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Focus The Shorts
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Poll Question: Which short Focus track is your favorite?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
5 [8.47%]
0 [0.00%]
17 [28.81%]
2 [3.39%]
4 [6.78%]
13 [22.03%]
1 [1.69%]
0 [0.00%]
1 [1.69%]
4 [6.78%]
0 [0.00%]
1 [1.69%]
5 [8.47%]
1 [1.69%]
3 [5.08%]
1 [1.69%]
0 [0.00%]
0 [0.00%]
1 [1.69%]
0 [0.00%]
You can not vote in this poll

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Dellinger View Drop Down
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    Posted: April 29 2012 at 21:50
Originally posted by BarryGlibb

C'mon you guys..BIRTH is an absolute gem. Have a listen to it and then Hocus Pocus. 
I am sure Birth will win out.
I can't get rid of this underlined italicised type!!!!!!!


Indeed, I love Birth too. Hocus Pocus rocks, but Birth is really beautiful.

Edited by Dellinger - April 30 2012 at 13:20
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richardh View Drop Down
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Posts: 8826 		Post Options Post Options   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2012 at 09:53
Originally posted by Dellinger

Originally posted by richardh

Its a real shame that their recent albums get completely ignored but never mind
 

I voted House Of The King but could easily have gone for Sylvia which has one of the best guitar melodies ever.

 


I guess it doesn't help that their albums are rather difficult to find. I have all of the Jan Akkerman albums (as far as I know), but it was rather difficult to get them. By then I thought I already had them all, but then found out they had been releasing albums after Jan Akkerman left, but since for me he is such an amazing guitar player, and it's rather difficult to get the albums, I just thought it would be easier to stop where I was, and assume that without Akkerman they wouldn't be as great (their last or last two albums with Akkerman, the Mother Focus and Ship of Memories, were already much weaker than what they'd done before, anyway).
 
They are good albums.Maybe not earth shattering but not deserving of being ignored totally (which is usually the case).
 
I love Akkerman as well. Seen him live a couple of times.One of the best guitarists ever.
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Ivan_Melgar_M View Drop Down
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Posts: 17012 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Ivan_Melgar_M Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2012 at 11:06
For those who voted Sylvia, this song has an interesting story:

The original name of he song was: "I thought I could do Everything on my own, I was always stripping the Town Alone" and had lyrics.

The song was written by Thijs before he joined Focus. On those days he worked with another young man and two girls as chorus for two famous crooners in Holland named Ramses Shaffy and Liesbeth List.

During the show of this musicians, the kids in the chorus were allowed to sing one song each one, and one of the girls (Sylvia Alberts) had a song that Thijs didn't liked. So one day he wrote "I thought I could do Everything on my own, I was always stripping the Town Alone" for her, but Sylvia hated the song, so he took it and saved it for a better moment.

When they were recording FOCUS III, side one was missing like 4 minutes and nobody had a song, so Thijs remembered the song he wrote for Sylvia Alberts, deleted the lyrics, changed the name  and included it in the album. he rest is well known, Sylvia was the biggest world hit they had until that moment.

Iván.






Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - April 30 2012 at 11:08
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Dellinger View Drop Down
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Posts: 3744 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Dellinger Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2012 at 13:22
Originally posted by richardh

Originally posted by Dellinger

Originally posted by richardh

Its a real shame that their recent albums get completely ignored but never mind
 

I voted House Of The King but could easily have gone for Sylvia which has one of the best guitar melodies ever.

 
I guess it doesn't help that their albums are rather difficult to find. I have all of the Jan Akkerman albums (as far as I know), but it was rather difficult to get them. By then I thought I already had them all, but then found out they had been releasing albums after Jan Akkerman left, but since for me he is such an amazing guitar player, and it's rather difficult to get the albums, I just thought it would be easier to stop where I was, and assume that without Akkerman they wouldn't be as great (their last or last two albums with Akkerman, the Mother Focus and Ship of Memories, were already much weaker than what they'd done before, anyway).



 

They are good albums.Maybe not earth shattering but not deserving of being ignored totally (which is usually the case).

 

I love Akkerman as well. Seen him live a couple of times.One of the best guitarists ever.


Lucky you.
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The-Winkler View Drop Down
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Posts: 83 		Post Options Post Options   Quote The-Winkler Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2012 at 13:38
Sylvia
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Ivan_Melgar_M View Drop Down
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Posts: 17012 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Ivan_Melgar_M Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: April 30 2012 at 16:15
I forgot, The House of the King also has a story.

The guys were recording for several days the "In and Out of Focus" album, but the inspiration was dry. They were missing some minutes to complete the album and the producer was behind them. One morning they came early and started to jam and voila, The House of the King was there. They recorded it with the personnel at the studio and when the producer came, he was angry, he said this song should not be in the album because they had bypassed him, and he grabbed the tape.

I don't know if they refused to make a new song (Akkerman  had  a strong character) or the producer changed his mind, but the song was included and it was the only hit of the album.

The sad part is that 90% of the people who have listened it believe it's a Jethro Tull song.

Iván
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richardh View Drop Down
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Posts: 8826 		Post Options Post Options   Quote richardh Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2012 at 01:23
I am most familiar with House Of The King through school about 35 years ago. You would assemble to watch some eduactional progamme and House Of The King was the theme music for schools TV. I didn't have a clue who it was until many years later I got a Focus compilation. It was nice to hear it again even though I will always associate it with school!

Edited by richardh - May 01 2012 at 01:23
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Ivan_Melgar_M View Drop Down
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Posts: 17012 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Ivan_Melgar_M Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 01 2012 at 10:15
Originally posted by richardh

I am most familiar with House Of The King through school about 35 years ago. You would assemble to watch some eduactional progamme and House Of The King was the theme music for schools TV. I didn't have a clue who it was until many years later I got a Focus compilation. It was nice to hear it again even though I will always associate it with school!

Funny, my case is similar:

In the late 60's in Perú, there was a vinyl floor called PISOPAK, and the theme of the TV advertising  was The House of the King.

It was rare because Rock was almost banned in Perú due to the "Gobierno Revolucionario de las Fuerzas Armadas" of General Velazco, The Nacional Service of Intelligence (paradoxical name for the brutish censorship) checked that Rock wasn't played in schools or TV, but it's told that they convinced the censors that it was played with quena (Peruvian wooden flute), so the Government said nothing.

I loved the song. and always reminds me of my childhood.

Iván
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