SHIP OF MEMORIES

"Ship Of Memories" is the sixth studio album of the Dutch progressive rock band Focus and was released in 1976. However, this is really a very different studio album because it isn't a studio album with new material composed by the band, after the release of their previous fifth studio album "Mother Focus". It's an album that features largely unfinished Focus' tracks from that aborted 1973-1974 studio sessions, in order to produce a follow up album to "Focus 3".

Because of that, the line up on this album is a bit wider than it was usual. So, the line up that performed on all the tracks of "Ship Of Memories" is Thijs van Leer (vocals, keyboards and flute), Jan Akkerman (guitar), Martijn Dresden (bass guitar), Bert Ruiter (bass guitar), Hans Cleuver (drums), Pierre van der Linden (drums) and David Kemper (drums).

"Ship Of Memories" has ten tracks. The first track "P'S March" written by Thijs van Leer is a very nice and interesting track with a clear medieval influence which became a truly trademark in the band's music. It's a song with a very nice guitar work performed by Jan Akkerman. What is more interesting about this track is that it's divided into two different tempos. One is a folksy happy tempo with a flute work and the other is a darker tempo with a brilliant guitar work. That is very interesting, really. The second track "Can't Believe My Eyes" written by Jan Akkerman is a very heavy and repetitive track with a very nice guitar work performed by Jan Akkerman. It's a jazz/rock song with one of the most heavy and dynamic performances by Jan Akkerman that rocks all over the time. This is a very heavy and dark psychedelic track, one of my favourites on this album. The third track "Focus V" written by Thijs van Leer is another instrumental track which recovery the Focus' serie. As is usual with all Focus' themes, this is a very pleasant and harmonic song with beautiful guitar and flute. It's a short fusion song, very atmospheric and in the same vein of the other Focus' themes of the serie. The fourth track "Out Of Vesuvius" written by Thijs van Leer, Jan Akkerman, Pierre van der Linden and Bert Ruiter is a fusion of a mix of funky, jazz and rock music. It's a very well played song by all band's members, with great improvisation that seems composed to be more performed live than on studio. By a pure technically point of view, it's perfectly played, but it seems to me that there is something missing to it, to be able to be considered a great song. The fifth track "Glider" written by Jan Akkerman is basically the original demo of what eventually became to be the title track of their fifth studio album "Mother Focus". This is an excellent track with great guitar performance by Jan Akkerman and with a fusion mix between funky, rock, jazz and disco. It isn't as good as "Mother Focus" is, but it's a very nice, pleasant and humorous piece of music to listening to. The sixth track "Red Sky At Night" written by Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman is a powerful and majestic piece of progressive rock music and represents one of the best musical moments on the album. It's probably the most attractive and appellative song on the album for all prog heads. The musical performance of Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman is so emotional and touching that makes of this song a real unique track. The seventh track "Spoke The Lord Creator" written by Thijs van Leer is closer to the Focus' material which was recorded on their debut studio album "In And Out Of Focus". It's a nice and catchy country type song, but that is at the same time naïve and with some traces of classical music. The eighth track "Crackers" written Jan Akkerman is, without any doubt, a funky/disco uninspired song, which sincerely represents, in my opinion, one of the weakest points on the album. This is a song that seems to me a fish out of water. The ninth track is the title track "Ship Of Memories". It was written by Pierre van der Linden. I think this is the only theme composed by him for the band until that moment. It's very short theme, only with drums and an organ on the back, with no melody. Sincerely, I don't know if we can call it a song. The tenth and last track "Hocus Pocus" written by Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman is the US single version of the original song released on their second studio album "Moving Waves". It's a short version of the original song expressly composed for the US market. Of course this is a great song of Focus, one of the best known of them and a trademark of the group. However, I clearly prefer the original long version of the song.

Conclusion: "Ship Of Memories" is a very special album of Focus in all their entire discography. In reality, "Ship Of Memories" is more a compilation of previous unreleased songs than a true original studio album of the band. This was more a project of Mike Vernon, who was the group's producer at the time, than a band's project, really. The band hadn't a real active involvement on this release and Akkerman showed a complete lack of interest about it. In general, "Ship Of Memories" has a better collection of songs than "Mother Focus" has. However, it has also its weak points and the main of all is that "Ship Of Memories" isn't a true cohesive studio album but a collection of previously unreleased songs. We all know that a collection of songs, although as good as they can be, doesn't make a real studio album. So, I'm going to rate "Ship Of Memories" with the same 3 stars of "Mother Focus", because it's interesting but is a non-essential album.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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