Mother Focus Explained

Mother Focus
Type:studio
Artist:Focus
Cover:Focus - Mother Focus.jpg
Genre:Funk
Length:37:14
Label:Polydor, Atco
Producer:Focus
Prev Title:Hamburger Concerto
Prev Year:1974
Next Title:Ship of Memories
Next Year:1976

Mother Focus is the fifth studio album by the band Focus, released in 1975 on Polydor (cat. no. 2310 408) in Europe, on Atco Records in North America and on EMI in Japan.[1]

Some tracks on the album mark a departure from the progressive rock style that dominated the group's prior work, and herald a funk music style with light jazz and pop at the centre. Unlike previous albums, the tracks were also much shorter, the longest being 3:55. Bassist Bert Ruiter provided most of the themes, as van Leer had just recorded a solo album, O My Love, of his own music, and Jan Akkerman withheld compositions for Eli, his forthcoming album with Kaz Lux.

The closing track, "Father Bach", is credited as a 'traditional tune', arranged and adopted by Thijs van Leer, but in reality it consists of the opening lines of J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.

Track listing

Track listing of Dutch vinyl release 1975.

CD listing

Track listing of Japanese release from 16 December 2006.

  1. "Mother Focus" (Jan Akkerman, Bert Ruiter, Thijs van Leer) – 3:04
  2. "I Need a Bathroom" (Ruiter) – 3:03
  3. "Bennie Helder" (van Leer) – 3:31
  4. "Soft Vanilla" (Ruiter) – 3:03
  5. "Hard Vanilla" (Ruiter) – 2:34
  6. "Tropical Bird" (Ruiter) – 2:42
  7. "Focus IV" (van Leer) – 3:56
  8. "Someone's Crying . . . What?" (Akkerman) – 3:18
  9. "All Together . . . Oh, That!" (Akkerman) – 3:41
  10. "No Hang Ups" (Paul Stoppelman) – 2:55
  11. "My Sweetheart" (Akkerman, van Leer) – 3:36
  12. "Father Bach" (van Leer) – 1:34

Personnel

Focus

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mother Focus . Discogs . 1975 . 2020-05-02 .
  2. 50 Years: Anthology 1970-1976 . Bessels . Wouter . Focus . 2020 . Booklet . Red Bullet . Hilversum .
  3. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 115.