Focus - 50 Years Anthology 1970-1976 [box set 9 CD + 2 DVD] - release 13th November 2020

Focus – 50 Years: Anthology 1970-1976

Dutch progrock band Focus has been a household name worldwide for 50 years with hits such as “Hocus Pocus”, “House Of The King”, “Sylvia”, “Tommy” and many others.

In honor of this monumental band, Red Bullet Productions will release a new boxset available from 13th November: Focus – 50 Years: Anthology 1970-1976, consisting of 9 CDs and 2 DVDs with remasters and never before released material, such as the ‘Focus At The Rainbow’ concert film from 1973.

This box set contains the complete work of Focus as released between 1970 and 1976, the years in which the band featured 4 of the most talented musicians originating from the Netherlands during the 70s: guitarist Jan Akkerman, keyboard player Thijs van Leer, bass player Bert Ruiter and drummer Pierre van der Linden.

In the period 1970-1976, Focus was the first continental European rock group to reach a worldwide audience meanwhile touring extensively in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Japan. The band scored two worldwide hitsingles, sold several million albums and was the first Dutch rock group claiming Melody Maker’s Brightest Hope award for 1972. One year later, Focus hit the US Billboard charts with two singles and two albums simultaneously.

‘50 Years: Anthology 1970-1976’ is curated by Focus/Jan Akkerman archivist Wouter Bessels and includes long anticipated new remasters of their first seven albums, plus single tracks, alternate mixes, demos, raw studio mixes and previously unreleased live recordings.

In addition, two DVDs contain 4+ hours audiovisual material from the archives of worldwide tv broadcasting companies, plus the first official and long anticipated release of the 1973 ‘Focus At The Rainbow’ concert movie, carefully remastered from the original 16 mm film.

Content:

- First seven albums (released between 1970 and 1976) 24-bit remastered from the original tapes

- B-sides, single mixes and previously unreleased bonus tracks

- CD featuring the first official release of BBC In Concert 1973; in stereo from the BBC archive tapes

- CD featuring 80 minutes of previously unreleased Focus concert recordings from 1971-1975

- 2 DVDs featuring the complete Focus At the Rainbow concert film from 1973 restored and remastered from the original 16 mm film, two BBC ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’ broadcasts from 1972 and BBC In Concert from 1974, plus rare footage from Focus live in Dublin 1973, various clips, the ‘Goud van Oud’ reunion from 1990 and the ‘Focus 2 Classic Albums’ documentary from 1997

- 80-page booklet with band history, liner notes and various memorabilia



TRACKLISTING

* Previously unreleased
** Previously unreleased on cd


CD1 - FOCUS PLAYS FOCUS / IN AND OUT OF FOCUS
Original release: 1970

1. Focus (instrumental) 9.46

2. Why Dream 3.56

3. Happy Nightmare (Mescaline) 3.56

4. Anonymus 7.01

5. Black Beauty 3.05

6. Sugar Island 3.02

7. Focus (vocal) 2.43

BONUS TRACKS

8. House Of The King 2.23

9. Eruption (Live Lanx 1970) 37.31 *


CD2 - FOCUS II / MOVING WAVES
Original release: 1971

1. Hocus Pocus 6.41

2. Le Clochard (Bread) 1.59

3. Janis 3.06

4. Moving Waves 2.41

5. Focus II 4.03

6. Eruption (Orfeus - Answer - Orfeus - Answer - Pupilla - Tommy - Pupilla - Answer - The Bridge - Euridice - Dayglow - Endless Road - Answer - Orfeus - Euridice) 23.07

