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Focus III

a Studio release
by Focus

Release Year: 1972

Date Label Catalog # Comments
1972 LP

Release Information

1972 LP Sire 3901

Added To Proggnosis Database on: 3/3/2003 12:00:00 AM
Entry Last Updated on: 4/12/2022 9:18:00 AM by: DBSilver

Track List

  1. Round Goes the Gossip (5:12)
  2. Love Remembered (2:50)
  3. Sylvia (3:31)
  4. Carnival Fugue (6:09)
  5. Focus III (6:05)
  6. Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! (13:48)
  7. Elspeth of Nottingham (3:10)
  8. House of The King (2:15)

Performer Credits

Thijs van Leer
synthesizer,flute, keyboards and vocals
Jan Akkerman
guitars & percussion
Bert Ruiter
bass & percussion
Pierre Van Der Linden
Drums

Reviews  1

Reviewed by MJBrady on 01 Oct 2006

Progressive music's more well-schooled fans are fully aware of this band, yes they are the band with the big hit back in the day, yet few folks that ventured outside of radio world really knew what a complex and fiendishly aggressive band Focus really was. Many Focus enthusiasts will quickly point out III as a great offering from this band, and for good reason, they were displaying a playful and original sound that perhaps was a direct reflection of the times, a time where we we hearing the onset of jazz/rock ala Mahavishnu, RTF, Eleventh House, etc, and also a boom in the artrock/progrock scene, arguably the most prolific and experimental time for electric music. Focus was one of few bands that seemed to cleverly tread between the fusion and prog fence. A band that posessed huge talent musician-wise, they also seemed to be able to convey some nonsensical humor into their mainly instrumental music.

What makes this band appealling to prog and fusion fans is that they have a playful feel, the structures are more from a rock standard, and the fusion side comes from the soloing skills of Akkerman's guitars and van Leer's flutes and keyboards. This album will offer you both structure and jamming, depending on which song you are hearing, so suffice it to say, there is a good balance of diversity to keep your attention level piqued. Focus managed to stay around for a while, and even has some music recorded in the modern era, with rumors of yet another release. Those that know of this band, understand that this was a rare and unique band, which even by todays standards has a lot to offer those that are discovering the back catalogue of progressive's storied past. This should be an important acquisition for those discovering the Dutch scene, as it portrays some of the best talent of that era.

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