Focus 3 - FOCUS***

Round Goes The Gossip/Love Remembered/Sylvia/Carnival Fugue/Focus III/Answers Questions Questions Answers/Anonymus II (Part 1)/Anonymus II (Conclusion)/Elspeth Of Nottingham/House Of The King

Focus 3 was a rambling and over long double album which tarnished the reputation of this hitherto highly regarded Dutch progressive rock band. However, it includes the excellent UK No. 4 hit single Sylvia. (US:35 UK:6)

“Although there are lengthy solos in this piece, they are incorporated into the arrangement and do not seem gratuitous. Jan Akkerman is an incredible guitarist and creates an infinite number of moods and textures with both the acoustic guitar and clean, undistorted tones on electric, while the Hammond organ and flute work of Thijs van Leer is something to behold. These two musicians perform on the medieval flavoured piece Elspeth Of Nottingham, which features just the lute and flute.”

“This double LP album by Focus is mostly very good progressive hard rock with many mellow parts. It s mostly instrumental. The keyboards are vintage: ambient and rhythmic organ overload, melodic piano and a few harpsichord parts. The organ is sometimes quite dirty and distorted. The usual excellent flutes Thijs Van Leer uses to play are omnipresent: some are delicate and tender land others sound more nervous and dynamic. The refined drums do a very good job. Jan Akkerman plays tons of melodic electric guitar solos.”

“When it's good, it's amazing, wistful, playful and quite intoxicatingly agreeable. However the longer tracks are quite frustratingly rambling and leave you waiting for their short bursts of brilliance.”

“A double LP that provides a taste of Focus’ best and worst tendencies. The first side shows the band in the best light, with the melodic guitar instrumental hit single Sylvia and the piano/piccolo-based Carnival Fugue being highlights. Side two opens promisingly with the pensive Focus III which segues into Answers Questions Questions Answers their response to jazz fusion, emphasizing solos over composition to a degree never dreamt of before. Even this doesn’t prepare you for Anonymus II split between two sides of vinyl. This seemingly endless track, while it boasts a very Focus-like theme, devolves into tedious bass and drum solos.”

“Not as engaging as their first two albums, although it does include the wonderful Round Goes The Gossip and minor hit Sylvia. This could have been an excellent single record if some of the tracks were shortened.”