Moving Waves

RELEASE
1971
LABEL
I.R.S. Records
GENRES
Pop/Rock, Prog-Rock, Art Rock

Album Review

The album that boosted Focus into at least semi-fame outside of continental Europe, Moving Waves blasts off with their hit single, "Hocus Pocus." Built around a killer guitar hook by Jan Akkerman and a series of solo turns by the band, this instrumental replaced "Wipeout" as a staple of FM radio. The bizarrely hilarious vocal and accordion solos by Thijs van Leer -- one of which absurdly concludes with rousing stadium cheers -- have to be heard to be believed. After this over-the-top performance, the other tracks seem comparatively constrained: the gentle "Le Clochard" features some gorgeous classical guitar over Mellotron strings. The album concludes with "Eruption," which while mimicking the multi-suite nomenclature of Yes and King Crimson, is essentially a side-long jam session. Stop-time Emersonian organ solos alternate with languid sections of jazzy guitar redolent of Santana, while still other sections are flat-out electric blues-rock stomps. It's impressive playing, though it comes off as a bit meandering after the tightly structured solos that began the album.
Paul Collins, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Hocus Pocushttp://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=GPa6cpPdL08&offerid=162397&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=3664&u1=EI000000004300000004130010074501&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Falbum%252Fhocus-pocus%252Fid151178566%253Fi%253D151178576%2526uo%253D5%2526s%253D143455
  2. Le Clochardhttp://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=GPa6cpPdL08&offerid=162397&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=3664&u1=EI000000004300000004130010074501&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Falbum%252Fle-clochard%252Fid151178566%253Fi%253D151178597%2526uo%253D5%2526s%253D143455
  3. Janishttp://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=GPa6cpPdL08&offerid=162397&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=3664&u1=EI000000004300000004130010074501&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Falbum%252Fjanis%252Fid151178566%253Fi%253D151178598%2526uo%253D5%2526s%253D143455
  4. Moving Waveshttp://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=GPa6cpPdL08&offerid=162397&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=3664&u1=EI000000004300000004130010074501&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Falbum%252Fmoving-waves%252Fid151178566%253Fi%253D151178600%2526uo%253D5%2526s%253D143455
  5. Focus IIhttp://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=GPa6cpPdL08&offerid=162397&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=3664&u1=EI000000004300000004130010074501&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Falbum%252Ffocus-ii%252Fid151178566%253Fi%253D151178601%2526uo%253D5%2526s%253D143455
  6. Eruption: Orfeus/Answer/Orfeus/Answer/Pupilla/Tommy/Pupilla/Answer/Thehttp://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=GPa6cpPdL08&offerid=162397&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=3664&u1=EI000000004300000004130010074501&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Falbum%252Fmoving-waves%252Fid151178566%253Fuo%253D5%2526s%253D143455
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