That is how you perform a 6 and a half minute song in 4 minutes without leaving anything out. You just play it twice as fast.

The look on Bubbles' face was priceless. 😀 The album version of Hocus Pocus was at LEAST 25% slower, and got good airplay back in the day. The tv show this live performance was on limited their time slot, so they said screw it, we'll just speed up & fit the song, They're Dutch, btw.

This song reached no. 20 in uk music chart in 1973. It was originally about 7 minutes long but the tv show only gave them 4.5 minutes to perform. Instead of cutting verses, they just sped the song up. Bubbles face was a picture throughout this

The guitarist is Jan Akkerman, early seventies regarded as one of the best guitarists worldwide, and the guy on the organ, flute and vocals is Thijs van Leer. He also made in the seventies more classical albums (Introspection) with Bach and rearranged Focus instrumentals. Fifty years later they both still perform separately on stage, drummer Pierre van der Linden has rejoined Focus in recent years. In 2019 Thijs van Leer played flute during the Ayreon Into the Electric Castle concerts, I can recommend the song Valley of the Queens of that edition to enjoy his flute playing.

I love watching peoples reaction to this song. What makes it even better is when you see the lead singers face. Totally crazy song that I've loved for decades.

Jan Akkerman was so totally shredding it in this version; like a Blackmore on speed! Wow to the band!

In 1973 the guitarist, Jan Akkerman, was named best guitarplayer in the world by English music magazine Melody Maker…..

They are from Amsterdam and Thijs van Leer was the Cat that could Yodel, Whistle and Play the Flute! 😊

9:27 "I continuously say that music was different back then..." I love that! Very observant of you, young lady. You two are great! 👍

This is such a weird song LOL. It's crazy. I was having a less than stellar day (I had back surgery last Monday) and this reaction improved my day so much. I'm still smiling. Thanks!

If you liked this , you’d probably like Edgar Winter Group “Frankenstein” 1973 Live. Would love to see your reaction to that as well. 🙂👍🏼

Fabulous musicianship here, but we were just as blown away as y'all, 1st time we heard it, back in the day. Thanks for your reaction.

He's feelin' it. She's not. Too bad.

Yeah, these are someone's grandparents!! Love the 70s!!

I remember this from the early 1970s. As funny and goofy as these guys were, they were one of the most talented Bands, musically speaking, around. These guys were from Sweden, or somewhere in Scandinavia. That guitarist is actually one of the Best in the world at that time. It's a classic old school song. Thanks and Good Luck with the Channel. Give it time.

This made my day Rickk having so much fun Bubbles looked shocked lol After each Drum solo was when the crazy happens They had to speed the song up for time purposes on the Midnight Special

One of my favorite things to do is watching first time reactions to this.

I really like you two and your banter together:) I saw them perform this in South East London, England in 1973mexaxtly 50 years ago.

Saw these guys live over 50 years ago when they were supporting Curved Air. They were absolutely crazy.

Loved watching your reaction. Your physical reaction is exactly what goes through my head when I listen to this.

It was called 'Alternative Rock' or 'Experimental Rock' or 'Progressive Rock' in the early 70s. It was popular in northern Europe centered around Amsterdam.

My favorite live rendition of a rock song ever. No matter who I showed this to, at the end everyone was smiling. That's music touching your soul.

Rock Music was never boring

❤ to Both of You!

The band sped up the song for the tv show to fit in the allowed time. It was so funny and it holds up 😂😂😂

The woman at the beginning is Gladys Knight. This is a Dutch band and the vocalist/flutist is Thijs van Leer. One of my dad's musical heroes. His music isn't always this crazy. lol. (And as you've read in other comments, he played this at twice the speed.)

Just found you two and enjoyed myself watching with ya'll focus I was a 70s kid where back in the day all genre's were played on the same radio station .all the wonderful and different flavors of music was played.keep up with the great work and I will check out your other reaction videos...

First time on your Channel and it is nice to see you two...This Song is quite something I remember well when I was a Kid in Grade 9 back then...

Let the music speak for itself 😊

LOL dude. I am a 65 yr old smoker and that comment about cigarettes was priceless Cheers!

Gladys Knight (& the Pips) the host. God do I remember this song. I was 13 and in Jr. High!

