An absolutely mega-talented band. There is nothing better than seeing the face of someone watching this for the first time. They were great at every style they tackled. This is manic awesomeness, but they were equally adept at classical, jazz, etc. One of my favorites of all-time.
I enjoyed your reaction. It's fun for an old Woman like me to see a much younger person enjoying this song with that same enthusiasm, many of us had back then.
This TV appearance is a bit different as they had a short slot to play a song that is about 2 minutes longer than the slot. Rather than shorten the song, they played it at double speed, which is why it sounds so frenetic. It's quite fast anyway but you can find standard-speed versions such as the Old Grey Whistle Test on RU-vid. They were and are an amazing prog-rock band.
I saw Focus on two or three occasions in the 70's in the U.K, what an amazing band! They were TOTALLY original, no other band sounded like them, yet their studio albums were very classically influenced, and yes, progressive. They were amazing musicians.
Been listening to this for 50 years but after watching so many reactions to this version the original sounds so tame! Rock on, Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman.
This was a good strategy for introducing yourself to an American audience if you are a Dutch band. It paved the way for guitarist Jan Akkerman's solo career.
Great reaction Sabina! Thjis van Leer is still doing Hocus Pocus and yodeling to this very day, although he can't reach those super high notes anymore (the audience helps out!). Guitarist Jan Akkerman was voted world's greatest guitarist by Melody Maker magazine in 1973. He's still performing and touring in Europe, mostly around Holland and Germany. He's an accomplished lutenist and classical guitarist, in addition to his electric work.
Thank you for this reaction. I am sorry, that i didn't find a lyric version of the song 😁😁 I enjoy this song, and i think you enjoyed it too. The studio version of this song is over six minutes, but the TV-Station gave them only 4:30 minutes to play it. So they played the whole song faster as normal
This was really fun to listen to again after many years. Jan Akkerman is one of my greatest gitarr heroes back then. He is still going strong at the age of 75. Thanks for a fun video.❤️
Brilliant reaction as always. The lead Guitarist Jan Ackkerman at that time was considered to be one of the best in the world, alongside Eric Clapton., Jimmy Page, and Ritchie Blackmore. To name a few.
Only Focus would play the long version in less than the short version's time slot, but they absolutely killed it because of their virtuosity. I think they were mocking the producers of the show for limiting their hit song. Whatever it was, it's amazing, fun and highly entertaining.
Agreed, and it's a lot of fun to watch and listen to when you've heard the 'normal speed' (and length) of the original first. Not sure I would've wanted to hear this version as my initial introduction to the song! Nor do I think it does justice to the original, but more of a screw-you parody.
@@islandseeker1260 Completely agree! It was a middle finger to the producers of the show, but it was still pretty much note perfect, and it's great we have it preserved. It's such a great song by such a great band, it's sort of sad also that we have it preserved, because it get a lot of the attention that the original deserves more.
The show told the band the time slot they had for them was shorter than their song...so rather than cut some of it out, they sped it up to make it fit (I think it was almost 2 minutes faster?). BTW that was the one and only Gladys Knight (of Gladys Knight and the Pips) as the guest emcee for that episode(they had a lot of guest hosts that were big stars). It was an AMAZING show back in the day...makes me feel SOOOO old to know I watched it back then👴
Dutch legends with a Musician Masterclass ……. First standing ovation at the Midnight Special!!!! They had to shorten their song because there was a small timeslot they got, they refused to shorten it so they sped things up! Thijs van Leer on keyboard and flute, Pierre van der Linden on drums, Bert Ruiter on bass and the best guitarplayer ever, according to Brian May of Queen, Jan Akkerman ……. These are fantastically skilled musicians
many years ago I used to have an LP of great guitar songs. This was on the album. I think the guitarists name was Jan Akkerman. ( Most likely spelled that incorrectly).
I've loved Focus for 20 yrs already, I just wish I would have found them already 30-35 years ago. Check out their song "Sylvia", that's a classic! And a big HI! from Finland 😊
Astro, my mother is from Finland I took after my mother I am an outdoorsman on Long Island New York. Finland has the best sniper of all time, the Russians named him white death
A rock masterpiece from this Dutch band. Yodelling is not something you usually associate with, how shall I say, serious music. More likely an inclusion for a spoof type song. But, with this song, it adds a quirkiness to what has become a classic. Add to this the segments that make up the song…an accordion, yodelling, a short drum solo, and then a pacy rock section. You just couldn’t make this up. The Old Grey Whistle Test, a quality BBC late night music show back in the day, for me carries their best live version of the song. Sabina..a slightly puzzled look..not surprising as the song was played at a faster speed…time limitations perhaps? Again, a good honest reaction.
