FIRST TIME HEARING Focus- Hocus Pocus REACTION

[@joshs4594]

Jan Akkerman is one of the great guitarists of all time. He never seems to get his overdue credit.

[@mitchfleming274]

Shredding before shredding was a thing

[@geraldherrmann787]

in my humble opinion, he is up there in the pantheon with the greatest. but like terry kath and rory gallagher, he keeps getting overlooked nowadays.

[@stevemurrell6167]

Agree entirely.

[@chopperdeath]

Agreement.

[@williamsmith9026]

Sweeping before the broom was invented

[@johncatani6966]

trivia: Before they went on, they were told to edit the song. Their response was to play the entire song faster.

[@toddstevens13]

And sadly most are now hooked on this version in comparison to the original almost 7 minute version.

[@walterfleury3840]

What this guy said, heard they played it about double speed.

[@GreatCdn59]

Through all the chaos .. the drummer was absolutely CRUSHING IT.

[@voiceover2191]

Complexity and technical skill, yes, chaos no

[@mitchfleming274]

Organized chaos

[@bluetopguitar1104]

Amazing crazy vocals. The guitar player is an early shredder. OMG they are all on their game.

[@michaelboggus9993]

Holy hell they're playing this fast. This song is hard enough at regular speed!

[@chrispoel316]

they playd this song in a faster tempo because there tour bus was duble parked outside the studio and police was complaining

[@r.d.sandman6474]

@@chrispoel316 Close, heard the show thought it to long, so the show said ‘Whatever, the time is yours, but at the end of the time, we’re going to ads’ Focus found a way

[@r.d.sandman6474]

@@chrispoel316 They just went back, planned & all got their licks in their way. I admire that, the ability to think on the fly, plus this is good too!

[@robichj]

They were told the song was too long and they had to shorten it. Focus said no we're playing the whole song, we'll just play it faster

[@cheryljackson5659]

Brilliant summation of what we all thought when we first heard this back in the day! Did you recognize the iconic Miss Gladys Knight who introduced Focus in the opening? Also, please check out the Edgar Winter Group's "Frankenstein" for another fantastic musical voyage!

[@RastaSaiyaman]

Keyboard player/ Flutist Thijs van Leer (Pronounced "Tice Van Lair") is a classically trained musician, he said that this song came to be when the band was jamming on that guitar riff and just organically let it flow and this song just came out, breaks and all. Focus is regarded among Prog rock as one of the finest bands in the Genre and Van Leer himself as a Grand master.

[@michelelaraia7358]

Thays Fan Lai-air

[@inekebaalman3320]

Pronounced somewhat like Tice van Lear……

[@michelelaraia7358]

@@inekebaalman3320 Tays Fun Laih-air

[@inekebaalman3320]

@@michelelaraia7358 No, like I said, closest is Tice van Lear. I’m Dutch, I know!

[@robertfitterman3777]

I love reactions to this song and the live version in particular. This was I believe on the Midnight Special and their time slots for performers was 4 minutes. The song Hocus Pocus is about 6 minutes long. So instead of cheapening the song by cutting it short, the band decided to speed it up and miraculously pulled it off.

[@cindyshawver9986]

i prefer the faster version myself !!......i'd be bored with the slow version.....plus this fast version shows off the guitar guy really well !!.......his fingers were flying !!....LOL

[@frankseydel9428]

@@cindyshawver9986 The guitar guy..Jan Akkermann.. he's from Holland so never became really famous overseas..but he's around still.

[@lesaber251]

@@frankseydel9428 All are from Holland.

[@marka.2484]

@@lesaber251: Correction, they are all from the Netherlands, not Holland. Holland represents only 2 out of 12 provinces.

[@lesaber251]

OK. Thank you.@@marka.2484

[@Gulicktheemu]

It’s sounds rushed because they had to fit a song into about 2/3 of the length of the actual song.

[@joshuakungames6523]

which turn out insane

[@Isleofskye]

They were given a 4 minute slot for a 7 minute Album song :)

[@davidvalensi8616]

Jan Akkerman, one of the best guitar players from that time.

[@redskin4040]

He's one of the greatest of anytime

[@Dave_Marks]

Still a great guitar player!

[@voysuelto]

Is a very technical guitarist

[@voysuelto]

Super technical guitarist

[@voysuelto]

@Mathew Ross Hendrix was a very virtuosity southpaw was Up there with Rory Gallagher

[@stephendavis5530]

Absolutely insane....and a fantastic riff (with complex jazz chords.....I know - I tried to learn it). And how in the name of holy fuck did they manage to play so fast? Amazing!!

