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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20111122

Track by track 117 Niels Skin

Archive number: 117
Title: Niels' skin
Main Album: Focus 9 (New Skin)
Track number: 5
Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental
Studio: Fieldwork Studios, Schoten, Belgium
Length: 06:02
Composer: Niels van der Steenhoven
Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, piano; Niels van der Steenhoven – Guitars; Bobby Jacobs – Bass; Pierre van der Linden - Drums
Producer: Bobby Jacobs and Thijs van Leer
Engineer: Han Nuijten
Label: Red Bullet
Date of recording/release: Summer 2006
Alternative version: None
Notes: The introduction is played on drums (00:00-00:18) and is followed by a series of alternating sections. The first is a choppy guitar riff led section backed by the organ and speeding up at the end (00:18-00:46 and 00:51-01:19). The second is a pleasant guitar led theme (00:46-00:51 and 01:20-01:44) that begins to yearn second time around. When the choppy riff comes in the third time it leads into an organ solo with the band still backing (01:45-02:58). This third time the guitar has a dreamy quality when the theme is played, 02:59-03:43. At 03:44 we return pronouncedly to the choppy section again beginning a little slower with lots of bass and leading into a heavy and fairly wild guitar-led segment. This goes on until 05:15 where the choppy section comes in seamlessly for the final time and the piece comes to a united close at 06:02.

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