Loved the expressions on your face as the song progressed towards the whistle crescendo, haha. Great stuff of steroids since the guys were pressed for time as other have explained already. The yodelling guy on keys/flute is Thijs van Leer. He's still going strong, like e.g. with Ayreon ft Simone Simons and Arjen Lucassen himself: "Ayreon - Amazing Flight (Electric Castle Live And Other Tales)" - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r5IitoFXc7E.html Cheers from Amsterdam!
The studio version of the song got a fair amount of play on my local classic rock station for a while. Being more or less wordless does make it stand out.
The Midnight Special was a phenomenon. Back then, early 70's there was no where to see Bands except in Concerts. It went on at 1230AM Friday night/Saturday Morning until 2am Saturday Morning. Every college and university, those in their 20's-30's who were having parties, and most HS students watched, parties stopped, business's stayed open late, and almost everyone gathered around their TV's. In the 9 years of the Midnight Special This was the Only Full Audience Standing Ovation. Most times the audience was so stoned they just sat there and clapped. It was glorious, and always a must see for all of us.
By far the best live performance I’ve ever seen ! Fast, difficult chords (Jazz chords combined with power chords). Great drummer, great bass lines and Thijs van Leer with beautiful vocals. ❤
Loved your reaction Sabina. Believe it or not, this song got massive radio airplay in the US in the 70s, similar to Edgar Winter’s Frankenstien. I have most of their albums, and they have many beautiful and unique songs in their catalog.
Hi ! Yes, my god i love watching people react to Focus ! I saw thwm live at Le Theatre St-Denis in Montreal ! it s a small place ! it s a movie theater ! so you cant be far ! i had a good view ! LoL ! yes back in the early 70s ! I am now retired from 35 years of trucking all over Canada ! i m 66 years young ! 🤠
Awesome reaction, I enjoyed it... Liked and Subb. Thank you! Hope you can do a reaction video of "LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN" (BRUNO MARS) sang by a Filipino girl group 4TH IMPACT Thanks.
Focus has been a companion since I first heard them in the early 70s, on LP, Cassette, 8 track, CD, and now on my iPod. The medium changes but the music remains the same. Thanks for the reaction.
I'm from Belgium, but we always looked to the Dutch TV stations, they were so dynamic instead of the dry presentations here. First time I heard this back in the day, I went to the record store and bought me a copy of the album. Which is still in my vinyl collection. Some peeps laughing about the cloths they wear, but back then, we all dressed like that. Flower power times. And yes, keep laughing.
Nice, nice, so nice. They did this song in such a short time. Originally a 6:40 m song. Saw them live in the seventies. Top of the bill in The Netherlands at the time. The singer/keyboardist/flutist, Thijs van Leer, also did participate in Ayreon's Into the Electric Castle
Jan- guitarist said that this just started out as a jam and Thiis started yodelling, something he had never done before. As others have stated this is almost 7:00 long. This show allowed 4:00 for a song. Others cut parts out to fit, they decided to speed it up. I prefer this version over the album version which I have on vinyl. Yep...I'm old.
This was recorded on the day before my 15th birthday! Cool! The song itself had already been out on the radio for over a year at that point (the album the studio version is on was released in '71; I already had the vinyl, as I'd fallen in love with the song the first time I heard it). Sadly, back then one likely would never know a video had been recorded; it was decades before I saw this or even knew it existed. Side Note: The original studio recording is played more slowly, and is therefore a naturally longer, and even more intricate, version. Thijs van Leer (they were a Dutch band, thus the perhaps unfamiliar name) and his talented bandmates didn't want to cut too much for the live television recording (TV executives dictated how long between commercial breaks), so they essentially sped it up considerably for this performance. Both versions are awesome!
This song came out when I was a freshman in High School, and my friends in Chicago and I loved it!!! Then I heard that they are from Denmark. I had never heard a Dutch Metal band, that's for sure. (I don't even think that we used the term "Heavy Metal" back then, even though Steppenwolf had coined the term with their song "Born to be wild", The Beatles did heavy metal with "Helter Skelter " in 1968 and certainly groups like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin did many songs that would later be called Heavy Metal) You might want to listen to the record too. This would have been really difficult to perform live on that TV show in 1973. Great reaction!🎼🎼🎼💖💖💖
@David Spellman Really? Dude .... they are not from Denmark. If they were from Denmark they would be "Danish'". You Americans always amaze me with how ignorant you are. How bizarre!!! You have had it completely wrong for almost 50 years!!! "Dutch" means they are from the Netherlands. Focus is a Dutch band originating from Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands (I am sure you did not have a clue about this as well).
