Dave Becher...this just blew me away! This is magnificent!!!! It is fantastic to see all of you musicians from around the globe coming together to collaborate and make such beautiful music together! KUDOS to all of you!!!!
Incredible to hear once more time to Jan Akkerman... but Sooo Still... LOL!!! A pretty much more more than good rendition of an old Gem from Focus!!! Love your Special Flute Rendition, Rachel Flowers... Amazing Beauty!!!
Thanks, Jeff! I'm amazed that we were able to get both Jan and Rachel to play on it, and that we actually completed all of it. This is the longest collab I've ever worked on. My hat's off to Misi and all the production efforts he put into making this happen.
!!!!!!!!!!!! WITH JAN AKKERMAN! AMAZING! amazing drumming Dave, I feel really happy that you play with one of the biggest name on the guitar, the best to you :)
Congratulations to all on performing this amazing, difficult and complex piece. Great music is only truly alive while there are players in the world who can play it with such love. Especial kudos to Rachel's flute and crazy piano in the finale. Also Jan's Leslie sound still rocks.
in2gadgets Thanks! Definitely the biggest project, I've ever worked on here. Everyone in it did a fantastic job, especially Misi, who's vision it was to complete. (Personally, I thought that we'd bitten off more than we could chew at the time!)
Wow, an all stars ★★★★★... performance and Beautifully played by all of you! Very good sound recording from drums...like the tympani sound...Awesome!! A great collab and wonderful rendition. Applause. You light up my day.... Big Thumbs up of course!! Best wishes, Reit
Uau! Estou sem palavras! Absolutamente fantástico! Vocês conseguiram atingir a perfeição, na execução desta obra-prima do Focus, uma das maiores bandas de rock progressivo de todos os tempos! Que prazer ouvir as notas da incrível guitarra de Jan Akkerman! Rachel, brilhante, como sempre! Misi, Lazlo e Barabas arrasam nos teclados! Dave, perfeito na bateria! Destaque especial para o yodelling do baixista Balint, bem como dos vocais em holandês.Parabéns a todos os envolvidos nesta produção verdadeiramente épica!
Dave, I'm absolutely stunned by this incredible piece. You dreamed big on this one and absolutely achieved it! Beautiful guitar work and sound by Laci Toth and loved Akkerman's guitar through the leslie. Everyone else stepped up big time for a superb piece that will demand many a listen. Congrats to all!
tinman3012 Thanks, Ron! It was a bit ambitious, and I wasn't sure if it would work. Getting Jan to play his rhythm guitar tracks through his Leslie, really was the tipping point. I'm just worried that because of the video's length, many won't stay around for the whole thing. Which would be unfortunate, since each section features something new.
Dave, this is just too good for words.... Although I'm not real familiar with this masterpiece... I've heard it a few times over the years....I can tell you and the whole crew paid close attention to all the fine details of the original work....And what an all star crew!.... I'm so fortunate to be able to work with you and the rest!... Again this just blew me away....
Len Audsley Thanks, Len! I had never heard this piece before Misi suggested it either. I knew some of Focus' work, (obviously 'Hocus Pocus'), but this one was totally new. I wasn't sure if we could pull it off, frankly. But the assembled cast outdid my expectations!
Well done!! Just an amazing effort! Tight reproduction of the individual performances, the notes, the sounds, the mix! It's like you've all played together for years.
Dear musicfriend, W O W - wonderful edited video with great musicians, awasome music and AMAZING drumming, we enjoyed your performance and music very much, our compliments to you - BRAVO and THUMBS UP for you !! Have a wonderful Sunday. Dearest greetings from Chris and Mayka - The Netherlands - Western Europe.
Thanks for producing and uploading this amazing video. I still own the Focus LP with this piece from decades ago, and was struck with the performance, particularly the bassist on Thijs van Leer's (?) vocals and Rachel on flute (mainly because those parts stand out on the original as well), but everyone was great. It must have been a huge effort to put it all together. You even got Jan Akkerman to participate!
yoochoobb Thanks! Balint on bass, and Rachel on flute definitely excelled, (as did everyone else, imo). This is probably the biggest project I'll ever work on. Lots of participation. Lots of solos. And yes, Jan's participation was the best part of all. He really lent the project the authenticity needed to undertake and pull off such a massive endeavor. We are all deeply indebted to him for his participation.
Holy SH*T Dave!!! You should post a warning on your future collabs like "Either go BIG or go home!!! This is like the Great Pyramid of Giza for YT collaborations. You have raised the bar impossibly high on this one. I'm totally blown away =D Kudos to everyone who contributed!!!
