Focus

Focus III

Probably their best, 2008-12-21
I always enjoyed their music in the 70's (whilst still at school), but because of their commercial successes I didnt buy their albums, preferring to indulge in darker areas of prog like Crimson & Van der Graaf and more unconventional like Gong, Hatfields, Groundhogs, Soft Machine etc that none of my mates were familiar with.

However, I did follow Jan Akkerman & have a collection of his subsequent vinyls & cd's, & still listen avidly to anything he plays.

As a result of listening to a feature by Stuart Maconie on 6 radio, featuring Hamburger Concerto, I decided to check out some of the older Focus music. Brilliant!

The musicianship throughout the group is top notch, & there is a great variety & actual humour in what they play. Classical, baroque (Akkerman is a fantastic Lute player), bit of folk & obviously rock.

This was a double album of the day (each vinyl side in those days was approx 35-40 minutes).

To me this is still an interesting and exciting album. Presumably because the tracks were so good, Akkerman still plays some of these, notably on his outstanding 10000 Clowns... album.

Focus were extremely popular in their day but sadly forgotten as a brilliant prog band.

Give this album a try, its a great starting point.

Live at the Rainbow

A band at their peak, 2001-07-18
Live at the Rainbow features Focus at their creative and commercial peak. The combination of prog. rock/blues and jazz fusion is a wonder to behold. The material is drawn from the albums Moving Waves and Focus III and the live performances are inspired. This CD is an ideal introduction to the work of these giants of Dutch music. Make no mistake these guys know their stuff and can rock with the best of them. Just listen to the live version of their worldwide hit Hocus Pocus and be instantly converted to the cause. These latest CD issues are definately superior to past versions, it's just a pity that this CD lasts only 40 or so minutes. having said that ,if you can only afford one Focus album then this is the one!

Hamburger Concerto

THEY DON'T MAKE ALBUMS LIKE THIS ANY MORE!, 2010-02-23
I was very pleased to find this CD on Amazon. My original album is in the loft! Such a fabulous composition: I doubt many so-called rock bands of today could compose such a classical-based album!
It was magic to hear it again after so many years: a treat!

Sub Focus

Ram Rock it !, 2009-12-19
Cracking album typical high quality from Sub Focus and Ram records. Deep space and timewarp are my favs on this unmixed d&b album.All tracks are of high quality even though there are a couple of tracks which would go down the commercial route.An essential purchase for d&b lovers whatever styles they are into.

Focus 8

Yodel-lady, Yodel-lady....Well, You Get The Idea!, 2003-09-18
I was a bit hesitant about buying this CD, as I was afraid the music wouldn't measure up to some of the excellent music put out by Focus back in the 1970's. I am happy to say that I needn't have worried. "Focus 8" is right up there with any of the best material put out by the original group. Lest you think that Thijs Van Leer was only tagging along for the ride, you should know that he had a hand in 7 of the 11 new compositions contained on the disc. I didn't think there were any "clunkers", and most of the material was above average. Thijs is up to his usual hijinks: yodeling, handclaps, falsetto singing, etc., (with also, of course, his non-vocal contributions on flute). Jan Dumee is a very good guitarist and, especially when playing relatively slowly and sustaining individual notes, manages to sound eerily like Jan Akkerman...with those famous "moaning" passages. The music is predominantly in the jazz/rock vein, with some blues and even a dash of folk and Spanish guitar thrown in once in awhile. Unlike, say, "Hamburger Concerto" (I'm thinking of "Delitae Musicae" and "La Cathedrale de Strausbourg")I didn't notice any classical influences. The music is very fresh, by which I mean that although it is clearly in the style of Focus, it is not derivative. I couldn't say that it sounds like any of the "classic" albums put out by Van Leer/Akkerman/Ruiter/Van der Linden back in the "glory days." One tune which is quite odd, but which I love, is the "bonus track"- called "Flower Shower." It sort of sounds like Gilbert and Sullivan, perhaps after they'd had one too many down at the pub! I gather from the liner notes that Thijs plans to continue this collaboration, and after hearing what the group was able to accomplish on the current disc I am looking forward very much to hearing some more!

