Focus - 6 LP
Жанр: Prog-Rock
Носитель: LP
Год выпуска: 1970-1983
Аудио кодек: FLAC
Тип рипа: tracks+.cue
Формат записи: 24/96
Формат раздачи: 24/96
Продолжительность: 4:35:52
Источник оцифровки: LP Rip & Full Scan LP Cover: Fran Solo
Устройство воспроизведения: Marantz 6170
Головка звукоснимателя: SHURE M97xE
Предварительный усилитель: Sansui 9090DB
АЦП: E-MU 0404
1970 - In And Out Of Focus (Re 1973)
Лейбл: Sire / SAS-7404
Страна-производитель: US
Продолжительность: 31:03
Треклист:
A1. Focus
A2. Why Dream
A3. Happy Nightmare
B1. Anonymus
B2. Black Beauty
B3. Focus
Спектр
АЧХ
Уровень записи
DR12
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed folder: Focus – In And Out Of Focus (LP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.36 dB -15.43 dB 01 Focus - LADO 1- Focus (Instrumental).wav
DR12 -0.29 dB -14.15 dB 02 Focus - Why Dream.wav
DR12 -1.51 dB -16.01 dB 03 Focus - Happy Nightmare (Mescaline).wav
DR13 -1.15 dB -16.26 dB 04 Focus - LADO 2- Anonymous.wav
DR13 -1.83 dB -16.89 dB 05 Focus - Black Beauty.wav
DR10 -5.00 dB -17.18 dB 06 Focus - Focus (Vocal).wav
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files: 6
Official DR value: DR12
==============================================================================================
Personel
Jan Akkerman / guitars
Hans Cleuver / drums
Martijn Dresden / bass
Thijs van Leer / vocals, keyboards, flute
About
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.
It's amazing and fascinating to know how FOCUS were (and still are) popular in Brazil. They are good and really deserved that distinction but I also realize that their first output came in a moment that part of the younger generation was eager to some new sounds, experiences and perspectives - a new focus, indeed. Those kids that became teenagers in late 60s had received musical information coming from BEATLES, MOODY BLUES, PROCOL HARUM, early FLOYD and CRIMSON, and so they were naturally looking for novelties, a niche filled amongst other by FOCUS.
"In And Out Of Focus" has a fair content of progressiveness, nothing really spectacular but with the exact dosage to amuse many, myself included. Their sound shows several directions and influences: hard and pop-rock, European jazz, psych & space, folk & erudite and even some of then recent acts like JETHRO TULL. All together could produce a tasteless and confusing salad but the result is agreeable since the production got to separate their backgrounds clearly.
The album begins and finishes with the same track, the band namesake song 'Focus', being the first provided with vocals and the later instrumental only - a catchy and soft tune much more in the romantic pop vein with some real rock passages. Vocals in English could have been weird if that was one's native language however for a non-English speaker it sounded interesting.
'Black beauty' rocks pleasantly and a certain smell of 60s pop-rock may be felt while 'Sugar Island' blends Latin and psych tunes - either songs are not remarkable but are perfectly hearable. 'Anonymous' is a fine and real progressive track, the varied atmosphere changing associated with nice musicianship makes this one of the best album moments. This song has also some segments which in the future will shape FOCUS signature.
'House of the king' (not in SIRE issue) opens lovably the last part of "In And Out Of Focus". The short song was a hit and became a band's standard. 'Happy nightmare' brings back the vocals, together with catchy folk and jazz tunes - not special but nevertheless hearable. 'Why dream' is simply an average non-skipable track with psych spices.