Donn713 Thanks so much, Donn! It was a long project, but worth the wait, imo. (And at least we were able to get a little footage of Jan recording his parts for us.)
Good Lord...outstanding.....I can only imagine how long this took to put together. Lots of impressive collaborations here Dave.....Idolhands50 sent me your way. Glad he did : )
+Rob Ber Thanks again from all of us! Yeah, this one was a year to two years in the making. We were just glad to get Jan and Rachel involved in it. This was our first work with Rachel, and we recruited her at first just for the flute solo. Near the end of it, Jan decided that he didn't want to cover his old solo, so we had to find another guitarist just when we thought we might be close to being done. Tell George, thanks! (idolhands50).
Although I knew some Focus material, I also had never heard this piece, before Misi sent it to me. This one was probably my biggest project. It's also one of my favorites because we were able to get Jan Akkerman to jam with us on it! (As well as Rachel Flowers).
DrumGalaxy Thanks, Tom! Yeah, it was a long time in the making, but worth the effort. I didn't know the piece either before starting on this project. Now I can't get it out of head!
This is brilliant !! I posted one of your clips (Sheriff) on my Facebook with a comment about Members of Supergroups using the power of the Internet to perform so they wouldn't have to put up with each others company. This is in no way meant to be disrespectful to you guys - you have done an amazing job with some of my all time favourite music to MASSIVE RESPECT to you all
***** Thanks, Ian! Actually, for us, it's a matter of geography. Because of file-sharing technology, people can get together and play with like-minded musicians from around the world, without ever leaving the comforts of home. And the best part is that a guy like me can now finally play with EXCELLENT musicians, whereas I was formally limited to whomever was around - whether talented or not. I think that people like those in this collab group, (and in others), would actually welcome playing in each others company, because we're not egoistic superstars, but regular folk who've worked businesses and such in the real world, and have been humbled by it.
17drums Yes like I said I was only joking about the Superstars it was just an idle thought that I once had when ELP members were all in different countries but with the internet that was no longer a barrier to them. I am blessed to be involved in so many ventures over here with like minded (sometimes) musicians, I was in a band with 3 other Steely Dan nuts and we played some of their stuff (Josie, Kid Charlemagne etc) and it was fantastic, keep up the good work
You're definitely a busy guy with the bands! There is nothing really that compares to playing live. But if it means, in my case, humping around a truckload of drums and taking 2 hours to set them up, and 2 hours to break them down every night, then I'll settle for these "virtual" bands! A compromise for sure, but one that fits my lifestyle right now. What band was it that did the Steely Dan? Do you have any videos posted of them? I participated in one Steely Dan collab, 'Do it Again'. That one was TRULY an international collaboration. We had musicians from Canada, France, Italy, The Netherlands, and the USA for that one. It still amazes me how small the musical world has now become because of this technology. And thanks also for posting 'The Sheriff' in the FB group!
Not only great job but a very big one. If I don,t see, don,t believe that these - 00:4-0:11 - are not kettle-drums. (Anyway I remember well that I gained calm from this music - from 0:55 - in the morning of the entrance exam of the university. Was succesful:) Congrat and thank to the whole company!
+Prog X This one took over 2 years to complete. I learned it in sections, and then recorded each section individually. I had never heard this piece before, so it would have been real tough for me to learn it all at one time and then try to duplicate it all (as close as possible to the original) in one sitting.
+17drums I agree it would be hard to learn. It's been some many years but i believe Focus recorded it in many section also .... Jan Akkerman would know right ! : )
Jan was great! He was very easy to work with, offering corrections for incorrect chords, etc. And he did his guitar tracks very quickly. It's just too bad we couldn't get some good video of him, too. We got Cees and Linda to sing the 'Christmas Song' part in the original Dutch, to keep the feel of the original. It was a VERY big project, but worth the effort, imo. The next big one is the entire Karn Evil 9 suite. Rachel's recorded most of her parts already, and I've been in communication with Kerry Shacklett about joining the project also. (He's another great Emerson player). But again, it probably won't be done for years. I've only recorded the 1st Impression, Part One. I've yielded the Part Two to Balint (our usual bass player). He's been dying to drum to ELP. That still leaves me with the 2nd and 3rd Impression drums to do. Needless to say, I'm going to be very busy.
