FOCUS CON PROBY

When contemplating the pros and cons of this 1978 album, it quickly becomes very clear that Proby is indeed one of the major cons. P.J. Proby's smooth and soulful vocals mix with the music of Focus like oil mixes with water. Bringing Proby on board was a mistake. However, despite the absence of Jan Akkerman, there are also pros: the instrumental parts are still 100% Focus(ed) and bear the band's characteristic sound. Indeed, the instrumental tracks and passages found here are very much more interesting and enjoyable than what was present on the previous two Focus releases--Mother Focus and Ship Of Memories.

The instrumental tracks are Orion, Night Flight, Sneezing Bull, and Maximum. These tunes bring to mind Camel and Jethro Tull but most of all classic Focus. This adds up to around 20 minutes of quality music that undoubtedly will appeal to those who like the first four Focus albums. But on the vocal tracks, Focus takes a back seat and becomes the backing band for P.J. Proby and, as I have said, these tracks are considerably less interesting. These bluesy, soulful, jazzy numbers are plodders, and of course they have nothing to do with Prog.

As such, this album is a very mixed bag. It has some strong moments that makes it worthwhile for any Focus fan, but taking everything into consideration it does not stand up to the better Focus albums.

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