If there’s ever going to be a movie biopic of 70s Anglo-American outfit Carmen, the pitch would be: ‘flamenco music and dancing meets progressive rock.’ Although viewed as a musical oddity, they were befriended by ; and their first two albums, (1973) and (1974) were created with the services of producer . While mixing different styles and genres was key to achieving their sound, Carmen don’t just rely on founder David Clark Allen’s fearsomely precise guitar to do the job, but also import flamenco’s signature hand-clapping, the percussive foot-stomping and numerous rousing cries of ‘Olé!’ into the mix.
Allen’s admiration for prog contemporaries including and is detectable in the writing as Mellotrons, Moogs and a penchant for dramatic contrasts make their presence felt. While this gives his band many opportunities to showcase their obvious instrumental prowess, the vocals often come with an over-the-top macho swagger that feels somewhat anachronistic today. With the chorus ‘She’s a shady lady and she make you cry.
.. she’ll tell you lies,’ it’s as lame as it sounds Having parted company with Visconti, their third album from 1975, , continues in much the same vein; though there are some shifts toward a more commercial mainstream direction.
wilts under the weight of cheesy hooks while – with the chorus ‘She’s a shady lady and she make you cry...
she’ll tell you lies’ – is as lame as it sounds. Despite high-profile support slots with the l.