17drums That sounds great on Karn Evil , also very cool that an original member of Focus helped and recorded with you. You seemed to be "The Drummer" on these projects which is great !! Is no one else stepping up or got time or is this your gig and thats that ? Lol I personally like you doing it. : )
I'm invited to play, and I usually accept the offer. I have had to decline a few projects due to time constraints and busyness of schedule. But for the most part, I do just the prog stuff that's offered me.
Have not listened to this piece for maybe 35 years. Forgotten menories and emotions come back. Rollercoaster experience. Thanks!
You're very welcome! Gotta keep this great music alive!
What a huge undertaking! Well done, everyone!!!
Dave Becher...this just blew me away! This is magnificent!!!! It is fantastic to see all of you musicians from around the globe coming together to collaborate and make such beautiful music together! KUDOS to all of you!!!!
Steve Barber Thanks, Steve! It is a great way to play in a band, without ever leaving home!
Incredible to hear once more time to Jan Akkerman... but Sooo Still... LOL!!!
A pretty much more more than good rendition of an old Gem from Focus!!!
Love your Special Flute Rendition, Rachel Flowers... Amazing Beauty!!!
Thanks, Jorge!
much talent guys.. great job
fantastic
Pearl of synphonic rock, wonderfull artists work ❤❤❤👏👏👏
Thanks!
every time I watch this I'm more amazed
Thanks, Jeff! I'm amazed that we were able to get both Jan and Rachel to play on it, and that we actually completed all of it. This is the longest collab I've ever worked on. My hat's off to Misi and all the production efforts he put into making this happen.
A Masterpiece of fine art here.Dave you are perfect for this song as always much thanks for this all my Gang are going to be amazed ROCK ON!
David Taylor Thanks, David! It was definitely the biggest project I've ever worked on. Misi's dream was fulfilled with this epic song.
!!!!!!!!!!!! WITH JAN AKKERMAN! AMAZING! amazing drumming Dave, I feel really happy that you play with one of the biggest name on the guitar, the best to you :)
***** Yeah, it was a great HONOR to have him join this project, and put his personal endorsement on it that way! Thanks.
Just FANTASTIC! Dave....I'm so happy with the result :) Cheers....You ROCK :)
George Barabas You too, my friend! Great performances from all, in fact!
Congratulations to all on performing this amazing, difficult and complex piece. Great music is only truly alive while there are players in the world who can play it with such love. Especial kudos to Rachel's flute and crazy piano in the finale. Also Jan's Leslie sound still rocks.
Thanks from ALL of us. We were so blessed to have both Jan and Rachel involved!
Good to know Jan still keeps busy. This is truly a special video. Unspeakably great!
+troublesomecorsair This epic collab really is special to us. Thanks!
This is JUST INCREDIBLE. Well done, team.
in2gadgets Thanks! Definitely the biggest project, I've ever worked on here. Everyone in it did a fantastic job, especially Misi, who's vision it was to complete. (Personally, I thought that we'd bitten off more than we could chew at the time!)
17drums Well - it's a colossal piece of music - and I love your production. Well done, Dave and co. :-)
Well then, thank you again!
Wow, an all stars ★★★★★... performance and Beautifully played by all of you! Very good sound recording from drums...like the tympani sound...Awesome!! A great collab and wonderful rendition. Applause. You light up my day....
Big Thumbs up of course!!
Best wishes, Reit
Reit Fans Thank you so much, Reit! Yeah, the tympani sounds were sampled, and doubled with my rotos.
Uau! Estou sem palavras! Absolutamente fantástico! Vocês conseguiram atingir a perfeição, na execução desta obra-prima do Focus, uma das maiores bandas de rock progressivo de todos os tempos! Que prazer ouvir as notas da incrível guitarra de Jan Akkerman! Rachel, brilhante, como sempre! Misi, Lazlo e Barabas arrasam nos teclados! Dave, perfeito na bateria! Destaque especial para o yodelling do baixista Balint, bem como dos vocais em holandês.Parabéns a todos os envolvidos nesta produção verdadeiramente épica!
Muito obrigado de todos nós! Fomos abençoados para que o Sr. e a Sra. Akkerman Flores participar.
Great!
panurge987 Thanks!
Dave, I'm absolutely stunned by this incredible piece. You dreamed big on this one and absolutely achieved it! Beautiful guitar work and sound by Laci Toth and loved Akkerman's guitar through the leslie. Everyone else stepped up big time for a superb piece that will demand many a listen. Congrats to all!
tinman3012 Thanks, Ron! It was a bit ambitious, and I wasn't sure if it would work. Getting Jan to play his rhythm guitar tracks through his Leslie, really was the tipping point. I'm just worried that because of the video's length, many won't stay around for the whole thing. Which would be unfortunate, since each section features something new.
