In dieser Nacht habe ich durch puren Zufall Focus entdeckt. Es ist der Wahnsinn!! Was für eine tolle Band. Was für brillante Musiker! Wieso hört man sowas nicht im Radio? Jedenfalls kaufe ich jetzt die CDs, soviel ist klar. Alle.
Auch wenn´s arrogant klingt, nein IST... Aber egal! ... Schau doch, was die meisten Leute gerne so an musikalischem Schrott konsumieren. Und Geld für diesen ausgeben: Stundenlange Schlagerevents! Da stehen sie und patschen brav bei 1,2,3,4 in die Händchen, wenn z.B. eine Beatrice Egli oder Helene Fischer mit den Kurven wackelt. Was solls. Die breite Masse war schon immer... Wie gesagt, auch wenn es arrogant ist...
Focus virtuose musicians and high fluency of rithms and beatfull sequences are forever. Jan Akkerman feelings on guitars and Thjys criativity on keybords an flute, with Pierre on drums an Bert at bass were my better moments in 70 years. I am still listening them up to my 70 years old now.
Jan Akkerman is one of the best rock guitarists the world has seen. Brian May was a big fan. With good reason. I remember Focus from my youth in Norway. Hocus Pocus. And Sylvia! Wow!!!!
@@bobhoukes I know, Bob! And love it! 😍Here one great concert (I'm sure you know it!) - North Sea Jazz Festival 2011 - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dX5mIihLB2k.html
Loved these guys since ‘73! Hard to pigeon hole their style but the word Magnificent comes to mind. Stately triumphant themes played by 4 brilliant musicians in tune with their craft and selves. It’s been a.most 50 years and I’m still digging these guys and the huge contribution they made in the prog rock world!
It was in Answers Questions. You can clearly hear the pop of the string breaking on the album version. Thijs then plays the flute for a while and Akkerman comes back in bending and tuning the strings as he does.
Amazing Focus,I listened to them like young boy in communist Czechoslovakia.Their music and the like from the west kept me alive.Thank you so much musicians Focus,Led Zeppelin,ELP,Ten years after,Genesis,Alan Parsons project,Camel.Deep purple,Yes and so on....!!!Greeting from Prague,Roman
a seriously under-rated band...for those that only heard Hocus Pocus....that was only the tip of the iceberg. This is one one of the best live (rehearsal) versions of Hocus Pocus that's out there...very well done.
Love the energy, playfulness and joy on display here. This was back in the days when musicians really played for their audience. No lip-synching and no auto-tune. Just hardworking pros who could deliver the goods!
Dutch masters of prog rock. I have enjoyed them so much more since the pandemic hit because their music takes me back to another time and place…so far away from the rotten world we are presently tolerating.
Oh yeah those peaceful '70s with the Vietnam war, Northern Irish troubles, almost constant nuclear threat, famine in Africa, oil crisis.... to name just a few high points of that era. People tend to remember just the good stuff and forget the rest.
One of the greatest bands of all time in my mind! I'm only a 32 year old Brit, but the compositional and technical talent are amazing to this day, and some of the most anthemic guitar melodies from Akkerman.
Here's an agreement from a 46 year old Brit! I only really explored and got into Focus about 2 or 3 years ago despite being a lifelong fan of prog. Excellent stuff and, may i say happy new to year to you and yours! :)
Absolutely mate, real people playing instruments. And they do it well. 5 min. of this is worth more than whole concerts of Cardi B or other "stars" of today. I am a 64 year old Dutchie and I fully agree with you.👌😎
It's okay it's there one rock song that got a lot of AirPlay in the states in 1972 however basically it's just a fast rock song😮 you really need to listen to the rest of their catalog which is progressive rock and fusion especially their second and third albums respectively😮 I've been listening to them since 1971 so I pretty much know my stuff not only on Focus play just about all of the groups that came out back then including but not limited to ELP yes star Castle triumvirate Rare Bird Renaissance camel nectar Grand Funk Mountain Black Sabbath Alice Cooper Gypsy budgie Blue Oyster Cult Foghat Jeff Beck Dave weckl Return to Forever Mahou Vishnu Orchestra Moody Blues Slade Black Oak Arkansas Pavlov's dogs Steppenwolf prism April Wine symphonic slam The Who Montrose Uriah Heep mahogany rush Kansas Queen Led Zeppelin Joe Satriani Metallica Rush on their first American tour Wet Willie Molly Hatchet Hartsfield Journey Dave Mason Deep Purple Atlanta Rhythm Section Climax Blues Band Elton John I got free tickets or I wouldn't have went to him the James Walsh Gypsy band Joe Walsh Robin Trower ECT and a whole lot more and these are just the concerts I went to if I mention the catalog of what I was into it would probably be 10 times this long😮 wow😅😅😅
Same story.I was about twelve and I bought Hamburger Concerto because I heard it playing in the shop.I must have bought all their other albums in less than a month after(mowed a lot of lawns).I am 59 and still playing them.
