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Thread: Top Three Focus Albums

  1. #1
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Top Three Focus Albums

    I'm really not very familiar with Focus, and they'll be on CTTE 2017. I need to bone up, so what are your top three Focus studio albums? I'm not expecting huge variation, but want to triangulate, so to speak.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_discography

  2. #2
    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    Hamburger Concerto
    Moving Waves
    Focus III
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Progatron View Post
    Hamburger Concerto
    Moving Waves
    Focus III
    Bingo!

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    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Thirded.
    Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
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  5. #5
    Yep. Well, that's that for this thread.
    "And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."

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    Moderator Poisoned Youth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Dark Elf View Post
    Yep. Well, that's that for this thread.
    LOL

    Yeah, we'll get all the "Love Beach" answers eventually, but those 3 will pretty much always make someone's top 5. The first album also has some nice tracks, and some will include "Live at the Rainbow". All the albums after the 'Burgh are average at best.
    WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.

  7. #7
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Well, I guess that SORT of gives me an idea...

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    Member zravkapt's Avatar
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    1. Cynic - Focus
    2. Laidback Luke - Focus
    3. Chico Freeman - Focus
    The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off

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    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Well, I guess that SORT of gives me an idea...
    ...but in this order:

    Moving Waves


    III








    Hamburger Concerto


    Quote Originally Posted by zravkapt View Post
    Chico Freeman - Focus
    Good album, but if only one, make it The Outside Within

    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by mogrooves View Post
    ...but in this order:
    Moving Waves
    III
    Hamburger Concerto
    You posted this before I could. Moving Waves is definitely #1. I'd say a toss up for #2 between Hamburger and III.

  11. #11
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Are there remastered or expanded editions of these three? Not sure I've ever seen any.

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    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zravkapt View Post
    1. Cynic - Focus
    2. Laidback Luke - Focus
    3. Chico Freeman - Focus

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    Moving Waves
    Focus 3
    Ship Of Memories

  14. #14
    Moving Waves
    Motherfocus
    Hamburger Concerto

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    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave (in MA) View Post
    Is that a pound it or a punch in the face? Lol.

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    Moderator Poisoned Youth's Avatar
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    Certainly worth a mention as being "Focus family":

    WANTED: Sig-worthy quote.

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Hamburger con-shirt-toe

    3

    Live at the Rainbow






    Moving Wave (I've got soporific issues with it)
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  18. #18
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Ok, I see people are mentioning some live albums. So:

    What one LIVE Focus album is your favorite?

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    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    Hamburger con-shirt-toe
    Live at the Rainbow
    Moving Wave
    That would be my list of 3 too. - I like the live versions better than the studio ditto.

  20. #20
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zeuhlmate View Post
    That would be my list of 3 too. - I like the live versions better than the studio ditto.

    You made three disappear when you quoted me... theoretically, MW is not in my top 3
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  21. #21
    Jazzbo manqué Mister Triscuits's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    What one LIVE Focus album is your favorite?
    I'm rather a fan of the Live at the BBC set for the excellent guitar work by Philip Catherine, though it's not proper Focus. (No Jan = no Focus.)
    Hurtleturtled Out of Heaven - an electronic music composition, on CD and vinyl
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    http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...MCD-spc-7.aspx

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Mister Triscuits View Post
    I'm rather a fan of the Live at the BBC set for the excellent guitar work by Philip Catherine, though it's not proper Focus. (No Jan = no Focus.)
    I'd say it's more a proper Focus album than Mother Focus (which I enjoy, but it's a really odd album). BBC is a pretty essential "missing" album since most of the songs are unreleased elsewhere. Also shows the jazzier direction they were headed in before they took the Proby sidetrack.

  23. #23
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    You made three disappear when you quoted me... theoretically, MW is not in my top 3
    Thats called journalism
    Sorry - I was trying to multitask at job when I did that.

  24. #24
    Member rapidfirerob's Avatar
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    I agree with Moving Waves, III, Hamburger Concerto being their best. The first album and Mother Focus are worth owning as well.
    I think the later albums are quite excellent as well.
    8, 9/New Skin, X are all very good. Fits right into older Focus sound and compositions IMO. Original drummer Pierre Van Der Linden in the band currently. Some fine guitarists on these albums.
    There's a new album called 8.5/Beyond The Horizon that has unreleased songs from 05 with some Brazilian Musicians after 8 was released. I will pick this up soon. Yes, I love this band! I saw them in 73 at Philharmonic Hall in NYC. There is a recording of this out there.


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    Remember hearing Mother Focus in a record shop/fair or something and finding it very 'light'- some tracks are on the Hocus Pocus best of and there are some iffy keyboard sounds. For me, the best three:

    Moving Waves (the best place to start, IMHO...'Tommy' in the Eruption suite has some of my all-time favourite guitar playing)
    Hamburger Concerto (perhaps their most focussed album overall, but it doesn't have a 'Hocus Pocus'/'Sylvia' so is less well-known)
    Focus III (although I find it bogged down by boring jamming, this would have been better if it had been a single album)

    I only know the bits of In And Out Of Focus that are on the Hocus Pocus best of...that is a good introduction, actually.
    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Are there remastered or expanded editions of these three? Not sure I've ever seen any.
    Most of the CDs I have are on the Red Bullet label, these did have bonus tracks but not very noteworthy ones (single edits and the like).

    I wonder where Rufus is, given he was holding up Focus as a model Genesis should have been aspiring to on another thread. I had the impression he was a big fan! Obviously not!

    Oddly enough, Moving Waves was on the Blue Horizon label in the UK...this was basically a blues label!
    Last edited by JJ88; 10-29-2016 at 12:34 PM.

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