For a few short years in the 1970s, the unique music of Focus entertained the world. Built around the prodigious instrumental talents of Dutch masters Jan Akkerman (guitar) and Thijs van Leer (keyboards and flute), the band produced three hit albums in quick succession between 1971 and 1974, at the same time scoring two worldwide hits with 'Sylvia' and 'Hocus Pocus'. The latter piece is as ubiquitous as tunes from the 70s get, distinctive for Akkerman's famous riff and van Leer's bizarre yodelling. Musical and personal tensions between the two led to a split in early 1976, but the band limped on without Akkerman until 1978. An unlikely revival in 1985 was a false dawn, and except for a few public appearances, the duo have not played together since.
Distilled and updated from Stephen Lambe's previous Focus in the 1970s, this book guides the reader through the band's early history, covering all seven Focus albums from the era, song by song, plus the eponymous 1985 comeback. It is an important potted history of the band and an insight into the tensions which led to such a creative - if short-lived – peak, as well as a celebration of their unique music.
Stephen Lambe is an author, publisher, and journalist. He currently writes features and reviews for Prog magazine and is an acknowledged expert on progressive rock, especially the work of Yes and Focus. His books include Yes On Track (Sonicbond, 2018) and the best-selling Citizens Of Hope and Glory: The Story Of Progressive Rock (Amberley, 2011). He has also contributed to a documentary about Focus for Dutch television. He lives in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, UK.
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Subtopic
Music History & CriticismTable of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Contents
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Full Page Image
- 1. Focus Cover Art
- 2. Focus Before Focus
- 3. Focus Play Focus/In And Out Of Focus (1970)
- 4. Interlude: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
- 5. Focus II/Moving Waves (1971)
- 6. Interlude – Questions And Answers
- 7. Focus 3 (1972)
- 8. Interlude: Growing The Fanbase
- 9. Focus Live In 1973
- 10. Interlude: The Ship Runs Aground
- 11. The Chipping Norton Sessions (as they appear on
- 12. Pierre Leaves
- 13. Hamburger Concerto
- Full Page Image
- Full Page Image
- 14. Mother Focus
- 15. Interlude: Pierre Returns And Jan Leaves
- 16. Interlude: Focus Winding Down
- 17. Ship Of Memories (1977)
- 18. Focus Con Proby
- 19. The End And What Happened Next
- 20. Focus – Jan Akkerman And Thijs van Leer (1985)
- 21. Reunions And The New Focus
- 22. Postscript – The Focus Symphony
- 23. Buying Focus
- 24. Selected Compilations
- Focus Discography 1986 Onwards
- Bibliography And Other Resources
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Yes, you can access Focus by Stephen Lambe in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Music History & Criticism. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.