Same with me too. I'm 45. Thanks to my older brother (he is 59 years old) I grow up listen to classic rock, prog, fusion, etc. Jan Akkerman is one of my favorites guitar players of all time. I love Focus.
So glad I fiound this. Thank you so much for this posting. There is hardly anything of this mastergroup. Jan Akkerman played before this in Brainbox. Absolutely mesmerizing. Good day to everybody.
One of the most underrated bands of all time. I was fortunate to meet Pierre van der Linden and Thijs van Leer when they played in the UK a few years ago. So much respect for these geniuses ♥️
Pierre van der Linden always got that look of mischief in his eyes! Like he's been in the cookie jar or done something he wasn't supposed to. It's probably the Dutch weed. Fantastic drummer. They're all fantastic! 🤩
Deswegen bin ich Stolz auf meine Landleute. Wir haben im 70er Jahre das beste Music gemacht. Golden Earring und mehrere . Die Amis habe gekuckt wie ein Auto.
I KNOW THIS IS FANTASTIC,I HEARD IN MY LIFE BEFORE, AND IN MY SOUL!THAT IS A REAL GENIOUS ROCK'N'ROLL PLAYER'S I HAD EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE! SIMPLY THE BEST 😂😂 AJDE LAKU NOĆ I RAZMISLITE O SVEMU OVOM PLANETU! THAT IS CROATISCH WAY OF THINKING OF WHAT IS PROGRESSIVE ROCK'N'ROLL IS ABOUT THIS!
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. One of my favorite bands of all time and a flawless ensemble. I still follow the career of Jan Akkerman, one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Thank you for making this available.
Jan was such a flashy and eclectic inspiration for me in the late 70s. Found Focus LPs in the cut rate bargain bins because some had some defects on the sleeve. Shredding different scales, sweeps, tasty volume swells and that Drop D riff, Leslie sound in Hamburger Concerto. Love it still.
Radio 3 in Nederland, muziek uit eigen land!! Waarom zenden de Nederlandse radiozenders dit "Goud van eigen bodem" zo weinig uit?? En deze muziekgroep is geen "America Legend" maar een "Hollandse Legend"!! Geweldige Muziek!!
Tuve la suerte de verlos en Valparaíso, Chile a mediados de la década del 2000, y además tuvieron la gentileza de permitirme entrar a la prueba de sonido. De los integrantes originales sólo estaba Thijs Van Leer, una persona muy amable y sencilla, tuvimos una pequeña y grata conversación, un recuerdo imborrable.
Woaooo!!...I heard this band in 1974 for the first time, since then I'm a Focus' fan and also it was a big surprise to see the great Maestro of the jazz guitar Philip Catherine...fabulous!!
I love Focus been a fan since I was about 13 so near enough 50 years. Brilliant concert except for the director/editor I mean why when one of the best rock guitarists ever is playing the solo in Hamburger do they not show a close up of his playing? Instead we had these psychedelic camera fades and quite a lot of shots of the back of Thijs van Leers head? So frustrating but still absolutely loved the concert. They don't make groups like that anymore.
You know I've been telling people this for years as well as advising them to take about 30 seconds and Google Focus live and rare where you can watch all of this on RU-vid free of charge as a matter of fact you'll get several hours of their performances including these from 1970 to 1976😮 Jan akkerman is right up there with Jeff Beck and t h e j i s vanleer is almost in the same league as the great legendary Keith Emerson😮 these guys including the drummer and bass player are Maestro musicians😮😊
You know I've been listening to focus since 1971 and it's unfortunate when you bring Focus up to people everyone listens to Hocus Pocus and that's it like that's the only thing they have when really they have all of this great progressive rock out here which really emphasizes the group's maestro musicianship but no one seems to give this stuff a chance especially since you can Google Focus live and rare and get all of their early seventies stuff on RU-vid videos😮 to me anyway I consider Focus almost kind of like ELP and Mahou Vishnu Orchestra had a baby Focus would be their offspring😮😮......😅😊😊