BONUS TRACKS

7. Hocus Pocus (single version) 3.27 **

8. Tommy (single version) 3.25

9. Focus I (Live Texel 1971) 14.11 *


CD3 - FOCUS 3
Original release: 1972

1. Round Goes The Gossip… 5.16

2. Love Remembered 2.48

3. Sylvia 3.32

4. Carnival Fugue 6.07

5. Focus III 6.05

6. Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! 14.03

7. Anonymus II (Part 1) 19.33 **

8. Anonymus II (Conclusion) 7.34 **

9. Elspeth Of Nottingham 3.13

BONUS TRACKS

10. Sylvia (single version) 3.32 **

11. Love Remembered (single version) 2.49 **

12. Hocus Pocus (US single version) 3.25


CD4 - AT THE RAINBOW
Original release: 1973

1. Focus III 3.52

2. Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! 11.26

3. Focus II 4.24

4. Eruption (Orfeus - Answer - Orfeus - Answer - Pupilla - Tommy - Pupilla) 8.40

5. Hocus Pocus 8.27

6. Sylvia 2.47

7. Hocus Pocus - reprise 2.48

BONUS TRACKS

8. P’s March (original mix - single version) 3.27 *

9. Ship Of Memories (original mix) 4.40 *

10. P’s March (original mix - full version) 4.03 *


CD5 - HAMBURGER CONCERTO
Original release: 1974

1. Delitiæ Musicæ 1.13

2. Harem Scarem 5.50

3. La Cathédrale de Strasbourg 4.57

4. Birth 7.45

5. Hamburger Concerto (Starter - Rare - Medium I - Medium II - Well Done - One For The Road) 20.23

BONUS TRACKS

6. Early Birth 2.56

7. Harem Scarem (single version) 3.08 **

8. Birth (alternate mix) 7.43 **

9. Harem Scarem (alternate mix) 5.51 **


CD6 - MOTHER FOCUS
Original release: 1975

1. Mother Focus 3.05

2. I Need A Bathroom 3.04

3. Bennie Helder 3.33

4. Soft Vanilla 3.04

5. Hard Vanilla 2.35

6. Tropic Bird 2.45

7. Focus IV 3.57

8. Someone’s Crying… What! 3.19

9. All Together… Oh That! 3.41

10. No Hang Ups 2.56

11. My Sweetheart 3.38

12. Father Bach 1.33

BONUS TRACKS

13. Focus IV (rough mix) 4.02 *

14. Bennie Helder (rough mix) 3.45 *

15. Vanilla (rough mix) 5.42 *

16. Mother Focus (rough mix) 3.02 *

17. All Together… Oh That! (rough mix) 3.42 *

18. My Sweetheart (rough mix) 3.46 *

19. Someone’s Crying… What! (rough mix) 3.18 *

20. Studio 55 Jam 6.56 *


CD7 - SHIP OF MEMORIES
Original release: 1976

1. P’s March 4.48

2. Can’t Believe My Eyes 5.22

3. Focus V 3.02

4. Out Of Vesuvius 5.51

5. Glider 4.40

6. Red Sky At Night 5.52

7. Spoke The Lord Creator 2.33

8. Crackers 2.42

9. Ship Of Memories 1.47

BONUS TRACKS

10. Elektrisch Levenslicht (Neerlands Hoop in Bange Dagen) 3.09

11. The Shrine Of God (Ramses Shaffy with group Focus) 3.39

12. Watch The Ugly People (Ramses Shaffy with group Focus) 2.19

13. House Of The King (rough mix version 1) 2.27 *

14. House Of The King (rough mix version 2) 2.26 *

15. Focus III (unreleased single version) 4.37 *

16. Hocus Pocus (US single version - takes 14-17) 7.12 *

17. Glider (single version) 3.28 **

18. P’s March (single version) 4.07 **

19. O Avondrood 5.10 **

20. Crackers (vocal version) 2.31 **


CD8 - FOCUS BBC 1973

1. Focus III 3.54 *

2. Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! 12.09 *

3. Focus II 5.06 *

4. Anonymus II 23.30 *

5. Focus I 4.27 *

6. Hocus Pocus 7.38 *

7. Sylvia - Hocus Pocus (reprise) 5.52 *

Produced and recorded by BBC Radio 1 In Concert, Paris Theatre, London, 17th January 1973.


CD9 - LIVE 1971 – 1975

1. Eruption (Live Rotterdam 1971) 46.37 *

2. Birth 11.38 *

3. Improvisation #1 8.35 *

4. House Of The King 3.02 *

5. Improvisation #2 6.23 *

6. Hocus Pocus 3.20 *

Track 1: Recorded by AVRO radio at the Newport Jazz Festival, Grote Zaal, De Doelen, Rotterdam, 29th October 1971. Track 2: Recorded at the Festival Hall, Osaka, 2nd July 1974. Track 3-6: Recorded at Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, 21st June 1975.