FOCUS debut album is the starting point for a lengthy and successful career that should be not overlooked when diving into the band's discography. "In And Out Of Focus" could be a plain good album however the legend of FOCUS recommends it as a meaningful addition for all music collection.
progarchives.com
Scans
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[img=right][/img]
1971 - Moving Waves
Лейбл: Sire / SAS 7401
Страна-производитель: US
Продолжительность: 42:05
Треклист:
A1. Hocus Pocus
A2. Le Clochard ("Bread")
A3. Janis
A4. Moving Waves
A5. Focus II
B1. Eruption
i. Orfeus, Answer, Orfeus
ii. Answer, Pupilla, Tommy, Pupilla
iii. Answer, The Bridge
iv. Euridice, Dayglow, Endless Road
v. Answer, Orfeus, Euridice
Спектр
АЧХ
Уровень записи
DR12
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed folder: Focus – Moving Waves (LP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.47 dB -15.21 dB 01 Focus - LADO 1- Hocus Pocus.wav
DR12 -3.57 dB -20.24 dB 02 Focus - Le Clochard ('Bread').wav
DR11 -2.67 dB -15.73 dB 03 Focus - Janis.wav
DR12 -4.10 dB -21.27 dB 04 Focus - Moving Waves.wav
DR12 -0.88 dB -16.39 dB 05 Focus - Focus II.wav
DR12 -0.43 dB -15.67 dB 06 Focus - LADO 2- Eruption (5 Parts).wav
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files: 6
Official DR value: DR12
==============================================================================================
Personel
Jan Akkerman / solo & acoustic guitars, bass
Cyril Havermanns / bass, voices
Pierre van der Linden / drums
Thijs van Leer / organ, Harmonium, Mellotron, soprano and alto flute, piano, voices
About
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music.
I remembered way back as a kid hearing "Hocus Pocus" on the radio, this must be around 1979 or 1980, on the FM dial. Around 1989, I heard this song again and found out it was "Hocus Pocus" and the group was called FOCUS. I thought that was silly to have a song title that rhymes with the group's name. I thought it was a rather ingenious mixing of heavy metal and yodeling.
When my interest in prog rock was on the rise around the early '90s, I was wondering if it was worth trying FOCUS, and once I got to hear "Moving Waves", I was not disappointed.
The album was entitled "Focus II" in Holland, but elsewhere, it's known as "Moving Waves". This album is definately an improvement over "In & Out of Focus". The vocal pop-oriented material of that album have been totally dropped. Original members Hans Cleuver and Martijn Dresdin had left the band to be replaced by drummer Pierre van der Linden (ex-BRAINBOX, which Jan Akkerman was a member of, by the way) and bassist Cyriel Haversman. The other two guys, who helped make FOCUS what they were, were guitarist Jan Akkerman and keyboardist/flautist Thijs van Leer. "Hocus Pocus" was actually an unintentional hit for the band, and in fact wasn't a hit in the United States until 1973, that is, not until even after their following album, "Focus 3" was released. The band thought the song as little more than a joke, but were forced to play it after it became a hit. And yes, it's true, this song is not typical for FOCUS, but I still think it's a truly wonderful song. "Le Clochard" is Jan Akkerman's time to shine, a laid-back piece played on classical guitar (with nylon strings) and nice use of Mellotron in the background. "Janis" is a flute-dominated piece from van Leer. The title track is a piano-dominated piece, and the only song with any singing, showing that Thijs van Leer isn't the best vocalist out there. It's still a nice piece with a classical feel. "Focus II" is a jazzy piece with Jan Akkerman's trademark lead guitar. The album's crowning achievement, in my opinion, is the epic "Eruption". It starts off rather mellow, dominated by Hammond organ and lead guitar. They also do a cover of a song from another Dutch band called SOLUTION in this song, in the "Tommy" section of the suite. Halfway through is a really intense and mindblowing rocking piece dominated by guitar and organ. Somewhere the band steals a LED ZEPPELIN riff ("Whole Lotta Love") before they mellow out with nice use of piano. There's also a really dramatic Mellotron passage, and then a nice drum solo from Pierre van der Linden. Previous themes on this suite resurface. Without a doubt, I feel Moving Waves is by far the best album FOCUS ever done, and this is the album you should start if you're not familiar with FOCUS.
progarchives.com
Scans
1972 - Focus 3 (2LP)
Лейбл: Sire / SAS 3901
Страна-производитель: US (1st Press)
Продолжительность: 38:32+33:25
Треклист:
A1. Round Goes The Gossip
A2. Love Remembered
A3. Sylvia
A4. Carnival Fugue
B1. Focus III
B2. Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!
