Focus

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About Focus


Best remembered for their bizarre chart smash "Hocus Pocus," Dutch progressive rock band Focus was formed in Amsterdam in 1969 by vocalist/keyboardist/flutist Thijs van Leer, bassist Martin Dresden, and drummer Hans Cleuver. With the subsequent addition of guitarist Jan Akkerman, the group issued its debut LP, In and Out of Focus, in 1970, earning a European cult following thanks to the single "House of the King." Dresden and Cleuver were replaced by bassist Cyril Havermanns and drummer Pierre Van der Linden for the English-language follow-up, Moving Waves; the record generated the hit "Hocus Pocus," a hallucinatory epic distinguished by Akkerman's guitar pyrotechnics and van Leer's demented yodeling. Easily one of the flat-out strangest songs ever to crack the American pop charts, the single peaked at number nine in the spring of 1973, by which time Focus had already exchanged Havermanns for bassist Bert Ruiter and issued their third album, Focus III, which yielded the minor hit "Sylvia." In the wake of 1974's Hamburger Concert, the band streamlined the classical aspirations of earlier efforts to pursue a more pop-oriented approach on records like Ship of Memories and Mother Focus; though roster changes regularly plagued Focus throughout the period, none was more pivotal than the 1976 exit of Akkerman, who was replaced by guitarist Philip Catherine for 1978's Focus con Proby, cut with British pop singer P.J. Proby. Focus then disbanded, with the original lineup reuniting in 1990 for a Dutch television special. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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Photos

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  • Focus

News

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  • Focus
    11 Photos Of The Absolute Best Things People Wore At Hangout Fest
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    May 18, 2013
    This is Malcom, he's from Florida, he's 22, he's wearing head-to-toe Spandex, and he confirmed that his Hangout Fest outfit is absolutely "hot as f***...
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  • Focus
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    May 17, 2013
    We know the current generation of NBA players is serious about style, from the rampant post-game podium fashion this Playoffs season to the fau...
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  • Focus
    Interview: 'Exalted' RPG Returns Via Kickstarter
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    May 17, 2013
    By Kevin Ohannessian The cult RPG " Exalted " has been brought back to life for a Third edition by Onyx Path Publishing, through a Kickstarter proj...
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  • Focus
    'American Idol' Needs To Start From Scratch, Experts Say
    MTV News
    May 17, 2013
    'The show needs to reboot in a drastic way,' The Hollywood Reporter's Shirley Halperin tells MTV News.
    Read More
  • Focus
    'American Idol' Needs To Start From Scratch, Experts Say
    MTV News
    May 17, 2013
    'The show needs to reboot in a drastic way,' The Hollywood Reporter's Shirley Halperin tells MTV News.
    Read More
  • Focus
    Interview: In Batman's 'Zero Year' Scott Snyder And Greg Capullo Say To Expect The Unexpected
    MTV Geek
    May 17, 2013
    By Matt D. Wilson "...anything you think you know, you don't know. You know what you should expect? The unexpected. Then you'll be on target." - Gr...
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  • Focus
    Love And Hip Hop Atlanta Sneak Peek: Is Erica Single Again?
    VH1 Blog
    May 17, 2013
    For a man with a history of cheating a buzzing phone at 1:00 a.m. is usually not a good sign. Erica snooped through Scrappy 's phone and found exac...
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  • Focus
    Kanye West Sports 'Band-Aid,' Jokes With Ben Affleck In 'SNL' Promo
    MTV News
    May 17, 2013
    Though he's said he won't be in any skits, West proved he has a sense of humor in ads with Fred Armisen and Affleck.
    Read More
  • Focus
    Disney Didn't Define Gender For Me
    MTV Geek
    May 16, 2013
    Disney movies are as normal to the American childhood experience as potty training and learning to ride a bike. The stories transform our imagination...
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  • Focus
    Demi Lovato's Five-Year Plan: 'I Hope I'm a Mom'
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    May 16, 2013
    'My biggest goal in life is having a family,' Lovato revealed during 'Live From MTV.'
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  • Focus
    Swedish House Mafia Focus On Future Releases, Expanding Tour
    MTV News
    charting new territories and pushing the boundaries, all the while making us smile. "You've seen how we work through the years," Angello said. "It's j...
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Tour Dates

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  • May 25 Saturday
    Uden, Netherlands De Pul
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  • Jun 8 Saturday
    Roermond, Netherlands Eci Cultuurfabriek
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  • Sep 20 Friday
    Uden, Netherlands De Pul
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  • Oct 13 Sunday
    Hertford, UK Hertford Corn Exchange
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  • Oct 17 Thursday
    Southampton, UK The Brook
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  • Oct 20 Sunday
    Bilston, UK Robin 2
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  • Oct 26 Saturday
    Carlisle, UK The Brickyard
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Discography

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  • X (2012)
    Focus
    X (2012)
    4Worlds Media
  • Focus 9: New Skin (2006)
    Focus
    Focus 9: New Skin (2006)
    Red Bullet
  • Live Legends (2004)
    Focus
    Live Legends (2004)
    Classic Rock Legends Ltd.
  • Live at the BBC (2004)
    Focus
    Live at the BBC (2004)
    Hux Records
  • Live in America (2003)
    Focus
    Live in America (2003)
    Classic Rock Legends Ltd.
  • Focus 8 (2002)
    Focus
    Focus 8 (2002)
    Red Bullet
  • Pass Me Not (1995)
    Focus
    Pass Me Not (1995)
    Pure Records
  • Focus (1985)
    Focus
    Focus (1985)
  • House of the King (1983)
    Focus
    House of the King (1983)
    EMI Music Distribution
  • Electric Bird (1979)
    Focus
    Electric Bird (1979)
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