[@Isleofskye]

Only given a 4 minute slot Stephen to cover a 7 minute track :)

[@andrewpetik2034]

They are TIGHT! EVERY ONE of them brought their 'A game'. Just genius!

[@harryschonfeld8175]

"this is too much" ...the best wa yet to come! Your face throughout the performance was priceless. 😜😬🤪😳😖 Torn between laughter and disbelief. And love for the drummer solos obviously. 😋 This was a breathtaking performance at breakneck speed and the vocal interludes were perfect to spice it up. The singers trademark was to explore the voice as an instrument and he was hilariously funny. The musicians talent unquestionable.

[@walterpanovs]

Dutch band who had this one freaky hit that crossed over to the Top Ten in the states. Memorable. The instrumental part has been used in several films, including really well during the chase sequence in the recent "Baby Driver."

[@petegabittas3410]

Have yourself a hamburger concerto mate

[@jemp1965]

And the 2014 version of Robocop!!

[@Isleofskye]

Enjoyed Your Reaction, as always but you could and SHOULD have waited for their deserved ovation from that crowd :)

[@voiceover2191]

I understood it was the only time in the history of The Midnight Special a performing band got a standing ovation.

[@Isleofskye]

@@voiceover2191 That's Great :)

[@ORagnar]

This is one of the craziest songs ever created. :-)

[@nardj.5277]

Very famous Dutch band in Europe in the sixties. Love your reaction to it.

[@RastaSaiyaman]

SEVENTIES, they weren't around the sixties.

[@aihsjabsuans6569]

There were many great Dutch bands back then in the 70's...

[@fkops2773]

@@RastaSaiyaman they started as a trio in 1968

[@frankseydel9428]

Probably my favorite reaction of yours as you had been totally surprised by what's going on. Hocus Pocus reminded us in those days that Rock'n'Roll is about having fun as we sometimes took it too serious. You know rambling abput which group is better than the other and stuff. We were kids then But in those days as today I just love to come back to these crazy dutch guys. Btw., the lead singer is still kicking..

[@theglanconer6463]

Best band ever. Greetings from the Netherlands !

[@Rob-ji6cr]

I knew when you said they look high as a kite 20 seconds in, you would be in for a ride!

[@vincenttayelrand]

I used to jam with some of these people, but they were already pretty grey by then ;)

[@psongman9536]

I saw them in Holland when I went to Europe in '72 for the Olympics, one of the best live bands ever. Want a tidbit, they threw dried green peas out on to the stage and stomped all over them while doing a song, can't explain how different they were than other bands, totally novel, a bit like Queen,but did their own thing!

[@williamhorton9763]

ScribeCash needs to cover this song.

[@joshs4594]

You can't be this tight and this precise at this speed if you're high.. Regardless, this is amazing.

[@wRAAh]

2:23 "What the holy hell bro am I watching" :-) This was a culture shock for me back then -and I'm from the country this originated from.

[@dannybaldridge3529]

I have seen 2 other reactions to this, I admit that I wanted to see your reaction when he started yodeling. 😁

[@davidferguson3031]

Your facial expressions were priceless! 😂 ❤️

[@jeromedavies2408]

Classic track. I used to go a biker pub in the east end of London with a heavy rock disco, this used to get all the drunken bikers up dancing around being gnomes or something. Hilarious.

[@robertphelps1574]

Was it called the royal standard Walthamstow

[@jeromedavies2408]

@@robertphelps1574 It was the Ruskin Arms in East Ham, but yes I've been to Royal Standard too.

[@robertphelps1574]

@@jeromedavies2408 I only went to the royal standard a couple of times as I’m was from the south of the river

[@wouterboswinkel1713]

There are 2 persons who stand out Thijs van Leer (keyboards etc) and Jan Akkerman who was voted best gitarist of the world 1973 by melody maker. Both are still alive (thijs is from 31-03-1948 and jan is from 24-12-1946). And it was OPRAH who did the introduction (you missed that)

[@yampymusic]

Van der Linden on drums didn't stand out?

[@Bobby-eu3hz]

They where not high this song is 8 min but this live session is 4 min because of the live feed

[@damon9408]

Focus was dope. Excellent musicians.

[@jefftribiano1875]

The old expression never give them your best so they'll come back for more! Unfortunately this so applies to focus who after coming out with this masterpiece was unable to come close to what we all witnessed in shock many years ago!

