Totoro! This is an 8 minute song sped up to fit the 4 minutes the program allowed as they didn't want to cut anything. The actual studio version is still insane with the big difference being cleaner guitar riffs, and not seeing the singers facial expressions. You may be slightly better at whistling than I. Focus is a Dutch band with an extensive catalog. I mainly only know this song. So they hay have more flute based songs.
I think the guitarist (Akkerman) was playing those squeaky sounds during the flute solo. - There are better 'flute songs' from Focus like "House of the King" and "Love remembered". The whole "Hamburger Concerto" is also worth of checking.
I thought I was the only person in the world who ever heard "Hamburger Concerto." What an amazing piece of work. When that came out there were other bands who were combining classical and rock styles together like Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Yes. The big difference to me was they took it so seriously while Focus just seemed to be having fun.
@@jimvandemoter6961 Thijs Van Leer always said that Focus isn't prog because "Prog doesn't swing." BUT all the same with Prog musicians he's regarded as a grand master of Prog.
Yes. It's Ackerman accompanying Van Lear's flute. Here's the studio version without the Ackerman accompanyment. Ackerman in particular seemed to benefit from the "extra" time allotted on the studio version --- he's ***shredding***. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MV0F_XiR48Q.html
@@jimvandemoter6961 Not quite my friend Focus did it in 1970 and Yes, Emerson Like & Palmer started a little earlier. With respect to Focus, I really like their music :)
@@gerritjanstelpstra8174 absolutely yes,saw them on Yt recently,I'll do the same now.Aangenahm/Pleasure/Piacere🇮🇹🖐️Yodel in South Tirol/Alto Adige/Ober Etsch too(Oberetsch)
The squeak sound is actually Jan Akerman's guitar. what saddens me about all the reviews of this track is no one appreciate Jan The greatest guitar player ever. This Is played fast because they had a time limit on the performance
They had a five minute song and three minutes to play it, so they increased the tempo and went for it. This is the fastest they played it, at least on video. Their album version is much clearer.
They played it (split in two parts) on their "Live at the Rainbow" from 1973, and they did it that fast, but I think the first time they did it that way was at that TV show, and for the reason you just said. The studio song was a little shorter than 7 minutes, and the producers of the show told them they only had about 4 minutes, so they would have to shorten it. The band said "Hell, no ! We're going to play the whole song, but at double the speed !" Rock'n'Roll Attitude at its best ! Another funny anecdote : back in the eighties, while on vacations in Thailand, I bought a few cassettes for my walkman from a guy from the streets, and one of them was a "Best Of" the Sex Pistols, and imagine my surprise when I heard Focus's "Hocus Pocus" live version at the end of the tape !!! Hey, you can say that it was in fact some "proto-punk" !
It’s almost 8 minutes, they had to do it in 4, so they didn’t cut, but just speeded it up. Btw this is the best version to watch, the studio recording is the best to listen to.
@@ptr250 sorry, no. Listen to the original album--much slower. The show only gave them 4 minutes and they refused to cut their song, so they just (!) played it faster. The Mid. Special is a great video to watch, and a testament to how great they were as musicians that they could play at basically double speed, but the album version is the best to listen to.
He wanted to show the other bands how proficient at everything he was without taking himself too seriously, other bands were making themselves such big deals back then, hence the weird shirts, the crazed look on his face and over the top vocals, whistling and yodleing. every musician in his band also were masters of their instruments. Great era of rock.
Thijs is such an evil genius/mad scientist it's prolly a bit frightening for you, Heline. But of all the videos people respond to, this is my favorite to watch.
You should check out the solo career of Thijs van Leer (flautist of Focus). His 'Introspection' albums are a great starting point. It shows his classical foundation (he studied the flute at the Conservatorium of Geneva). Bach's 'Erbarme Dich' is one of my favorites, but all cuts are very enjoyable. Of course, also check out some other stuff he did with Focus, like House of the King, Love Remembered and Janis (and others).
I LOVE the guitar screams between the flute pitches. Amazing band. This track is played at like 50% speed, the "original" was much slower. The TV shows time slot did not allow for an eight minute track, so Focus cranked the tempo, refusing to cut out the solos. Epic. And yup.. I prefer the faster version.
They said theyd play it faster, but then, not only did they play it WAY faster, they get faster each time around and ad lib and do extra stuff. They still did a 6:08 version, and the album version from 1971 was 6:45, but much slower. This is the shortened, edited version. The 6:08 version is out there, and many reactors have covered it, including vocal coaches such as TheCharismaticVoice and FairyVoiceMother, all of whom have an absolute field day with this.
