@@HRConsultant_Jeff One of the first technical guitar players , even Brian May was inspired by him and admited that he failed several times playing this song.
Gladys Knight as in her and her brothers, 'the Pips', as in Midnight train to Georgia and many other songs - amazing vocalist. Also, hats off to the joy of Hocus Pocus' Focus! Thanks for your reaction. 😄
That show required bands to shorten their songs in order to fit in the given time slot. In an entertaining move, this band decided to play the entire song at warp speed instead of chopping it up. The recorded version is way less hectic.
If you were to listen to the album version, the live is so much faster,because they only had a small amount to play on the show, so they sped the song up. Saturday Night Special was awesome, so many different acts.
yeah that was gladys knight at the start lmao and yeah focus are an incredible dutch band, the guitarist jan akkerman one of the greats! also with this performance they had to speed the song up in order to fit the whole song in the limited time slot they had to perform on the show so really the song is a bit longer/slower but this is so good i love this performance
This 50-year old song was very popular and got plenty of radio play when it was first released. We really liked stuff that was unique. The studio version is slower and a little easier to listen to. The live version was sped up to confirm to the shorter play time required by most TV shows.
oooo im so glad you guys are watching this. i remember being shown this vid by a friend in highschool and being blown away. Focus' guitarist Jan Akkerman was way ahead of his time using advanced techniques like sweep picking and having one of the earliest signature guitars made for him by a German guitar company in the 70s.
Talk about an incredible vocal range! This band was so talented and ahead of their time. Love them and still listen to them. Yo gotta listen to their studio stuff. The Moving Waves album is incredible. Great reaction guys. BY the way, the announcer is Gladys Knight an amazing vocalist
I love watching reactions to this, and they always make me laugh. You guys are the best so far! I was in HS when this came out. The original audio version of this is about half this speed. Midnight Special asked Focus if they could do this at a faster pace because of program time constraints, so they did. The slower version is still a decent pace, but it's way better than this version. "Hocus Pocus" was a huge hit when it was released in 1970. Focus is a Dutch progressive rock band formed in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1969 by keyboardist, vocalist, and flutist Thijs van Leer. The band disbanded in 1978. Great reaction guys! Thanks! ✌💙✌
Me too! I graduated in 1975. I think about the “Free Bird” live video from Oakland in 1977 and can’t imagine how that crowd are now Grandma’s and Grandpa’s !!!!
They were not punk at all. They were symphonic rock par excellence. All highly capable musicians. Otherwise they would not have been able to perform this at almost twice the speed of the original album version. Listen to Sylvia or the original of this, and you'll see they were anything but punk.
Here's another suggestion that's a bit different "Crowd Sings Bohemian Rhapsody [Live in Hyde Park 2017]" if you enjoy queen then you will love this video. (Impressive) this was so creative, back in the day. I don't know how anyone couldn't see the talent this band demonstrated from the instrumentals to the yodeling, whistling, and clever flute playing, an all-round fun tune. Thanks for sharing🎶👍
I've heard this song since 1973 but never watched it live before - wow, the skills involved! Thanks for sharing your reaction. I was bouncing around like the dude in the back too!
Got to agree with another comment about "crowd sings Bohemian Rhapsody ". It was a Green Day concert and before the band came onstage there was music playing on the PA system, and when Bohemian Rhapsody came on the entire crowd sang every word and note. It's incredible!!!!
The woman who introduced them is the legend, Gladys Knight! (and the pips) My cousins and I used to air jam to this when it first came out. We would e ven do the yodeling! Idk what else they did, honestly.... but you HAD to experience this one! Too funny!! 👍
Some of the best live performances on The Midnight Special show. You should check out Jethro Tull if ya wanna see some electric flute thrown into some good 70's rock.
the tv station told them they didnt have much time to play their song( which was somewhat long) so they decided to troll them and have fun by playing it on turbo
I was 10 when this came out,my dad bought the Single and I remember when him and my mum went shopping, I used to sneak into the front room and blast it out on my dad's stereo.
A+ the back story is that song was 7 (give or take) minutes on the radio…Midnight Special had a 4 minute limit for each act…these guys did it double time…to fit in the slot
Love your reactions You should check out Edgar and Johnny Winter Tobacco Road live version, legally blind albino brothers from Texas couldn't play sports so they learned to play music Johnny's voice was one of the instruments, he'll take ya to Church...fact!
