In the early seventies, the British-American group Carmen broke new ground in rock music, combining the British flair for progressive rock with traditional Spanish folk themes into a very fresh, energetic and powerful new mix. The sound is centered around guitar, keyboards are used subtly but to good effect. On the whole, they are a rather hard band to describe… Some vague comparisons could be made to Jethro Tull, Mezquita (some of the Spanish themes), and Triana (the flamenco/prog combination).

After three decades of Carmen in opéra comique-style, each one offering its own brand of authenticity, here we are back in the 19th century with the old grand opera version, with the Guiraud recitatives, tacked on after Bizet’s death. This was the way Carmen was usually performed until the 1950s, when producers and scholars started to reconsider the original.

A unique band, Carmen combined flamenco music with progressive rock. Adding to their distinctiveness was the fact that during long instrumental passages, members of the band would dance on-stage, adding those sounds to the instrumental mix. Composed of Roberto Amaral (vocals, castanets), David Allen (guitar), his sister Angela Allen (keyboards), John Glascock (bass) – who later worked with Jethro Tull – and Paul Fenton (drums), Carmen's sound was focused on up-beat flamenco guitar with a strong rhythm section and subtle keyboards. Their first album, Dancing on a Cold Wind, was released in 1973 and featured the 23-minute epic "Remembrances (Recuerdos de Espana)." It was followed by Fandangos in Space in 1974. The quintet's final album was The Gypsies, released in 1975, a more restrained effort than previous releases.

Carmen was a British-American band active from 1970-75. Their style was a fusion of rock, progressive, and flamenco music and dance. Carmen's first album, Fandangos in Space, is ranked number 46 in the Rolling Stone list of 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time.