Track by track 164 Winnie

Archive number: 164
Title: Winnie
Main Album: The Focus Family Album
Track number: 20
Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental
Studio: Mosh Studios, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Length: 5:26
Composer: Thijs van Leer
Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, piano, flute; Menno Gootjes – Guitars; Udo Panekeet – Bass; Pierre van der Linden – Drums
Producer: Geert Scheigrond
Engineer: Geert Scheigrond
Label: In and Out of Focus Recordings
Date of recording/release: 2017

Notes: Winnie is Menno's daughter. The track begins with a slow and atmospheric intro from the band (00:00-00:35) until the reverberating electric guitar takes up the lead. Just over the two minute mark a whistful flute comes in backed by piano, for half a minute or so before reverting to the guitar led theme for a while, but with the piano. At the 3:30 mark the flute comes in again until 3:49. The guitar then takes up the lead again backed by piano, drums and bass in the same whistful way as before. The reverbed guitar ends the track, alone for the last 20 seconds or so.

Track by track 152 The fifth man

Archive number: 152
Title: The fifth man
Main Album: The Focus Family Album
Track number: 8
Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental
Studio: Mosh Studios, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Length: 4:40
Composer: Thijs van Leer

Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, piano, flute; Menno Gootjes – Guitars; Udo Panekeet – Bass; Pierre van der Linden – Drums

Producer: Geert Scheigrond
Engineer: Geert Scheigrond
Label: In and Out of Focus Recordings
Date of recording/release: April 13 2014/2017

Notes: The track begins with ten seconds of distorted guitar riff before the drums and bass come in and then the Hammond at around 00:33. The whole band rocks with the riff until 01:41 when a new theme is picked out on guitar over the band. At 01:58 it is just guitar again for some seconds before the band kick in again. At 02:21 van Leer's jazzy Hammond takes the lead until at 02:42 the original guitar led riff comes back in, before we have the clear guitar again at 03:06 which then becomes a drum led band finale with improvised blues guitar and reversions to the themes until a sudden stop at the end.

Track by track 150 Mosh Blues

Archive number: 150

Title: Mosh Blues

Main Album: The Focus Family Album

Track number: 6

Genre: Prog Rock

Studio: Mosh Studios, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Length: 6:24

Composer: Thijs van Leer, Menno Gootjes, Bobby Jacobs & Pierre van der Linden

Musicians: Thijs van Leer - organ, scat, flute; Menno Gootjes - Guitar; Bobby Jacobs - Bass; Pierre van der Linden - Drums

Producer: Geert Scheijgrond

Engineer: Geert Scheigrond

Label: In and Out of Focus Recordings

Date of recording/release: 2017

Notes: The track begins with a bass and drums led band groove, the Hammond coming in from 00:27. Hammond and lead guitar swap the limelight, the guitar eventually triumphing, At 3:18 van Leer gives us about 48 seconds of scat, 28 seconds of Hammond lead and 47 seconds of breathy flute. The band then playout the rest of the song, which lasts just over a minute until the final chord.

Moshing

The word Mosh refers to the recording studio in sao Paulo, which got its name from the initials of its founders: M alagutti O swaldo S antisteban H élio.

(from Wikipedia) Also known as slam dancing or simply slamming, it is a style of dance in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music. Moshing usually happens in the centre of the crowd, generally closer to the stage, in an area called the "pit". It is intended to be energetic and full of body contact.

The dance style originated in the hardcore punk scenes of California and Washington, DC around 1980. Through the 1980s it spread to other branches of punk rock as well as thrash metal and grunge, which exposed it to the mainstream. Since then, moshing has occasionally been performed to energetic music within a wide variety of genres, including alternative rock, EDM and hip hop, while remaining a staple at punk and heavy metal shows.

Variations of moshing exist, including "pogoing", "circle pits" and "wall of death". Dancing can be done alone as well as in groups.

While moshing is seen as a form of positive fan feedback or expression of enjoyment. It has also drawn criticism over dangerous excesses occurring in offshoots. Injuries have been reported.

Focus Live 01

Focus must have played many hundreds of concerts as Focus over the years. In most cases, certainly in the early years, recordings of these performances are quite rare. Where there are recordings these sometimes leave a lot to be desired technically and can be difficult to get hold of in some cases. Some of these concerts have been released on CD and DVD, many remain as bootleg items only.