Me too! And I grew up in the outskirts of Norway with one radio station and one tv-channel (black and white until 1974) - funded by the government and too 'grown-up' to play commercial music for young people. The yodeling of Hocus Pocus I heard on Radio Luxembourg at nights and when I finally heard the single played on a descent stereo system a year or two later, I understood how limited radio on the medium range frequencies really was - but loved the song that much more. Classic.
the studio recording reigns supreme. it's on their Moving Waves release. Flautist Thijs Van Leer is classically trained and he has many fine (mainly classical) solo records. Well worth a listen. Guitarist Jan Akkerman was no slouch either. Focus is still around.
To me, the most impressive part of his singing is in the second yodelling round where he hits some really low notes and jumps 47 ;) octaves into the high notes. Insane.
This is fun. The song (on the album) is actually 6 minutes 43 seconds long. The producers of the TV show wanted them to cut some time off the song to fit into the TV formula. Rather than remove a portion of their song, they played it REALLY fast and came in at around 4 minutes.
@@sportysp That call and response between flute and guitar was probably a spur of the moment decision. I read somewhere that the guys never perform this piece the same way twice - it's always improv on a well-rehearsed theme. That, and the fact that they played it crazy fast to fit a 7 minute piece into the 4 minute timeslot the showrunner gave them, make this performance insanely impressive. That's why Gladys Knight introduced them the way she did. These guys are TIGHT!
Some tv show. Yes the Midnight Special was a great tv show that helped expose a young country boy to a variety of some of the best acts of the early 70's.
For some really good flute playing, check out an album called Flight of the Snow Goose by a band called Camel. The entire album is effectively one piece and one story, but it is broken into sections. You want to listen to about the first 10 minutes for some, as I say, really good flute action.
the Midnight Special was on late 11:30 -12:00 on saturdays. this was before MTV or any other music channel .there also was Don Kirchsner's Rock concert.
The "squeaks" you are referring to is the guitar player stretching his "b" string while playing a note on his high "e" string so the notes match. It's a technique used by many lead guitarists.
Here he is more recently ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eYSBPiHwmQ0.html - plus check out Introspection - I saw him live a few years ago in the UK, he played a beautiful piece of music on flute and it was the highlight of the night. Legend! Guitar-wise I enjoy playing that, live is much faster than pre-recorded version. Moving Waves is worth a listen too.
Given how much I love the “normal” speed version of this song, I actually hate that they were put in this position. BUT, the fact that they could pull it off is very impressive. Still not something I want to listen to, but impressive as heck!
They were given only a few minutes to play, but is was their own decision to do the whole song speeded up instead of playing only part of it in ormal speed, as many other bands in had done until then.
The band were told to do their 7min track in up to 3 mins for the show an hour before this is the result. The flute player has many classical albums out that are worth hearing.
You already responded to "Focus - Hocus Pocus", but as a flautist, the song "Focus - House of the King" is much more interesting. In this piece of music Thijs van Leer plays the flute! It's also my favorite piece of Focus music.
I remember that Thijs van Leer (the singer/organ/flautist) had a couple of albums of classical flute, called Introspection. For me it was chill out music in between rock albums when I was a teenager. That was a long time ago and I’ve no idea how it stands up as classical flute nowadays.
If you are looking for flute ... Thijs van Leer (singer-organist-flutist) have made several albums with flute... The squeek sound was Jan Akkerman on guitar... Yep they're that good in timing
The tv show wanted them to edit the song to suit their format. they thought it was too long. "No problem" thought the band, "We'll just play it twice as fast"! And how did the audience react? With a standing ovation!!
The solo's of Akkerman are amazing. Thijs is clasical music man. Your reaction is like most. Some are blown away. Listen to "Sylvia" of this same band. You will deffinately be pleased.
You have to check out the studio version of this. Midnight Special made Focus squeeze a 7+ minute song into less than 4 minutes, ergo the speedy tempo of the song.
This is a 7minute version played in a 3minute time slot, the short version doesn't have the flute among other solos. So they played fast! The flute effect is him sucking air in over the mouthpiece or embouchure? instead of blowing air out over it.
I would also recommend House of the King from this Dutch group. Early the seventies you had a lot of bands experimenting to renew old classical aria's into rock versions. Some of them also with flute sessions mentioning Focus, Jethro Tull, and so on. Nowadays Ayreon for instance in the Netherlands is familiar with flute sessions in several songs with Arjan Lucassen as the projectleader of this band.
They are from Amsterdam and this is their appearance on Midnight Special. Awesome show!!! They were also on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. Also, a great show!!
wie krank ist das den ( Manometer ) ich mein es gibt ja genug Scheiße in der Musik aber das ist echt das schlimmste mehr weiß ich da auch nicht unmöglich ansonsten mag ich deine Videos ok und ENDE
Hi. Seeing the group play on TV, this is the "play fast to get the next group on the show" There are longer audio recordings, as well as their "Hamburger Concerto". (on the 45 record, there's a part with Mr Flute laughing, so it sounds more like Merlin doing his magic)
Heline, from the look of your reaction you weren't blown away by Thijs's flute playing, I suggest you give him another try. Have a listen to any of his 'Introspection' albums. There are also many examples of him playing just flute with an orchestra.