OKAYRICKK YOU ROCK 🤟 THANKS FOR PLAYING FOCUS THEY ARE AWESOME AND AMAZING 😮😮😮😮❤❤❤❤YODINL ,FLUTE,AND WHISTLING😚😚😚😚😚😚🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶💯🙏🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟TRIPLE THREAT! TAKE CARE GUYS MUCH LOVE FROM NEW YORK ❤❤❤❤❤❤LOVE YOUR REACTIONS 😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤

And the discussion at the 9:30 mark was very well stated.

Bubbles, when he hit up the flute,YOU WERE PRICELESS!LOVE,AND GOD BLESS.

She’s “Trippin” 🤯😍 Mind Blown 🆘 This was the era 😎 Great for drivin’ the highway 🏎️

Gladys Knight is a fantastic blues singer !!!

Very nice and lovely reaction to this live performance masterpiece of Focus. Their music is so good. Album ‘moving waves’ for example. ❤

Bubbles is right ! Hocus Pocus is awesome !

... her name is Gladys Knight from The Pips family ;)

7:13 Oh! This fella's a different breed!

The host was Gladys Knight

Thijs van Leer, singer and keyboardist. Mad shit!!! 🤣

Subscribed. Tom Mac brought me here, and now I'm here for life, my brother. Edited to add: HOG!!!

Imagine this is half a century ago!

Yo. Late to the party. So seeing this on TV at Midnight or later. In the military, barracks TV lounge. You think the TV folks went crazy. Navy SPs came thinking a brawl had broken out. No fighting they left. Good Times

Awesome

Wow, she is an avute culture shock 😊

You want to relive that first rush? Watch that YT reference: ''Barbara Hannigan - Ligeti Mysteries of the macabre - 2015.'' It's batshit crazy but one hell of a performance.

She is wise

That was bad ass.🔥🔥🔥🔥

First time I saw these guys was in the early 70s on the "Old Grey Whistle Test" watched it with my mother {god rest her soul} she loved it so I bought the album and we listened to it together, happy days

This is the best song ever for reaction videos. You guys were at the top of the reactions and Bubble's analysis of the approach of artists to their music in the 60's and 70's v. mass popularity artists of this time in music history is the best comment I've heard on a reaction video. Popular artists of any era are righteously motivated by making the money, but during this classic period being creative and making the music bursting out of your brain and heart were what mattered the most!

She nailed it with that comment. Music is less original now because there is more copying formulas and much less experimenting with sounds. We have fewer artists that we can say push music forward.

Just enjoy, the uniqueness of this experience ❤ Thanks for the reaction!

He was yodeling!!!!

OK, NOW, Do the Album Version!! It's Slower, Longer and ROCKS Harder!!!!

That's Gladys Knight of Gladys Knight and The Pips.......and this is Focus Hocus Pocus.......GENIUS!

Hi from UK . Jan Ackerman guitar god .

There is a side story behind this performance. The managers of the show said they could not play the whole song since it was too long. So the band had a little fun with it. They refused and practised but a more uptempo version of the original. So this was the story that a 6 and a half minute song became a 4 minute song.

Lol I like that shit 😂 Was one of my favorite 8 tracks in the day.

Any time you need a good laugh just watch this haha omg it's ridiculous, you can't explain it any other way

after he did that first what she described as a Yodel would the next part be considered a form of Scat!? Love how my Dad was not a Fan of One Particular Genre as far as I knew he Loved all Music and this one was one of his Favorites he loved everything that came out of the 60's, 70's and 80s but also liked a lot of New Age music like Enigma, Enya, Deep Forrest but also liked some of the Newer Rock bands like The Off Spring, Beck and even Loved Regulators by Warren G and I find it Awesome that his Theme song in Life was White and Nerdy by Weird Al! He taught me to LOVE music (Not Artist or Genre but The MUSIC!) so I have heard just about everything out there in my 50 years but because of KZfaq and me Loving Reaction Videos I get to learn more about Music I may not have heard before and like I told you yesterday with Jelly Roll I need to check that Brother out more!

He's from the same planet as Jimi Hendrix,,,,,,

Need water😅😅 amazing stuff hey

I love it when people "get it" and dude you definitely got that, not sure about the lady though lol ..great vid

That different breed is Thijs van Leer ! 🤘(pronounced as Tice van Lare)

🤣🤣😂😂😭😭👍👍. I remember listening to this as a kid! CRAZY!!!!!

