LIVE AT THE BBC

Since this album were not at ProgArchives albums list, I've decided to add it. And this makes me its first reviewer. "Focus Live at the BBC" features a transitional line-up: David Kemper was still the drummer, Philip Catherine has already been added as guitarist, but there were no Eeef Albers or (thanks, God!!) P. J. Proby, in a concert recorded by BBC on 3/21/1976. Nine songs in more than an hour of music, but only four were released on other albums: "Maximum" (clocking at 14 minutes - studio version release on "Focus Con Proby" has 8+ minutes), "Sneezing Bull" (also from "Focus Con Proby") and the two great hits ("House of the King", "Hocus Pocus"). This is a jazz-rock effort, not progressive; it is solid but uneven - sometimes the band members seems to playing for their own delight, not to please an audience. The recording is good, but packaging is poor, with that ugly cover you can see above; there are some details about the recording, but no producer or engineer, nothing about the venue and band members are identified only by their names. Some studio photos are presented at the insert, but IMHO live pictures would be more interesting. Highlights: "Blues in D" (as far as I know, a previously unreleased song - written by Bert Ruiter) "Sonata for Flute" (which evokes memories of old days - thanx Gentle Giant! - composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and arrange by Thijs Van Leer) "House of the King" (this is always a winner) "Angel Wings" (another unreleased song, written by Philip Catherine). I'm sure that Focus fans will be pleased by this album. But a newcomer should buy "Live at the Rainbow" instead.

Don't expect the hear the Focus of the early 70's here, apart from the obligatory Hocus Pocus and an absolutely blistering rendition of House of the King.

There is much more jazz-rock than prog-rock, with extensive extemporisation which on first hearing seams to ramble on at times. However, once you accept that this isn't going to sound like Hamburger Concerto and get to know it, you will find many treasures, such as the middle section of Maximum, and the subtle Little Sister.

Also, in an age of grossly over processed studio recordings, it is a great refreshment to hear a natural recording in a natural accoustic, with an audiance appreciative enough not to whistle at every opportunity! In an age of computer generated garbage, its also great to hear some first rate good old fashioned musicianship.

My main sadness with this album is that Catherine doesn't play a single solo in Hocus Pocus, its rather like the Rainbow version with the lead guitar mixed out, rendering it somewhat flat and, well lacking someone!

FOCUS LIVE AT THE BBC

Some of us have been waiting a little while for this release! In fact nearly 30 years have passed since 1976 when Focus made their last tour to the UK D famously since Jan Akkerman had just departed and his place been taken by Philip Catherine, a substitution that in the minds of many Focus fans was tantamount to the demise of the group.

I heard the band play at Southport New Theatre on March 27 on this tour. I was completely obsessed with Focus at that time, and in particular had a huge admiration for the unique harmonic style of Thijs van Leer. I have never forgotten the wonderful, haunting, effect of the opening chords of the first number, Virtuous Woman, which struck me as one of the best things they had ever done. Later I acquired the LP Focus con Proby, and that was great because it contained another outstanding piece played at this concert, Maximum.

So when I heard that this new CD, Focus Live at the BBC was coming out I was fascinated to find out whether my impressions and memories of the music I had heard 28 years earlier were accurate.

In short, this CD confirms that Focus imploded at the very time they were discovering a new and valid direction. Much of the playing is beautifully spacious and laid back D Maximum for instance is stretched out to 14' compared to 8'36 on Focus con Proby, and the same feel is evident in the slower opening sections of Virtuous Woman. Another feature of the band's performance is their effective use of dynamics, the opening of Virtuous Woman or the final notes of Little Sister being good examples. The lengthy improvised sections of Eruption and Anonymous II have given way to more tightly constructed works with Focus' trademark colourful harmony and imaginative soundscape. Of Catherine's two compositions Sneezing Bull is probably the more successful, with characterful musical ideas and textures, and tight rhythm. By comparison Angel Wings is more relentless with strong, hard driven guitar lines that here, at least, show no sign of the 'less frenetic style' referred to in David Randall's fascinating sleeve notes.