There are three main official live recordings of Focus available - one from the early period (Rainbow) one from the Philp Catherine period (BBC) and one from this more recent period (America). There are also one or two other official live albums such as Live in South America (2002) and early material such as that found on Masters from the vaults and Gold/Greatest Hits or Living Legends. More recently, other official items have appeared.

Perhaps the very earliest extant recording is a good quality one from Saturday April 4, 1970, featuring Van Leer, Akkerman, Dresden and Cleuver. This would be well after the Amsterdam and London recordings of the first album. Two tracks were recorded at 'Studio 7' Club in Amsterdam on that occasion.

One lasts for 10:31. This is a version of Steamin/So What as made famous by Miles Davis. Van Leer is on an upright piano and the feel is very much a jazz one. Focus rarely sound quite as jazzy again but this element does resurface at various points in their later career.

The second track lasts for 17:18. This is Scarborough Fair, a traditional song arranged and made famous by Simon and Garfunkel in 1966 (Paul Simon got the song from Martin Carthy). Versions by The Ventures, Wes Montgomery and Charlie Byrd may have influenced this one. It was featured on the self-titled Brainbox Album of 1969 (with Akkerman on acoustic guitar and Van Der Linden on drums). While still quite jazzy in feel we are much more in Prog Rock territory here. Van Leer plays flute as well as piano.

The lack of audience reaction may suggest this was a run through prior to performing.

We know that focus also played in Breda on April 30 1970 (with Golden Earring and the George Baker Selection), at Terborg on August 6 and on October 31 in Wageningen as part of the Cantil Festival but we are unaware of recordings.

Progressive Rock?

Today's official website boasts of Focus as De ultieme progressieve rockgroep. But are they really a prog rock band? Being interviewed last year Thijs Van Leer said “I know some rock musicians call us ‘The Godfathers of Progressive Rock’, but I describe the music as songs without words. It is influenced by European classical music, R’n’B, folk and jazz. It’s very much improvisational and has a signature all of it’s own.”
Progressive rock has been described as “an ambitious, eclectic, and often grandiose” form of rock music that evolved in the late sixties and early seventies as part of a “mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility.” Pushing “rock's technical and compositional boundaries” it went beyond the standard rock or popular verse-chorus-based song structures. Additionally, arrangements often incorporated elements drawn from classical, jazz, folk and world music. Instrumentals were common.
Prog rock developed from psychedelic rock as part of a wide-ranging tendency in the rock music of the era to draw inspiration from ever more diverse influences. Prog rock reached the peak of its popularity in the 1970s but continues to this day. The term became widespread in the mid-1970s and was applied to music by bands such as King Crimson; Yes; Genesis; Jethro Tull; Camel and was often applied to Focus. Is it appropriate? Perhaps it is best to answer yes and no.

Yes
Do Focus avoid common popular music song structures (eg verse-chorus-bridge) or blur formal distinctions by extending sections or inserting musical interludes, often with exaggerated dynamics to heighten the contrast between sections? Yes.
Are classical forms often inserted or substituted, sometimes yielding entire suites, building on the traditional medleys of earlier rock bands? Again, yes.

Do we get extended instrumental passages, marrying the classical solo tradition with the improvisational traditions of jazz and psychedelic rock, leading often to lengthy tracks? That is certainly there.
There is also distinctive instrumentation and tone colour with the use of flute and lute and limited experimentation with unusual keyboard sounds.
What about the exploration of time signatures other than 4/4 and tempo changes, inspired by classical, jazz, folk and experimental influences? Once again, it is yes. The freer rhythmic approach of prog rock is certainly there too.
Similarly, when it comes to melody and harmony the blues inflections of mainstream rock are supplemented by jazz and classical influences. Longer, developing passages are more common than short, catchy ones. Allusions to, or even direct quotes from, well-known classical themes appear.

No
On the other hand, ambient soundscapes and theatrical elements are not really part of the Focus scene and although Focus showed some interest in new electronic musical instruments and technologies, it was never to the fore. Mellotrons and synthesisers were used sparingly and in its current incarnation Focus pretty much avoids them. There has never been a Focus concept album either. The general lack of lyrics has also meant that themes from classical literature, fantasy and folklore (the stuff of many a prog rock band) have never been explored. Album art has never been a big part of Focus's appeal, either and as for stage theatrics the very opposite was generally true of the quiet Dutchmen. Unlike Genesis, Keith Emerson and others, for Focus the music is everything.
A qualified answer is necessary, therefore. Are Focus Prog rock? Yes, but in a way unlike any other prog rock band. Indeed, a unique style.