Date of Release

The original LP was released in America at the end of 1973 but was only widely available from January 9, 1974. Hence the discrepancies in the stated year of release.

Change of Address

Early versions of the album have the "1841 Broadway, New York, N.Y." address on the bottom of the centre labels. Late in 1973 the address on the labels changes to "75 Rockefeller Plaza, N.Y., N.Y.". (Click picture to enlarge).

Atlantic Studios

This is the Cova Building where Atlantic had its studios 1969-1990.

Atlantic Studios was the recording studio of Atlantic Records. It was located at 1841 Broadway (at the corner of 60th Street), in New York City. According to the address written in the original liner notes (1957) of Charles Mingus' The Clown, it was initially located at 157 W 57th Street. The American record label first recorded in these studios in November 1947. The studio is the first to record in stereo, with the efforts of Tom Dowd.

Lambe lays it down on Tabernakel

Stephen Lambe tackles Tabernakel on pages 67-71 of his new book, between the departure of Pierre van der Linden and the arrival of Colin Allen, Focus wise. Lambe considers it a skilful and interesting album and notes that Focus fans like it - because, he says, it is most like Focus. However, he does not sound like a fan and seriously questions the inclusion of five lute tracks, preferring the George Flynn efforts.

He describes the album contents track by track. He likes the opener and the lute solo tracks that follow. He calls the House of the King track "a fun and energetic reworking" but is not entirely convinced. He rather passes over the rest of the tracks on the original side one with the exception of the final track, Javeh, which he suggests gets its title from its seemingly God given nature and Jan's Jewish background. He is still not happy, however, with the diversity of the material.

As for Lammy, he calls it "a sprawling, sometimes brilliant piece" that is unique in progressive rock. Although it "always intrigues" it is too disparate for Mr Lambe. He is particularly unhappy with the choir sections. At least he finds the Amen delightful.

It is interesting to read what Mr Lambe makes of the album but he just doesn't get it, sadly. I remember comparing notes with Jan once on what makes music interesting. I spoke about watching Status Quo in concert on TV in 1982 and being bored by the time of the third song. He spoke of the same response to a Rolling Stones concert in Amsterdam (1998 perhaps?) leaving half way through. It is the variety on Tabernakel that is one of its greatest strengths, not a weakness.

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.

Original Advert

 

Akkerman on Bream

 See this Sal Cataldi article here.

Jan Akkerman Discography

Studio albums
1968 - Talent for Sale [35:57]
1972 - Profile [37:37] 1972 - Profile (Vinyl LP) [37:56]
1973 - Tabernakel [37:33] 1973 - Tabernakel (Vinyl LP) [37:41]
1976 - Eli (with Kaz Lux) [38:36] 1976 - Eli (with Kaz Lux) [Vinyl LP] [38:47]
1977 - Jan Akkerman [40:11] 1977 - Jan Akkerman (Vinyl LP) [40:46]
1978 - Aranjuez (with Claus Ogerman) [43:30] 1978 - Aranjuez (with Claus Ogerman) (Vinyl LP) [43:31]
1979 - 3 [33:47] 1979 - 3 (Vinyl LP) [34:02]
1980 - Transparental (with Kaz Lux) [Vinyl LP] [39:29]
1981 - Oil in the Family [37:00]
1982 - Pleasure Point [1:06:03] 1982 - Pleasure Point (1998 Remastered) [1:05:48] 1982 - Pleasure Point (Vinyl LP) [41:07]
1982 - It Could Happen To You [37:23]
1983 - Can't Stand Noise [1:10:55]
1984 - From the Basement [1:12:27] 1984 - From the Basement (1998 Remastered) [1:12:24]
1987 - Heartware [1:02:15] 1987 - Heartware (1998 Remastered) [1:16:06]
1990 - The Noise of Art [49:38]
1993 - Puccini's Cafe [47:27]
1994 - Blues Hearts [43:58]
1996 - Focus in Time [48:11]
1998 - Blues Root (with Curtis Knight) [55:02]

1999 - Passion (Acoustic) [52:55]
2003 - C.U. [1:00:18]
2011 - Minor Details [1:16:38]

2019 - Close Beauty [64:35]

Live albums
1978 - Live Montreux Jazz Festival 1978 [34:32] 1978 - Live Montreux Jazz Festival 1978 (Vinyl LP) [34:49]
1997 - 10.000 Clowns On A Rainy Day [2:12:09]
1999 - Live at Alexanders [1:11:47]
1999 - Live! The Kiel/Stuttgart Concert (with Joachim Kuhn) [33:55]
2006 - C.U.2 - Live in Tokyo [1:10:39]

Compilations
1986 - The Complete Guitarist [50:07]
2018 - Akkerarchives [1:18:47]

Death Tim Bogert

Bassist Tim Bogert officially retired from music in 2009 following a motorcycle accident. He died on January 13, 2021 after a battle with cancer; he was 76 years old.

Tabernakel in Camelot Number order

A Galliard by John Dowland                                2B
Coranto for Mrs Murcott by Francis Pilkington  4A
A Pavan by Thomas Morley                                 6A
A Fantasy by Laurencini of Rome                        6B
Javeh                                                                     7A
A Galliard by Anthonie Holborne                        7B
Lammy                                                                  8A
Britannia by John Dowland                                   9B
House of the King                                                 10B
The Earl of Derby, His Galliard by John Dowland 11A