Moving Waves

Product Information

You come out of the adrenaline rush of Hocus Pocus to the gentle acoustic guitar of Le Clochard, so perhaps this was not the best way to start an album; play your ace first. Focus II (better known by its international title, Moving Waves) is the second studio album by Dutch progressive rock band Focus, released in October 1971 on Imperial Records. Aquí se incluye su tema más representativo, "Hocus Pocus", una maravilla que no se puede describir en palabras, pues siempre nos quedaríamos cortos.

Pierre Van Der Linden è un gran batterista e fa la sua porca figura sia su questo che sul seguente Focus III mentre Cyril Havermans sembra essere quello più adombrato del quartetto (colpa attribuibile alla preminente figura dei "leader" Jan Akkerman e Thijs Van Leer) ma dimostra anche lui di saper stare appresso ai ritmi della band senza dare dimostrazioni eclatanti di sé (e ai fini musicali funziona quindi tanto basta). Two are natives of Liechtenstein and probably fibbing, seeing as how they hail from a country whose very name begins with a lie. Side two contains the 22-minute track "Eruption", a loose rock adaptation of the tale of Orpheus and Euridice from the opera Euridice by Italian composer Jacopo Peri. But if “Hocus Pocus” isn’t the greatest song ever, I never hear it without an admixture of mirth, awe and admiration.Focus II aka Moving Waves Unlike the debut album, that had the vocal version of Focus removed to be replaced by House of the King, this album was just renamed for international release. Focus II was recorded from 13 April–14 May 1971 at Sound Techniques and Morgan Studios with Mike Vernon as their producer. The Dutch prog band Focus' debut album is a progressive rock album too but with their second studio effort Moving Waves they adopted even more complex form of prog rock. No one in English and America, and I’m including Frank Zappa, could have created a song so utterly off the wall.

Overall, it's not a bad album at all, but there's a lot of better progressive rock albums out there. The guitar playing by Jan Akkerman is sublime as is the keyboard work of Thijs Van Leer and it is driven along by the superb Bass of Cyril Havermans and drums of Pierre Van Der Linden. As is the case with all Focus CD re-issues on Red Bullet, why couldn't the company spend a bit more on including the original back sleeve photo plus some notes on how the album was made, interviews, dates. Such is also the case with "Eruption" which took up the whole of side 2 on the original LP and which sounds great on CD. Jan Akkerman's Segovia like "Le Clochard" provides a mellower contrast before the multi-tracked flute lead ballad "Janis" which adorned the B side of the "Hocus Pocus" single.The passages Thijs has created roll out as a giant canvas for Jan Akkerman to color upon with bombastic tones as loud and punchy as an atomic blast yet fully in Jan's control as the blast settles into particles of drifting dust swirling and swaying, drifting and dancing back to earth. I have a copy with matrix markings 2431011 A//1 Once again, the combined talents of Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman and drummer Pierre van der Linden work a truly special kind of magic. Thijs Van Leer quì mette in risalto le sue doti migliori che lo contraddistingueranno nel corso degli anni con la band : eclettismo , polistrumentismo , follia e magia. The grim specter of Keith Emerson hangs over the proceedings, but you also get, amongst other things, Pink Floyd atmospherics, an unconscionably long drum solo, lush easy listening choral hokum, one extended (and very cool) guitar solo that would have sounded right at home on an early Steely Dan LP, some Gregorian chanting, an amazing jam, and a section Elton John may or may not have lifted for “Funeral for a Friend/Loves Lie Bleeding.