That was Gladis Knight that introduced them.Tae you nailed it that was the LSD days . You guys should see the crazy world of Arthur Brown song Fire. That’s the freaky deeky Dutch.
Well Done Guys for that reaction to those Dutch Masters. The Organist is still playing in his 70's now. I saw them around this year of 1973 in South East London. They had one other big UK hit with "Sylvia" and did many other songs but none like this. Others have ,probably,told you,that this was a 7 minute song but they were only given a 4 minute slot hence the speed that they played:)
i follow this band for 50 yrs. now..... and shared your reaction to the Nightdreamers Reacticide Discord (Nightwish).... pls note that they had to speed up this song, because they didnt wanted to shorten the song because of stupid American commercials.... grts from a dutch cheesehead, living in Germany.... btw.... no drugs were harmed prior to this performance !!
The 70s were a great time for music. The bands made it about the music and not the commercialism of it. The music was the only thing that made that era worth living in.
I can't believe you guys reviewed this band and this song, because back when this came out, I was a kid, in Junior High School. I had the album. Crazy shit! I'm pretty sure that guy was a Meth addict. I could be wrong though.
Oh my God! I'm 62 years old and I still go nuts over this song! I remember the first time I heard it, but now when I go nuts with this song I throw my back out !!!
That was Gladys Knight doing the intro. Y'all should check out her stuff with the Pips. Gladys Knight and the Pips. She has a heck of a voice. Love me some Gladys.
The vocal guy was warning up his facial muscles for the performance. This is faster than the original version. A good site to find out what sing meanings are is called song facts.... great reaction I was busting a gut .....
Just discovered your channel last night whilst watching your reaction to Procol Harum’s live performance in Denmark of Whiter Shade of Pale - Great reaction, to that and this one, y’all! In ‘66, my mom (now 81) discovered Progressive Rock after only knowing DooWop and Motown, and Focus is one of her favourite groups - she says I was listening to bands such as Focus, Pink Floyd, Johnny and Edgar Winter (and his two bands - The Edgar Winter Group; White Trash), Moody Blues, Rare Earth/Peter Rivera, Procol Harum, etc. Eruption (from the album Moving Waves) is a vibe - hauntingly beautiful and eerie it’s definitely worth checking out, but the piece’s overall tone/mood and its lengthy run time, it’s one to listen to when you’re by yourself or in a small, chill group. Looking forward to checking out more of your reactions! Cheers from The ATL.
One of the best uses of this song was the car chase scene of Baby Driver. This was played faster than the album version as they only had a 4mins slot, so their solution was to play a 7min song at a faster tempo. Legends.
Ya'll didn't know yet that this song was sped up some to fit the time slot in the show. That's what makes your reactions so innocent with natural reactions. Ya'll all beautiful.
Gladys Knight was the Hostess for the Midnight Special Episode you just watched. She was a Music Powerhouse, in her own Right. Very cool Lady. You should check out some Music from Gladys Knight and the Pips.
What do you do when you write a 7-minute song, and the TV show says you have 4 minutes?
Do it twice as fast. This was legendary.
The group played the song faster than usual because they were restricted by the TV time allowed.
It's still my favorite version, I love that they said no to cutting away a part of the song and just sped it up
From Holland. 50 years now
The only standing ovation ever on Midnight Special.
One of the great guitarist who influenced so many European players. One of the first shredders and using jazz progressions in the mix- Jan Akkerman
"What if rock, but also, sweep picking?"
@@HollowGolem yeah he was doing that while playing in scales I am still trying to figure out.
@@HRConsultant_Jeff One of the first technical guitar players , even Brian May was inspired by him and admited that he failed several times playing this song.
Even FrankZappa wanted Jan Akkerman in his band .
The there was Allan Holdsworth....
WOW!! this guy's vocal octaves are insane!!
for early 70s, that guitar player is shredding like few others could.
You might know the guy, Akkermans used to be more appraised then Clapton I remember in the old days.
