The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

Menu

Navigation

Disco-Prog sensation! Hitherto unknown 1975 Focus film emerges

by 4 Comments

This is exciting – the first ‘new old’ film of Focus in ages, hitherto unknown. It’s filmed at Castle Groeneveld in the Netherlands in 1975, where Focus often rehearsed, and seems to be for a German channel – the brief interviews at the start are in English, with German translation in the voiceover.

The main piece of music – ‘My Sweetheart’ from their 1975 album ‘Mother Focus’ – starts at 3:54. The line-up is the classic 1972-73 one – Thijs Van Leer (piano/flute), Jan Akkerman (guitar), Bert Ruiter (bass) and Pierre van der Linden (drums) – but Pierre was not present when they recorded ‘Mother Focus’, with David Kemper on the record (Colin Allen had appeared on the previous one, 1974’s ‘Hamburger Concerto’). Pierre mimes here to the most un-Pierre-like (simple) drumming!

‘My Sweetheart’ is that rare beast ‘disco prog’ at its finest!

In September, the current Focus – Thijs, Pierre + 2 excellent younger players – play a short tour of Britain and Ireland (hurrah!). It can only be legendary!

Are we Focused?

by 13 Comments

One should always be focused… on the finest of Dutch progressive rock. The tunes entitled ‘Focus’ and numbered 1-5 can be found across that mighty ensemble’s ‘original era’ albums of 1970-76. ‘Focus 6’ is fairly obscure, having appeared originally on a 1981 Thijs Van Leer (organ/flute in Focus) solo album. When Focus rebooted as a recording/touring sensation in 2002, the first album was called ‘Focus 8’ (featuring, of course, a tune of that name). The album ‘Focus 12’ is due in July… featuring not a tune of that title but one called ‘Focus 13’. (See below for the answer to ‘where’s ‘Focus 12′?’)

But what of ‘Focus 7’? Well, it seems to have first appeared on a little-known live album (sold on the band’s merchandise stall rather than being a ‘proper’ release called ‘Live in America’ in 2003 and then on an even more obscure semi-release called ‘Live in South America’ the following year. A studio version of ‘Focus 7’ belatedly appeared on the 2006 album ‘Focus 9’ (along with, obviously, ‘Focus 9’). Luckily, for those of us who were blinking and missed things, the well-marketed ‘Focus 50’ (referring to their 50th anniversary – not that they’d jumped several dozen » Continue Reading.

Exciting news for Focus fans…

by 6 Comments

Exciting news… Wouter, the Dutch mastering chap who worked on last year’s sensational 26CD Jan Akkerman box set, is currently working on a forthcoming Focus box set to include their seven 1970-77 albums (mastered for CD from the original master tapes for the first time) with a load of outtakes, video content and AT LAST the fantastic Paris Theatre BBC radio concert from 1972, long circulated as a bootleg as ‘The Sky Will Fall Over London Tonight’. Hurrah! 😀

Let’s hear it for the drummer… er, no, on second thoughts…

by 14 Comments

Inspired by Twang’s post on great drumming tracks, I’ve been listening a lot recently to the new Focus album ‘Focus 11’ (no, wait… come back…) 😀 and I’m intrigued by the opening tune ‘Who’s Calling?’ Specifically, I’m intrigued by its arrangement and not least the drumming.

‘Who’s Calling?’ was originally recorded by the one-off reunion of Jan Akkerman and Thijs van Leer in 1985 for an album called ‘Focus’. It is, in my view, one of the great Focus melodies, certainly worthy of revival. The current Focus, which has been fully operational since ‘Focus 8’ in 2003, is led by Thijs van Leer and for the past couple of albums and associated touring has also featured the great Pierre van der Linden on drums, from the classic era 1972-74 band. The current Focus has done a grand job of re-interpreting a few oldies on record, but is this latest effort a success?

I’m in two minds. What does the Afterword prog massive think? Is Menno’s bolted on riffing a good idea or should it have formed the basis of another tune entirely? And is Pierre’s galloping double time drumming a revelation or a man falling down the stairs with his » Continue Reading.

‘Session musicians? No – get me that whole band over there…’

by 108 Comments

Following on from the luxury session musicians thread, it might be fun to look at some little-known examples of an artist using (uncredited or otherwise) an entire other band as backing on a record.

Focus fulfilled this role on two or three projects in their early days. Here’s the curiously named Ramses Shaffy on a Dutch single from 1970, with Focus very much ‘doing their thing’, which would become so much better known worldwide a couple of years later:

Autumnal Dutch jazz-funk-blues

by 23 Comments

Here’s a fantastic funky-bluesy instrumental performance from a one-off Thijs van Leer Group, featuring Pierre van der Linden on drums and Eef Albers – possibly the least-known (outside of Holland) of the original-era Focus guitarists (he appeared on their ‘final’ album ‘Focus Con Proby’ in 1977). I’ve never heard of him since, but this performance, at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, in May 2016 suggests I’ve been missing out.

I have a feeling Twang, Johnny C and other old-school guitar buffs will enjoy this too.