Focus [Focus 3]I first heard this album as a vinyl gatefold double album, must have been roughly late Seventies, eventually i sold all my vinyl [1985], and slowly replaced the best stuff with CD's, and this is one i didn't initially replace until 1996, i saw it new in London for a really good price, the double vinyl album has turned into a single disc, now i debated if i should get it, so many Record Company's churn out their back catalogue without any regard to sound quality and remastering, you get discs poorly indexed and full of 'analogue hiss' [think of the Led Zeppelin albums brought out on disc for the very first time], so i wasn't expecting sonic fireworks when i first loaded it into my player, but i was gobsmacked with a sound which was absolutely beyond expectations, even better than the original, the drums especially were terrific, it was good to revisit this album today.
Focus were a Dutch Band, originally formed in 1969, this album [their third, of course!] was released in 1972, with their best line-up, the group broke up in 1978, but have reformed again, though not with all the original members, the front cover shows Thijs Van Leer on flute, and the original gatefold LP had some inner band photos, this release is a wonderful remaster by Mike Vernon, expertly done and lovingly put together, a great big thank you from me.
Almost the only track i ever liked was the huge 26 minute 'Anonymous Two', which on the original discs, was split halfway on disc two i believe, just as the big drum solo comes in, it fades out of side three, and fades in on side four, but... on the disc, there's no fade in or out, and it's a perfect join, it's a wonderful moment, the only other track which i felt had something was 'Answers? Questions!, Questions? Answers!',
Here's Focus playing Anonymous Two on YouTube.
