Focus 1969 to 1985

Every Album Every Song

Part of On Track
Published by Sonicbond Publishing
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About the Book

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 yodeling. 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.

About the Author

Stephen Lambe is a publisher, author and journalist. He has written extensively about Yes, including 90125 Rock Classics and Yes in the 1980s for Sonicbond. He also writes about the band for Prog Magazine and Record Collector, and has interviewed Steve Howe, Rick Wakeman, Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Billy Sherwood, Jon Davison, Oliver Wakeman, Tony Kaye, Geoff Downes and Trevor Horn. He lives in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, UK.

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Product Details

  • Publisher: Sonicbond Publishing (June 30, 2026)
  • Length: 96 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781789524635

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