HOUSE OF THE KING

Penned by Jan Akkerman and clocking in at under three minutes, the instrumental House of the King was released as a single and became a surprise hit for the band. The melody is driven by Thijs van Leer's wonderful flute.

The tune was not originally inlcuded on any album, but was later added on to some editions of the band's debut album. The track has also been included on many compilations.

Different versions of the single exist. The original version had Black Beauty as its B-side, while another version had Focus (Vocal), both taken from the debut album Focus Plays Focus (later re-named In and Out of Focus). House of the King has itself appeared as a B-side on other singles by the band.

There can be no doubt that progressive Rock is an album genre, but there are some cases where a tune stands equally well (or even better) on its own as in the context of other songs, and House of the King is one of those cases.