piano
Roberto Amaral - Lyrics, Vibes, Chimes, Backup Vocals, Percussion, Footwork, Lead Vocals, Castanets
John Glascock
- Bass Guitar, Backup Vocals, Lead Vocals, Lyrics, Bass Pedals, Synthesizers
Angela Allen - Synthesizer, Mellotron, Footwork, Backup Vocals, Piano, Lead Vocals
Paul Fenton - Drums, Percussion, Backup Vocals
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
music and dance. While the band achieved some success in recording and performance, its greatest significance lies in later contributions of its members to more famous rock groups.
History
The group was founded by David Clark Allen, a Mexican/American Californian trained in flamenco guitar. Originally a seven-member band in Los Angeles, USA, the band in the early seventies relocated to London, England, where the personnel soon stabilized as a quintetQuintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
.
In London, they became friendly with several rock stars of the time, including David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
, and Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
. Obtaining the services of producer Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
, released three albums: Fandangos in Space
Fandangos in Space
Fandangos In Space is the 1973 debut album by flamenco-rock band Carmen.- Track listing :#Bulerias #Bullfight #Stepping Stone #Sailor Song #Lonely House...
(1973), Dancing on a Cold Wind
Dancing on a Cold Wind
Dancing on a Cold Wind is a 1974 album by flamenco-rock band Carmen. It was released on CD with the previous album, Fandangos in Space.-Track listing:#"Viva Mi Sevilla"...
(1974), and The Gypsies (1975). By early 1975, the band was enjoying its greatest success, playing as an opening act at concerts by Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
, and Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
, and touring for three months as the opener for Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
. A series of unfortunate events then occurred while the group was recording The Gypsies at Longview Farm. Paul Fenton seriously damaged his knee, stopping his career as a drummer for many years. Carmen and Tony Visconti ended their musical relationship, and the band's manager left. Carmen disbanded shortly after finishing their last album in 1975.
Music
Carmen's stage performances typically featured Amaral and Angela Allen dancing on a specially amplified stage floor, so that their flamenco zapateado became an integral part of the music. Additional Spanish influences in their sound included acoustic guitar interludes in flamenco style, occasional Spanish lyrics, themes of betrayed love reminiscent of Federico Garcia LorcaFederico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
, and castanets—all supported by a traditional rock rhythm section.
Further careers
David Allen continued to pursue a music career, writing songs for Agnetha of ABBAABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
fame among others. In 1984 he was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent surgery. He then reinvented his life, earning much acclaim as a photographer, first working in the field of erotic anthropology and then as a black and white family portrait specialist near London. The recent re-release of Carmen’s three albums, by Angelair, was the catalyst for David’s inspiration to make new music. His first album of new instrumental music in 30 years, released in the same package as The Gypsies brought David into contact with renowned producer and mixer Laurence Lush. The new album became the seed for a new band - Widescreen. Widescreen has now become FLAMEXICANO!. Channeling much of the progressive flamenco rock flavour of Carmen’s music, FLAMEXICANO! combines Charlotte’s fiery surf violin and sweet french accordion, Devid Del'Aiera's thunderous double basslines, Pablo Parrachino's snake-hipped percussion/drums and David Clark Allen's intricate guitar and brutal vocals giving FLAMEXICANO!'s music a film score quality which falls somewhere between Sergio Leone and Nine Inch Nails.
Glascock joined Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
in 1975, and Angela Allen, his romantic partner at the time, contributed backing vocals on Tull's recording Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! is the ninth studio album released by British band Jethro Tull. It is widely considered a concept album. The remastered 2002 CD version contains two bonus tracks that were cut from the original LP, "Small Cigar" and "Strip Cartoon"...
. Their relationship ended shortly after, and in 1979, at the age of 28, Glascock's life sadly was cut short due to complications caused by a congenital heart condition. Angela Allen currently resides in London and still continues to sing, recently contributing vocals for the Widescreen album.
Paul Fenton was badly injured in a fall from a horse around the time of Carmen's break-up. He had already built a career for himself as a drummer outside of Carmen, in particular working with Marc Bolan's T-Rex; he's currently playing in a Bolan tribute band.
Roberto Amaral, who currently resides in Van Nuys, California, has continued to create music as a singer, songwriter and producer. At the same time he has established himself as the leading flamenco teacher/choreographer in Southern California. After over 30 years, his dance companies Fuego Flamenco and Espana clasica continue to received public and critical acclaim. He is currently collaborating on writing the book and musical score for an original stage play incorporating flamenco dance. He has also formed a production company called Delicia Music.
Discography
- 1974 Fandangos in SpaceFandangos in SpaceFandangos In Space is the 1973 debut album by flamenco-rock band Carmen.- Track listing :#Bulerias #Bullfight #Stepping Stone #Sailor Song #Lonely House...
- 1975 Dancing on a cold windDancing on a Cold WindDancing on a Cold Wind is a 1974 album by flamenco-rock band Carmen. It was released on CD with the previous album, Fandangos in Space.-Track listing:#"Viva Mi Sevilla"...
- 1976 The Gypsies
The first two albums were re-issued by Angel Air records as a 2 CD set in October 2006. Carmens' third album -The Gypsies - was re-issued by Angel Air records in May 2007, also as a 2 CD set. The second CD is entitled 'Widescreen' and contains new instrumental music by David Clark Allen. FLAMEXICANO! ( the artists formerly known as Widescreen) has now become the new musical project of David, the founder of Carmen. The band - David, Charlotte, Pablo and Devid - brought their cinematic electroflamenco musical vision straight into the La Linea Festival where they opened for the Buena Vista Social Club, Eliades Ochoa and Ojos de Brujo. FLAMEXICANO! is a fiery, passionate remix of Carmens unique musical style.
Members
1970-November 1971 LineupDavid Allen - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Flamenco Guitars, Lyrics
Adam Moody - Guitar
Mark Moody - Bass Guitar
Brian Glascock - Drums
December 1971-1973 Lineup
David Allen - Lead Vocals, Lyrics, Acoustic Flamenco Guitars, Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals
Roberto Amaral - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Lyrics
Adam Moody - Guitar
Nigel Griggs - Bass Guitar
Brian Glascock - Drums
1973-1975 Lineup
David Allen - Lead Vocals, Electric Guitars, Acoustic Flamenco Guitars, Lyrics, Backup Vocals, Synthesizer, Mellotron, Piano
Roberto Amaral - Lyrics, Vibes, Chimes, Backup Vocals, Percussion, Footwork, Lead Vocals, Castanets
John Glascock
John Glascock
John Glascock was the bass guitarist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist for the progressive rock band Carmen. He was also the bass guitarist and backing vocalist for the progressive rock band Jethro Tull from December 1975 until August 1979...
- Bass Guitar, Backup Vocals, Lead Vocals, Lyrics, Bass Pedals, Synthesizers
Angela Allen - Synthesizer, Mellotron, Footwork, Backup Vocals, Piano, Lead Vocals
Paul Fenton - Drums, Percussion, Backup Vocals
Links
http://www.flamexicano.net- http://www.studiowner.com/essays/essay.asp?books=0&pagnum=82 Studio owner's Carmen memories.
- http://www.epmusic.biz Carmen licensing.
- http://www.geocities.jp/srza8518/