C1. Anonymous Two (Part 1)
D1. Anonymous Two (Conclusion)
D2. Elspeth Of Nottingham
D3. House Of The King
Спектр
LP1
LP2
АЧХ
LP1
LP2
Уровень записи
LP1
LP2
DR12/13
foobar2000 1.3.5 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-06-30 11:56:07
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Focus / Focus 3 (LP-1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.10 dB -15.64 dB 5:22 01-LADO 1- Round Goes The Gossip...
DR10 -0.11 dB -13.61 dB 2:53 02-Love Remembered
DR12 -0.09 dB -14.04 dB 3:37 03-Sylvia
DR13 -1.08 dB -17.89 dB 6:21 04-Carnival Fluge
DR13 -1.20 dB -19.77 dB 6:08 05-LADO 2- Focus III
DR12 -0.33 dB -15.99 dB 14:12 06-Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of tracks: 6
Official DR value: DR12
Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2945 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================
foobar2000 1.3.5 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2017-06-30 11:56:27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed: Focus / Focus 3 (LP-2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR14 -0.22 dB -16.95 dB 19:52 01-LADO 3- Anonymus II (Part 1)
DR13 -0.02 dB -14.87 dB 7:36 02-LADO 4- Anonymus II (Conclusion)
DR15 -2.22 dB -20.51 dB 3:19 03-Elspeth Of Nottingham
DR13 -2.08 dB -17.45 dB 2:39 04-House Of The King
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of tracks: 4
Official DR value: DR13
Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2936 kbps
Codec: FLAC
================================================================================
Personel
Bass – Bert Ruiter
Design – Fred Marcellino
Drums – Pierre Van Der Linden
Engineer [Recording] – George Chkiantz
Guitar – Jan Akkerman
Mastered By – Robert Ludwig
Producer – Mike Vernon
Vocals, Organ, Piano, Alto Saxophone, Piccolo Flute, Harpsichord – Thijs Van Leer
About
'Focus III' is IMHO Focus' top achievement. Not only do these guys deliver some of their most inspired playing, but also manage to work as a unit with a level of compenetration that hides the ongoing rivality between van Leer and Akkerman (sometimes, a not so healthy one). Akkerman continues to explore new sources of introspective music ('Love Remembered') and mediaeval tradition ('Elspeth of Nottingham'), while keeping his ability to turn his guitar on fire with a polished skill beyond words, in the hardest passages: he really shines in 'Answers Questions' and 'Anonymus II', and his Hammond layers on 'Focus III' create an awesome background for Akkerman's guitar leads. Van Leer is also in a state of "business as usual", displaying his mastery on both on keyboards (mostly Hammond organ) and flute, and also some burlesque vocals. The interplays between van Leer and Akkerman in the opening track are breathtaking, executed with energy and a touch of sheer class. Drummer extraordinaire Van der Linden feels at home here: only one yar had passed since he entered the band, yet his drumming had become an essential feature of Focus' musical essence. When the excellent bassist Bert Ruiter made his entry into the ranks of Holland's masterband Focus, the rhythm section achieved its highest level of strength and sophistication; Ruiter proved to be the perfect complement to van der Linden's top-notch drumming style so far,... and may I add that this is a difficult task, since van der Linden enjoys stretching out his role to the point of becoming fundamental for the band's melodic aspect, with his constant tricky rolling. Ruiter's penchant for jazz and funky definitely allowed Focus to keep their own focus on their jazz leaning: the amazing 27-minute 'Anonymus II' only shows you how enthusiastic and frenzy the foursome were about it (a special mention goes to van der Linden's tribal oriented drum solo). The same thing could be noticed on 'Questions Answers'. The lighter side of the album is present in the latin-jazz/bossanova tinged 'Carnival Fugue' and the catchy 'Sylvia' (a top ten single in the UK, actually), two attractive numbers that serve as relaxing motifs, among a repertoire that tends to sound really aggressive (though not heavy, remember, the jazz factor is predominant here). This is the second of a series of three albums that are a testimony of both Focus' and the prog genre's finest hour. An essential masterpiece!
P.D.: Well, I don't like the inclusion of 'House of the King' here. It belongs more properly in its original album 'In and Out of Focus'. The tour-de-force 'Anonymus II' would make the perfect closure to 'Focus III'.
progarchives.com
Scans
1973 – Live At The Rainbow
Лейбл: Sire/SAS 7408
Страна-производитель: US (1st Press)
Продолжительность: 43:10
Треклист:
A1. Focus III
A2. Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!
