FIRST TIME Hearing Focus - Hocus Pocus (Live 1973) || What Did I Just Watch?!
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- čas přidán 18. 05. 2024
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For the first time ever on the channel, we are checking out the band Focus with their live performance of "Hocus Pocus" in 1973. The band was incredibly talented but what really caught my attention was that lead singer! He was off the chain but so fun to watch! One minute he was playing the flute and the next minute he was hitting a whistling solo! Definitely a wild ride! Hope you enjoy! #reaction #focus #70smusic #progrock #liveperformance #musicreactions
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This band was on fire and the lead singer was off the chain!!! What a fun video!
@retroreactions.... bravo for your reaction and your curiosity. They often only get attention for one Hocus Pocus song and people stop at that without knowing the hidden gems. I encourage you to continue your discovery of this fantastic group which is one of the groups, if not the most versatile group that I know. Try the moving wave album which is different and the Focus 3 album which is even more different. There is a sublime version of Strasbourg Cathedral live from this group. Good luck and good listening.🙏
There is also the hamburger concerto album and many other examples. 😀
@@Klfmjgfg45 Appreciate it! I definitely have to check out more from them! Crazy talent!
🙏🙏@@setonhillstudios
The only standing ovation on the Midnight Special ever.
Oh wow! They brought the house down! 😎
Mr Bert Ruiter on Bass, holding the whole damn thing together, and oh so overlooked. When they added him after Moving Waves it all came together, especially live.
Were told they only had a certain amount of time to perform. They sped the song up to fit the time slot.
I liked the tempo they were sitting at! Definitely brought that energy! Have a great one! 🔥
That was genuine frantic
@@umarae27 🤣😂 💯
@@umarae27 The Japanese band Thee Michelle Gun Elephant Has a Fast song like this. I think it is baby please go home. They go all out when they play get covered in sweat by the end of their first song and keep it up for the whole concert. TMGE
Imagine this being your opening act and you had to follow this ...
You wouldn’t stand a chance! 🤣 You just gotta pack up and go home!
during this time they opened for Frank Zappa and Yes. That must have been wild...
@@arjanhurkmans9190 Shewee! I bet that was EPIC!
Jan Akkerman was my favorite guitarist growing up. I had the Moving Waves album when it came out in 1971. That album featured the song Hocus Pocus. The second side of the album was one song, Eruption, and I would fall asleep to it.
Appreciate the info! I definitely have to go down the rabbit hole and hear more from them!
I was wondering who the guitarist was.Hes awesome
Music Maker magazine called Akkerman in those days the best guitar player on the planet and there were some big name guitar players that agreed with that.
Isn´t it crazy that the greatest guitarists of that time (Akkerman, Kath, Gallagher) - who inspired just about everyone else - aren´t really mentioned in today´s Greatest Guitarists Lists?
Good though it is Hocus Pocus is basically a novelty track. To appreciate the band fully you should listen to some of their longer tracks such as Eruption, Anonymous 2 or Hamburger Concerto, all of which are prog masterpieces.
This is a short version; in the midnight special CZcams channel there is the complete version with two other parts of the track, even more astonishing!
Oh wow! Definitely need to check that out! Thanks for the info!
Thanks, I was gonna say that too! The part that was missing, was his looooong yodeling!!
Last month I attended a Focus concert in The Netherlands, where the band was founded. After fifty (!) years still touring the globe. Vocalist Thijs van Leer (75 years old) and drummer Pierre van der Linden (76 years old) of the original line-up, performed just as powerful as they did in the seventies, including the astonishing jodeling parts! Former Focus guitarist Jan Akkerman was in 1973 voted 'best guitar player of the word' by the British music magazine Melody Maker. Todays line-up: Thijs van Leer: organ/flute/vocals, Pierre van der Linden: Drums, Menno Gootjes: guitar, Udo Pannekeet: Bass.
That’s awesome that they are still getting it! Such a fun performance and this was all around epic! 🔥
I don't know what I am seeing. "GENIUS"
Such spunk! Instead of editing out to shorten for the time slot, they sped it up & ended with a few seconds to spare. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Let’s goooooo! They were rolling! 🔥
Ohh my lord Momma here!! Love it the party song, it alwaus had to come out at some point!
Haha! 🤣 It was definitely jamming! 🎉
This was a huge hit for them in the 70!s! You’re right crazy talented! You should do the studio version the extended version! When you listen to that, you’ll understand this performance a little more and there is some great drumming on the studio version also
Awesome, I’ll have to check that out! That drummer was a beast as well as the entire band! That singer was wild with it though! 😂 They are all crazy talented!
@@setonhillstudios The keyboard player/flutist Thijs van Leer and drummer Pierre van der Linden still perform as Focus. Thijs van Leer also played flute at live Ayreon concerts five years ago (Electric Castle Live and Other Tales, 2019/2020) in songs like Amazing Flight and Valley of the Queens.
These guys, what a performance everytime I listen to.