Hahaha this song is such a gem. It's so funny how they wouldn't cut the song but decided to play the whole thing faster paced on a whim and still nailed it. It's a testament on wbat a wonderful musicians they are. My dad was a great fan of Jan Akkerman (guitar player)
Extremely talented and tight playing band ... the guitar work is out of this world, the rhytm section was rock solid and Thijs van Leer is one of a kind ...
Saw them in 1974 in Erie Pa. When I was 17 years old. They were a warm up band , and this sound was crazy. J Geils was the the top of the bill. It was one of many concerts back then. It cost $6.00, and we had a blast
SO much to talk about . First I was lucky enough to see them a couple of times live in the early 70s ( 1972 ) they were superb . They're all great musicians - Jan Akkerman ( Guitar ) was voted the world's best guitarist in a poll in 1973 - Thijs van Leer the guy on keyboards and everything else but drums and bass is a great multi-instrumentalist - Pierre van der Linden on drums is a great jazz drummer and Martijn Dresden is a great bassist . As others have said time constraints on the programme meant they had to play a 6 minute + song in less than 4 minutes and as they were reluctant to cut the song they thought it's OK we'll just play it twice as fast - they were THAT good . They're probably the best thing to come out of Holland in the past 50 years ( apart from Floor Jansen - obviously !! )
I first heard this nearly 50 years ago, in my early teens. It is still one of my all time favourites. I once heard a radio dj describe the studio version as, " six and a half minutes of controlled chaos". 🤘🤘
We loved those " progressive "bands ,such as Can, Amon Dul,Faust, Ashra Temple, ( West Germany), Magma ( France),Mahavishnu ( USA)., King Crimson, Henri Cow, Isotope,(UK), back in the 70s,to name just,but a few.
You know I think back on something kind of off the wall stuff from the 60s, 70s, and 80s and some I never go back and dig put because I fear they won't hold up and had rather remember them as I have for years. This one I haven't heard in probably 30 years and even though it's a version I don't think I've ever seen none the less it holds up for what it was. I think the video I've seen many times is from Don Kirshners, but still this put a smile on my face and watching Sabrina's made it even better because I know my first listen had to include that What the F... look on my face as well. Looked up Sylvia's Mother recently it heald up great, Lord want you buy me a Mercedes Benz, wasn't bad either . Now ill go dig out Troglodyte and push the boundaries a little further till I get a fail. Lol
Some folks take music so seriously and intellectually and maybe actually feel uncomfortable smiling. I think Focus wanted to bring a blend of surprise, joy and excitement, and burst that pompous bubble perfectly here, showing you can be a virtuoso and still have fun. I saw the band just as they were really breaking through with this track, they were stunning. This performance is a real feat as the original track is more than 2 minutes longer and sounds positively stately compared with this manic version tightly packed into their allocated TV spot. I have seen lots of reaction videos to this, after the shock and surprise you can see they are trying to stay safe and respectable in their comments, but Sabina you're the first to really pick up on the huge fun aspect of it and feel comfortable saying it. What the world needs now is more joy. Hmm, I wonder if there's a karaoke version of this song? LOL
If you like the flute, listen to house of the king, also Focus. Thijs van Leer is classically trained and the flute is his instrument. When you listen to interviews with them, they seem not to have done any substances. Just experimental rock.
YOOOO Thank you for reacting to Focus!! This band is amazing, Jan Akkerman is a guitar god. I recommend you listen to "Rush - Tom Sawyer" it's pure 80's prog rock, you'll definitelly like the singer's voice. Edit: One thing I forgot to add is that Jan always changed a bit the riff of this song.
They actually had to speed the song up cuz it's a long song but they did the whole song cuz of the time limit I think it's was The Midnight Special back then I believe
Sadly Thijs van Leer (the flautist and keyboardist) and Jan Akkerman (guitar) had a pretty turbulent relationship with each other, which caused upheaval in the band members as well, so they never really got as well known as they deserved. Here's a brief 25-minute set from 1990 on a rare time Jan performed along the band after their heyday. It gives a glimpse of what we missed. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-39RKzQ89-k0.html
Sabina, so close to 100k :) Congratulations already today :) YOU must cross that threshold because you deserve it. if you dye your hair red, all my YT (female) will be red, ahahah Honestly, I recommend you one great song, OPETH - "Universal Truth". I love Opeth but this is a really touching piece....
I hate seeing everyone making "reaction to" videos on this song, which is just Focus' goofiest one. If you would like to hear the real Focus, the genius prog band which came up with a unique blend of rock, jazz and classical music, check out their album "Hamburger Concerto", especially their masterpiece "la cathédrale de Strasbourg", one of my favorite songs of all time.