DVD1 - FOCUS SIGHT & SOUND VOL. 1

1. BBC The Old Grey Whistle Test (May 1972) 24.26 *

2. BBC The Old Grey Whistle Test (December 1972) 16.01 *

3. Focus At The Rainbow (May 1973) 47.28 *

4. BBC In Concert (April 1974) 36.18 *


DVD2 - FOCUS SIGHT & SOUND VOL. 2

1. NOS Van Gewest Tot Gewest (July 1970) 1.54 *

2. NOS Uit De Kunst (June 1972) 3.51 *

3. RTE The Music Makers: Focus at the Stadium (November 1973) 48.00 *

4. VARA Nederpopzien (December 1973) 34.22 *

5. AVRO Toppop: Harem Scarem (May 1974) 3.01 *

6. AVRO Toppop: O Avondrood (June 1976) 4.51 *

7. Veronica Goud van Oud (April 1990) 16.44 *

8. NCRV Classic Albums: Moving Waves (June 1997) 50.02 *

 

The Rainbow concert from 5/5/73 finally gets a DVD release, about time.

 

Sensational!

 

Thanks Wouter, looks good! Some exciting new material and upgrades to what was available before among fans. It also confirms the date of the January 1973 BBC recording about which there's been confusion for years.

 

What about Shocking Blue, from the same country?

#1 in nine countries in 1969-70!

 

Really really excited about this set!
The live BBC disc from 1973 will be a great addition & companion to Live At The Rainbow.
The DVDs look really exciting too, especially as they are restored & remastered. This set is a must have for me.
Well done Wouter!

 

Do you have a link where to buy it?

 

This looks great , a definite buy for me .

 

This looks really, really good. A labour of love, clearly. On my Christmas list.

 

My birthday is 2 days after release date. I already know what my birthday present will be.

 

Great box set.

Judging by the photo it looks like it's all digisleeves, without disc protection ?

 

Great news Wouter! Where can it be pre-ordered?

 

Got only 2 questions, how much, and where?

 

Don't think it will be everywhere available in foreign countries...
We'll have to search at Amazon, I'm afraid...
I'll talk with my MusicPusher, perhaps he can arrange me this box...
Maybe the 2DVD's could have been Blu Ray's, but who cares?

Is it a "limitid edition" ?
is it a limited edition (numbered?) or will it be available as long as there is demand?
My Xmas gift, allways every year, has to do with music..
probably... THIS YEAR TOO!

 

Hopefully not as limited as the Earth and Fire box

 

Compared it with the Hocus Pocus box, a real fan probably wants both.

 

Hi,

This is only the annoucement of the box... pre-order links (including Amazon and other vendors such as bol.com and probably also JPC and Burning Shed) will follow soon !

PS. Yes, it is a limited edition.

Best wishes,
Wouter Bessels

 

Are you allowed to express to own preferences from the previously unreleased performances, ahead of release, Wouter? Any particular highlights in your opinion?

 

Must buy

 

@Wouter, have the albums been newly remastered? Can we expect greater dynamic range than previous Red Bullet releases?

 

There was a suggestion on another thread that hi-res releases of the new 24-bit remasters would be made available.
As someone who has left bulky boxes behind and only uses download purchases, 24-bit downloads would my preferred option.
Any news to report?

 

Hi,

Please read the official press release at the start of this thread... and find your answer on your first question. Therefore, your second question is obviously retorical. : )

Best wishes,
Wouter

 

Hi,

No news about that at this point.

Best wishes,
Wouter

 

Hi,

Thanks for your interest in the new Focus box set.
The Eruption Lanx 1970 is IMO one of the highlights, as well as the restored/remastered Rainbow movie and some other bits and pieces - especially on CD 7.

...but I don't want to post too many spoilers at this point, to be honest!

Best wishes,
Wouter

 

Nice. Very nice.