Focus has so many great hits. Great guitar player : Jan Akkerman. A great Dutch band. Greetings from the Netherlands. 🎸🎸🎸🎶🎶👍
That guy could shred before shredders existed. Respect to the Dutch, my favourite people as a nation 🇬🇧 🇳🇱
Gladys Knight as in her and her brothers, 'the Pips', as in Midnight train to Georgia and many other songs - amazing vocalist. Also, hats off to the joy of Hocus Pocus' Focus! Thanks for your reaction. 😄
They where a Dutch group, very talented!
HUP HOLLAND!
this song is fire. and to think it came out in '73
As far as I know, they had to play the song twice as fast as it was supposed to be played because of time issues in the show :D
This is a genius performance, goofy but incredibly difficult
unique ,original ,bizarre, weird ,hilarious,fun
That show required bands to shorten their songs in order to fit in the given time slot. In an entertaining move, this band decided to play the entire song at warp speed instead of chopping it up. The recorded version is way less hectic.
Need to do "Edgar winter group" - "Frankenstien" live on the old grey whistle test! 👌❤️
Said the same thing @muzzap21. Great minds think alike!!!
Once they have hit Frankenstien they should hit up Tobacco Road by Edgar Winter too that is also fire.
If you were to listen to the album version, the live is so much faster,because they only had a small amount to play on the show, so they sped the song up. Saturday Night Special was awesome, so many different acts.
This is the best version of the song. The album version is too slow and boring.
@@HenritheHorse I like both
yeah that was gladys knight at the start lmao and yeah focus are an incredible dutch band, the guitarist jan akkerman one of the greats! also with this performance they had to speed the song up in order to fit the whole song in the limited time slot they had to perform on the show so really the song is a bit longer/slower but this is so good i love this performance
This 50-year old song was very popular and got plenty of radio play when it was first released. We really liked stuff that was unique.
The studio version is slower and a little easier to listen to. The live version was sped up to confirm to the shorter play time required by most TV shows.
one of the Greatest Reactions I've Ever Seen!!!!!!!
The legendary one and only 'Focus'. I am their loyal fan 🤩
HEY from HOLLAND...(yep the Netherlands)YOU'RE REACTION WAS 🔥HILARIOUS!!!🔥🤣👍🏻🧯 😜👌 THANKS you GUY'S...Cheers from this Dutch girl 😉
oooo im so glad you guys are watching this. i remember being shown this vid by a friend in highschool and being blown away. Focus' guitarist Jan Akkerman was way ahead of his time using advanced techniques like sweep picking and having one of the earliest signature guitars made for him by a German guitar company in the 70s.
This is without doubt the finest reaction vid for this tune. Well done gents for embracing it!!!
This recording will still make people happy 50 years from now....
😂😂😂 I love how y’all just went with it. Great reaction ❤
And the sole standing ovation from the public!
Outstanding musicians!
Talk about an incredible vocal range! This band was so talented and ahead of their time. Love them and still listen to them. Yo gotta listen to their studio stuff. The Moving Waves album is incredible. Great reaction guys. BY the way, the announcer is Gladys Knight an amazing vocalist
Which few pays attention to.
This has got to be one of my favorite reactions that I've seen so far. Cartier Family, you guys rock! Keep em coming ;)
The musicianship for this chaos is incredible! Always great to see folks react to the yodelshredbeatfest!
I love watching reactions to this, and they always make me laugh. You guys are the best so far! I was in HS when this came out. The original audio version of this is about half this speed. Midnight Special asked Focus if they could do this at a faster pace because of program time constraints, so they did. The slower version is still a decent pace, but it's way better than this version. "Hocus Pocus" was a huge hit when it was released in 1970. Focus is a Dutch progressive rock band formed in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1969 by keyboardist, vocalist, and flutist Thijs van Leer. The band disbanded in 1978. Great reaction guys! Thanks! ✌💙✌
Well, they reunited als still perform! The keyboard player is still in the band.
I heard they were asked to shorten the song, and Focus had a better idea, hence this well deserved standing ovation performance
They crack me up too. Crying, laughing at this!!
Me too! I graduated in 1975. I think about the “Free Bird” live video from Oakland in 1977 and can’t imagine how that crowd are now Grandma’s and Grandpa’s !!!!
@@tvoost7296 they don't have the heart of the band without the keyboard guy.
OMG this is the first time I've ever heard this song and watching you all react to it and all your facial expressions had me on the floor HAHA
Punk rock group from the Netherlands. The yodeling, the flute, the whistling!!