Reviews at the time were mixed but included the opinion that van Leer's compositions were 'rambling' and of little worth, and the only thing that saved this tour was the injection of new musical ideas from Philip Catherine. Well I'm sorry, (and I'm a huge fan of Philip Catherine) - but this is complete rubbish. Close your eyes and listen to the sheer beauty of van Leer's Virtuous Woman, Maximum and Little Sister. Anyone who has listened to these pieces subsequently with an open mind and a grain of musical intelligence will tell you that there is a warmth, a luminosity, an inspiration in these works that makes one reflect, with great remorse: how did it all go wrong at at time when they were producing such brilliant stuff? Arguably this set works better on CD than it did as a live show at the time, especially in view of some fans' disappointment at Akkerman's absence, and the fairly small amount of old material performed; so to anyone who is unsure or sceptical about the band's output from this period, can I recommend that you get a copy of this CD as soon as possible.

So how much difference did Akkerman's departure really make? In spite of what many Akkerman fans were saying at the time, the band's style had made its most fundamental change with the release of Mother Focus in 1975 which had already heralded a softer, jazzier sound and a move away from quasi-symphonic canvasses. Catherine's style may have been different from Akkerman. Yet this was after all a mostly new set, and who knows how Akkerman would have played it? If Focus had changed as much as some were claiming, it was at any rate not just a change of personnel that had brought this about. Catherine's sound is warm and glowing and effortless - and it is hard to imagine it any other way.

Simon Lawford

If you are a fan of the symphonic "Focus" there is a high possibilty that you will be disappointed with this live release.

Two songs come from their infect "Focus Con Proby" ("Sneezing Bull" and "Maximum"). Only the former is bearable here. The latter was not too exciting on the studio album and its extension to over foreteen minutes won't do a big deal to improve this feeling.

Only three tracks will raise the level of this album to an acceptable one : a pleasant flute solo ("Sonata For Flute"), their fist single release ("House Of The King") which sounds beautiful as usual. But these are short tracks, unfortunately. I guess that the band could not avoid to play the great and unevitable "Hocus Pocus". You'll get the same original band presentation as in "Live At The Rainbow". Still, this version is not as wild as the previous one.

In terms of live recordings, lots of critics were made for the "Rainbow" concert. I believe that it was substantially superior to this "Live At The BBC". And it is not the unreleased album tracks that will save this live recording, I'm afraid.

Lots of full jazz-oriented moments (but this was already initiated before this live set). This is not the "Focus" I like the most (but I made the same comment while reviewing "Mother Focus"). So, be prepared...you have been warned.

I could not even recommend this album to die-hard "Focus" fans. This one is only if you can digest jazz-rock music, which is not my case.

Two stars.

Focus non-Proby.

Jan Akkerman is out and Philip Catherine is in. And for those who liked Focus Con Proby except for the presence of P. J. Proby's vocals, here's a nice set of tunes post Akkerman, who is missed, yet Catherine is not too shabby of a replacement either. For those of you who didn't like Mother Focus's lite jazz style, the music here is somewhat of a rebound. Still jazzier than the earlier albums, but most of the liteness that was present on MF is gone.

What really makes this album worth having is that in addition to two tracks that made it to Con Proby, two classic Focus tracks, you get another five new pieces which have never made an appearance on any Focus studio albums. I'd recommend this one over Live AT The Rainbow.

Re-Focussing Focus

If this album is purchased without the expectation that it's going to contain any of the wonderful baroque 'n' roll that Focus produced on their first 4 studio albums then you're in for a treat. Fans of Brand X, UK and the funkier jazz-rock fusion of the seventies should get something out of this anomaly for sure. Ironically, the two earlier Focus classics featured here sound the most out of place on this hour long live set. There's not even a hint of a guitar solo on the compulsory Hocus Pocus which concludes the performance and is played at such a fast tempo that it gives the impression that the band had a plane to catch.

After the shock departure by guitar maestro Jan Akkerman on the eve of a tour of the UK in early '76 the band had to scramble to find a new guitarist. Fortunately they managed to find someone who could match and in some ways surpass Akkerman. For those who were around in 1976 it was becoming evident that there were a lot of changes taking places with progressive rock bands by mid-decade and even Focus' previous 1975 album Mother Focus reflected a move towards more streamlined shorter compositions. Fortunately, instead of continuing on with the simplification route that so many prog rock ''dinosaurs" were taking, Focus decided to re-invent themselves ( partially out of necessity ) and recruited a guitarist with a technical background who could maintain some sophistication in their music as well as breathing some new air into their sound if they were going to survive the uncertainty that confronted them at the time. In his mid 30s, Philip Catherine was no novice and was already was dabbling in electric jazz having just previously released a fusion album with Americans John Lee & Jerry Brown as well as more traditional material with Stephane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty.

