LIVE AT THE RAINBOW

The first album in any format that I ever bought, it's impossible for me to take a detached and wholly objective view of this record - but can you ever really do that with music that you love? I've owned 3 copies on vinyl and I've just ordered the JVC remastered version from Japan - which will be the 3rd copy on CD that I've owned. Like I said, not objective really.

I agree with a reviewer who didn't want to diminish his reaction to the album by reviewing it track-by-track. It's the way the music washes over me that I have always loved about LATR. The frantic energy of the later songs on the album comes as a shock but this band were - and still are - masters of light and shade.

I know that at least one person here talks of Akkerman's guitar going out of tune. In 2004, I got to meet Thijs Van Leer after a show in the UK and he explained that his beautiful organ solo on Answers! Questions? Questions? Answers! (my words not his, I hasten to add) was longer than planned so that Akkerman could replace the string he had just broken. I agree with the reviewer who talks about Akkerman taking risks - seems like the old Gibson 335 couldn't quite take the pace.

There are some moments in life that I wish I could relive: taking the vinyl home and gazing at the gatefold sleeve as the MC yells "welcome on stage now, Focus!!" is one of those moments. I have grown to love all sorts of music in the intervening 33 years and I'm hyper- critical about recording techniques and sound quality. This somehow just goes beyond all of that - it's a piece of magic.