Track by track 105 Brother

Archive number: 105

Title: Brother

Main Album: Focus 8

Track number: 9

Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental

Studio: Peptide Studio, Vuren

Length: 05' 33”

Composer: Thijs van Leer, Roselie Peters

Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ; Jan Dumee – Guitars; Bobby Jacobs - Bass; Bert Smaak - Drums

Producer: Geert Scheijgrond & Focus

Engineer: Geert Scheijgrond & Dick Kemper

Label: Musea/Red Bullet

Date of recording/release: A limited run of 500 of the album appeared in August 2002 to be followed by a general release on CD later that year. Also later on Paras and JVC Victor

Alternative version: Several including on Focus Con Proby

Notes: This is an instrumental version of a Focus track that first appeared on Focus Con Proby with P J Proby singing. It begins with the beautiful, classically informed (from Brahms?) but now bluesified, introduction this time on Hammond organ (00:00-00:59) and slightly extended. A drum beat (01:00) brings the band in with the slow march led this time by Dumee's electric guitar (01:01-01:56) and, for the chorus, Van Leer's flute and organ (01:57- 02:26). The pattern is repeated (02:27-03:21 and 03:22-03:56). A final Dumee-led section wrings a good deal of emotion out of the tune before a dramatic end (03:57-05:20) that ends with a 13 second quotation from Eruption to conclude.

Track by track 90 [DVD] Brother (Live FLIA)

Archive number: 90 [DVD only]

Title: Brother (Live)

Main Album: Focus Live In America DVD Track number: 6 (DVD) not on CD

Genre: Jazz Rock Vocal

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

Length: 12' 57”

Composer: Thijs van Leer

Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, Vocal; 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: Instrumental versions can be found on van Leer's solo album Introspection 3 and later on Focus 8. P J Proby sings it on Focus Con Proby.

Notes: Perhaps van Leer was keen to include this when performing in America as it is essentially an American song. It includes a nice introduction on organ (as written for the Con Proby album), rather poor vocal work from van Leer and, most interestingly, a guitar coda quoting Eruption. It was rightly left off the CD.

Family Titles

In the Focus titles family we have

Mother Focus

Father Bach

Brother

Little Sister

Sylvia's Stepson

They have all come to Birth

Track by track 74 Brother

Archive number: 74
Title: Brother
Main Album: Focus Con Proby
Track number: 6
Genre: Jazz Rock Vocal
Studio: EMI Studios, Hilversum, The Netherlands
Length: 05' 16”
Composer: Roselie van Leer, Thijs van Leer
Musicians: P J Proby – Vocals; Eef Albers- Electric Guitars; Thijs van Leer – Piano, Mellotron, Hammond organ; Bert Ruiter – Bass; Steve Smith - Drums
Producer: Yde de Jong
Engineer: Jan van Vrijaldenhoven/Mike Stavron
Label: LP – EMI
Date of recording/release: Recorded/released 1978 LP – 1978 CD – 1998
Alternative versions: An instrumental version can be found on van Leer's solo album Introspection 3. Also see the later Focus 8.
Notes: The piece begins with a beautiful, classically informed, piano introduction with some slight mellotron backing (00:00-00:48) possibly stolen from Brahms. After five seconds silence (00:49-00:54) heavy drum beats are heard and the band comes in with a slow march led by Proby's rock ballad vocal (0051-03:35). The angst ridden verses and 1920s American depression influenced chorus are as follows:

I've never been unhappy or alone
Each day daylight came back

I always watched the stars
Not thinking space big and dark

Rains always were my friend
The wind knew all my secrets

Brother do you know that the times are hard
Do you wanna see my eyes
Better Make a start
Cause brother do you see that the times are hard
I need love
Hey yeah (Repeat chorus)

I did not fear the shadows of trees
But city shadows don't move

I saw a child of God. He was
Someday to grow into the world.

Brother do you know that the times are hard
Do you wanna see my eyes

You'd better make a start
Cause brother ...
do you see that the times are hard
I need love (Repeat chorus)

A horn-like guitar leads the band as the music rises (03:36-04:12) until the vocal comes back in very high (04:13-05:01) with the opening six lines. A triumphant classical style piano, organ and cymbals close the piece (05:02-05:16).