A3. Focus II
B1. Eruption (Excerpt)
B2. Hocus Pocus
B3. Sylvia
B4. Hocus Pocus (Reprise)
Спектр
АЧХ
Уровень записи
DR13
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed folder: Focus - Live At The Rainbow (LP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -0.72 dB -17.97 dB 01 Focus - LADO 1- Focus III.wav
DR13 -0.24 dB -16.69 dB 02 Focus - Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!.wav
DR14 -0.19 dB -18.89 dB 03 Focus - Focus II.wav
DR14 -0.83 dB -19.86 dB 04 Focus - LADO 2- Eruption (Excerpt).wav
DR13 -0.44 dB -17.02 dB 05 Focus - Hocus Pocus.wav
DR13 -1.47 dB -16.52 dB 06 Focus - Sylvia.wav
DR12 -1.70 dB -18.64 dB 07 Focus - Hocus Pocus (Reprise).wav
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files: 7
Official DR value: DR13
==============================================================================================
Personel
Drums – Pierre van der Linden
Engineer – Phil Dunne
Guitar – Jan Akkerman
Illustration – Ian Beck
Producer, Mixed By – Mike Vernon
Vocals, Bass – Bert Ruiter
Vocals, Organ, Flute – Thijs van Leer
About
This is a live album by Focus. It is an excellent live performance of the early Focus. The selected tracks are interesting: there are "Hocus Pocus", "Focus 2" "Sylvia" and a shortened version of the epic "Eruption", among others. The sound is pretty good, and the musicians almost sound like on the studio albums. The polite crowd favorably responds at the end and the beginning of the tracks. On "Focus 2", Jan Akkerman seems not at his best: he often hesitates: I think the track is a bit played too fast. The mellow version of "Eruption" is particularly brilliant. "Hocus Pocus" is almost better than the studio version: they play it much faster. The yodeling is very well succeeded, and there are even a couples of further extravagant vocals parts and whistling: IMPRESSIVE! The other shorter version of "Hocus Pocus" is also fantastic, with again another special & different yodeling.
Rating: 4.5 stars
progarchives.com
Scans
1973 - At The Rainbow
Лейбл: Polydor/2442 118
Страна-производитель: DE
Продолжительность: 43:12
Треклист:
A2 Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!
A3 Focus II
B1 Eruption (Excerpt)
i Orfeus
ii Answer
iii Orfeus
iv Answer
v Pupila
vi Tommy
vii Pupila
B2 Hocus Pocus
B3 Sylvia
B4 Hocus Pocus (Reprise)
Спектр
АЧХ
Уровень записи
DR13
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed folder: Focus - At The Rainbow (LP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -0.09 dB -16.97 dB 01 Focus - LADO 1- Focus III.wav
DR12 -0.12 dB -15.43 dB 02 Focus - Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!.wav
DR14 -0.10 dB -17.85 dB 03 Focus - Focus II.wav
DR14 -1.60 dB -20.24 dB 04 Focus - LADO 2- Eruption (Excerpt - 7 Parts).wav
DR13 -0.59 dB -17.42 dB 05 Focus - Hocus Pocus.wav
DR13 -1.23 dB -16.57 dB 06 Focus - Sylvia.wav
DR12 -1.35 dB -18.34 dB 07 Focus - Hocus Pocus (Reprise).wav
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files: 7
Official DR value: DR13
==============================================================================================
Personel
Drums – Pierre Van Der Linden
Engineer – Phil Dunne
Engineer [Mix-down Assistant] – Gareth Edwards
Engineer [Mix-down] – John Punter
Producer [Mix-down] – Mike Vernon
Vocals, Bass – Bert Ruiter
Vocals, Organ, Flute, Guitar – Thijs Van Leer
Written-By – Thijs Van Leer (tracks: A1, A3 to B1v, B1vii to B4)
About
I always read terrible reviews about this album something with I don't agree, of course is not one of their masterpieces, but the quality of the music and the selection of songs is outstanding.