Dave, this is just too good for words.... Although I'm not real familiar with this masterpiece... I've heard it a few times over the years....I can tell you and the whole crew paid close attention to all the fine details of the original work....And what an all star crew!.... I'm so fortunate to be able to work with you and the rest!... Again this just blew me away....
Len Audsley Thanks, Len! I had never heard this piece before Misi suggested it either. I knew some of Focus' work, (obviously 'Hocus Pocus'), but this one was totally new. I wasn't sure if we could pull it off, frankly. But the assembled cast outdid my expectations!
AMAZING!!! AMAZING!!! AMAZING!!!!
THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! from all of us! We are so grateful for Mr. Akkerman's and Ms. Flowers' participation.
Well done!! Just an amazing effort! Tight reproduction of the individual performances, the notes, the sounds, the mix! It's like you've all played together for years.
Mike Krupp Thanks, Mike! That's a great compliment, as it usually takes years for musicians to coalesce!
Incredible! I have never heard of this, but I love it. Brother great job and thanks, I really enjoyed it!
pd2210 Thank you VERY much!
Very outstanding work. Great production from both sides, video and music. Enjoyed listening, thanks. Regards, John
Ajohn13 Thanks, John!
Thank you guys. I enjoyed it.
You're welcome! Thanks for watching it.
Dear musicfriend,
W O W - wonderful edited video with great musicians, awasome music and AMAZING drumming, we enjoyed your performance and music very much, our compliments to you - BRAVO and THUMBS UP for you !!
Have a wonderful Sunday.
Dearest greetings from Chris and Mayka - The Netherlands - Western Europe.
chrismayka Thank you so much Chris and Mayka! You have a wonderful Sunday as well!
To see and hear this epic Focus work played is awesome. Thankyou so very much
You're very welcome! Thanks for watching it. Because of its length, most people give it a pass (or watch the first few minutes only).
17drums I have listened to all of it many times and many of your other collaborations. The ELP stuff also great
Thanks so much Simon, from all of us!
Thanks for producing and uploading this amazing video. I still own the Focus LP with this piece from decades ago, and was struck with the performance, particularly the bassist on Thijs van Leer's (?) vocals and Rachel on flute (mainly because those parts stand out on the original as well), but everyone was great. It must have been a huge effort to put it all together. You even got Jan Akkerman to participate!
yoochoobb Thanks! Balint on bass, and Rachel on flute definitely excelled, (as did everyone else, imo). This is probably the biggest project I'll ever work on. Lots of participation. Lots of solos. And yes, Jan's participation was the best part of all. He really lent the project the authenticity needed to undertake and pull off such a massive endeavor. We are all deeply indebted to him for his participation.
Holy SH*T Dave!!! You should post a warning on your future collabs like "Either go BIG or go home!!! This is like the Great Pyramid of Giza for YT collaborations. You have raised the bar impossibly high on this one. I'm totally blown away =D Kudos to everyone who contributed!!!
Donn713 Thanks so much, Donn! It was a long project, but worth the wait, imo. (And at least we were able to get a little footage of Jan recording his parts for us.)
Good Lord...outstanding.....I can only imagine how long this took to put together. Lots of impressive collaborations here Dave.....Idolhands50 sent me your way. Glad he did : )
+Rob Ber Thanks again from all of us! Yeah, this one was a year to two years in the making. We were just glad to get Jan and Rachel involved in it. This was our first work with Rachel, and we recruited her at first just for the flute solo. Near the end of it, Jan decided that he didn't want to cover his old solo, so we had to find another guitarist just when we thought we might be close to being done. Tell George, thanks! (idolhands50).
Lindo, maravilhoso, Bravo !
Thank you!
Wow!
Thanks!
Superb collab! I love the guy on keyboard at 3:46 - such relaxing pose :-)))
+awaken77 Cees Van Ooijen is his name, from The Netherlands. A real mellow guy, in his wicker cockpit!
hi Dave, I never heard this before, it was great
Although I knew some Focus material, I also had never heard this piece, before Misi sent it to me. This one was probably my biggest project. It's also one of my favorites because we were able to get Jan Akkerman to jam with us on it! (As well as Rachel Flowers).
This is one MONSTER collab! Jesus! Not familiar with this one Dave but it's all good, Bro! Nicely done and well thought out.
