Looking at the music of Dutch rock band Focus, started in the late sixties by Thijs van Leer (b /31/03/48) with Jan Akkerman (b 24/12/46). Van Leer still performs and records under the name today (official site here). Akkerman's site here.

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20080209

Track by track 31 Sylvia (Live)

Archive number: 31
Title: Sylvia (Live)
Main Album: Focus at the Rainbow
Track number: 6
Genre: Live Progressive Rock Instrumental
Venue: Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, 232 Seven Sisters Road, N4 3NX (recorded using Pye Studios Mobile Unit and edited from the two performances)
Length: 2' 47”
Composer: Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman
Musicians: Jan Akkerman – Electric guitar (Gibson Les Paul Custom); Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, Voice; Bert Ruiter - Bass; Pierre van der Linden – Drums
Producer: Mike Vernon
Engineer: Phil Dunne
Label: LP – Polydor, Sire CD – EMI-Bovema, IRS, Red Bullet, JVC Victor Date of recording/release: May 4, 5 1973/October 1973 (May 4 concert televised UK July 1973) CD 1988, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006
Alternative version: The original of this is on Focus 3
Notes: A shortened version of the original, this live version is slightly quicker in tempo. Akkerman's guitar begins it with very fast chopped guitar chords and some bass accompaniment (00:00-00:14). Some sort of hum is heard early on. The organ comes in at 00:14, then drums (00:17) and at 00:35 we break into the lead theme. At 00:51 the chopped chords return to be followed once again by the guitar-led theme (00:58-01:14). At 01:15-01:18 there is a brief bridge that features again at 01:51-02:02 where it is repeated three times accompanied (unlike the original) both times by van Leer's vibrato voice. In 01:16-01:50 we revisit the main theme. The track plays out (02:03-02:47) with the ritartando from 02:36. The next track immediately follows.

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