“HOCUS POCUS”
FOCUS | MOVING WAVES, 1971 | GUITARIST: JAN AKKERMAN | STORY BY CHRIS GILL
TONAL RECALL
THE SECRETS BEHIND FAMOUS GUITAR SOUNDS
TRIVIA QUESTION: WHO was the first Dutch guitarist to record a song called “Eruption”? The answer is not Edward Van Halen, but rather Jan Akkerman, who recorded “Eruption” with his band Focus in 1971 for the album Moving Waves (titled Focus II in Europe), although Focus’ song was a sprawling 23-minute prog-rock concerto based on the tale of Orpheus and Euridice instead of a blazing solo showcase. Akkerman’s performance on “Eruption” is certainly dazzling, but the song that mesmerized fans of Euro shred guitar long before Schenker, Roth, Van Halen, Malmsteen, et al. is the album’s scorching opening track, “Hocus Pocus.”