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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20101024

Track by track 111 Hello

Archive number: 111 [u]
Title: Hello
Main Album: Unreleased
Track number: 5
Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental
Studio: Fieldwork Studios, Schoten, Belgium
Length: 06' 30”
Composer: Jan Dumee
Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, Voice; Jan Dumee – Electric Guitar; Bobby Jacobs – Bass, Voice; Pierre van der Linden – Drums.
Producer: Bobby Jacobs and Thijs van Leer
Engineer: Han Nuijten
Label: None
Date of recording/release: This track was recorded in 2006 at the start of preparations for the album Focus 9 – after the departure of Bert Smaak but before the departure of Jan Dumee. It is in the Old Skin collection and has been made available on Jan Dumee's website.
Alternative version: A vocal version by John Lawton with Dumee
Note: The track announces its presence with the sound of a cymbal and two lots of four notes on electric guitar with organ, bass and drums backing (00:01-00:18). We then move into a plaintive guitar led section (00:19-01:09) that becomes perhaps a little more brilliant (01:10) then more quiet (01:33). Dumee seems to be groping for a melody that does not really develop much. At 2:12 a sudden spark of life appears as van Leer adds an onomatapoeic voice. This continues to 2:30 where the plaintive guitar returns. The voice returns for a longer run, 03:52-06:16. In this section the guitar and band get a little wilder. The piece then tails off with a drawn out voice and organ ending.

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