Focus Concert Manchester January 1973

 

Report Focus in Miami 1973

‘Hokus Pokus’ Focus, Dion Play Ferlinghetti Dramatizes Poetry

Tonight at 7 Student Entertainment Committee will present what should be a most interesting and diverse program. First there will be the legendary Dion, who starts things rolling on the patio.

At 8 the crowd will adjourn to the Ibis for a reading by one of the Underground’s most distinguished poets, Ferlinghetti. At 9:30, back on the patio, the top band of Holland, the amazing Focus, takes over the spectacle with their particular brand of dynamic and exciting high-energy music.

While their yodel infested pile-driver “Hokus Pokus” is currently doing time on stateside radio. Focus is only now denting the shell of recognition that has eluded them so far in this country. However, in Europe and especially in England, this fine combo is one of the hottest groups around, having recently been dubbed “Most Promising New Group” by Britain’s prestigious Melody Maker newspaper.

Focus began their existence some four or five years ago as Brainbox and a couple of albums were issued under that name in the U.S. by Capital Records. Then came a reorganization within the group and with it a new name. As Focus they have had two stateside releases as well as a new double LP by the group and a solo record by leader Jan Akkerman (both were released recently for the European market).

Their latest American disc, MOVING WAVES (Sire Records), has already attracted them a small following on these shores, not only because of its inclusion of “Hokus Pokus” but mainly for the flashy, skillfully constructed instrumental composition contained throughout. Focus consists of Jan Akkerman on guitar and bass; Thijs van Leer with organ, mellotron, harmonium, flute, and piano; Cyriel Havermans on bass; and Pierre van der Linden on drums.

Dion is one of Miami’s favorite performers. Whenever “Teenager In Love” or “Runaround Sue” came over the radio waves in the late fifties, .....

Focus in Concert Newcastle January 1973

 

Support: Programme says Harvey Andrews and Graham Cooper; Ticket says Snake Eye!

New Book on Focus

A new book has recently appeared on Focus in the Seventies. By Stephen Lambe, the book endeavours to guide the reader through the band's early history year by year, up to the end of the seventies. It deals with eight Focus albums song by song and gives the same treatment to Akkerman and van Leer's solo work 1970-1979. It claims to be a potted history of the band and an insight into the tensions which lead to such a creative - if short lived - peak and "an essential guide to the astonishing music the two men made while at the peak of their powers." Like so many books of this sort it labours under the difficulty of being so appallingly proof read (I'm not sure any attempt was actually made beyond using a computer spell check). The album by album analysis is not appealing to the casual reader either. The approach is to have Lambe voice his own opinion about the music, which is fine where you agree but more difficult where you do not. Apparently, Eruption is brilliant but Anonymus not so and the Introspection albums are too much of their time. It's nice to hear opinions, I suppose. It's greatest achievement is to have persuaded me to buy the latest Focus Collection, the fifty year anthology. Anyway, if you are a Focus fanatic do buy it. PS Mr Lambe, please please let me proofread a second edition.

10 More Prog Rock Albums 1973

Dowland at the Rainbow

This is the famous lute encore given by Akkerman following the Focus concert

at the Rainbow Theatre (You will have to watch it on Youtube).