"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
I've heard that it's a very good Spanish prog album.
Ian Beabout
Mixing and mastering engineer. See ya at ProgDay !
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...m/bakers-dozen
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...-and-holland-3
colouratura.bandcamp.com
I know someone mentioned this in the New Releases thread or something, but this 3-CD reissue is now out, and on streaming services:
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/carmen-t...75-3cd-box-set
(NOTE: US release date us June 14th.)
Wasn't there an issue with pretty much all previous CD editions of Fandangos In Space not being complete, missing a bit in the opening track Bulerias. I know I made a post on that on Discogs that for not so long ago was still there but I see it was removed :-(
So, I am curious wether that now is fixed on this new set.
I was also hoping for remasters when read about this new 3CD set of Carmen albums, but the reviews I just read are rather discouraging, f. ex.: "Earlier, I mentioned how I was looking forward to fresh remasters of these albums, because I had mistakenly assumed that Esoteric’s reason for reissuing them would be to improve on the existing versions of these songs. Disappointingly, however, these tracks don’t sound different to what has been previously available. Evidence of a poor transfer is strongest on Drifting Along which features several quiet bits; every time the track gets quiet there’s a rather noticeable hiss which seems like evidence that this album (and possibly all three albums) are vinyl transfers. Are there really no master tracks available? How could this happen to such great music? It just makes me sad." (https://theprogressiveaspect.net/blo...75-3cd-boxset/)
Here's my take on previous CD versions of the first two albums (I bought the 3rd when it came out, but sold the LP pretty quickly): The Line 2CD set sounds great, but yes, Bulerias is missing the last minute. The Angel Air 2CD set does not sound very good in places, but Bulerias is complete and sounds good enough; there are a couple of pretty good bonus tracks, too.
I don't know any CD versions, but I love Fandangos in Space on the 1974 American LP version.
Carmen is a fine reminder that progressive rock is mostly - and above all - fun. The whole concept of mixing progressive rock and flamenco music sounds impossible or ridiculous, I mean outside the Iberian Peninsula or Latin America. And the music is leaning towards the extravagant or the kitsch so many times, and yet it soars high again and again towards the majestic and the glorious. This particular combination is so rare and hard to get, and to me it bears no comparison to bands like Triana or Mezquita, bands that incorporated in a spontaneous more or less way parts of a musical tradition that is their own. Carmen's approach is postmodern in a sense, and a fine specimen of weird pop culture.
Of course it helps that songwriting is truly excellent and the playing is so energetic that resembles the release of infuriated bulls into the arena. Killer band, and a couple of killer albums.
Another observation to add to my comparison of the Line CD's versus the Angel Air CD's: on the Line, the last note of the last song of the first disc cuts off suddenly, while the Angel Air fades out naturally. Also, the Angel Air discs are much louder than the Line discs.
Yes, in a "slimline" case.
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