In 1971 the Dutch rock band “Focus” released an album that had the song “Hocus Pocus.” It gained a measure of fame due to being a bit… well, odd, to say the least, with the lead singer yodeling, among other unconventional techniques. The song did well in the charts at the time. But what will meke it last until the sun goes dark is their 1973 live version on NBC’s “Midnight Special.” They didn’t change the song much, except for one detail. The song was originally nearly 7 minutes long, but NBC only gave them about four and a half minutes. What to do? The usual approach would be to chop bits of the song out. Focus’ approach: do the song twice as fast.
It’s *bonkers.*
The lead singer is *working* here, and as a result pulls some interesting faces. He could well be Chancellor of the Klingon Empire
To compare with the original:
As with the final scene from “Blackadder,” “Hocus Pocus” was improved due to time constraints and imposed limitations.