It was Gladys Knight with the introduction.

nowadays music has to belong into a category because packaging is more convenient for corporate marketing .. so there's not the avenue for the listener to experience the variety and experimentation with style that the musician is inclined to do as in the days of yore

when you have four and a half minutes to wake up, just play this

You all are too cool - great intro even before you start the reaction - and a one of a kind song!!! Bubbles is mystified!!

This is like a Rollercoaster on a Tsunami.

riyks van leer still doing at aged 70

I heard this when it first came out I was floored

you guys look ready for a bit of Jethro Tull live

The only other wild and crazy classic live rock video that equals this one is Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein (live version). Try it, you’ll like it!

Know this will be so Epic😂😂😂❤❤❤

if Bubbles was Shocked by the Solos here maybe you should show her Frankenstein by The Edgar Winter Group my apologies if you have already done so 😊 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hp6WYLSTksjbnIk.html

“Is you alright?” Lmao. No she looks borderline petrified!

GREAT reaction!!! If you like your mind being blown, try Frankenstein by Edgar Winter Group. ❤

Can i request you something different? Eric Burdon and WAR- spill the wine.

👍

Gladys Knight so pretty

It was mentioned a coup times already, but you need to see the Edgar Winter Group perform Frankenstein in 1973. Bring the water with you for that one. It's a bit longer than this one. ✌🏼❤

They escaped from their padded cells that day.

The tv presenter doing the introduction is Oprah Winfrey.

It's Gladys Knight introducing them &Thijs van leer (lead vocals) was definitely on something. Look at his eyes 8n the beginning...Lol....👍😁

If your daddy likes drums, show him the video on KZfaq of Buddy Rich performing “Impossible Drum Solo”.

To get use to listen to the studio versions of great songs would be an enrichment for your lives at many levels.

9:37-That's right, Bubbles..And we had cheap, widely available music lessons to show us how, Classes taught by pros already in the biz at every H.S., Comm. College and University--You could learn it all: Compose ,Jazz, Rock, Soul, Piano/Vocal/Drum/Horns and guitar theory in a year. Now the programs have been cut by 80%, too spendy for kids to afford, so they have to use sampling, auto tune and drum machines. Still some very good indie bands doing it old skool, but are being quashed by today's music industry...They want ya to keep on listening to the "Pop Tarts"

If you listen at 0.75x speed it sounds pretty close to the album version. LYRICS Ôi orôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi ohrorô poPÔ Yôi orôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi ohrorô PoPÔ Aaaah aaah aaah aaah Uuuh oooh oooh ooooooooh Ôi orôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi ohrorô poPÔ Yôi orôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi ohrorô BoumPÔ Aaaah aaah aaah aaah Uuuh oooh oooh ooooooooh Tatrrrepôtetretrepiecôã-é-é-ô-hã-hén-Hén Ôi trégueregué-dôi detêro deguedô A tataro teguereguedaw Teguereguedêro dêdow Ô-Éhr-Ôhr-Êhr-Êhr-Áhr-Ó Hé Hã He How Ãi erêrãi rãrãrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi ohrorô poPÔ Yôi orôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi ohrorôm PomPÔ Aaaah aaah aaah aaah Uuuh oooh oooh ooooooooh Ôi orôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi rôrôrôi ohrorô poPÔ Yôi orôrôi rôrôrôi rô Aaaah aaah aaah aaah Uuuh oooh oooh ooooooooh UaaahuHahaha... Eee hi hi hááá

Another song from focus...la catherdal...

Speaking of BeeGees! Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallen 😂

Gladys Knight!!!!

Hello Ash (is it Ash? Sorry if I"m wrong). You said music had different forms back then. "People did whatever" I say that people do whatever now! Musicians have always done whatever. We just have to find the places where they're doing whatever places like, Bandcamp, wherever they're doing their whatever. The great thing is that we can hear more different music now.

If you want a similar experience (you seem to like good music) watch Lingus by Snarky Puppy. =)

Some reactors are funny😁I mean the lady here,all the time she's looking like this😐The only time she changed was when the flute came in😥Thank you,i had almost given up hope😵🥲

The Midnight Special gave limited air time, so rather than cut the song Focus just upped the pace and crammed the whole song into the given time. Listening to the album version now, it is very tame by comparison

Now you need to do 'Surfin bird' by the Trashmen to complete your journey into the abyss.

You know dude, she is a friget swamp creature. Solid NPC.