One of the defining trademarks of prog rock is musical virtuosity and with that being said you'd be hard pressed to find a band more technically accomplished than these guys.
But Focus don't fit the stereotype of elitist muso bores, they have always had a great sense humor.
Though the big gag song here, Hocus Pocus which is their biggest hit, isn't really definitive of the overall sound of this album or the band's sound in general. Just because they are dutch men who like to use flutes and yodeling they are by no means a novelty band.
Focus were always a music first band, they rarely bother with lyrics and mostly stick to instrumental material, when their songs do have vocals they tend to be used like just another instrument, and that being said the stuff Thijs van Leer could do with his voice was incredible, my favorite Focus song is Round Goes the Gossip off of Focus III and the range of his voice there is almost impossible to believe at first.
Anyway. Moving Waves is an excellent album, though you will be disappointed if you expect to find anything else like Hocus Pocus, it's a very mellow, pastoral record.
Hocus Pocus is the big hit and if you haven't heard it you simply haven't lived. It's famous for Akkerman's kickass hard rock riff and Van Leer's yodeling, and goes off into many unexpected places, with solo passages consisting of flutes, whistling and Van Leer doing sh*t so weird with his voice that there's no way to describe it. It's one of the band's only "hard rock" songs but it's hard rock with the Focus twist.
Le Clochard is a nice acoustic guitar solo from Akkerman. Janis is dominated by gorgeous flute work. The title track is a lovely little ballad with a very "breezy" feel to it. Focus II is a jazzy instrumental in a similar style to Sylvia, which would be the band's other big hit and features some lovely flourishes from every member of the band especially Akkerman.
However the best track and one of the band's finest achievements is the 23 minute Eruption which in the grand tradition of prog epics goes through a wide range of styles and moods and features some of the best musicianship you'll ever hear anywhere.
Jan Akkerman is one of the guitar gods of prog and up there with Fripp, Howe, Latimer, Hackett and many Focus fans would argue that he surpasses even those, at least in technical abillity I'd have to agree, he is one of the most technically gifted guitarists I have heard to date. But he isn't inaccessible, and he is adept at several styles and a master of arpeggio.
Van Leer's keyboard prowess almost rivals Wakeman, Emerson and Lord, he might not have the same legendary status as those, but he's really damn good. Great flautist too.
As for the rhythm section, Pierre van der Linden is a mad drummer (who can match Carl Palmer in intensity) and yes Eruption has a drum solo but it's not a boring one. Cyril Havermans's bass work never takes a lead role and he lacks the virtuosity of his bandmates but he provides solid backing nontheless, however he was sacked only a month after this album's release and Bert Ruiter proved to be a much more skilled bassist and a better fit for the group.
Overall this album is highly recommended and makes a solid introduction to Focus, though Focus III and Hamburger Concerto are even better.
Last edited by boo boo; 07-11-2010 at 12:40 PM.
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