Fandangos In Space

Born in Los Angeles, California, David Clark Allen and sister Angela were raised on Spanish music, as their parents operated a club on the Sunset Strip. In the early 70s, the pair met another kindred spirit: dancer Roberto Amaral. With a vision of combining flamenco music with rock, they formed Carmen with former The Gods and Toe Fat drummer Brian Glascock. However, it took moving to London and catching the attention of the glam world for the band to take flight. It's no wonder, as their live show featured dancing of Angela and Amaral's flamenco dancing on a specially amplified stage: a feat of aural and visual spectacle. Glascock did not make the trip, but Carmen added his brother John on bass—he had recently departed Chicken Shack after a brief stay—and recruited drummer Paul Fenton. It was through Fenton that the band gained management and, most importantly, a recording contract with Regal Zonophone. With Tony Visconti at the helm, Carmen recorded their debut album, Fandangos In Space, in 1973. As the spirited "Bulerias" attests, the band present a rousing, well-crafted hybrid of (you guessed it) Latin music and progressive rock. Despite a few dips, the album powers through; "Looking Outside (My Window)" and the title track are the highlights. Carmen enjoyed success on the touring circuit, recording again with Visconti for 1974's Dancing On A Cold Wind before returning to the US in 1975 to open for Jethro Tull's War Child tour. But when the band decamped to a farm in Long View, Massachusetts to record a third album, The Gypsies, things quickly fell apart. Management vanished with their money and Fenton was injured in a horse riding accident. Glascock subsequently left for Jethro Tull, while Allen eventually left the music business in the early 80s.