LIVE AT THE RAINBOW

An album which often divides opinion amongst Focus fans - something of a rarity in that it's a live album which actually sounds live without multiple studio overdubs trying to 'tweak it to perfection'. If you are looking for note-for-note reproductions of studio performances this probably is not for you. Focus Live At The Rainbow does however provide a pretty good snapshot of how the band sounded live at peak of their popularity and has benefitted greatly from the Japanese remastering. The playing throughout is spirited and occassionally inspired. Jan Akkerman is a wonderfully talented guitarist and one of his most endearing qualities for me has always been that he plays for the moment with genuine emotion. From time to time he does sound hesitant, and now and again he will try a blisterring run that even his dexterity fails to pull off - but that only adds to the excitement of hearing him live. To sum up, if you enjoy hearing music played in the raw rather than produced and tweaked to perfection - this is a great album to play loud and enjoy the very unique experience of Focus live in 1973!