| Name | Artist | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Delitae Musicae | Focus | 1:13 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Harem Scarem | Focus | 5:52 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
La Cathédrale de Strasbourg | Focus | 5:00 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Birth | Focus | 7:46 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
Hamburger Concerto: Starter / Rare / Medium I / Medium II / Well Done / One for the Road | Focus | 20:20 | Album Only | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Early Birth | Focus | 2:53 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
| Total: 6 Songs |
Album Review
Focus had well proven their ability to write rocking instrumentals by the time of this release. Their catalog, although consisting of four albums, rarely had a dull moment between them. Hamburger Concerto is equally consistent, much of it being prime Focus material. The Akkerman-written "Birth" and "Early Birth" are examples of Focus fully flexing their muscles, featuring superb guitar work and amazing all-round musicianship, as well as sporting some superb riffs. The usual lengthy instrumentals are present also, as well as some manic vocals from the manic but genius Thijs Van Leer. Although Hamburger Concerto is not as unerring as Moving Waves or Focus III, anyone who enjoyed the previous releases would undoubtedly find great satisfaction from this album.
Customer Reviews
timeless
i've had this release since the heyday of focus, in different formats; album, cassette and 8-track, now finally the time has come to get it in another format, digital, to hear all the high-handed musicianship of focus that stands the test of time. this release is powerful, majestic, melodic, bestows a vast spectrum of sound upon the listener, is finely crafted and if it doesnt send chills down your spine at times, you don't have a pulse! to top it all off, i saw focus, at a local venue, perform the entire release when touring the states to promote this incredible opus! for any discerning music collector, this release must not be overlooked.
I was waiting for this
To hear this album again is to have a blast of a wonderful part of the 70's that was not "Disco". Focus and Jan Akkerman provided road music that was both sophisticated melodically and a test of automotive audio systems that made drive time a blast.
A Hamburger With All The Fixin
This CD demonstrates how wonderfully versatile these musicians were (or are). Overall it sounds like a gentle fusion between rock, jazz and classical.
The first cut..."Delitae Musicae" starts off the first 73 seconds of the disc with Akkerman on lute and Van Leer on recorder. It reminds me of a brief period piece from mideaval Europe.
The next track (my favorite) is "Harem Scarem". This is a fast paced, charging tune with plenty of piano downbeats and Van Leer's "yeah yeah yeah" vocal augmentation in the background. There are also the sounds of rythmic handclaps in the background which I gather are supposed to mimic the gesture of a middle eastern man summoning a member of his harem (don't know where the "Scarem" reference comes in...possible reference to an unattractive member of the "Harem"?)
The next tune is "La Catherdrale de Strasbourg"...a gentle, slower-paced tune craftfully performed with Van Leer singing in French towards the end.
"Birth" is basically a seven and a half minute jam that depicts the essence of the band...nice harpsichord intro.
The title track "Hamburger Concerto" is a 20 minute jam session that beautifully displays the bands musical range and versatility. Van Leer even briefly yodels in a short vocal passage which is obviously reminiscent of "Hocus Pocus". In a passage towards the end of the concerto, Van Leer can even be heard singing a verse in "a language other than english" (no surprise since they're from Europe).
In a review of this album that I recall from '74 (when this work first came out) the person conducting the review thought he was singing in Danish...could be since I've never heard that language spoken before.
The only interesting downside to this effort was the fact that the mellotron track was omitted on the digital version as a backdrop to Akkerman's guitar solo during "Haren Scarem" (yes, I also own the original LP). I wonder why it was taken out when this work was converted to digital? Possibly to better emphasize Akkerman as a guitar player with a unique conveyance of pathos.
Biography
Genre: Rock
Years Active: '90s, '00s
Top Albums and Songs By Focus
| Name | Album | Time | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Hocus Pocus | The Best of Focus: Hocus Pocus | 6:42 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
2 |
Hocus Pocus | Moving Waves | 6:42 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
3 |
Sylvia | The Best of Focus: Hocus Pocus | 3:33 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
4 |
Hocus Pocus (Single Version) | The Best of Focus: Hocus Pocus | 3:24 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
5 |
House of the King | The Best of Focus: Hocus Pocus | 2:52 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
6 |
Hocus Pocus | Live At the Rainbow | 8:30 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
7 |
Anonymus | The Best of Focus: Hocus Pocus | 6:36 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
8 |
Hocus Pocus (US single version) | Ship of Memories | 3:24 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
9 |
Hocus Pocus 2010 | Hocus Pocus 2010 - EP | 2:43 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
|
10 |
Sylvia | Focus 3 | 3:31 | $0.99 | View In iTunes |
- $9.99
- Genres: Rock, Music, Prog-Rock/Art Rock
- Released: 1974
- ℗ 2001 Red Bullet Productions
