Dutch Progressive Rock legends Focus are set to have one of their most sought-after live documents properly reissued and digitally remastered. House of the King: Live in the USA 1973 will be released on March 20, 2026 via Audio Vaults, in a digipak CD edition (Cat. No. AV2018134).
The recording captures the classic Focus lineup — Jan Akkerman (guitar), Thijs van Leer (keyboards, flute, vocals), Bert Ruiter (bass) and Pierre van der Linden (drums) — at the absolute peak of their powers, documented via an FM broadcast recorded live at the Philharmonic Hall, New York, on March 23rd, 1973. As a bonus, the package includes a BBC session recorded in London on January 30th, 1973, making this a genuinely valuable snapshot of the band’s golden era on both sides of the Atlantic.
The tracklist speaks for itself: the sprawling “Anonymous II” at over 26 minutes, the relentless “Eruption,” the iconic “Hocus Pocus” (here in both full version and reprise), the delicate “Sylvia,” and of course the BBC bonus closer “House of the King” — a baroque-flavored gem that became one of the defining instrumental pieces of early ’70s European Prog.
This is the kind of archival release that reminds you just how formidable Focus were as a live unit — genre-defying, technically ferocious, and utterly unique. Essential for any serious Prog collector.
Focus – “House of the King: Live in the USA 1973” is available for pre-order now via Burning Shed here: https://burningshed.com/store/focus/focus_house-of-the-king-live-in-the-usa-1973_cd
Tracklist:
01. Crowd (0:26)
02. Focus III (3:26)
03. Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! (12:42)
04. Focus II (4:30)
05. Anonymous II (26:31)
06. Eruption (9:15)
07. Hocus Pocus (9:32)
08. Sylvia (3:47)
09. Hocus Pocus (Reprise) (3:30)
10. House of the King — BBC Session, January 30, 1973 (2:40)
Lineup:
Jan Akkerman / Guitar
Thijs Van Leer / Keyboards, Flute, Vocals
Bert Ruiter / Bass
Pierre Van Der Linden / Drums