Just Focus

Introduction

Yesterday, in Wings and Beer in Cannon Street, Preston (an excellent eatery recommended by Harry, Nicola mentioned that she had been to see Focus. She told us, and I was unaware of this, that when they toured the UK during the power strikes in the seventies, they took their own generator on the road to ensure they could always play.

This was their fiftieth anniversary tour, but Nicola and everyone around the table said that they only knew two songs by Focus, the hit singles "Hocus Pocus" and the gentler "Sylvia". Their canon far exceeds that, and my favourite piece by them is the twenty-minute "Hamburger Concerto", but maybe "Eruption" from "Moving Waves" is their recognised magnum opus.

Thijs Van Leer yodelled and played flute as well as keyboards and this did surprise some people. Jan Akkerman is a superb guitarist, and you hear that throughout all the music by the band.

Thijs and drummer Pierre van der Linden are the only original members, but bands do change. The two new guys are Menno Gootjes- guitar and Udo Pannekeet - bass.

This is their website, and they have just released their twelfth album.

So this is a playlist that will finish with my favourite piece, and include the two singles, as well as some other pieces that you may have heard and not realised that they were by Focus.

"House Of The King" from "In And Out Of Focus"

I remember first hearing this and thinking it was Jethro Tull. I was shocked to find out it was another band that I was unaware of, and that band was Focus. It is still an absolute favourite of mine.

This US version features an intro from the piece "Anonymus" which was then expanded into the much faster Anonymus II (and twenty-six minutes long spread over two vinyl sides) on the album Focus III which also features the UK take of this song.

"Sylvia" from "Focus III"

This was their second hit single and features Jan Akkerman's guitar at the forefront, although you do get some yodelling as well.

"Anonymus II" from "Focus III"

On the album, this was originally split into two parts, part one taking up side three of the album and the conclusion taking up seven minutes of side four, but here you get the whole lot, if you want to listen to all twenty-six minutes. It is rather good, featuring a lot of Thijs Van Leer's flute and keyboards.

"Hocus Pocus" from "Moving Waves"

The original is from the epic "Moving Waves" album, but this is a 2010 extended remix with more stunning guitar, more flute and more yodelling, and it is still over far too quickly.

"Eruption" from "Moving Waves"

This opens almost like a hymn, before setting off on a complex journey to describe the build-up to the finale, alternating between fast and slow sections.

Absolutely magnificent music.

"Hamburger Concerto"

I first heard this on a Saturday night Radio Four program, and this, for me, is twenty minutes of pure magnificence. It is one of the four Focus albums that I have on vinyl, and it does get played frequently, although when I pulled the albums out for the photograph, I found that I had two copies of it, so the second will be fine as part exchange for something else.

Conclusion

I have just focused on a few songs to give you a taste of the band, but all their music is on their YouTube channel, which you can check out here:

Thank you for your time, and I hope you found something that you enjoyed.