Just as keyboardist / flutist / vocalist / leader Thijs van Leer had brought out the sterling qualities in guitarst Jan Akkerman with his compositional prowess and musical insight, he did the same here with Catherine who makes no attempts to emanate Akkerman with the only real memory of Akkerman being an early Focus single, House Of The King written by him which dates back to 1969. And this is what really saves Focus from becoming a monumental catastrophe, literally re-focussing by replacing the old guitar genius with a new guitar genius. Although it was a hurried thing ( a testament to all 4 individual musicians' versatality ) it worked out and not only did Catherine contribute his own material ( 5 tracks here don't even appear on any Focus album ) Van Leer throws in a reworked Bach sonata that recaptures a bit of the earlier years and serves as a buffer track, releasing the tensions that were beginning to build just prior to Akkerman's departure et viola a fresh sound.

Almost certainly because of contractual obligations the Focus name had to be retained, so fans at the time had to either accept the change in style or consider them in an entirely new light. Because this is a posthumous release that first appeared on CD in 1996 it can be considered on it's own merits along with a number of ''what ifs". As I mentioned before this is as good as any of the quality fusion jazz being released at the time with a tendency to sound more British than American ( Catherine was half British half Belgian ). Remember one must also to take into account the lack of preparation time ( a matter of a couple of weeks) for the band to make a drastic transformation in style and concept. What has to also be stressed that it is nothing like the atrocious forthcoming Focus Con Proby featuring the out of place vocals of American R&B singer PJ Proby ( what was Van Leer thinking? ) which put Focus into stasis for the next quarter of a century save for a reunion concert in 1990. Apart from wordless vocals, yoedeling on Hocus Pocus and scat style accompaniments on the opening Virtuous Woman, Live at the BBC is devoid of any conventional vocals. Two instrumental tracks from Focus Con Proby composed by Catherine ( Sneezing Bull & Angel Wings ) are featured here as well, the latter recalling some Mahavishnu sensibilities.

Exceptional musicianship displayed by a re-focussed Focus that in retrospect demystifies a lot about the band during the lost years in between Mother Focus and Focus Con Proby. Essential for any admirers of the present Focus and for those who are still wondering what happened just after Jan Akkerman quit the band so suddenly in early '76. Not to be written off.

Somthing of an overlooked gem.

When Jan Akkerman quit Focus Thijs Van Leer was left as the last origianl member (although Bert Ruiter was a relative veteran, having been around since Focus 3). Ship of Memories was salvaged from some abandoned sessions, Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine was drafted in and they made a mostly disappointing album with PJ Proby. The end.

Except it wasn't quite the end. The quartet, thankfully without the Texan trouser splitter in tow, went on tour and the BBC recorded one of their performances which disappeared into the vaults for almost 20 years. The performance featured several otherwise unrecorded pieces, a couple of Con Proby tracks and a brace of their early hits. Philip Catherine proved himself to be a nimble and inventive jazz rock guitarist - no McLaughlin or DiMeola, to be sure, but no slouch either, and it's the jazzier side of his muse that dominates proceedings here. There's more than a hint of the kind of fusion that bands like Brand X and Isotope were playing at about the same time; less obviously rooted in mainstream jazz than, say, RTF or Weather Report, but much closer to jazz than rock. They noodle a bit at times, but they do so very pleasantly and none of the tracks really outstays its welcome. Thijs Van Leer slips in a few symphonic flourishes, notably on Sonata for Flute, and for the most part the hour or so that this disc passes by very agreeably. The only downside is that they were touring as Focus, not the Van leer/Catherine Quartet, and so they had to play some of the old favourites, and this is where the album falls down a bit. Philip Catherine isn't Jan Akkerman, and there isn't much room for any guitarist to put his own stamp on House of the King and Hocus Pocus, but on these two tracks they sound more like a Focus tribute band than the originals.

3.5 stars really. The original and Con Proby material, which makes up the bulk of this CD, is well worth checking out if you're into European jazz fusion of the era, and as long as you're not expecting 'At The Rainbow' Focus fans will probably be pleasantly surprised.