(1974 Album) Focus – At the Rainbow

Once again I fell for Holland’s finest prog rock export.
Focus at the Rainbow was, as the name suggests, a recording of a live performance by the band at the Rainbow Theatre in London’s Finsbury Park.
The sleeve was another of those die-cut affairs that were all the rage at the time, cardboard flaps opening left and right [...]

September 6th 1973

“Bort Photos of Ghosts – Premiata Forneria Marconi – SMART, spesh Celebration”
Two reasons why I was attracted to this album by relative unknowns Premiata Forneria Marconi … or to give them their easier name, PFM.
1• This Italian group were ‘discovered’ by Emerson, Lake & Palmer and signed to the trio’s own Manticore Records.
2• One Sunday afternoon whilst [...]

July 17th 1973

“Lent Focus 3 to Gra for him to tape for MP. 10p each. Also gave him C90 to record Be Good — MAN”
Surely Gra and I weren’t profiteering from our home taping were we?
*Cough*
Changing the subject rapidly, let’s just say that if I were to recommend one Man album to anyone “Be Good To Yourself [...]

An Aside – My “History of Music” Project: Part IX

My fascination for Dutch yodelling/guitar/hammond organ combos knows no bounds, stating that Focus were the first continental group to make a lasting impact. If only Holland was a ‘continent’ eh?
Having recently listed to a Mahavishnu Orchestra album again, I have NO CLUE as to why I would have referred to them as “magic”… unless it [...]

An Aside – My “History of Music” Project: Part I

This is the back cover. I hope everyone can read it OK?
Please note that in amongst the plethora of big name acts (Presely, The Beatles, Dylan, Zeppelin etc) I have included such other musical giants such as Man, Deke Leonard, and the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. What?
“Rock” was the main ‘fireball’ it would seem [...]

A 1973 Aside (I) – “Focus 3″ Album

Focus – Focus 3
As the title cleverly suggests, this was Dutch band Focus’ third album.
Where the best-selling predecessor “Moving Waves” was a mostly tight and somewhat aggressive album, “Focus 3″ is, by comparison, a much looser and free-form work.
Over the length of two vinyl albums, Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman and the rest of the [...]

May 9th 1973

“Caught F.Oak coach home illegally. Borrd Billion Dollar Babies off of Jackie S. Went up Gra’s in the evng. saw his new addition – Garrard SP25 III (G800).  Borrowd Gemini Suite & Book of Tailisyn, lent him Focus 3,”
Good lord, there’s so much going on – and to write about – in today’s diary entry…
Let’s [...]

March 4th 1973

“Went up Trevs and got bike wheel” / ” In afternoon took out drawers of bedside cabinet and primed them – gonna paint them red and gold (smart) – Gonna paint chair gold as well” / “In evng (no tibs) recorded In + Out of Focus + Old Songs new Songs – Family”
My word, what [...]

February 6th 1973

“Scored in basketball” / “Focus’ other single Hocus Pocus enters chart at 30, Sylvia goes up to 9″ / “Still don’t know whether or not to take out Angela – decisions” / “Found out that Gra was in same fix as I am about a girl – Bah!”
This is what you all want isn’t it?
A [...]

February 1st 1973

“Arguverge” / “Started to get stuff ready for the TIB w-end at the Vicarage” / “Bort new training shoes” / “Thought about buying In Search of Space or swap it for S&G Cass + H.T.T.B.” / “Focus on TOTP”
Another cornucopic diary entry. (Is there such a word as cornucopic? Computer says “no”)
Mum & Dad threatening [...]

January 30th 1973

“Pete wants to buy my S+G cassette for £1 – will sell” / “Wrote another silly play for Martin. One we dun in dinner hour very funny (guffaws of laughter)” / “Sylvia Focus enters singles chart”
I sometimes look at my entries and just blink in the sunlight.
Whilst I can understand the comment regarding selling my [...]

January 27th 1973

“Focus on in Concert! – REMEMBER!” – taped it” / “Taped M.waves for Rob” / “Put 8 bob into savings” / “Went up trevs and got sleeping bag for next week”
I wonder if the “Focus – In Concert” recording was on the radio or on the TV? Whichever, I know I would have been sat [...]

January 24th 1973

“Allen lent me a useless recording of the Goon Show + Parkinson” / “Listened to Moving Waves again – FUKIN  FANTASTIC” / “2nd (Day) Aniv of finding ‘istry book”
Poor old Allen. Does his best in lending me a recorded cassette of the show I spoke of a few weeks ago, and I pooh-pooh it.
Not, I [...]

January 23rd 1973

“Bort MOVING WAVES – FOCUS – ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT” / “Got opticians appointment” / “Today is the 1st (day) Anniversary of finding my history book”
Why did I write that stupid line about my history book? (Monty Python had WAY too much influence on my teenage brain I reckon!)
I suspect making an appointment with an optician scared [...]

January 20th 1973

“Leicester 1 City 1″ / “Bloody couldn’t get Moving Waves – no bloodyshops had it” / “Bort Record Rack” / “Dun lot of copying up and homework”
Hahahahahaha!
Could it be that this one day provided some kind of deep-rooted emotional basis for running my own store later in life? That need, maybe, to try and make sure customers [...]

January 19th 1973

“Lent Tarkus – E.L.P. to Johnny M and borrowed Machine Head and Deep Purple in Live Concert off Gra” / “T-1 day to get Moving Waves (If I have got enough money mite get Focus 3 instead)”
OK, I have officially confused my 50-year-old self here
Most of this is straightforward stuff, but I am having a [...]

January 17th 1973

“No maths results yet” / “Only free days to go until I buy Moving Waves – Focus” / “More copying up” / “Asked Rob if I could borrow two Deep Purple cassettes of his”
I was obviously ’sweating’ on my maths results….. *gulp!*
I love that I am anticipating my purchase of the Focus album. I often [...]

January 16th 1973

“2nd Maths Mock o’level – BLOODY hard” / “After two weeks of solid revision, had to do piles of copying up” / “Got Quid for Focus ticket” / “Got Tarkus tape back from Precision”
A diary entry that has made me both remember AND forget things in equal quantities.
Firstly, conveniently forgetting that my Maths mock was [...]

January 10th 1973

“1st Maths Mock O’level – multiple guess choice – VERY HARD!” / “Decided to buy Moving Waves by Focus by selling ticket” / “I think I have got the flu – have got very bad frote”
Ah, that was why I was doing all that swotting!
I think I have already said that I had been chosen as [...]

January 9th 1973

“Hard amount of revision on maths done (phew!)” / “History book saga is still continuing” / “Found out that Focus concert don’t end until 1 o’clock – gonna flog ticket”
Q: What the difference between a boy of 15 and a man of 50 regarding not wanting to stay out at a rock concert until 1a.m.
A: [...]