-T
DrumGalaxy Thanks, Tom! Yeah, it was a long time in the making, but worth the effort. I didn't know the piece either before starting on this project. Now I can't get it out of head!
That was epic!
Mark Rivas Yeah, this one was special for us -our biggest production, (so far!) Thanks, Mark!
Great job, as always. May I suggest a making-of video showing how you rehearse, record and mix everything?
+nfrick1 Thanks, and that's a great idea! Unfortunately, it would probably run the length of a documentary.
This is brilliant !! I posted one of your clips (Sheriff) on my Facebook with a comment about Members of Supergroups using the power of the Internet to perform so they wouldn't have to put up with each others company. This is in no way meant to be disrespectful to you guys - you have done an amazing job with some of my all time favourite music to MASSIVE RESPECT to you all
***** Thanks, Ian! Actually, for us, it's a matter of geography. Because of file-sharing technology, people can get together and play with like-minded musicians from around the world, without ever leaving the comforts of home. And the best part is that a guy like me can now finally play with EXCELLENT musicians, whereas I was formally limited to whomever was around - whether talented or not. I think that people like those in this collab group, (and in others), would actually welcome playing in each others company, because we're not egoistic superstars, but regular folk who've worked businesses and such in the real world, and have been humbled by it.
17drums Yes like I said I was only joking about the Superstars it was just an idle thought that I once had when ELP members were all in different countries but with the internet that was no longer a barrier to them. I am blessed to be involved in so many ventures over here with like minded (sometimes) musicians, I was in a band with 3 other Steely Dan nuts and we played some of their stuff (Josie, Kid Charlemagne etc) and it was fantastic, keep up the good work
You're definitely a busy guy with the bands! There is nothing really that compares to playing live. But if it means, in my case, humping around a truckload of drums and taking 2 hours to set them up, and 2 hours to break them down every night, then I'll settle for these "virtual" bands! A compromise for sure, but one that fits my lifestyle right now. What band was it that did the Steely Dan? Do you have any videos posted of them? I participated in one Steely Dan collab, 'Do it Again'. That one was TRULY an international collaboration. We had musicians from Canada, France, Italy, The Netherlands, and the USA for that one. It still amazes me how small the musical world has now become because of this technology. And thanks also for posting 'The Sheriff' in the FB group!
17drums gonna dig out the DVD of the Jam night when we played Kid Charlemagne and Josie I think, will post in due course
La Cathedrale de Strasbourg, por favor.
Not only great job but a very big one. If I don,t see, don,t believe that these - 00:4-0:11 - are not kettle-drums. (Anyway I remember well that I gained calm from this music - from 0:55 - in the morning of the entrance exam of the university. Was succesful:) Congrat and thank to the whole company!
György Wágner B. Thanks, George! I sampled a tympani, and applied it to my rotos. It did come out better than I had expected.
Now this is a Glorious gem Dave amazing !!! How long did this take for all involved to learn this long Prog masterpiece ? : )
+Prog X This one took over 2 years to complete. I learned it in sections, and then recorded each section individually. I had never heard this piece before, so it would have been real tough for me to learn it all at one time and then try to duplicate it all (as close as possible to the original) in one sitting.
+17drums I agree it would be hard to learn. It's been some many years but i believe Focus recorded it in many section also .... Jan Akkerman would know right ! : )
Jan was great! He was very easy to work with, offering corrections for incorrect chords, etc. And he did his guitar tracks very quickly. It's just too bad we couldn't get some good video of him, too. We got Cees and Linda to sing the 'Christmas Song' part in the original Dutch, to keep the feel of the original. It was a VERY big project, but worth the effort, imo. The next big one is the entire Karn Evil 9 suite. Rachel's recorded most of her parts already, and I've been in communication with Kerry Shacklett about joining the project also. (He's another great Emerson player). But again, it probably won't be done for years. I've only recorded the 1st Impression, Part One. I've yielded the Part Two to Balint (our usual bass player). He's been dying to drum to ELP. That still leaves me with the 2nd and 3rd Impression drums to do. Needless to say, I'm going to be very busy.
17drums That sounds great on Karn Evil , also very cool that an original member of Focus helped and recorded with you. You seemed to be "The Drummer" on these projects which is great !! Is no one else stepping up or got time or is this your gig and thats that ? Lol I personally like you doing it. : )
I'm invited to play, and I usually accept the offer. I have had to decline a few projects due to time constraints and busyness of schedule. But for the most part, I do just the prog stuff that's offered me.
10:23 Esa base rítmica es un plagio de Naturträne de Nina Hagen.