Focus 1969 to 1985 On Track Short

For a few short years in the 1970s, the unique music of Focus entertained the world. Built around the prodigious instrumental talents of Dutch masters Jan Akkerman (guitar) and Thijs van Leer (keyboards and flute), the band produced three classic hit albums in quick succession between 1971 and 1974, at the same time scoring two worldwide hits with 'Sylvia' and 'Hocus Pocus'. The latter piece is as ubiquitous as tunes from the 70s get, distinctive for Akkerman's famous riff and van Leer's bizarre yodelling. Musical and personal tensions between the two led to a split in early 1976, but the band limped on without Akkerman until 1978. An unlikely revival in 1985 was a false dawn, and except for a few public appearances, the duo have not played together since.

   Stephen Lambe's book guides the reader through the band's early history, dealing with all seven Focus albums from the era song by song, plus the eponymous 1985 comeback. It is an important potted history of the band and an insight into the tensions which led to such a creative - if short-lived – peak. But the book also acts as an essential guide to the astonishing music the two men made together – and sometimes apart - while at the apex of their powers.

Stephen Lambe is an author, publisher, and journalist. He currently writes features and reviews for Prog magazine and is an acknowledged expert on progressive rock, especially the work of Yes and Focus. His books include Yes On Track (Sonicbond, 2018) and the best-selling Citizens Of Hope and Glory: The Story Of Progressive Rock (Amberley, 2011). He lives in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, UK.