Focus............Sylvia

Dominic

Fretwired said:

Clarky said:

boogieman said:

Focus are still gigging, their latest guitarist is superb. They just did a Prog Cruise with @Clarky from the David Cross Band. 

yes they did and they're superb..
Thijs and Pierre are still there from the old line-up and are still amazing players..
Udo and Menno [bass and guitar] are jaw dropping players

@Clarky Check out Swung Vol 2 - it's Menno, Pierre and Bobby (bassist before Udo) in hard jazz rock mode ... here's an early jam session ... the album is worth checking out.

Sorry but that's just widdling with zero tune
If I can't whistle or hum a tune I am immediately disinterested be it Oscar Peterson or Guthrie Govan 
Cole Porter didn't need any of that nonsense.

SlopeSoarer

This is a guy who I had chance to meet a few weeks ago (has a nice collection of 113 guitars) any way this is him playing Sylvia: )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtUFKAY7EJI

ZenOvertone

Seen them several times, got the double Focus 3 signed by Thjis and Jan (on different sides to avoid any conflict!).  Would have loved to have seen them back in the day though.  They still lug a real Hammond and Leslie around the UK on tour too.  Thjis Van Leer is an amazing flautist too.   

Philtre

Dominic said:

SteveRobinson said:

Dominic said:

good man 
I think Focus were a great band (even with the funny little midgets yodelling )
 

Thijs van Leer is a big guy.

Doesn't look very big behind the keyboard.........I didn't mean he WAS a midget ...I meant the funny vocals sound like the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz ( check the punctuation )

I think the technical term is "yodelling" ;-)

EricTheWeary

LuttiS said:

My dad had an old mix tape called "Guitar Greats" as a little'un i was obsessed with this tape and insisted it was put on whereever we went. 
Don't remember most of it now, but stand outs were..

Hocus Pocus - Focus (My introduction to Jan Akkerman..)
Parisian Walkways - Gary Moore (first "band" i went to see concert i went to see)
Sabre Dance - Dave Edmunds (the reason i wanted to play guitar) 
ten men working - neil young ("This notes for you" was the first album i owned)
Strawberry Fields - Beatles 
and others...

That tape was my main influence growing up.. I'm now going to spend the rest of the morning trying to remember what else was on it..

My brother had a double album called The Guitar Album ( I think anyway) and I played Hocus Pocus off it over and over. Full length version I think. 

steveledzep

IIRC, I saw them at the Free Trade Hall Manchester, must have been 1972ish.

Dominic

SlopeSoarer said:

This is a guy who I had chance to meet a few weeks ago (has a nice collection of 113 guitars) any way this is him playing Sylvia: )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtUFKAY7EJI

He's got a great vibrato .........nice version

Dominic

Philtre said:

Dominic said:

SteveRobinson said:

Dominic said:

good man 
I think Focus were a great band (even with the funny little midgets yodelling )
 

Thijs van Leer is a big guy.

Doesn't look very big behind the keyboard.........I didn't mean he WAS a midget ...I meant the funny vocals sound like the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz ( check the punctuation )

I think the technical term is "yodelling" ;-)

........As I said originally but many a Swiss Mountainside would probably take issue with that (or a 1950s Country singer )

Philtre

Dominic said:

........As I said originally

Which I missed...apologies.

normula1

My favourite band. Saw them a couple of months ago at Holmfirth Picturedrome and they're still great. I was quite surprised at the amount of people in their early twenties there.
And Tommy still gets me every time I hear it.

boogieman

Dominic said:

SteveRobinson said:

Dominic said:

good man 
I think Focus were a great band (even with the funny little midgets yodelling )
 

Thijs van Leer is a big guy.

Doesn't look very big behind the keyboard.........I didn't mean he WAS a midget ...I meant the funny vocals sound like the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz ( check the punctuation )

Well he’s certainly big these days, very hefty guy. He struggles with the high notes now but he still has a great voice. It was bloody amazing back in the day, his range was incredible. 

Jez6345789

The Early Focus was for me a real part of my growing up and wore out the grooves. 

I always loved Jan’s guitar work but for awhile as an Ensemble despite the squabbles they were for their time amazing.

that Gene Krupa Buddy Rich style to the drumming was a unique signature that few prog bands had at the time. Plus Ackerman could milk a melody and just nuance the hell out of it.

Again Tommy gets you

Happy Days 

Fretwired

SteveRobinson said:

Dominic said:

good man 
I think Focus were a great band (even with the funny little midgets yodelling )
 

Thijs van Leer is a big guy.

He's not that big .. I've met him and I tower over him.

Fretwired

Dominic said:

Sorry but that's just widdling with zero tune
If I can't whistle or hum a tune I am immediately disinterested be it Oscar Peterson or Guthrie Govan 
Cole Porter didn't need any of that nonsense.

Er .. never just had a jam with some mates  ... that's all it is .. you won't find it on an album. Go put a Carpenter's album on ... ;-)

Dominic

........Do like a bit of The Carpenters as it happens !.....and Barry Manilow !
Didn't realise it was just a jam .....fair play but I just don't get that type of thing ,or Satriani,Vai etc etc
Give me a bit of  Chet, Johnny Hiland / Brent Mason /Brad Paisley and I'm happy (and unsophisticated )

AustrianJohn

Fretwired said:

AustrianJohn said:

Akkerman was one of my early guitar heroes and Sylvia (and much later Sylvia's Grandmother) are amongst my favourite tracks from him. I was fortunate to see him play many times from 1999 into the 2000s when he made regular UK tours, the 2000 gig at the Brook in Southampton was a stand-out - his guitar playing was magical.

We may have met ... I was a roady at many of his gigs ... ever meet Dave Randall?

Yes. I think Dave was running the Akkernet website and also played a role in arranging Jan's UK tours at that time. We had email discussions about Akkerman and Focus music and then met at a few concerts. I had a conversation with Jan and Dave in the car park of their Southampton hotel where we were all staying - during which Jan told a story about a hamster that I can't repeat on a public forum.

axisus

I've only ever worked out two guitar solos by ear, and Sylvia is one of them. I've been planning to record a version one day but the organ has an insane amount of chord changes so it will take some work.

Fretwired

AustrianJohn said:

Yes. I think Dave was running the Akkernet website and also played a role in arranging Jan's UK tours at that time. We had email discussions about Akkerman and Focus music and then met at a few concerts. I had a conversation with Jan and Dave in the car park of their Southampton hotel where we were all staying - during which Jan told a story about a hamster that I can't repeat on a public forum.

I think I told Jan the hamster story if it's the one I think it is ... in fairness it wasn't mine it was on a US radio show. I made a tape for him and we were driving down a packed Regent Street in London together one summer with the windows open listening to this .. he had tears rolling down his face ..

We've probably met ... I helped Dave with the Akkernet setup and promoting the tours.

As an aside Dave's son is a guitarist in a heavy metal band .. he's a pretty good shredder.

AustrianJohn

Fretwired said:

I think I told Jan the hamster story if it's the one I think it is ... in fairness it wasn't mine it was on a US radio show. I made a tape for him 

It's a small world. Even if we haven't met, I've heard that tape you made. When Jan suggested playing a tape, that wasn't what I expected!

Fretwired

AustrianJohn said:

Fretwired said:

I think I told Jan the hamster story if it's the one I think it is ... in fairness it wasn't mine it was on a US radio show. I made a tape for him 

It's a small world. Even if we haven't met, I've heard that tape you made. When Jan suggested playing a tape, that wasn't what I expected!

I usually sold the CDs. I got Jan's wife to bring over a few suitcases worth. I took over £1,800 at one venue.