Hamburger Concerto...
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Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13780
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Topic: Hamburger Concerto...
Posted By: WillieThePimp
Subject: Hamburger Concerto...
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 10:06
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...Is perhaps one of the greatest albums I have heard blending rock and
classical instrumentation. I'm glad I have given this album the chance
it deserved.
------------- You can't possibly hear the last movement of Beethoven's Seventh and go slow. ~Oscar Levant, explaining his way out of a speeding ticket |
Replies:
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 10:12
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Me too, I bought it a few months ago. The best sounding Focus´album I´ve heard thus far. The compositions on Moving Waves and Focus II have more highlights for me, but Hamburger Concerto (the track) is a much more coherent epic than the ones on the other albums I mentioned. It´s very good, especially Hamburger Concerto (the track). I´m glad I bought it. |
Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 10:13
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My dad has it somewhere in the stack of music albums and vinyls...he says it's good stuff...
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Posted By: goose
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 10:36
I'm not Focus' biggest fan, but this is a good 'un, for sure 
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Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 10:47
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You should listen to your dad, and get yourself a Hamburger |
Ricochet wrote:Posted By: Ricochet
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 10:51
 Who knows,maybe some day I will give it a spin... -------------
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Posted By: NetsNJFan
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 11:54
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such a good album BIRTH is my all time favorite instrumental track ------------- 
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Posted By: M. B. Zapelini
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 12:17
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"Hamburger Concerto" is probably the best album Focus has made. The title track is one of the greatest epics of all prog-rock scene. Focus made a promising epic at the "Moving Waves" album - "Eruption" - but "Hamburger Concerto" is more interesting. ------------- "He's a man of the past and one of the present" PETER HAMMILL |
Posted By: Poxx
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 12:22
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A true masterpiece. Not one weak track. One of my favourites and definitely their best. Not oddly enough, Moving Waves is their best selling, of course this is due to the delightfully retarded opening AOR track, which every other fool outside musical understanding, just had to buy the album for. There's no real flaws on HB.
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Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 13:10
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Those who like this album, get the DVD named Focus: Masters fron the Vault. There you can watch and listen a full version of the Hamburger Concerto Suite, plus some other songs of this album played by the golden era Focus including of course Ian Akkerman. Iván ------------- 
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Posted By: Jeremy Bender
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 14:21
Jan Akkerman |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 15:23
Yep Jan Akkerman  -------------
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Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 15:30
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HC is easily their best album , but I find Focus 3 a good contender. I find that Moving Waves is way over-rated! ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Olias
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 15:48
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"La Cathédral De Strasbourg" is for sure one of those songs that could be pretty cool on my funeral... |
Posted By: jojim
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 16:48
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I own Hamburger Concerto since 30 years and it is really one of my
favorites in prog rock. It is sentimental, romantic, swinging and broad. I can recommend it to everyone who wants to feel rock music. There is no comparison to that album. ------------- YES - Close to the edge / UK - UK / GENESIS - The lamb lies down / KING CRIMSON - Discipline / MIKE OLDFIELD - Tubular bells / JETHRO TULL - Aqualung / GENTLE GIANT - Three friends / TMO - IMF |
Posted By: flying teapot
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 17:47
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I had it on an 8-track for dozens of years...(Clicks, fades amd interurtions included) the melody always remained fresh in my mind for many years, last year I bought it on CD..... Indeed a masterpiece! |
Posted By: Tony Fisher
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 18:38
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I actually prefer Moving Waves, though Hamburger is still a damn fine album. It's La Cathedrale de Strasbourg that spoils it a bit for me. I also prefer Eruption as a long track to The Hamburger Concerto. And is Hocus Pocus any more retarded than Harem Scarem? I think not. Both damn silly and damn fine tracks!!!! |
Posted By: Soulman
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 19:56
| I agree, I love Hamburger Concerto; it's their best meld of classical and jazz elements. Though is it just me or does the Moving Waves title track sound like an essay being recited? (dumb song) |
Posted By: memowakeman
Date Posted: October 30 2005 at 21:16
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Good... really really good album... one of my fav albums ever ------------- Follow me on twitter @memowakeman |
Posted By: Moribund
Date Posted: October 31 2005 at 06:20
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I'm a huge Focus fan - they were the first prog band I got into. IMHO although Hamburger Concerto is good, it is not my favorite. I loved Van der Linden's drumming and was sad the whole rhythmic side moved to a sraighter backbeat. Also I find the title track less colourful than Eruption - Akkerman's work on Moving Waves is more unrestrained and flamboyant. You can see the joins a little more: this is Van Leer on vocals, now organ, now flute. Oh yes, now it's Akkerman's turn. However the last section (following the Carol) is epic music at it's best. Side one starts beautifully with the little renaissance tune. Harem Scarem is less rock, more funk/jazz (a direction Focus continued in with subsequent albums). La Cathedrale even more jazz, even dangerously MOR, but some jaw-dropping whistling! Birth is a great track - nice to hear some harpsichord. Overall though, I would rate the previous two albums as preferable, but I have sympathy with those who see this as the pinnacle of their work. ------------- New Progressive Rock Live show now touring UK theatres! www.masterpiecestheconcert.co.uk |
Posted By: Drachen Theaker
Date Posted: October 31 2005 at 10:09
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Hamburger is their best IMO with the tightest material and most symphonic sound they ever achieved, although it does have flaws. Akkerman seems to be throwing one of his famous 'moodies' on this album and contributes his guitar parts in an almost casual fashion (it's a testament to his ability that they still sound so good). And as Moribund says Colin Allen is a more basic drummer than the superb Pierre van der Linden. Still, the brilliance of the title track, Birth and La Cathedrale de Strasbourg more than compensate for any faults. ------------- "It's 1973, almost dinnertime and I'm 'aving 'oops!" - Gene Hunt |
Posted By: Paulieg
Date Posted: October 31 2005 at 10:18
| Great album. Ivan, I'm glad you mentioned the DVD "Masters from the Vaults." I've been trying to figure out a good DVD to buy and have been putting this one off for about two years. I'm going to pick it up. |
Posted By: Moribund
Date Posted: October 31 2005 at 11:04
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------------- New Progressive Rock Live show now touring UK theatres! www.masterpiecestheconcert.co.uk |
Posted By: Drachen Theaker
Date Posted: October 31 2005 at 11:36
Another example of an Akkerman "moodie" seems to be on the version of Tommy on the Masters from the Vaults DVD. He plays this in a far more subdued (and in my opinion boring) fashion than the Moving Waves version. It's almost like he's saying "Don't expect any of my trademark guitar pyrotechnics cos I don't feel like it!" ------------- "It's 1973, almost dinnertime and I'm 'aving 'oops!" - Gene Hunt |
Posted By: pero
Date Posted: November 03 2005 at 07:13
I agree. Focus III and Hamburger concerto are awesome |
Posted By: Moogtron III
Date Posted: November 03 2005 at 12:23
I don't think Moving Waves is overrated. It has a lot of great melodies, harmonies and riffs. It's just that the sound on Hamburger Concerto is much improved if you compare it to MW. Also they have mastered the art of building a major scale epic on HC. |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: November 03 2005 at 15:32
I never really heard much of Focus' material and picked up Hamburger Concerto a few days ago because of the praise for it I read in this thread.An excellent album -------------  |