Probably some fans aren't too happy without The House of the King, but the mood of the concert is different to any other band, somehow dreamy and oneiric, with that atmosphere that covers the audience as a thick cloud of mist that covers the listener but instead of suffocating him the music helps to relax (Except of course for Hocus Pocus).
The album starts with the excellent Focus III, a beautiful track with a gentle intro of keyboards and guitar, it's pleasant to listen how the music perfectly flows, almost with no interruptions or dramatic changes until around the third minute when it turns more jazzy oriented as to prepare the organ ending, a short piece of art.
With no interruptions they lead us to Answers? Questions!! Questions? Answers! that creates a perfect contrast with the soft Focus III, the intro is almost frantic at some points based in Akkerman's great guitar riffs and Thijs Van Leer amazing keyboard plus an extra instrument in Thijs voice, because he's one of the few vocalist that doesn't use his voice for singing but for adding extra sounds and laments.
In this track there are many changes and sudden explosions with an organ that sounds very close to the Italian Farfisa of the late 60's that gives the strong Psychedelic sound, but around the middle Thijs offers us one of his incredible flute semi-solos ((with drums background followed by another semi solo by Jan Akkerman that reminds me a bit of Steve Hackett, From that point the songs keeps flowing gently with a jazzy atmosphere where all the members of the band are simply amazing. Eleven minutes of different but very talented prog' rock.
Talking about music that gently flows, it's the turn for Focus II, again introduced by Thijs keyboard enhanced by Jan's guitar and a very competent Bert Ruiter in the bass, the keyboard parts are faster than in Moving Waves affecting in some way the soft and perfect balance of the original version, but still very good and relaxing.
Eruption is based in the tragic Greek Myth of Orpheus, the man that created music who was destroyed after her true love's (Euridice) death and went to the rescue, of her down to hell.
The icy queen of the Underworld: Persephone, impressed with the beauty of Orpheus music, pleaded with her husband Hades to let Orpheus bring Euridice back to the land of the living. Hades could not deny his queen her request, and agreed to let Orpheus bring Euridice back on one condition: that he should not look upon her until they were both back in the land of the living. When they were about to reach the light, Orpheus felt doubts and turned back to see Euridice for a second before her soul was taken back to the world of the underworld.
The problem with this beautiful and complex song is that the version for The Rainbow Theater is too short (8:30 minutes against the 23:04 of the original version), this track was composed to musically describe a story and when mutilated for a live concert lacks of sense.
Despite this fact, works as an excerpt, because gives us a clear idea of the beauty of the music with the complex baroque sections like taken from a Cathedral and the peaceful passages that join perfectly with the next sound explosion. Jan Akkerman's solos require special attention because reminds me of Carlos Santana at some points.
The next track is the famous Hocus Pocus which as we all know is just a joke where Thijs yodels at his entire pleasure while Bert Ruiter and Pierre Van Der Linden backup him with appropriate bass and drums, don't take it seriously, not even Akkerman's guitar riffs, as I said before it's just a joke.
The last track (because Hocus Pocus Reprise is really a filler to complete the planned time) is Sylvia, Focus first commercial hit, Thijs dedicates this song to a girl that used to sing with him when both worked as backing vocalists for a well known Crooner from the Netherlands. Originally had lyrics but at certain point Thijs decided to use his voice for anything but singing, good track even when more commercially oriented.
Focus concerts were probably the simplest of Progressive Rock, they almost didn't used lights or created an spectacular show, they only did what they knew best, play their music, and for God's sake, they always did it well.
If you want to listen a frantic concert where people shouts and joins the band, don't buy it, but if you want a rare testimony of Focus calmed style on stage, it's a great purchase.
Despite the previous terrible reviews I'll give this album 4 stars because it showed me a new perspective of Focus working together.
