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***** Out of this world
**** Pretty damn fine
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Latest Album Reviews
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Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: THE DARKER MY HORIZON – Dirty Rockers, Dudley, Saturday 24 October 2020
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Gig review: MARK MORRISS- Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 3 October 2020
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Gig review: GARY FLETCHER AND NICK RITCHIE – Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 2 October 2020
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Gig review: COLLATERAL – Leo’s, The Red Lion, Gravesend, Friday 4 September 2020
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Gig review: THE DARKER MY HORIZON – The Victoria, Swindon, Thursday 27 August 2020
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Featured Album Reviews
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News
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Features
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Feature: Albums that time forgot … NATIVE CAIN – The Primitive Soul
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Feature: Albums that time forgot…EUROPE – Secret Society
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Feature: Albums that time forgot…JAMES LABRIE – Elements Of Persuasion
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Feature: Albums that time forgot…DON DOKKEN – Up From The Ashes
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Feature: Albums that time forgot … CODE OF SILENCE – Dark Skies Over Babylon
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Feature: Albums that time forgot … BLACKTHORNE – Afterlife
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Tag Archives: Focus
Feature: Call Collect: An introduction to FOCUS

David Randall developed the groundbreaking website Akkernet in 1996 during the Internet’s infancy and went on to manage several UK tours for Jan Akkerman before writing the original biography published in 2003. Here he recalls Focus and the key recordings. … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, Call Collect, FEATURES
Tagged Bert Ruiter, Dutch, feature, Focus, Holland, introduction, Jan Akkerman, Pierre van der Linden, prog, Progressive Rock, Thijs van Leer
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Gig review: FOCUS/Chantel McGregor – Under the Bridge, London, 25 October 2019

This show in one of London’s more enjoyably upscale venues was an opportunity for me to kill two birds with one stone, as well as bringing together two contrasting acts in an interesting pairing. Chantel McGregor has been a rising … Continue reading
Album review: JAN AKKERMAN – Close Beauty

Music Theories Recordings/Mascot [Release date 25.10.19] Let’s be honest. Jan Akkerman hasn’t exactly been active in terms of album releases in the millennium. I also have to declare an interest having managed several UK tours for the guitarist in the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts
Tagged album, Close Beauty, Focus, fusion, guitar, guitarist, Jan Akkerman, jazz fusion, Jazz rock, review
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News: MARGATE RHYTHM & ROCK, 6-8 September 2019 with headliners LINDISFARNE, WILKO JOHNSON & STEVE HARLEY

This preview was first broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio on Sunday 25 August featuring two of the bands appearing at the three-day Margate event: Curved Air and Man. (12:16) Margate Rhythm & Rock 2019 takes place 6th – … Continue reading
Album review: MIKE VERNON & THE MIGHTY COMBO – Beyond The Blue Horizon

Manhaton Records [Release date 07.09.18] Producer, songwriter and vocalist Mike Vernon’s award winning career has encompassed the birth of British blues including Clapton, Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac etc. He also worked with the younger David Bowie, Focus and soul singer … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts
Tagged album, Andrew Roachford, Beyond The Blue Horizon, Big Town Playboys, blues, Brook Benton, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Focus, Frogman Henry, Ian Jennings, Kid Carlos, Laurence Jones, Matt Little, Mike Hellier, Mike Vernon, Mike Vernon & The Mighty Combo, Mose Allison, Oli Brown, Paul Tasker, Peter Green, R&B, review, Rocky Sharpe & the Replays, Sari Schorr, The Olympic Runners
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Gig review: HRH PROG VI – Pwllheli, North Wales, 17-18 November 2017

David Randall writes… Friday Edgar Broughton opened the proceedings on Stage 1 without his band but with tales of daring-do over a career spanning nearly 50 years and since his signing to the Harvest label in 1968. Apparently he presided … Continue reading
Gig review: RAMBLIN’ MAN FAIR – Day 3 – Mote Park, Maidstone, 30 July 2017

After the deluge on Saturday the forecast for the Sunday was looking a lot brighter and judging by the size of the crowd in the arena the sun had enticed a few extra bodies along for another top day of … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events
Tagged 30 July 2017, blues, Devin Townsend Project, Focus, gig, Kent, Magnum, Maidstone, Mote Park, progressive, Ramblin' Man Fair, review, rock, Snakecharmer, Stone Broken, The Quireboys, UFO, Wishbone Ash, ZZ Top
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Gig review: ERIC GALES BAND & Gary Hoey Band – Nells Jazz & Blues, London, 2 June 2017

