Focus-Moving Waves (1971)

Focus's second album "Moving Waves" embodies an undoubted symptom that the band had achieved its own musical maturity, after an attractive but still immature debut such as "In and Out of Focus" and a series of comings and goings that occurred within the band between the late 1970s and early 1971. With the addition of guitarist Jan Akkerman and the entry of drummer Pierre Van Der Linden, Focus channeled his musical direction.
From here on, the works of Van Leer and Akkerman benefited enormously from the peculiar vibration and creative instinct that Van Der Linden showed with his percussive style.
The opening theme of this masterful work began with 'Hocus Pocus' an iconic rock fire prodigy combined with humorous self-confidence: it is not surprising that it is one of Focus's best-known pieces, the solemn 'Le Clocharde', the contained sadness 'Janis' and the ethereal atmosphere of the eponymous theme directly show us the most formally elegant facet of Focus's musical vision.
This same irresistible elegance is reiterated in ‘Focus 2’, a beautiful jazz theme, and the best is in the immense suite "Eruption", the same one that occupied all 23 minutes of the B side of the vinyl. Originated from a Van Leer idea, the ensemble performs wonderfully through successive sections and subsections. This suite closes in a grandiose and monumental way a truly superb album, “Moving Waves” is one of the definitive masterpieces of the progressive tradition.

Focus-Hamburger Concerto (1974)

This legendary Dutch band revolutionized the world of rock in the early 70s, largely thanks to the unparalleled talent of Jan Akerman and Thijs Van Leer. Akerman is one of the greatest guitarists in history, both electric and acoustic, as well as a master of the medieval lute, while Van Leer is an accomplished keyboardist on the harpsichord, piano, and Hammond organ, and is considered one of the best flautists in contemporary music. Before the release of "Hamburger Concerto", Focus had released several works oriented towards progressive jazz, featuring extensive jams, tracks brimming with blistering instrumentation, and an impressive interplay between the organ, flute, and a remarkable guitar. This fourth release showcases pure progressive rock, as demonstrated by the title track, an expansive piece that occupies the entire second side, where Jan Akerman and Thijs Van Leer share the lead vocals on a track built upon a foundation of classical music. While side A features the Renaissance-inspired "Delitiae Musicae", the enchanting "La Cathedrale de Strasbourg", the powerful "Birth", with one of the most legendary solos in history by Akkerman, and the forceful progressive jazz track "Harem Scarem". "Hamburger Concerto" is the greatest achievement in Focus's career and one of the high points of the progressive rock genre in the 1970s.