David Allen

Biography

David C. Allen and his sister Angela Allen fronted the unusual band Carmen for three albums' worth of material released in the early to mid-'70s, some of which borders on mind-boggling. The group created a fusion where no performer had before, and it seems to be a musical terrain few have wanted to visit since -- namely, the melding of progressive rock and flamenco music. Not everything this band attempted succeeded; for example, bullfighting did not replace Satan as the main subject in heavy rock. But the versatility of the musicians involved in the Carmen band is the sonic equivalent of a full-table covering of tapas tasties.

The flamboyant producer Tony Visconti was involved with these recordings, his previous credits including artists such as Gentle Giant and David Bowie. The guitar work of David Allen is excellent, much closer to the mark in terms of an aggressive flamenco fusion model than the powder-puff noodlings of Al di Meola or Paco de Lucía. Also noteworthy are the efforts of Angela Allen on a selection of keyboards that of course include some marvelously dated '70s gizmos, including the Mellotron. The music also represents the non-technological side with an emphasis on natural percussion sounds including Angela Allen's feet and the busy clatter of percussionist Roberto Amaral. The guitarist, who also was involved with backing up folk-rockers the Mamas & the Papas, blended into an anonymous series of studio jobs following the demise of the band. In the '90s he began showing up on a series of easy listening concept recordings, as if the only thing left to play after one has mastered flamenco rock would be...Muzak? ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide