Focus - Hocus Pocus Live '73

[1stSaintsFan]

I bought the Focus album right after this hit the FM/Rolling stone critics liked it...Loved Jan Akkerman's guitar playing.

[rocketpost1]

Just astonishing musicianship. Nothing like it these days. Jan and Thijs are just from another planet. Maybe we were invaded back in the early 70s. Jan's guitar is so original and impossibly good and yes I am a fan. As the Stranglers used to say, whatever happened to the heroes !.

[original1911]

my goal in life its to be at that drugged level

[digger380]

none of that today.music has taken a talent dive these days.............bring them back

[WootZillza]

@digger380 you mean like The Mars Volta, Closure In Moscow, This Town Needs Guns, American Football, Orbs, Brand New and The Republic Of Wolves?

there is PLENTY of talented bands out there, you just have to dig deeper than the top 100 charts..

[SecretPesch]

Very Hapiness song ! A good choice when you smoke a green one.

[miseryguts43]

Astonishing..

I've never seen this before & just found myself staring at the screen for a couple of minutes after it had finished.. blown away doesn't begin to cover it!!

[nursevictoria88]

Love it!!!!!! Love his shirt!!!!!!!!!!

[bloggulator]

real talent, real music, stuff that cuts across the years, needs no youth culture, whim of fashion, hype or bs. stunning performance. justin bieber, lady gaga etc. couldn't hold a candle to this, even with a $50 million budget!

[aqweaqweaqweaqweaqwe]

@bloggulator Stop ruining videos with Justin Bieber comments, asswipe

[philkearney0577]

gin house!

[patriotsdesign]

PURE FREAKIN TALENT!

[FantomasXZ7]

Beautiful lyrics!!!

[syrocke]

@FantomasXZ7

YEAH; I wonder how much of literature - Milton, Shakespeare, maybe Voltaire?! - they had to read in order to be able to produce such a refined poetry like:

"Ôi orôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi ohrorô popô"

LOL

But I really admire their musical talent.

[petergabriel99]

113 stupid peoples Lady Gaga´s fans hahahahhaha

[chudy1961]

No to już jest gruby zajob. Kocham to.

[xiho]

@chudy1961 Ja i tysiące słuchaczy PR 3 też to kochamy :) Pozdro.

[grosgras]

SOMETHING missing in todays music....balls!!! nobody gonna try that kind of music today!!,,,,today its so....statics......rock is dead,,,,,,really...

[andzwe]

@grosgras: The only way most can "capture" some of the old magic, is by sampling it, but overall I find that much too easy, distasteful and often disrespectful.

Original and virtuoso musicians (where are they gone?!), like those of Focus, had the ideas, but apart from that a real understanding of music.

[coqui333]

Nice lyrics..........

[123horror]

Drugs aren't that bad after all I guess

[nubianbroheim]

When i try and yodel, it sounds like a goat being strangled. FUCKING EPIC, wish i was there.

[natwolffisohott]

not to say that i dont like the song. cause i sorta dig it

[natwolffisohott]

too funny. thanks mr. downing!

[JupaZi5]

Gimme the lyrics

[svzundert]

Thijs van leer +1

[SpeedFreakNO]

This video is full of epic!

[GuitarPlusKeyboard]

most epic song ever :) great bass by the way, too bad he didn't get a solo

[theSavageHippie]

the crowd is going wild!

[PANOSBUCKET]

I think thijs van Leer inspired Jack Black....:P haha

[raingiver]

@PANOSBUCKET I said the same thing. lol

[robertpaulfischer]

The acid they took backstage kicks in at 1:15

[mmmmXDxD]

@robertpaulfischer thumps up xD

[xxGuanoxx]

The bass-line!!!!!!

[Harryofsol]

At 3:56 the singer looked like Galron from Star Trek

[Hokonopogo]

The drummer rape face is fucking awesome!! . Btw, insane guitar skills.

[GuitarPlusKeyboard]

epicly underrated band

[thegreatwebstar]

had to take his tooth out to hit that note

[xxGuanoxx]

madness!

[calman1951]

Did anyone else think the singer looks like an ugly Mel Gibson when He played W.Wallace in Braveheart?

[TechFiend44]

So um, am I the only one who thinks Gladys Knight was pretty hot back then?

[ibrokeitdidnti]

@TechFiend44 I thought it was opra.

[ashleyhockenberry]

COOOOOLLLLLL  !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aronlarsson11]

this is what i call real music

[IamUncledeuce]

Akkerman is awe inspiring

[sheryldotrock]

Insane!! Love it!

[MrMutensio]

de coca hasta el culo jajaja



[FlatLand43]

Why haven't I heard of these guys before, THEY'RE INCREDIBLE!!!!

[wilmaman]

This video is living proof that the drugs were better 38 years ago....No joke though, THESE GUYS WERE AWESOME !!!



[Jorfapigo]

Check out Vannesa Mae's cover for this song... sounds almost as good as it...

[kaizer3308]

o melhor do mundo simplesmente...

Hocus Pocus

[GTX1123]

I was 9 or 10 when this song came out and absolutely loved it. 1970 to 75 might be the greatest 5 years in the history of pop music.

[oskarveliky]

Here we can see, that there is nothing to wait for.

[zbyndacz1]

Masterpiece!!!

[metaldrummer47]

@3:02, LADIES AND YENTELMEN, MEESTER RON BURGUNDY & HIS YAZZ FLUTE!

[EmmanuelTechDeck]

MASTER EXPLODER .

[tommyemmanuel]

This so goddamit fuckin' crazy!!! amazin' stuff!

[TheJeffman1985]

Amazing band! They were more popular in Europe, whereas this was their main hit in the States

[NAAMxLOOS]

'One of the most together, and exciting groups going'.

And they still are!

[lepiesza]

i can't believe my dad was 24 when this was recorded in '73, i wish i was alive then :(

[romamruin]

Dem Rock up de place.. pre - Queen.. Muically more dominant than most.. I'll give it 5,,,

[FiveBillionYears]

amazing unorganised organised choas..absolute genius bunch of musicians

[RealJohnCore]

This is madness!

[mikroglija]

@RealJohnCore Madness?!?!?

This is SPARTA!!! ^.-

[OmgItsGaryBusey]

@mikroglija that got old a week after the movie came out

it's 2012

i hope you're proud of yourself

[sotofranciscoan]

@RealJohnCore madness?? THIS IS FOCUUS!!!

[kaylidis1]

oute pakistanos ergaths sta oruxeia pou exei na akousei mousikh 10 xronia de tha akouge autes tis malakies...

[nikguitar07]

@kaylidis1 nai tha akouge bandi kai dalara na pniksei to pono tou

[skiadas100]

pwwwww apla zwi!!!aaaaaa!!!!!

[kaylidis1]

ti aidies einai autes re poustoi mou...pooooooo

[skiadas100]

APLA GELOIO!!!

[bulletproofblouse]

A bunch of comments about the singer and guitarist, but I'm going to go right out there and say the drummer is TOP QUALITY. All of them together, this is Prog Rock 101, everything else is a footnote.

[ChordCluster]

WOW! A new desert island addition for me! I love Prog music that keeps its tongue squarely in it cheek!

[509van]

Rock progressivo só para quem entende.

Muito boa musica.

[steeler79win]

1:38 love the hamster part!

[andrewjeff]

what a band!!and super guitaristfor the period

[MrCarlosavelin]

O Fantástico FOCUS!

[SuperSandman27]

Jajaja... And I thought that I had seen everything ... jajaja.. fckin awesome

[Lorenzomusic05]

They play in their local asylum friday night...!!!!

[sonnytiger]

dude that guys is fucked! but damn loads of talent present in this group....

[tomnj707]

also only a mental man can pull of a whistle solo of that high caliber haha

[G8GT364CI]

Many great rock instrumentals at this time, Frankenstein by The Edger Winter group is another one.

[SendTTYFriends]

Thijs van Leer: Seriously pilled up

[billysings]

Thijs Van Lear is OUT OF THE BOX MENTAL!

[dinizthemxking]

Very underrated band. They deserve a plance in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

[2000tc88]

@dinizthemxking No,No Plance in R n R Hall of Fame.

You do NOT get to go into the Hall of fame because of ONE song.

Period.

No PLANCE.LOL.

No DESERVE.

[youshallruetheday]

only metal dudes can pull off a flute solo hahaha

[ruregah]

Who needs words?

[drummerjoeycastillo]

and this is still a damn good quality for a concert in '73

[drummerjoeycastillo]

proud to be dutch...

[browncoat697]

So let's see here... he's a capable yodeler and whistler, and amazing organ player and flautist. What the hell did this guy smoke every day for 3 years to learn that many instruments and so well?

[wjwmorrow]

@browncoat697 Thijs is a very accomplished, classically trained, musician. He studied composition, flute and keyboards at the Amsterdam and Geneva conservatories. I met him back in the early 70s and he was truly amazing as were the band.

[HenriqueOz]

Mother of God =O =D

[topher26354]

LOL watch his face at 1:10

[birdstuckinchimney]

What!!! All of us?

[mistersmith6000]

I was too young for prog rock, (born '63) and when Johnny Rotten pronounced them, so by the time I was 'serious' all these guys were swept up in Johhny Rotten's words , as jerks, that was fine with me. So when I saw the keyboard player posturing before the start here, I thought, oh, no, here those hippies go again, but what a blast!! This is absolutely mental!!

[tylerdurden3891]

@mistersmith6000 I was born in 1984, and since I'm 15 years old, there hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't wished I was born in the early 60's so I could've experienced music like this while I was growing up.

[joehainn]

@tylerdurden3891 how can you be 15 years old if you were born in 1984

[tylerdurden3891]

@joehainn Oh boy, I should've said "EVER since I WAS 15 years old". I re-read it now and I can see why you're confused lol. My mistake.

[MegaBrian1960]

One hit wonder, my Ass! The wrote "disco inferno"

[killerbeel1]

funny liyrics

[NitroCoasters]

The Seventies Strapping Young Lad LOL!

[RJSoftware2000]

One hit wonder, but the recorded version was f-in awsome. Much better than this live one. Probably got burned out and pissed that they couldn't come up with another. Ah well, a moment of fame, least they hit the Lotto once. RJ

[wjwmorrow]

@RJSoftware2000 One hit wonder? Not really. Focus were much more successful in Europe than the USA and had a string of commercial single hits and albums. Overall they had a pretty good run for about a decade. Thijs van Leer is still going strong

[gsmlgss]

Maggico

[tomahawkbungle]

did gladys say together..thats the most unorganised chaotic togetherness ive ever seen..

[pangolash]

any ideas where I could find the lyrics for this one?

[panhead1219]

@pangolash heh... funny.

Butt seriously.. any newborn trying to make mouth sounds for the first time can tell ya.

[60srecords]

Really entertaining, loved it..Thanks guys for your music..

[67Furi]

Very good!

[Ecopowerr]

I wish this real music played in the media again instead off the crap we see the last 20 years on tv and the radio in the Netherlands and elswhere.

[gombagod]

sounds good though



[gombagod]

Watching this makes my teeth hurt.

[teleman60]

This was back when there was no posing or thought about a "show" really -- just a bunch of great players playing their asses off on live TV! With no 3 minute time limit! This bought back so many great memories Focus, ELP, Genesis, Gentle Giant, YES, Brian Auger, Queen...Thanks for posting!!

[jasp1405]

3:54 Mother Of God! His face! 

[ThomasJamesAlford]

107 people just don't get it :)

[preluki]

hard rock yodelling is a turn on

[capitolemiproducer]

What drugs are they on I want some

[87mrks]

the text must have been a pain to write.

how do you spell that?

[charabango]

Acid's kicking in at 0:24.



[MrBeezer05]

A Great Windowpane Song,Awesome...........

[DictatorObama]

Best introduction I have ever seen Oprah do. Hands down. And she looked FANTASTIC.

[icenite265]

@DictatorObama not oprah bro... Gladys Knight

[pinkrudy]

john bonham on guitar!

[warsenZ]

1:00 - 1:15

[MrMikkihiiri95]

that flute solo is the best :D

[alexlawson4488]

looks like JB has no dick this time...

[juanquinez]

El dìa del recital de System!!!

[EmbeeVocaloid02]

THIS IS LOVE <3

[Callumthemoose]

Christmas No.1 2012 I think so...

[vacuumssuck26]

Jan Akkerman is F*ckin' MENTAL!

[andyingreece]

@vacuumssuck26 Not quite as metal as Thijs van Leer! :o)

[WencesWasHere]

@andyingreece Mental*

[AurumqueEML]

Joder!!! Es que no me canso de verlo!!

[kocu66]

Ich flippe aus - das ist saustark. Hab schon ein paar Whisky intus und finde das saugeil.

[TheRealQuester]

Man....I just loved the joy with how she introduced the band! =D

[cationRI]

Genial!! Cuantos Acidos nene!!

[misterfrugellhound]

they were unreal eh,,

[cuentaclon1234]

2:17 mic goes like "fuck this" hahah

[Frobe1357]

Akkerman is God

[87mrks]

wow, i'll have what he's having...

[fatherofeight]

Freaking breakneck speed!

[HardWarUK]

Teenager in the 70's - thumbs up if you hate/envy me! :)

[PlatypusChild1]

@HardWarUK teenager in the 70's and still asking people to thumb you up ?

[HardWarUK]

@PlatypusChild1 Well some people complained about me in message when I said that I was a teenager in the 70's in another music video, so that I I posted my message! :) Happy Holidays!

[PETER28061957]

Sounds like dutch to me!

[cartmammainia]

1:40 Popeye's spinach was spiked with some coke, eh?

[mutexnet]

All these years later - look up ROCK in the dictionary and you see FOCIS

[sasailic63]

Idi bre Vokalčino u pičku materinu! Ovo je antologija.. Hell of a good thing!!! Admire it! Killing stuff!!! To remember. Thank you loerez!

[mineralturbo]

@sasailic63 Sale brate, nomoj psuješ, štovanje i tebi i za Focus.

[sasailic63]

@mineralturbo Sorry. You are right. Sorry again. Necu vise. Oprostite mi. Hvala

[FolkMetalac]

@sasailic63 Si ti zdrav? O.o

[robc935]

I saw Focus open for Santana in Madison WI in the early/mid 70's and being a budding guitarist at the time I was completely blown away by Jan Akkerman. He literally blew Carlos Santana off the stage.

[bloggulator]

@robc935 no band could compete with something like that! pity anyone who had the task of following them!

[sofrimento92]

i laughed when i saw his face at the beginning....hes on acid forrealzys haha

[alex63kort]

In 1988 i went for a holiday to Mallorca. In my hotel their was also a guitarist someone told me. It was Jan Akkerman. Jan Akkerman? Jan Akkerman? Who the f..k is he? I asked myself. So 23 years later i know.

[tinfoilhatter]

crazy fazt shredding omg right?

[boomerman101]

I can't stop watchin this thing

[dooksnob]

And Eric Clapton is God because?.............

[Breed86]

@dooksnob because he's much better than this, despite how good it is.

[FolkMetalac]

@Breed86 Or not.

[michduncanhbk]

1:08-1:17 major orgasm lmao

[tv5producciones]

una voz espectacular

[gamerinsideu16]

JAZZ FLUTE!

[lolnidaa]

Propecia, Helping make hair loss history.

[Kinski43]

jan played alternate and sweep picking techniques longs before all those freacks born. he is g o o d

[Kinski43]

Jan Akkerman kicks slash ass and he is the worlds best guitar player all time ever!

[ednaboff]

wow I love a long time



[alesullivan7x]

Thijs van Leer > Daron Malakian's father.

[FolkMetalac]

3:12 Thijs van Leer's face = Like a boss!

[xXTiberiusXx]

Acid

[theGrandMastaT]

Van Leer is

[theGrandMastaT]

He's one goofy fucker ...

[ssn0651]

So , what is this guys octave range ? Anybody ?

[rob99rst]

thats pretty good live. seriously