Rating: 4.5 stars
progarchives.com
Scans
1983 – Grandes Exitos
Лейбл: EMI/Odeon 6531
Страна-производитель: Argentina
Продолжительность: 44:22
Треклист:
A1. Hocus Pocus (Single Edit)
A2. Focus II
A3. Anonimo (Anonymous)
A4. Janis
A5. Haren Scaren (Harem Scarem)
B1. Sylvia
B2. La Casa Del Rey (House Of The King)
B3. Focus IV
B4. Sin Borracheras (No Hang Ups)
B5. P.S. Marzo (P.S. March)
B6. Amor Recordado (Love Remembered)
Спектр
АЧХ
Уровень записи
DR12
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed folder: Focus – Grandes Exitos (LP)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.35 dB -15.65 dB 01 Focus - LADO 1- Hocus Pocus (Single Edit).wav
DR12 -0.24 dB -15.51 dB 02 Focus - Focus II.wav
DR11 -0.39 dB -13.58 dB 03 Focus - Anonimo (Anonymous).wav
DR11 -1.34 dB -14.37 dB 04 Focus - Janis.wav
DR12 -1.57 dB -15.56 dB 05 Focus - Harem Scarem.wav
DR10 -0.90 dB -13.05 dB 06 Focus - LADO 2- Sylvia.wav
DR13 -1.31 dB -16.17 dB 07 Focus - La Casa Del Rey (House Of The King).wav
DR16 -0.27 dB -19.05 dB 08 Focus - Focus IV.wav
DR11 -1.59 dB -16.07 dB 09 Focus - Sin Borracheras (No Hang Ups).wav
DR14 -0.69 dB -15.97 dB 10 Focus - P.S. Marzo (P.S. March).wav
DR11 -3.53 dB -17.62 dB 11 Focus - Amor Recordado (Love Remembered).wav
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files: 11
Official DR value: DR12
==============================================================================================
Personel
Jan Akkerman
Thijs van Leer
Bert Ruiter
Cyril Havermans
Pierre van der Linden
About
For those who still do not know the work of "Focus", this LP is a great start, it is a journey of many of its iconic pieces.
Of course there are still missing many, but it is a fairly balanced biography.
Fran Solo
Scans
Compilation from Argentina. Song titles in Spanish.
Not the same "House of the King" compilation (but front cover is similar), this LP is not catalogued in discogs.com (still).
Сборник из Аргентины. Название песни на испанском языке.
И это не сборник «House Of The King» (но обложка аналогична), этот LP не каталогизирован на discogs.com
О группе
Из всех голландских прогрессивщиков 70-х годов безусловно самыми известными за пределами Нидерландов были Focus. На протяжении нескольких лет эта группа волновала весь мир своим уникальным подходом к музыке и звучанию.
Основными музыкантами в группе были Тийс ван Лиир (Thjis van Leer) (флейта, клавишные, вокал) и Ян Аккерман (Jan Akkerman) (гитара). Они играли элегантный, изысканный и умный рок с флейтами, клавишными и великолепной гитарой, задавая тон всему голландскому прогрессив-року. Их музыка послужила источником вдохновения для таких групп, как Finch, Trace и многих других. В 1978 группа без особого шума распадается.
Лучшими альбомами коллектива считаются: Moving Waves (1971), Focus III (1972), Focus at the Rainbow (1973) и Hamburger Concerto (1974). Moving Waves и Focus III – достойные представители раннего, интенсивно-прогрессивного саунда группы, с большим числом уводящих в сторону композиций и продолжительных соло. Live at the Rainbow и Hamburger Concerto написанные в более классической джазовой манере.
В 80-х Ван Лиир и Аккерман объединились для нового проекта, но выпущенный ими альбом Focus (1985) не принёс коммерческого успеха. Композиции напоминали скорее лёгкое джазовое звучание Mother Focus (1975), чем ранние работы группы. Продажи у этого диска оказались несущественными, и даже старые фанаты порой воздерживались от его приобретения.
Focus 8 (2003) ознаменовал возврат Тийса ван Лиира к настоящей музыке: мелодичной, запоминающейся, а временами даже заводной. В этом альбоме есть все, что только можно желать от Focus – много флейты и клавишных Тийса, сочные гитарные партии Jan Dumee и интересный вокал. В общем, группа могла бы хоть слегка отклониться от своих стандартов, но кто знает, может они еще это сделают в будущем. В любом случае, любителям прогрессивного рока можно рассчитывать на Focus и в новом тысячелетии.
/1 
发表于 2020-9-24 12:36:08
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