Classic rock guitar hero, Jan Akkerman
Another post inspired by a podcast.
This time, a big up to The Rockmother and her impeccable choice of the Dutch medieval banquet of prog that is Focus.
But hold on a minute, RoMo! Focus are MINE. I discovered them. ME!
All mine. The classic rock guitar hero that was Jan Akkerman. And the controlled lunacy of Thijs Van Leer, his flutey noodlings, his blood curdling yodelling....
*******
A fresh faced Geoff heard Focus and knew he wanted to buy his first LP. My mum didn't have the first idea of where to buy a Focus album but she was determined to buy me one. She's good like that.
Walking past our local music shop, I saw Focus in the window.
"I want it, Mummy."
The next day she bought it for me.
It wasn't an LP, though. It was a book of Focus sheet music.
We got our money back, and of course we did work out that in order to buy a Focus LP, one goes not to a music shop but to a record shop.
Happy days, aren't they, your twenties?
They're still playing Geoff. They played up in Crewe about a year ago and apparently "blew the place apart".
ReplyDeleteI know Sylvia. I didn't know they did one called Geoff, too. (Or Geoff II).
ReplyDeleteCan Thijs still get up to the high notes?
Probably on a bootleg somewhere. The only original members now are Thijs and the drummer, I think. I didn't go though because I was there the night after for the SAHB and I didn't want a headache, so I can't say whether he can still do the falsetto stuff. I can't.
ReplyDeleteI suppose they only named themselves to rhyme with their hit "Hocus Pocus" after which they ran out of rhymes.
ReplyDeleteCrocus might have done it. Or Locust even.
James Blunt has tried the same thing I believe.
Cheers Geoff! For some reason I always used to get muddled up and could never remember if it was focus by hocus pocus or hocus pocus by focus - or even pocus by hocus focus for that matter.
ReplyDeleteRichard - By an incredible coincidence, I've just received from Amazon: Hocus Pocus The Best Of Focus and The Impossible Dream/Tomorrow Belongs To Me by SAHB.
ReplyDeleteMurphy - Has James Blunt done a song about himself? Just got back from ASDA where he was on ASDA Radio with Goodbye My Lover. By the way, are you a Prog Dog?
RoMo - You just go into the record shop (not music shop), look the assistant straight in the eye, and say "hocuspocusfocuspocushocus".
Woo...There's a new SAHB album out, Zalvation. It's old stuff redone but rather good. Faith Healer is rather awesome. As is the supporting DVD.
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny Geoff - thank you. Imagine trying to say that if you were sozzled? Hosccushposchcushflogus pleesh?
ReplyDeletelaydeeodelaydeeodelayoohooo..aaaa AAAA AHH AAAAAAAAH!
ReplyDeleteI was the only guy in my school who forced people to listen to that record and I loved every second of it! I cannot believe that that guy can still scream after all of these years.
blast from de past mon!...