Track by track 205 All Aboard

Main Album: Focus 12

Title: All Aboard 

Track number: 5

Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental

Studio: Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands

Length: 4:31

Composer: Udo Pannekeet

Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, flute; Menno Gootjes – Guitars; Udo Panekeet – Bass; Pierre van der Linden – Drums

Producer: Udo Pannekeet and Menno Gootjes

Label: Spirit of the Unicorn

Date of recording/release: July 2024

Alternative recording: None

Notes: We begin with a groove from the rhythm section with plenty of cow bell. The flute comes in around 00:15 and then the guitar too from around 00:33. This all rises to a guitar chord that sounds at around 01:05. The band then carries on exploring the theme until a brief slow down around 01:40. It then carries on until another break down at 02:17 before heading onwards. At 03:05 a fresh choppy break is added. This dominates until the fade.

Track by track 173 Mare Nostrum

Archive number: 173

Title: Mare Nostrum
Main Album: Focus Family 11
Track number: 9

Genre: Progressive Rock Instrumental
Studio: WedgeView Studios, Netherlands
Length: 5:08
Composer: Udo Pannekeet

Key: C
Musicians: Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ; Menno Gootjes – Guitars; Udo Panekeet – Bass; Pierre van der Linden – Drums
Producer: Geert Scheigrond
Engineer: Geert Scheigrond
Label: In and Out of Focus Recordings
Date of recording/release: November 2018
Alternative recording: None

Notes: The whole band begin together with a laconic guitar-led melody slightly changing around the one minute mark. At about 1:53 the drums energetically lead into a jauntier section. The guitar work grows increasingly more energetic. At around 4:32 it slows before quickly closing with drums and the whole band.

Mare Nostrum is Latin for "Our Sea" and was a Roman name for the Mediterranean. In the decades following the 1861 unification of Italy, Italian nationalists and Italian fascists who saw Italy as the successor state to the Roman Empire attempted to revive the term.

Track by track 163 Anaya

Archive number: 163
Title: Anaya
Main Album: The Focus Family Album
Track number: 19
Genre: Bass solo
Studio: Unknown
Length: 1:53
Composer: Udo Pannekeet
Musicians: Udo Pannekeet - Six string Bass, percussion machine
Producer: Geert Scheigrond
Engineer: Geert Scheigrond
Label: In and Out of Focus Recordings
Date of recording/release: 2017

Notes: Anaya is the 9-year-old daughter of Yaminah. This is another more lively solo bass piece from Udo Pannekeet with percussion machine and multi-tracking.

Track by track 153 Song for Yaminah

Archive number: 153
Title: Song for Yaminah
Main Album: The Focus Family Album
Track number: 9
Genre: Solo instrumental
Studio: Unknown
Length: 1:53
Composer: Udo Pannekeet
Musicians: Udo Pannekeet – five string bass
Producer: Geert Scheigrond
Engineer: Geert Scheigrond
Label: In and Out of Focus Recordings
Date of recording/release: 2017
Notes: Dedicated to his one true love, this pleasant piece finds the latest Focus bass player exploring his instrument with skill.

New Focus Album Out Today September 1

Rather out of the blue a new Focus album appears today. What they have done is to interleave Focus tracks with tracks from members of the band to create an attractive double album adorned with one of Roger Dean's iconic artwork covers. I understand that the CD version is quite lavish in presentation. This is well worth a listen and full of good things. They could have simply produced a 10 track Focus album but by this means one gets something a bit more meaty and this is probably the right move, although why the old method of calling solo tracks a group effort (pioneered by the Beatles [Yesterday] and continued by Focus [Moving Waves, le Clochard]) could not have been followed I am not sure. Some few tracks have appeared before but the bulk is very fresh to most of us. It is called Focus Family Album and is available through the usual outlets.

New Bassist for Focus

We understand that after many years faithful service Bobby Jacobs has stepped down as bassist. The new bassist is jazz musician Udo Pannekeet.