Focus – Hocus Pocus (live ’73) [YouTube]
I’m posting this for no other good reason except the fact that Fake Steve Jobs posted it the other day and gave a hilarious intro for the video…
Our music lab guys are getting baked and listening to classic rock again, and just now they sent up this clip of Dutch progressive rock group Focus performing their hit song, “Hocus Pocus,” in 1973. I’d forgotten how amazing this band was. Jan Akkerman? The king of rock guitar. I’d also forgotten about the glory days of rock when yodeling and flute playing could stand shoulder to shoulder with heavy-duty balls-out guitar-based rock. Not to mention wild facial expressions.
Those crazy Dutch! I’ve got to believe that Hans has a lot of love for these guys, but then again, I really only know this song and don’t plan on really digging any deeper than that. Here’s what my buddy said about it when forwarding it over: “honestly, except for the wacky yodeling and probably the flute interlude, it still stands up today. which is all that really counts.” I couldn’t agree more.
I remember the first time I heard this song when I was in high school. I have a very vivid memory of how awesome I thought this song was, then the yodeling kicked in, but then it kicked right back into the rock section. I couldn’t believe this song was real. I swore it was a joke. But it just kept on going and building and driving. Drum-fill > Yodel? It literally changed the way I thought about music itself.