Jan Akkerman
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Music Lounge
Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3929
Printed Date: April 24 2024 at 22:36
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Topic: Jan Akkerman
Posted By: Rob The Plant
Subject: Jan Akkerman
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 12:58
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He's one of the most magnificent guitar players I've ever seen. Such grace. Does anybody know what he did withput Focus? I see he has wuite a few albums, but what kind of sound are they? Are they worth looking into? It would be a shame to see such an awesome guitarist' skills g to waiste. ------------- Collaborators will take your soul. |
Replies:
Posted By: threefates
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 13:12
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I saw him live last Nov. in London... and he was just awesome. He may look like my grandfather now.. but he can still sure play with speed and accuracy. I've not really been into him in the past, but I really do appreciate his skill. Hearing Hocus Pocus without the yodeling was such a treat tho... Fantastic!! If someone hadn't of stole my camera.. I'd have quite a few great shots of him!! ------------- THIS IS ELP 
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Posted By: Radioactive Toy
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 13:14
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I've been to the 5 great guitars show.. along with harry saksioni and jan vaarzon morel (and some other guy)... really skilled indeed! -------------   Reed's failed joke counter: ||||| R.I.P. You could have reached infinity.... |
Posted By: Rob The Plant
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 13:17
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Sorry to hear about your camera 3fates. So do any of you know the best of his albums, or should I just guess? ------------- Collaborators will take your soul. |
Posted By: greenback
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 13:22
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i have profile, one of his solo albums: excellent! he is not only hard rock: he also sound medieval, like on the beautiful acoustic guitar part on glass hammer's beyind the great beyond. ------------- [HEADPINS - LINE OF FIRE: THE RECORD HAVING THE MOST POWERFUL GUITAR SOUND IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF MUSIC!> |
Posted By: Rob The Plant
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 13:28
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Nice, I'll see if I can order Profile, and maybe some others. ------------- Collaborators will take your soul. |
Posted By: Certif1ed
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 13:44
| I only have his 3rd album - which is kinda funky, verging on elevator muzak in places - but great chill-out listening. Not much virtuosity on it, but plenty of ambience and grooves. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 14:52
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I have about 20 or so Akkerman solo Lps. He is definitely one of the most versatile guitar players on the planet. Here are some of my faves with brief descriptions. Ready? Then we'll begin. 10,000 Clowns On A Rainy Day- Double Live album from the 1990's featuring a lot of Focus material. Tabernakel- From 1973. Lots of unacompanied Lute. Electric version of House Of The King. 14 minute showpiece with drum solo and Akkerman playing sitar sounding guitars. Profile- From early 1970's. One side of electric freaking out and another with unaccompanied lute pieces concluding with a straight up blues number called Stick. Talent For Sale- Lots of cover versions including (if yo can believe it ) Green Onions From The Basement- Early eighties. Akkerman experimenting with the Roland Synth Axe. Reggae like cover version of Dylan's All Along The Watchtower. No acoustic guitar on this one The Complete Guitarist- A great compilation of some of the more esoteric stuff he did in the first half of the eighties. Also check out the first Brainbox album for sure features an Akkerman extended solo as wellas as some great solos. In CD form it offers bonus tracks. Other bands he played with before brainbox or Focus were the Hunters and more obscurely Johnny and The Cellar Rockers. My best advice ,though is to visit his website as well as a couple of others which are not official to get a complete discography. One last thing. Avoid Jan Akkerman 3. I just don't know what was going on in his mind when he recorded this bomb. Best descripion for this bomb is bad really bad bad elevator music. Try and check out a band called Forcefield II he played on their last two albums in the early eighties with Cozy Powell on drums. They're hiding somewhere in my record collection. I'll try and dig them out to give you the titles. Finally if you can find it and I don't believe it ever came out on CD is The Two Sides Of Peter Banks ( solo album from the original Yes guitarist ) which features Akkerman on about half the tracks as well as John Wetton on bass, Steve Hackett on guitars and Mr Phil Collins on the kit. Sounds a lot like Banks' early 70's band Flash in some places. Hope this helps. |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: February 27 2005 at 15:29
| I'm going to see Jan Akkerman next month.I've seen him twice in the last 12 months already including the Progeny gig that 3fates mentioned.Great player,great guy. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: February 28 2005 at 10:32
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richardh wrote:Posted By: tuxon
Date Posted: February 28 2005 at 20:59
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For all I know the last years he's kinda troubadouring around, he played the blues festival in Utrecht a couple odd years ago, I never give the man due credit when he's not around, but the few times I saw and heared him play it was manna from the skies, absolutely terrific. ------------- I'm always almost unlucky _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Id5ZcnjXSZaSMFMC Id5LM2q2jfqz3YxT |
Posted By: TBWART
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 03:44
Try Eli with Jan Akkerman and Kaz Lux, it's a prog concept about some guy who is a lumberjack. It's very emotional and has beautiful lyrics and harmonies. Akkermans playing is very jazzy and flawless (which is virtually never the case) (and for the Dutch among us; it has Patricia Paay as a background singer!!! )------------- ''progression is trying to eliminate boundries'' |
Posted By: Cesar Inca
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 09:06
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One of my Top 5 guitarists for the whole history of prog rock!! Hackett and Oldfield are in this personal Top 5, too. |
Posted By: Man Erg
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 09:12
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He made some excellent jazzy albums with Phillip Catherine during his time with Focus and after -------------  Do 'The Stanley' otherwise I'll thrash you with some rhubarb. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 10:13
ROB: He's done some fantastic solo-albums that u MUST check out! Start with Tabernakel and Profile....then move on with Aranjuez, Jan Akkerman and a few others. You can trust me in this, I know! Cheers:) Ps. Read more about him on "Rate your music" web-site and on his own home-page and the two major Focus-sites Ds.
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Posted By: sigod
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 10:34
Bast*rds. I always look forward to your piccys.  ------------- I must remind the right honourable gentleman that a monologue is not a decision. - Clement Atlee, on Winston Churchill |
Posted By: Hangedman
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 14:00
Rob my man, you couldve just asked, we merely cross the road from my house to my unlces, and give a listen to his Jan albums. i think he has two or three, dont jump into it blindly |
Posted By: Fantômas
Date Posted: April 20 2005 at 14:05
You should guess! ------------- And above all, is punk  
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Posted By: Hiwatter
Date Posted: April 21 2005 at 10:14
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Excellent guitarist with great feeling and technique melted together. I have video of Focus 1973 Concert At Rainbow and he plays like virtuoso on his black Les Paul Custom. Great show! |
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: April 21 2005 at 17:36
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I enjoyed the third gig ..in case anyone was wondering |
Posted By: Kaztor
Date Posted: April 21 2005 at 22:00
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He's a magnificent player but in real life he can be a bit arrogant. He lives near the village I live (Volendam, I think he lives in Hoorn or Oosthuizen) and always comes around in one of the bars. I remember having a wee chat with him about I think The Who or something. A friend of mine had built his own guitar and had it played by Jan to see if it was any accurate. Jan told him it sounded like a c**t with snares. |