[@richyrich908]

Frickin awesome 🤣🤣🤣🤷‍♂️👌☝️🕺🕺

[@bugvswindshield]

Q: does this song have lyrics? A: um ya sure

[@jamesfranklyn5312]

don't worry...we all had this reaction 47 yrs ago....one of the craziest songs ever made....weird thing was...they're actually good musicians

[@stevemurrell6167]

They were high......as kites. You should check more Focus.....truly great band.

[@johneshuis1215]

Not high, classical schooled.

[@stevemurrell6167]

@@johneshuis1215 😅 Nice one.

[@woodstream6137]

Thre summer and guitarist crushed it. When he started whistling it was so pure it reminded me of Disney until it sped up

[@Hi-kq1vi]

The best one was on Old Grey Whistle Test where they combined this with Sylvia.

[@tonyfromfrance5595]

You can ring my Bellll ring my bell my bell ding dong ding dong 🔔 🔔, I ADORE YOU MY SCRIBE, the song today is very good. Tony from Paris France

[@MrKvitbjorn]

Hahaha! Embrace the madness girl!:)

[@wqnamisanthrope]

They weren't high - the singer / keyboardist knew what he was about to do, and was gearing himself up. The song started out as a goofy jam while the band was recording the album on which the song first appeared; It caught everybody (including the band themselves) off-guard when it became a hit single, and surprised them even more when it got the to tour America - Where they appeared on TV shows like this, and didn't know beforehand that they were going to be severely limited in the time they were going to be allowed to play. So, they arrive, set up, and are suddenly told "Your almost seven-minute song ? You've got four minutes. Good luck." And the band members decided "Oh, YEAH ? Watch THIS"" and just went for it.

[@Wildpony98]

This is why they put "Do not ingest'' on your '409' bottle lol

[@Sad-Rocker]

I bought there album in the late 70s not because there music but because the album called "mother focus" but crazy cool band

[@rafehr1378]

Oh, Howdy- do. When saw you were doing this reaction. Knew you would be amazed. Thinking what the, "F". This tune we used overseas to intimidate locals, even our own troopers too. Do check the Soul, Rock & Roll band from England, Chamber Brothers. "Time Has Come". "Love, Peace & Happiness". Both are long songs, before these 2 tunes. They had big radio hits middle, the late 1960s. Oh yeah, there's "cowbells".

[@SirWrecksy]

Bought this album, Moving Waves in college cuz I liked this song... wound up always skipping it , the rest of the album is that good These Dutch guys like to goof around but they are serious musicians!

[@LarryEColeman]

Your facial expression was priceless. Hahaha.

[@UnsoberIdiot]

"what am I watching" you're watching them play a good song ~40% faster.

[@DJGURR]

They weren’t high. They had to play an near 8 minute song in 4 mins because they were cut for time

[@NatsumiTakanawa]

I think they were also definitely high.

[@OUigot]

Devin Townsend performs 'Kingdom' for EMGtv ........it'll blow your mind!

[@jemp1965]

Focus what an amazing progressive rock band!!! Maybe the Dutch answer to ELP???

[@keithclark6299]

Listen to the album track...live versions were played at a much faster tempo to fit the whole song into the live time constraints

[@bryanhale5254]

Yeah I think they're from the Netherlands or Denmark go wherever somewhere in that area pretty amazing they're pretty talented nice little gimmick lots of fun hey you got them on the Airways

[@raymondbrush6442]

There's a song called popcorn by hot butter that came out about the same time. Let's just say its original. I always think of that song when I hear this. It's not in the same state much less ballpark as this

[@sjoerdmeijer1]

Jan Akkerman and Thijs van Leer are stil playing,I like the song “Streetwalker”from Jan Akkerman

[@byronmitchell3784]

Lol SCRIBE, BET YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING THAT...LOL

[@trevorb6]

It only makes sense if you enter a house of cards filled with mirrors, colorful lights and paper flowers, doves turning into scantly clad, pretty women and a mustachioed fellow in a tuxedo pulling rabbits out of his top hat.

[@hausf.kartreit1111]

Them fellers musta come down outa some mountains acrost the pond🔥🤠

[@jokevv1]

Good luck finding mountains in the Netherlands. ;-)

[@3pan1]

Don't you just LOVE people who get it right from the start

[@fvantpadje]

After 50 years still strong. It was the first superband in the Netherlands.

[@daleervin816]

you needed a valium after sitting thru a 3 hour concert with these guys.

[@r.d.sandman6474]

They had to play it fast as they refused to shorten the song, so the show said, ‘Well, that’s fine, but time allotted is just that, after your time we’re going to commercial either way’. So Focus works it out-did you not notice how quickly they went to commercial when done? Now, that’s timing!