You just watched Focus being given four minutes to play a seven minute song and rising to the challenge. Have a listen to the actual song to get an appreciation of how good it really is.
Oh wow, I’ll have to check it out!
As you`ve come to find out Hocus Pocus was quite unusual in 73 for any area of America that didn`t have polka bands around but I lived in Cleveland, worked in a German sausage factory so me & the U boat captain Hans went down to see the band & frickin Hans got them to have a pint or two after the gig as in those days opening acts stuck around to watch the rest of the show.. just found your site as Utube ai is like yahoo`s a Ahole rabbithole... SO keep on rockin and giddyup Seton Hill
That might be the most legendary story I’ve ever heard! Yeah, CZcams is the wild West! Glad you found us and thanks for hanging out! 😁
This was wild. I know this song bc it still gets play on the classic rock channels and I've been hearing it for decades. But I'm a little too young to catch any of the Midnight Specials so I never saw this until a few years ago, watching reactions. I was a little prepared bc I knew the song, but the way they sped things up and still kept time with each other was incredible - especially if the story being told about time constraints is true. That means this was the first and maybe only time they played it this way! You gotta hear the studio version to really appreciate what they just did there, and why this was and is a very popular song. Your reactions were wild 🤣🤣 I love seeing people watch this for the first time when they have no idea what's coming. It's like a freight train coming right at you. Talent overload! 🤘🤘
Haha 🤣😂 No doubt about it! I wasn’t ready in the least bit. Definitely a fun one to check out and you’re right, the talent is undeniable! 🤘🏻
I was lucky enough to see them in Montreal in a theater ! small place for a band like that ! 🥴
Oh wow! I love smaller venues because it’s so much more intimate and you can see so much better! I bet it was 🔥
@@setonhillstudios In case you missed my comment on the genesis video , i saw them in Montreal in the university s sport center ! in 1974 and someone filmed it on a tape casette handycam and posted it on YT ! just type in Genesis Montreal 1974 !
This song is so much fun. It always gives me a smile and a giggle. So much talent in the strangest way possible.❤️✌️🌼
Well put! Such a great performance that had me rolling! 🤣
@@setonhillstudios love watching you you know talent when you see it. You also understand that music is just for fun sometimes. it’s a lot of fun for someone to watch someone see or listen to something that they’ve known for years for the first time. you’re doing a great job and very entertaining.❤️✌️🌼
@@marniethedyslexic6445 That made my day! Really appreciate those kind words and we get to do this because of people like you so thank you! 🙏🏻 😁
@@setonhillstudios you’re welcome😉 keep doing what you do you’re good at it❤️✌️👼
The original version is 6 minutes 42 seconds long. The producers wanted Focus to cut a couple of verses out to fit the time limit. Focus said we're not doing that and sped up the song to double time turning a 6 1/2 minute song into 3 minutes.
Haha 🤣 Let’s goooooo! That’s straight rock and roll right there!
Organized Chaos. Super talented
Great way of putting it! Was such a fun performance to watch! Thanks for hanging out!
What's happening here should be understood in the context of the performers. Focus, like some of the British performers that tasted success in the US, belonged somewhat to the classical European tradition. Where three chords was not particularly a challenge? And, in that context, they realised that the presentation of skill could be impressive in and of itself. And this is - as you can see - a highly skilled band. Also pay note to guitarist Jan Akkerman, who is tearing this up even faster than he was required to on record.
love it.
This is absolutely amazing! 🤣
This band was so good ( and out there at times) the only other i can think of that would compare to this so was the live version of "Frankenstein " by Edgar Winter if you haven't done it check it out especially being a drummer
@@user-vl5sm9wu1s We’ve actually covered that here on the channel! It was absolutely amazing!
If you ever want to experience true sonic diversity, check out the top 100 songs for 1973. From the Allman Brothers, to Jim Croce, to Curtis Mayfield, to War - it's crazy to see the spectrum of styles in that era of radio and vinyl.
I’ll have to check that out! Appreciate it!
Love it
So much fun! Thanks for watching!
I like you and I have Subscribed.
I first saw Focus in 1973 in Croydon, South East London, England. They were the main force in a few Dutch groups at that time like Golden Earring and this wasn't typical of their sound,as it was very varied. For example "Love Remembered" is one of my 20 favourite songs of all time and I bought my first record in 1960 in London. If you play it, then do so, at night, in darkness and solitude and imagine you are in the middle of the desert. THeir biggest hit was "Sylvia"...
Thanks so much for the sub and glad you enjoyed it! Can’t wait to hear more from them! Loved this! 😄
Check out the Bluegrass version of this song it's very entertaining and funny by the Cleverlys you won't regret it!
Thanks so much! Definitely have to check that out! Have a great one!
So many great Dutch bands in the 1970s and Focus was one of the best. Every Dutchie who tried to master the electric guitar listened to mr. Akkerman (and then put the guitar down :)
Thanks for the info! He was definitely a beast! The whole band was crazy talented! 🤘🏻
Only standing O ever on Midnight special up til this group
Let’s gooooo! Well deserved!
