Track by track 88 Eruption (Live FLIA)

Archive number: 88

Title: Eruption (Live)

Main Album: Focus Live In America

Track number: 4

Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental

Venue: Patriots Theater, 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, New Jersey, USA

Length: 16' 27”

Composer: Thijs van Leer

Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, Flute, Whistling, Voice; 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 full original is found on the album Moving Waves

Notes: The announcment for this track is on the previous track. Van Leer says there “Now we'd like to take you to the second side, B side, of our album - actually the first album to break here in the States - that was Moving Waves. And it was a title called Eruption.” Here we start with 'violined' guitar the fare is quite standard until around 04:45 when van Leer comes in first with the flute then some lovely whistling. This leads into a creditable Tommy (from 05:50). Then, after a little more whistling, we have more of the familiar live stuff, allowing Dumee to shine. There is some brief scat from van Leer, mainly at 12:40-13:17, but recurring over the next minute or so after that and including something of a variation on the theme. There is also a jazzy flute-led break at 13:55-14:31 and an organ-led one at 14:32-15:34 which again features van Leer's scat voice at certain points. There is then an abrupt return to the slow original theme (15:35-15:55) to round off. Applause and speech follow from 15:56-16:27. Van Leer says “Thank you so much ... Thanks ... We'd like to do a song that was once dedicated to a girl named Sylvia.” This is an edit, however, as it is clear from the DVD that before Sylvia another two tracks intervened (Focus 3 – at the end of the CD) and Brother (omitted from the CD).