LOL! I can't get enough of watching first time reactions to this performance. How on Earth a session flautist can be unaware of Thijs is beyond me. If you were knocking around European studios, I don't know how you never came across the man in person! Also, van Leer has released at least two million-selling albums of classical flute you may want to ferret out. He's 73 this year, and i don't know what he's been up to for the past 10 or so years, but it may still be possible to catch a show, somewhere....
I know you have reacted to Ayreon before. Thijs van Leer (the organist and flutist) also performed with Ayreon. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r5IitoFXc7E.html
Heline, If You want to enjoy the fluteplay of Thijs van Leer a bit more, try to get hold of his double album "Introspectioction I & II. Besides some classical numbers also listen to "Focus I, II and III and the track "Introspection". On the double album "Moving Waves" from the group "Focus" you will find beter moere (and better) fluteplay from Thijs. NB. FOCUS = Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman and Pierre van der Linden plus other conservatorium friends. If you search for Thijs RU-vid will give you some of their works. Regards from Holland, Dirk a FOCUS fan.
I enjoy your videos ... especially those of you discovering some of the Rock bands I grew up with. The studio version of Hocus Pocus might have been a better one for you to react to but I offer you this one from Focus. It is the finale of a longer piece called "Eruption". It runs about a minute and a half but it is one of the most beautiful pieces of flute music. Give it a listen and maybe play it yourself. It would be easy for one as talented as you but you might enjoy playing it. Check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rgrfPnPEaSk.html
this is the worst version of this track where they rush through it at double tempo because the tv show was ending. It's horrible compared to the studio version. Trolls ALWAYS suggest this version because .... of their mentality.
They had to keep the 6 minute song under 4 minutes for the TV show, so they decided to play the entire song in double time. The studio version is slower and smoother. Impressive they could play so quickly.
Late reaction I like your reaction a lot Just seen it In 1978 when I was stil a cop We recieved a call from him He had to perform in our city but was lost He drove in a mini cooper So we helped him to get on time for the concert He was a remarkele man I was already a fan from Focus so after the concert he invited us and gave us free tickets for there new concert as VIP's haha Something you will never forget., Great reaction from you Greetings from an Old Dutchman
For the original (at the right speed) from 1972: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6C0y8eUpW_o.html You hear The best guitarplayer in the world better! Jan Akkerman
Jan Akkerman worked with Peter Banks original guitarist in Yes on Pete's Two Sides Of Peter Banks album, the guitarist here in Focus, Pierre Van Der Linden left Focus to join Rik Van Der Linden (not related) in Trace. Colin Allen drummer from Stone The Crows Scottish Rock Band joined Focus on Hamburger Concerto, interesting all the connections to Focus, I'm sure there is far more!!! 🙂 Trace second album had future Marillion drummer Ian Mosley replacing Pierre Van Der Linden, Ian worked with former co-founder of Curved Air Darryl Way in his group Wolf, then Ian appeared on some Renaissance songs in the 80s, the irony of all these connections!!!
The album track is a bit less of a manic speed. For this TV studio spot they didn't give them enough time for the performance, so, rather than cut anything, the band decided just to take the tempo up to fit the full arrangement in to there alotted time.
seems you picked the wrong song to listen to. Their Hamburger Concerto album has many, many more flute segments, and Jan Akkerman on Lute. What is really great on HC is that Thijs is turned loose to play on a really old church pipe organ on the B side, the Hamburger Concerto side. Hocus Pocus is largely a celebration of breathing far too much Oxygen.
I was going to suggest this one but I see you beat me to it. Now how about a classically trained flautist. Chicago "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon" live 1070 tanglewood concert and since it has been cut up by others make sure you get the 14 minute version. And who is flautist Lizzo? I guess I should find out.
I don't know if anyone has addressed this yet, but the squeak sound you're referring to is coming from the guitar. Assuming I'm understanding correctly what you're referring to.
I have a question: Could the squeaking sounds come from taking sharp inward breaths while playing? It kinda looks to me like he's taking a breath while he does it.
A recent concert by Focus the organ player and drummer still going strong. Video starts with flute improvisation showing how to play flute with one hand and organ with the other. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cJpGIzp1PuI.html Following Hocus Pocus a drum solo of eight minutes!
This is their gimmick hit song. While it is a fast tempo song it seems to be played at double normal speed because of time restraints. There are much better examples of the flutists skill than this song. The album this song is from..Moving Waves.. has many examples of great flute playing.