[@OBESPRING1982]

Did Baby Driver bring you here? Personally, I'm old enough to remember this on the radio in the Spring of 1973.

[@michaelfletcher9640]

Though I haven't any evidence, I'm pretty sure this is where the expression, commonly abbreviated: WTF, originated!?! ♥︎U, ScribeCash♡☆◇

[@sn1ckers100]

They had to speed up this song to fit into the allotted time. It's almost 2 minutes shorter here.

[@aihsjabsuans6569]

Listen also this song covered by Iron Maiden, Helloween, Gary Hoey, Merillion...

[@liys540]

jan akkerman on guitar

[@danielolson5378]

Most people who watch this one gets the same reaction like "wt...is that guy doing, what is he gonna pull out next?!" This is the kind of song you either love or hate first time you hear it!!

[@spartan22ize]

Same expression i had..hilarious...

[@realbser1956]

The album version is 6:43. They had to speed it up for TV. Always hated this live version. You lose a lot from the studio one. Focus is a Dutch band and the great Jan Akkerman is the guitarist who later moved into playing jazz fusion.

[@johnlongenecker7779]

"they were high as a kite." Hey. It was the 70's. Of COURSE they were. lmao

[@kingmark4786]

They didn't drink an never used drugs.

[@Svenskfrank]

Yeah babe,no drugs no alcohol looks impossible but they did not take those.

[@voiceover2191]

No way you can be high and play like this ... uhm ... I think

[@plk5520]

At 1:07- "They look high as a kite bro!". At 1:57- I believe you're right.

[@fredzeppelin3969]

Backstage before going on: "What drugs should we do tonight?" "Yes."

[@playgroundjustice3587]

I hear An influence on Jack Black in the movie Pick of Destiny

[@henrijansen4224]

My favoriet nummers are "Sylvia" and "House of the King"!

[@KHaussel]

My favorite version of this song! It totally rocks and makes you laugh. Win / Win, right?

[@kentclark6420]

If you want to do another fun party song, try 'Surfin Bird', by the Trashmen. The live video will crack anybody up.

[@hassenfuttingah2744]

Amsterdam is always a cool place.

[@royaljones5237]

This is the definition of a Drunken Leprechaun Rock Opera!

[@libertylover4016]

this is how you fit a 6:48 second song into a 4 minuet slot.

[@rondegroot1508]

Heroes from my country!

[@bdogjr7779]

Yodeling ?《☆》Tight band😎🎱☮🔊✌👍🎸✴

[@Salguine]

Because music needs to have its freaks, too.

[@PlymouthT20]

How to get 6 into 4.

[@chucku00]

You might be ready to listen to Magma - de Futura (studio version, live versions have unfortunately bad audio).

[@corneliusantonius3108]

The Netherlands rocks !!!

[@InvestedDetailer]

Actually if you listen to the song backwards...it still won't make any sense but at least you'll have listened to the song backwards.

[@andystone6777]

2:33 musta been the moment when the eggs left the chicken :-)

[@tobordabot]

jack the video speed up to 1.25 and it becomes speed or thrash metal

[@jr1958]

Focus tells the story behind Hocus Pocus - interview - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHWznaqeptSqfqs

[@xlerb_again_to_music7908]

what a BLAST! :)

[@johnhouse9983]

Studio versions much better exquisite actually, off the album called Hamburger Concerto

[@voiceover2191]

Completely disagree, after this, the studio version is rather tame, this is 10x better

[@johnhouse9983]

@@voiceover2191 fare enough...... each to his/her own eh..., fan of prog either way ? go google : MAGOG BROMINE CHAMBER and listen to that puppy , long song but listening all the way through to the end is a must and see if you can decipher the closing lyrics with out looking them up...... . Cheers , laters man.

[@voiceover2191]

@@johnhouse9983 Ok, thx, will do

[@johnhouse9983]

Ten Years After... "mornin' little school girl"

[@Isleofskye]

I'm Coming Home

[@walterfleury3840]

I feel like this was early tryouts for the old Ricola cough drops commercials.

[@llib90630]

is that tiger woods behind you?

[@greatwhitewing]

Guitar player royally effed up the intro. Got it together

[@sst3d]

There’s quite a back story to this performance..

[@philly452009]

You should react to their studio cut

[@Nastyfinger1444]

This was wild!

[@klasseact6663]

Check out Gary Hoey's version🔥🔥🔥

[@damon9408]

Listen to the studio version

[@THESALMON8TR]

No drugs were harmed in the making of this music!🤣👍 Loce this song!😍❤️🤣👍