Hamburger Concerto

Ship of Memories

Hot ashes, 2002-10-07
Ship of Memories collects the burning ashes of that curious Dutch group Focus who blazed briefly into stardom in the 70s with their odd and heady blend of medieval/pop/rock/jazz/blues tunes; and chances are that if you're reading this you're a confirmed fan with all their output, several of Jan Akkerman's solo discs, and maybe even something from Thijs van Leer's startlingly uncertain career already snug in your CD rack. But if you're not, and if you don't, then here's why you could do a lot worse than own this immensely satisfying record. For one thing, the band, in its several incarnations, boils out of the speakers with a rawness rare to them, making this disc a sort of bastard half-brother to the polished maturity of the splendid Hamburger Concerto. Essentially, it's Akkerman's record - his guitar just muscles in on everything and takes over. The opening track for instance starts off as a typically jaunty Van Leer minstrelsy flute thing - then Akkerman roars in on his Honda, sneering at the whole business like Brando in The Wild Ones: the guitar snaps its fingers, snarls, and in one cruel moment breaks into ruthless laughter. No wonder the group broke up. Can't believe my eyes is another guitar showcase - the rest of the group make polite noises in the background while Akkerman swaggers up front and proceeds to rip small animals into pieces. The American version of Hocus Pocus is a three-minute thrash summary of the Moving Waves version and again features Akkerman in the first minute lashing out with a nerve-flaying solo. Slow track Focus V, according to producer Mike Vernon, saw a weary and pissed-off Akkerman putting down the guitar track several days after the others had done their work, and he infuses one of Van Leer's most fragile melodies with a delicate melancholy that make it a thing of uneasy beauty. But really everything here is worth listening to: it's an album that displays one of the last few decades' most extraordinary instrumentalists on his way to shrugging his shoulders at fame and heading back to the quiet of Holland to think things out - an arrogant, unhappy young guitarist, in a place he didn't want to be, playing out his rage.

Hocus Pocus: the Best of Focus

down memory lane, 2009-03-17
if you are fan of 1970's prog this is great starting point to get in to the music of focus, most of better known track's are here. buy it and get the volume right up [sod health and safety] and enjoy a good blast from the past.

Moving Waves

Brilliant!, 2007-09-13
I really cannot comprehend why some of you dare to slag off Focus. They were one of the most original and exciting bands to have come out of the 70's and the skill level of each musician is pretty much unrivalled. I mean there you are picking the songs to pieces when in fact the music was cleverer and more exciting than other so called mega bands such as Genesis and Camel and Jethro Tull. And if they are not categorised as progressive rock, who cares? I think they created wonderful music and exhibited amazing originality and actually this album is one of the classics of the 70's. So just stop picking them to bits and accept that this is a brilliant album.

And as for Hocus Pocus, yes it is up there with the greats like Stairway to Heaven, Radar Love, All Right Now etc.

Mother Focus

This one grows and grows......, 2006-03-09
I would guess that since Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman had a very difficult working relationship at this stage in their careers, this album was hastily put together as an obligation to the record company contract or something like that. Rock fans at it's release thought that Focus had lost their raunchieness and become some kind of easy-listening outfit. The production is smooth, giving a crystal-clear sound without any rough edge. Thijs was using a heavily phased string synth on many of the tracks which sometimes sounds a bit watery and soul-less.

I admit that at the release of this album I was very disappointed. I gave it a chance though and grew to love it as my taste in music matured and diversified. There is brilliance both in composition and musicianship which you will hear if you forget about the rock band and concentrate on Focus the band. Through the production shines a lot of warmth and soul. These guys are real musicians. They know when to play loud and soft and how long to hold a note. As usual, Thijs is clever with his composing. Listen to "Bennie Helder" and "Focus IV". BRILLIANT. His tribute to J.S.Bach "Father Bach" employs the old "Eruption" organ sound and Jan's violin guitar effect (volume control tweaking). GORGEOUS.

Jan Akkerman's guitar playing is tremendous. Just listen to the delicate guitar playing on "No hang ups". The phased string synth works beautifully on this one. SUBLIME. Bassist Bert Ruiter's compositions are also good to listen to, even if this might only be due to the expert musicianship and interpretation of all the band members, although "I need a bathroom" (a send-up of 1970's disco) is just a bit too silly and doesn't really work.

If you want rock music, then I wouldn't recommend this album. If you are a real music fan and especially a Focus fan then give this album a go and you will be rewarded.