Freedom to Music
Focus – Moving Waves (1972) (@256)
19 Feb 2007
(Review from progarchives.com)
This Netherlandish progressive masterpiece is one of the most hard rock progressive album made during that era: indeed Jan Akkerman’s incisive and razor electric guitars are omnipresent: pure hard rock solos a la Led Zeppelin, and barely less timid aggressive riffs. The drums are restless, very complex and fast. The keyboards mostly consist in organ, mellotron, piano and harmonium. The intensely yodeling of Thijs Van Leer on “Hocus Pocus” is legendary: you are going to want to sing it! “Le clochard” has a beautiful floating mellotron in the background and impressive & relaxing acoustic guitar parts that should impress Steve Hackett himself. The peaceful and rhythmic “Janis” contains mellow flute parts a la Camel. The lead vocals on “Moving Waves” remind me early King Crimson. “Focus 2″ is an outstanding very progressive track: Jan Akkerman “dances” with his melodic electric guitar: it seems that the other instruments follow his partitions, creating very structured and pleasant melodies through rhythm & air changes.
On side 2, the epic “Eruption” is a real progressive masterpiece, sometimes comparable to Jethro Tull’s “Thick as a Brick”: the same organ sounds, tons on drums, very melodic bass, straightforward hard rock electric guitars; there are some intensely floating mellotron & backing vocals parts; there is a part which was composed by the Netherlandish fusion band Solution, coming from the “Divergence” album; there is a poignant & melodic piano part, accompanied with electric guitar and flute; the drum solo is absolutely impressive, having a bit the Neil Peart’s style.
Line-up:
- Jan Akkerman / solo & acoustic guitars, bass
- Cyril Havermanns / bass, voices
- Pierre van der Linden / drums
- Thijs van Leer / organ, harmonium, mellotron, soprano + alto flute, piano, voices
Track List:
01. Hocus Pocus (6:42)
02. Le Clochard (2:01)
03. Janis (3:09)
04. Moving Waves (2:42)
05. Focus II (4:03)
06. Eruption (23:04)
a) Orfeus, Answer, Orfeus
b) Answer, Pupilla, Tommy, Pupilla
c) Answer, The Bridge
d) Euridice, Dayglow, Endless Road
e) Answer, Orfeus, Euridice
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about 5 years ago
OGG!
Filesonic -> http://tinyurl.com/3v4g8um
Hotfile -> http://tinyurl.com/3qogyln
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Password -> sakalli
about 4 years ago
Gracias por este excelente disco _ esta banda holandesa sin duda es una de las mas interezantes del movimiento prog _ gracias por el aporte para los amantes del rock -aca te dejo mi BLOG para que lo veas http://rockdata.blogspot.com SALUDOS _ r o c k d a t a
about 4 years ago
> aca te dejo mi BLOG para que lo veas http://rockdata.blogspot.com
I added your blog link to the sidebar, so everyone could see.
about 4 years ago
Gracias por el apoyo _ estoy recien comenzando en esto de compartir mi coleccion de discos preferidos _ saludos desde CHILE y continua con lo tuyo _ es un gran aporte para la musica y la difusion del genero _ Saludos _ r o c k d a t a
about 5 months ago
Thank you Sakalli.
about 4 months ago
Man! You don’t know what good feelings and memories you’re bringing back to me with your collection. Thanx 1000 times!!