Focus albums wrong release years
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Site News, Newbies, Help and Improvements
Forum Name: Report errors & omissions here
Forum Description: Seen a mistake in a band bio etc then please tell us
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53113
Printed Date: February 18 2025 at 04:19
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Focus albums wrong release years
Posted By: Magor
Subject: Focus albums wrong release years
Date Posted: November 05 2008 at 14:35
|
Hmm, I just noticed that many Focus albums have wrong release year, usually one year later than they were actually released.
Moving Pictures - 1971 (although released as Focus II in the Netherelands, but still...) Focus III - 1972, instead of 73 Con Proby - 1977, instead of 78 Cheers |
Replies:
Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: November 05 2008 at 14:41
| Are these definite release dates? Quite often an album will show a copyright year slightly earlier than when it actually hit the shops. |
Posted By: Magor
Date Posted: November 05 2008 at 14:48
|
Well I wasn't born when they were released.
Wikipedia may not be the most reliable, but I've just checked it. You're right about Con Proby, released January 1978. Moving Pictures - Oct. 1971 Focus III - Nov. 1972 Here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focus_(band) |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: November 05 2008 at 23:14
|
That would be Moving Waves. The progarchives years are sort of accurate. In And Out Of Focus was released in late 1970 in Europe & the UK with the freaky blue grey cover and dotted pink covers respectively on Polydor. It was released in North America in '73 with the brown cover sans the track Sugar Island because of referrences to communist Cuba on Sire Records. Remember the Americans were still fighting the Vietnam war at the time. Akkerman joined the band in early '70 after he got sacked by Brainbox's manager and he brought Van Der Linden & Havermans who had played with Akkerman in Brainbox ( although Havermans never appeared on any recordings) and therefore Cluever and Dresden got the boot even though Thijs van Leer wasn't too crazy about it. I think I got this right. OK got the albums in front of me. Here goes. I don't think this has ever been released on CD it's the 1969 Dutch version of Hair with the same line up as In And Out Of Focus with 7 other musicians so it's not really a Focus album. It's simply called The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical Hair Original Amsterdam Cast.
Apparently there's another even rarer one kicking around which I've never seen.  . In And Out Of Focus 1970 Polydor with the grey cover with picture I have here a German pressing released 1970. I also have in front of me a 1973 Canadian release without House Of The King or Sugar Cuba. It says on the jacket notes that Akkerman joined the band in November '69. The version of House of The King which is on Focus III is the same recording as on the original 1970 European release even though this is not noted. North American and European releases of Focus 3 also had different covers. I like the North American one myself. Focus III was released in late '72 in Europe and North America as both my copies indicate. Go to this website for more. http://www.nordli.com/focuscollection/listings/ - www.nordli.com/focuscollection/listings/ . Wowee ! I thought I was a fanatical vinyl collector. According to this guy In And Out Of Focus wasn't released in North America until '73 and I tend to agree with him because I've never seen a North American In And Out Of Focus vinyl album with the two missing songs. Also I think it was released in North America after capitalizing on the success of Moving Waves and the reason House of The King was left off is because they wanted to have a shoe in hit single for Focus III since House of the King had previously charted in Europe.------------- |
Posted By: Magor
Date Posted: November 06 2008 at 19:44
|
Moving Waves - doh! That's some nice info there VB.
The site you gave makes the same claims for release dates as I do. 71 for Moving Waves and 72 for Focus III. So I am right. |
Posted By: splyu
Date Posted: November 06 2008 at 19:55
Yeah, Rush were so inspired by this album that they released a two-part tribute to it - Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures.  Also, I thought this was going to be about Cynic, until I remembered that there was a band called Focus and I've even got an album of theirs.  |
Magor wrote:Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: November 06 2008 at 23:37
Just checked the PA releases info. It's got the Sire In And Out Of Focus release year as 1970 & 73. I really don't think there was a 1970 release in North America. It's possible there was some sort of mix up when ProgLucky ( our supreme commander ) made the entry. You'll notice that he gives the proper 1973 track listing for the North American Sire release. I already speculated the reason for the two ommissions earlier. I mean I stand corrected if there was indeed a 1970 North American release. If there was I've never seen one and I spent a good part of my life in record stores in the late 70s, the 80s &90s ! There' s also a problem with the Focus III entry. It gives the second North American release date at the top but shows that atrocious European cover which was also used for the Red Bullet CD release. I'm getting a bit too nit picking here. It makes you wish you could make money out of possessing all this useless information in your head. I don't think anyone stays up all night worrying about this. I've got an identical Focus II that the guy from Nordi.com has. I've also got four different pressings of Hamburger Concerto plus all kinds of others. It used to drive my girlfriend nuts when I would buy multiple copies of an album I already had just because it was a different pressing and not even a different cover and pay big $$$$ for . Anyway, I got help and I'm much better today living as normal life as someone with multiple pressing desire syndrome can live. ------------- |
Posted By: Magor
Date Posted: November 07 2008 at 08:30
| I thought that PA wasn't going by US release dates. "Fragile" is listed as 1971, yet it wasn't released in the U.S until 72. "Sabbath Bloddy Sabbath" is listed as 1973, yet it wasn't released in the U.S until 74. Probably tons more examples like that. It's an issue of consistency. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: November 07 2008 at 13:28
|
Don`t get me going ! I think Martin Strong`s directories are perhaps the best for the major releases. Because this is a fan site and members have the liberty of adding albums themselves we are going to have these sort of errors however detailed. Whenever I add albums I try my best to get everything right. I`d really like it if someone out there can verify whether or not In And Out Of Focus was released in 1970 in North America because I lost sleep over it last night.
------------- |
Posted By: Magor
Date Posted: November 07 2008 at 16:15
| According to rateyourmusic, it there were two releases by Sire, one in 70 and the other in 73. The catalogue number of the 70 release is SES 97027, if that's of any help? BTW, the official Focus website lists the one with grey cover coming out in 1969, but there is no more info than that. |
Posted By: Vibrationbaby
Date Posted: November 07 2008 at 23:20
|
In And Out Of Focus was recorded in '69. I'll check up on rateyourmusic.
------------- |