They were not punk at all. They were symphonic rock par excellence. All highly capable musicians. Otherwise they would not have been able to perform this at almost twice the speed of the original album version. Listen to Sylvia or the original of this, and you'll see they were anything but punk.
Saw this band live in a venue in Leeuwarden (The Netherlands) with my dad 6 years ago. AMAZING!
When I was a kid, I always liked when this song came on FM radio. I had no idea how frenetic the lead singer was.
speed that tune up almost 2 times to get it on tv and damn it rocked and was FUN
Here's another suggestion that's a bit different "Crowd Sings Bohemian Rhapsody [Live in Hyde Park 2017]" if you enjoy queen then you will love this video. (Impressive) this was so creative, back in the day. I don't know how anyone couldn't see the talent this band demonstrated from the instrumentals to the yodeling, whistling, and clever flute playing, an all-round fun tune. Thanks for sharing🎶👍
I've heard this song since 1973 but never watched it live before - wow, the skills involved! Thanks for sharing your reaction. I was bouncing around like the dude in the back too!
The song is normally over 6 minutes long, but Midnight Special strictly limited everyone's playing time. So Focus just sped up the song.
Got to agree with another comment about "crowd sings Bohemian Rhapsody ". It was a Green Day concert and before the band came onstage there was music playing on the PA system, and when Bohemian Rhapsody came on the entire crowd sang every word and note. It's incredible!!!!
Exactly how me and my friends responded to this in 1973. I still haven’t wiped the smile off my face.
The only Midnight Special standing Ovation EVER
One of the best group ever!!!❤❤❤
This reaction was fun to watch👏😊
Loved watching you guys react to this. It was probably how I reacted when I first heard it way back in 1973.
This is some good music! Crazy stuff! Enjoy all your vids!
At the time there were 2 great late night music shows Don Kirshners in Concert and this show Midnight Special. Some great performances on both
The woman who introduced them is the legend, Gladys Knight! (and the pips) My cousins and I used to air jam to this when it first came out. We would e ven do the yodeling! Idk what else they did, honestly.... but you HAD to experience this one! Too funny!! 👍
This was a hit in the UK, you guys are hilarious 😂 funny 😆👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇬🇧xx
Some of the best live performances on The Midnight Special show. You should check out Jethro Tull if ya wanna see some electric flute thrown into some good 70's rock.
I’ve seen this so many times but I HAD to watch it with you guys!!!
Love your reactions, you guys should react to Pink Floyd Echoes - Live at Pompeii
the tv station told them they didnt have much time to play their song( which was somewhat long) so they decided to troll them and have fun by playing it on turbo
Another Amazing Instrumental from the 1970's Edgar winter group" - "Frankenstien"
*LIVE* on the old grey whistle test
I was 10 when this came out,my dad bought the Single and I remember when him and my mum went shopping, I used to sneak into the front room and blast it out on my dad's stereo.
Rolling Stones rock and roll circus has some good performances! Dirty mac - Yer Blues! Great solo from Clapton! 👌❤️
They performed this song, which is actually much longer, in double time, in order to fit it into the time allowed by the television studio.
A+ the back story is that song was 7 (give or take) minutes on the radio…Midnight Special had a 4 minute limit for each act…these guys did it double time…to fit in the slot
Love that you guys love this! Next up try Edgar Winters *Frankenstein* 🔥
Love your reactions
You should check out Edgar and Johnny Winter Tobacco Road live version, legally blind albino brothers from Texas couldn't play sports so they learned to play music Johnny's voice was one of the instruments, he'll take ya to Church...fact!
so glad you guys got to see this. Love this song. Great content, keep it up
That was Gladis Knight that introduced them.Tae you nailed it that was the LSD days . You guys should see the crazy world of Arthur Brown song Fire. That’s the freaky deeky Dutch.
Well Done Guys for that reaction to those Dutch Masters. The Organist is still playing in his 70's now.
I saw them around this year of 1973 in South East London.
They had one other big UK hit with "Sylvia" and did many other songs but none like this.
Others have ,probably,told you,that this was a 7 minute song but they were only given a 4 minute slot hence the speed that they played:)
The drummer Pierre van der Linden has also rejoined a while back and they just released FOCUS 50, for their 50th Anniversary. Give it a listen.
@@toddstevens13 Thanks Todd..