This may well be the first time two American label mates who have known each other down the decades make their UK debut’s on the same night. And while the evening brings a sharp contrast in styles, the two guitarists … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017
Tagged AJ Pappas, blues, Bootsy Collins, Bryan Adams, classic rock, Cody Wright, Cream, Eric Gales, Focus, Freddie King, funk, Gary Hoey, gig, guitar, Jaco Pastorious, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, LaDonna Gales, Led Zeppelin, Matt Scurfield, R&B, review, Robin Trower, The James Gang
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Album review: COLIN HARPER – Titanium Flag (Remastered & Expanded Edition)

Market Square Records [Release date 24.04.17] The sad thing about this album is that most punters will be drawn in primarily by Track 3 which features legendary Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman. In fairness, back in 2010 when this was released … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts
Tagged acoustic, album, ambient, Andy Roberts, Colin Harper, Cormac O'Kane, Focus, folk, instrumental, Jan Akkerman, jazz, Liverpool Scene, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Phil Shiva Jones, Premik Russell Tubbs, Quintessence, review, Titanium Flag
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Gig review: HRH PROG – Pwllheli, Wales, 17-19 March 2016

I remember the first time I attended the HRH Prog festival which was held at the ice cold Magna Centre in Rotherham; boy was it cold, even the artists had coats on whilst they performed! But it looks like we … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events
Tagged 17-19 March 2016, Arthur Brown, Caravan, festival, Focus, gig, HRH Prog, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, prog, progressive, Purson, Pwllheli, review, rock, sci-fi weekend, The Enid, Wales
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Album review: JAN AKKERMAN – Jan Akkerman (1977 reissue)

Esoteric Recordings [Release date 29.01.16] “Jan Akkerman”, the 1977 album with the distinctive “guitar in bed” cover, was Akkerman’s answer to Jeff Beck’s ‘Blow By Blow’ two years earlier. This was the Dutch guitarist’s first solo album since splitting from … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts, Reissues
Tagged Dutch, Focus, guitar, guitarist, Holland, Jan Akkerman, jazz fusion, Jazz rock, rock
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Album review: FUSONIC – Fields Of No Man’s Land

DMI Records [Release Date 22.06.15] Fusonic is a Dutch symphonic prog rock band whose second album draws on the prog rock giants of the past and reaches for a new musical vocabulary for the present. The fact they don’t quite … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts
Tagged album, Camel, ECM, Eno, Fields of No Man's Land, Focus, Frank Zappa, Fusonic, Harry Ickelsheimer, Paul van der Feen, Pink Floyd, review, Ronald Hoogwourt, Teo
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Album review: THE MENTULLS – Reflections

ProgBlues Music [Release date 10.07.15] The curious thing about prog rock is that what once was a ground breaking musical genre now clearly defines a particular retro period of rock history – arguably the late 60’s to the early 70’s. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts
Tagged album, Andrew Pipe, Andy Powell, AYNSLEY LISTER, blues, Eric Clapton, Focus, guitar, Jamie Pipe, Johnny Guitar Watson, Martin Turner, Nick Colman, Peter Green, prog, Reflection, review, Robin Trower, rock, The Mnetulls, Walter Trout, Wayne Proctor, Wishbone Ash
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Album review: THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – Plays Prog Rock Classics

Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra [Release date 20.04.15] Classical rock is an often maligned genre, when done well it can bring new dimension to time-worn classics, done badly and it can fail to enhance the originals. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra have always done … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts
Tagged Adrian Smith, ELP, Focus, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Guthrie Govan, Ian Bairnson, Jethro Tull, Jimmy Greenspoon, King Crimson, Mark Feltham, Moody Blues, Patrick Moraz, Pink Floyd, Plays Prog Rock Classics, Richard Harvey, Rush, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Thijs van Leer, Yes
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Album review: SWUNG – Vol.1 & 2 (feat. members of FOCUS)

In And Out Of Focus Records [Release date 03.11.14] ‘Swung’ was evidently conceived and recorded during downtime from the “day job” – for Bobby Jacobs and Pierre van der Linden this means the current incarnation of Focus. Although that band … Continue reading
Album review: FOCUS – Golden Oldies

In And Out Of Focus Records [Release date 14.04.14] They say rock is dead, the endless process of reinvention now limited, and the pioneers now ageing. There is no doubt that a great chasm will open within the next 10 … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts
Tagged album, compilation, Focus, Golden Oldies, Pierre van der Linden, prog, progressive, re-recording, review, rock, Thijs van Leer
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Gig review: HARD ROCK HELL PROG – Pwllheli, 21-22 March 2014

Thursday 20 March Amongst the highlights on the first night Synaesthesia only had a few gigs under their belts but gave us a great keyboard driven modern prog rock set. With most of their music being written by 20 year … Continue reading
Posted in All Posts, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events
Tagged Fish, Flower Kings, Focus, gig, Hard Rock Hell Prog, Hawklords, March 2014, progressive, review, rock, The Enid
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