I remembered the song but never saw them,that was fun.
I know right! Definitely a fun tune with great musicians! 🔥
You should listen to the 8 minute album version. I think it would be a fun tune for you to cover on the drums.
Appreciate the suggestion! Definitely have to check that out! Would be a tough one to cover for sure! The drummer has great chops and is a beast! Would be a blast though!
I have heard in 1973 that Jan Akkerman was probably the best guitarist in the world.
An incredible player! Can’t wait to hear more from him and the whole band! Thanks for watching!
Sort of sad to think about it. 50 years ago musicians could follow their hearts/muses and still sell butt-loads of records, even if they included yodeling for the first time since Blue Yodel #whatever... back before WW2... Or whatever. I LOVE music that actually surprises me.
Check out live performance of Frankenstein by Edgar Winter Group. It's the only thing that comes close to this wildness. Santana's Soul Sacrifice at Woodstock maybe.
Awesome! Thanks for the suggestions! I loved this performance! So unique and the players were killing it! 🤘🏻🔥
The facial twitches of Thijs van Leer at the beginning are to flex his face muscles for reasons that will be clear soon enough during the song. Though I'm sure they all liked to partake in the occasional drug use, they were quite sober that night.
If you listen closely, when he plays the flute he sings at the same time, that is not a trivial feat.
I used to think that Geddy Lee was the most talented front man in rock music but he just fell to 2nd ...
This dude was wild! 🤘🏻 So much fun and who knows how many instruments he can play! I wasn’t ready!!! 😆
Yeah, one of the most insane musical performances, ever! They reduced the song time by half, because of time constraints and didn't want to edit it. Dude yodels, plays the flute, and whistles, and there are no lyrics. Fire.
Such a banger!!! Loved this performance so much! 🔥
@@setonhillstudios Totally! I do agree that the drummer was also amazing here, and Jan Akkerman is legendary.
Pierre van der Linden stretched the song's meters ,perhaps a la Tony Williams '; that jazz drumming education paid off well.
Such phenomenal musicians! This was straight 🔥
You need to check out the six minute version - this one is missing a couple of verses
Here´s the real-length Midnight Special-version: czcams.com/video/GyxSvZOby54/video.html
Thanks so much! Definitely have to check that out!
Focus was very popular early seventies, and guitarist Jan Akkerman was pronounced by readers of a popular British music tabloid as best guitarist. Keyboard player/flutist Thijs van Leer also made several albums in the seventies with an orchestra, performing classical music (Bach and Fauré, for instance) and Focus compositions.
There's another outrageous song at about the same time, it is
Frankenstein
By the Edgar Winter Group.
And you're now warned.
🚜🤠🐂
I’ll have to check it out!
I prefer the one at normal speed personally.
I gotta check out the other version. This one was a blast though! Appreciate you hanging out and have a great day!
Guitarist Jan Akkerman once was chosen by the readers of "Melody Maker" as best guitarist in the world. Eric Clapton that year was second and Jimmy Page and Carlos Santana third and fourth. Keyboardist (and jodeling fluitist) Thijs Van Leer explained how the song arised. After rehersals, they started jamming and Jan Akkerman started with that riff, the drummer and bassplayer started to add their things and then Thijs took the space he got. It was a joke he said, but what a joke.
Thijs explains it himself in this vid. It is in dutch, but has English subtitles.
czcams.com/video/nDPlwhqowHI/video.html
Wow that’s crazy!
Sadly, musical genius reduced to parody due to time constraints. Just read the comments.
Will do! Appreciate the insight and you swinging by the channel!
Want to see them do the same song LIVE in 2021? czcams.com/video/C5ddCT2FrDI/video.htmlsi=KJwTKG2cLLFYxJth
👍
Wake up Call for sure
🤘🏻
genius on good drugs lol
🤣😂🤣
Meths a hell of a drug 😅
😂🤣 Yeah not quite sure what was going on but that’s a great assumption!
The drummer quit after this performance
Probably wore him out! 😂🤣
Now STUPID AUTO-TUNE... NO MORE TALENTED PURE ARTIST BAND
Facts! Everyone sadly does sound the same now! 🤦🏻♂️
@@setonhillstudios Hey! Not everyone!
@@GrandmasGotGraceLW Fair enough! I stand corrected! If the record labels had their way but a lot of the independent artists still have creative control 😄
@@setonhillstudios Yes...and there are being more and more independent artists (some in music & some in other categories). This is one reason that Dan Vasc does interviews with people like Eric July with YoungRippa59 -- like the following one from a couple of months back, now...
Metal & Independence w/ @DanVasc | For Canon Sake Ep: 458
czcams.com/users/liveayo2PMMdHtk?si=OwNx4dXnR98pKtuV
😂
What a wild ride! 🤣😂🤣
I have a book put out by Rolling Stone magazine, that gives their opinion of rock groups, and for Focus they said "Focus is the most boring rock group in history".
@@bauertime Boring?! I didn’t see anything boring in this performance! 🤣