One of the hardest sounds for 1970
Always fun to watch reactions to this song - but your reactions were some of the best!
i follow this band for 50 yrs. now..... and shared your reaction to the Nightdreamers Reacticide Discord (Nightwish).... pls note that they had to speed up this song, because they didnt wanted to shorten the song because of stupid American commercials.... grts from a dutch cheesehead, living in Germany.... btw.... no drugs were harmed prior to this performance !!
I remember that being on the radio all the time. I had forgotten about this song. What a childhood flashback !
"Oh yeah, he different" couldn't have said it better.
I love this song.
The 70s were a great time for music. The bands made it about the music and not the commercialism of it. The music was the only thing that made that era worth living in.
I can't believe you guys reviewed this band and this song, because back when this came out, I was a kid, in Junior High School. I had the album.
Crazy shit! I'm pretty sure that guy was a Meth addict. I could be wrong though.
Dutch Scandinavian rock of Europe.... wild crazy and you have to look if ya want to or not ... enjoy
The Guy at the back in the Grey Hoodie Bloody Priceless ❤
Impossible not to experience the energy they are putting out.
First concert I ever went to...follow band was Spirit...great night.
Oh my God! I'm 62 years old and I still go nuts over this song! I remember the first time I heard it, but now when I go nuts with this song I throw my back out !!!
My man in the back was vibin'!! Great reaction gentlemen!
Damn. Is the right word. Love these guys
I just came across this and it was so worth it to watch the kid in the back losing it
I LOOOOVVVE HOCUS POCUS BY FOCUS!!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤
It was a very unique and technically difficult song.
And this live version was a lot faster than the original studio version.
I was around in that era and watched the Midnight special a lot and this is the first time I ever saw this.
Nike even used this song in a very long soccer commercial. Easy to find on UA-cam. Check it out!
ive always fucken loved this song lmao, cant believe yall reacted to it
3:20
Thijs' face makes me smile...every....single....time!
💪✌️
Ok yall branching out fr. I fux with yall even more now
That was Gladys Knight doing the intro. Y'all should check out her stuff with the Pips. Gladys Knight and the Pips. She has a heck of a voice. Love me some Gladys.
The vocal guy was warning up his facial muscles for the performance. This is faster than the original version. A good site to find out what sing meanings are is called song facts.... great reaction I was busting a gut .....
Just discovered your channel last night whilst watching your reaction to Procol Harum’s live performance in Denmark of Whiter Shade of Pale - Great reaction, to that and this one, y’all!
In ‘66, my mom (now 81) discovered Progressive Rock after only knowing DooWop and Motown, and Focus is one of her favourite groups - she says I was listening to bands such as Focus, Pink Floyd, Johnny and Edgar Winter (and his two bands - The Edgar Winter Group; White Trash), Moody Blues, Rare Earth/Peter Rivera, Procol Harum, etc.
Eruption (from the album Moving Waves) is a vibe - hauntingly beautiful and eerie it’s definitely worth checking out, but the piece’s overall tone/mood and its lengthy run time, it’s one to listen to when you’re by yourself or in a small, chill group.
Looking forward to checking out more of your reactions!
Cheers from The ATL.
One of the best uses of this song was the car chase scene of Baby Driver.
This was played faster than the album version as they only had a 4mins slot, so their solution was to play a 7min song at a faster tempo. Legends.
Midnight Special NEVER gave standing Os. But they got one!
Can you imagine guys when I heard for the first time this song back in 1974? After 50 years don't realize the impact of these guys back then
Jan Akkerman the best gitar player off the world 1978...
loved this when i was a kid!
Ya'll didn't know yet that this song was sped up some to fit the time slot in the show. That's what makes your reactions so innocent with natural reactions. Ya'll all beautiful.
LOVE THE KILL BILL POSTER🖤💛
He was a Dutch performer it think was inspired by Jethro Tull or the other way around. Both are folk rock and roll.
Once again watching this page = insta good mood!!
The looks on your faces made my day 😂😂😂😂
Gladys Knight was the Hostess for the Midnight Special Episode you just watched. She was a Music Powerhouse, in her own Right. Very cool Lady. You should check out some Music from Gladys Knight and the Pips.
The MC was Gladys Knight for chrissakes! Anyway, yeah that was batshit crazy. You guys are up for anything and I love it!