Sound effects

A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasise artistic or other content of films and music or other media. Here we are thinking mainly of a sound recorded and presented to make a specific storytelling or creative point. Such effects are found on some few Focus tracks.

1. Elspeth of Nottingham. The sounds of birds and cows can be heard towards the end of the track and this is the first example of such a thing on a Focus recording.

2. Ship of memories. This track closes with wind and seagull sounds.

3. Red sky at night. This track begins and ends with the sound of a wind machine that appears to go on throughout the track.

4. Blizu Tébe. Seagulls are again heard both at the beginning and the end.

5. Flower shower. This strange track includes the sound of a bathroom shower.

6. Aya-yuppie-hippie-hee. At the beginning of this track van Leer blows a clay bird whistle.

7. Nature is our friend. The sound of ducks in the water and then various birds in a wood are heard throughout this track.

8. Let us wander. This track has a similar but different set of nature sounds near water and in woods.

Focus fades

The fade is used by Focus quite sparingly, except on Mother Focus, where nearly half the tracks fade. It is usually adopted where a live piece has no obvious ending. Tracks using a fade include these

1. Why dream (In and out)

2. Round goes the gossip, Carnival fugue and Sylvia (Focus 3)

3. The US or fast version of Hocus Pocus

4. Early Birth

5. Red sky at night

6. Bennie Helder, My Sweetheart, All together ... Oh that!, Hard Vanilla and No Hang Ups (Mother Focus) 7. Nightflight and Wingless (Focus Con Proby)

8. Le Tango, Who's calling and Beethoven's Revenge (Focus 1985)

9. Fretless love, Hurkey Turkey, De ti O de mi (Focus 8)

10. Father Bacchus, Hoeratio and Crossroads (Focus X)

11. Five fourth (Focus Family Album)

Track by track 48a Red sky at night

Archive number: 48a

Title: Red sky at night

Main Album: Ship of Memories

Track number: 6

Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental

Studio: Decca Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California (later Studio 55)

Length: 5' 48"

Composer: Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman, Jules Deelder

Musicians: Jan Akkerman - Electric guitars, Vocals; Thijs van Leer – Vocals, Bass Moog, Hammond organ, Mellotrons, Piano, Electric Piano, Wind machine; David Kemper - Drums

Producer: Focus

Engineer: Mike Butcher or Eric Prestidge?

Label: LP – EMI, Harvest, Sire CD – EMI-Bovema, IRS, Red Bullet, JVC

Date of recording/release: 1975 but not released in this form until 1977 (LP). CD – 1988,1993, 2001, 2006.

Alternative version: This is the instrumental backing track for the vocal track Avondrood [48b], presumably laid down like this before the vocals were added.

Notes: A wind machine is heard at the beginning and end (00:00-00:13/05:29-05:48) and in the background throughout. The band comes in together (at 00:14) led by Akkerman's guitar soaring over a slow march featuring van Leer on pianos and bass Moog. There is a beautiful guitar-led bridge (01:53-02:14) before the earlier theme is repeated. The second time the flute leads taking up the bridge part and developing it (02:47-03:51). It is later interspersed with varied fretwork on guitar until a ritartando descends. Things then take off again, led by the piano-backed rising then soaring guitar (03:52-04:18). The section closes with a decisive cymbal crash (04:18) a note from the electric piano (04:19) and a wind machine-backed caesura (04:20-04:22) before the drums and a strong piano chord (04:23-04:26) announce the final section, where the organ is heard with the piano while the guitar (now more horn-like) still leads. A flute is heard at 04:52-04:57 as the piece slowly fades away (04:27-05:28).