Archive number: 85
Title: Focus 1 (Live)
Main Album: Focus Live In America
Track number: 1
Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental
Venue: Patriots Theater, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, New Jersey, USA
Length: 12' 57”
Composer: Thijs van Leer
Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, Flute; Jan Dumee – Gibson Marauder Guitar; Bobby Jacobs - Bass; Bert Smaak - Drums
Producer: Gavin Bott/Bob Carruthers
Engineer: Mike Potter (Orion Sound) Mix (Total audio)
Label: Classical Rock Legends Limited
Date of recording/release: October 2002 (part of a two day Uriah Heep led classic rock legend festival that also featured Nektar, Mostly Autumn and Asia). Released on DVD and CD (edited) in 2003.
Alternative version: The original version was on the first album.
Notes: This is a competent version of the very first Focus number with plenty of reverb from Dumee (who, the DVD shows, is not using a tremelo arm). The music lasts for slightly over 12 minutes (00:20-12:34) topped and tailed with applause and van Leer's Thank you and announcement (“That was Focus 1. Now we do a thing called House of the King”). (On the DVD we have the opening announcement at the start "Welcome please Focus"). We begin quietly with just the distinctive Hammond. It also ends quietly with guitar and drums. In between we have a fairly raucous section (around 05:00-08:40) that people cheer, on conclusion. Then there is a slightly reggae-styled (08:41-08:59) section that leads into a beautiful flute section (09:00-11:24) which on conclusion is whistled appreciatively by the audience. As they are about to build up to another crescendo, this is abruptly cut short (11:48) and we return to the earlier earnest strains to close (12:34).
No comments:
Post a Comment