SCARCE 1971 UK ORIG 1ST FOCUS LP HARD PROG ACID PSYCH (different from others)
$
52
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Description
ORIGINAL 1971 FIRST PRESS ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..
~ FOCUS ~
((Focus One))
..|/\|...............................................|/\|.. UK- POLYDOR RECORDS - 2304223
Scarce UK 1971 original release featuring a (suprerior "acid" gatefold art) different version from the Dutch singlefold group cover (the U.S. copy has an even different cover than the Dutch or English release.)
Emerging from a wealth of Dutch bands Focus burst onto the scene in the late sixties and unleashed their debut album in 1970, firstly only in Holland but soon Focus started to make waves and the news spread and a second edition of the debut was released which was minus two of the albums important tracks ("House Of The King" and "Sugar Island"), and then finally the whole world, if they wanted, could hear the entire album just as it was meant to be. The album is tight and cohesive as initially the sound is very influenced by the sixties British scene with psychedelic overtures and most certainly in the vocals. "Focus (vocal)" is a gentle swaying opener with a neat organ beat from Hans Cleuver, also Focus' percussionist, as the band then pursue an adventure through a mix of eclectic instrumentation and styles, most notably Thijs Van Leer's sonic and ultra melodic flute playing. Especially on the semi prog/psycyh and rapid flurry of the instrumental "House Of The King". Jan Akkerman's guitar playing is as exciting and refreshing as anything his band mate could come up with. At this early stage of Focus development the band were in the moment of taming their sound which they would define by Focus III, but here they were still working under the structure of the short tune. A few tracks do contain vocals, which somehow sound almost semi coherent almost stoned like yet under developed. "Black Beauty" is about one of the most accessible tracks in the Focus canon, along with "Sugar Island", a song with references to Castro's Cuba. Initially this track was lifted from the debut due to American disharmony with the communist country. Stupidly in my opinion. "Why Dream?" is an interesting piece of, again with a psyche element. It seriously rams home the mantra over and over in a hypnotic manner and is one of the better songs which has vocals but "Happy Nightmare (Mescaline)" is not. A tale of bad trips, Mescaline being LSD like with warning which is what you might have expected. Nevertheless Focus' debut effort is a fine album with a touch of hard rock, a hint of jazz, a splash of baroque all tied up in a very Focus like progressive manner.
Well worth investigating. A:
Focus (Vocal) 2:44
Black Beauty 3:05
Sugar Island 3:03
Anonymous 7:00
House Of The King 2:20
B: Happy Nightmare (Mescaline) 3:56
Why Dream 3:57
Focus (Instrumental) 9:45
.....
CONDITION: The cover: rated: M- Nice gatefold with acid designed gatefold. As the photo shows, no issues other than careful handling the past 48 years. There are no delete marks, no split seams, no bends, and no writing ...
The vinyl: Rated: VG++ looks clean at once, and there are some little fine scuffs (inner sleeve?) cleaned through ultra sonic to bring out the rich flavors without alarming audio which was enjoyable, re-experiencing the above music description as posted above. Then both Polydor labels are clean as well.
A cool addition to anyone's music library!
SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people... EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING All imperfections are noted both cover & record NOTE: All Items backed by money back guarantee! IF you have a problem PLEASE let us solve for you BEFORE leaving ANY negative feedback. Thanks! GRADING SCALE: M, M-, EX, VG++,VG+, VG, VG- M Completely clean, no marks M- Carefully used, looks clean, plays clean, shiny gloss, no marks EX Faint scuff or superficial mark, near M-, high gloss, plays clean VG++ Glossy with minimal scuffing or light mark playing very nice, clean VG+ a bit more scuff or markls still plays well with very minimal surface at worse VG more marks/scratches only minor, nothing deep, no loud clicks or pops this grade is abused by many, VG here does not mean "trashed" VG- surface noise present, will not have skips or jumps ALL PAYMENTS SHOULD BE MADE WITHIN 5 DAYS Of AUCTIONS END BIDDERS PLEASE = Do Not Bid If You Are Not Serious About Following Through The Transaction! ALL ITEMS GUARANTEED FOR WINNING BID - LESS SHIPPING!
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