Georges Bizet, John Corigliano, David Hess: The Naked Carmen

 

John Corigliano and David Hess created this rock opera adaptation of Georges Bizet's Carmen in 1970 for Mercury Records, for whom Hess was then head of A&R. Corigliano (born 1938) is a prolific Classical composer known for his Pied Piper Fantasy, his much-recorded oboe concerto, and the original score to Altered States. David Hess (1936-2011) was a singer/songwriter and actor; he recorded two albums in 1959-1960 under the name David Hill, wrote hits for Elvis and Pat Boone, and in 1972 starred in Wes Craven's Last House on the Left, for which he also wrote the soundtrack. This album's clear debt to Hair and Moog-tastic production values are super-dated now, but gloriously so; and the art direction is just nuts—the gatefold LP included a 24-page booklet, with 12-inch square pages except for four sheets in the interior where one side has been trimmed to four inches, resulting in eight spreads that read like album covers with Japanese-style obi strips on one side.

Odyssey; The Faces Are the Same, I; When Love Is Free
Faces Are the Same, II; The Flowurie Song; The Universal Military Bubblegum Band
Faces Are the Same, III; Playin' the Game; Time
Paper Hero and The Darkness; Somewhere to Go
Faces Are the Same, IV; This Sick and Hungry World; Carmen Fantasette
The Tarot Dealer; Requiem; Faces Are the Same, V

Audio & artwork

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