Focus con Proby
1978 studio album by Focus
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
Focus con Proby is the sixth studio album by the Dutch rock band Focus, released in 1978 on EMI Records. It features five tracks with vocals from American singer P. J. Proby. The record also features guitarists Eef Albers and Philip Catherine, drummer Steve Smith (then with Jean-Luc Ponty and later to become part of Journey), as well as the two Focus members from previous albums. Smith and Albers would later go on to collaborate on the second album of Smith's band Vital Information.
01Reception
In a mixed review in the Richmond Review, reviewer Bob Beech preferred the instrumental tracks over the songs with vocals. He deemed Proby's voice more mellow than his previous records which he preferred, but felt it was out of place on a Focus album. Brian Brennan wrote in Calgary Herald that while Albers is "an accomplished musician" he does not live up to the standard of past Focus guitarist Jan Akkerman. He thought the album consisted of "fussy instrumental work, aimless, hollow and rather uninviting".
02Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wingless" | Roselie van Leer, Thijs van Leer | 5:35 |
| 2. | "Orion" | Eef Albers | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Night Flight" | Albers | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Eddy" | R. van Leer, T. van Leer | 5:54 |
| 5. | "Sneezing Bull" | Philip Catherine | 4:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brother" | R. van Leer, T. van Leer | 5:19 |
| 2. | "Tokyo Rose" | R. van Leer | 5:08 |
| 3. | "Maximum" | Bert Ruiter, T. van Leer | 8:40 |
| 4. | "How Long" | R. van Leer, T. van Leer | 5:16 |
03Personnel
Musicians
- Thijs van Leer, Hammond organ, piano, electric piano, Mellotron, synthesiser, flute
- Bert Ruiter, bass guitar
- Steve Smith, drums
- Philip Catherine, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Sneezing Bull", "Maximum" and "How Long"
- Eef Albers, rhythm guitar, lead guitar (except above)
- P. J. Proby, vocals on "Wingless", "Eddy", "Brother", "Tokyo Rose" and "How Long"
Production
- Yde de Jong, production
- Jan van Vrijaldenhoven, engineer
- Mike Stavrou, engineer
- Jacques Heere, cover design
04Charts
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 27 |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Focus con Proby”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Focus Con Proby.jpg by Unknown author, Fair use
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.