That is how this song started when Focus wrote it to begin with. Thijs van Leer (keyboard / flute / vocals for Focus) explains in an interview that the group was practicing and screwing around, Akkerman came out with that kick ass guitar riff, the rest of the group jumped in, pretty much just having some fun with it, and next thing they knew the song Hocus Pocus was born.
@@pateris This is the interview, it is in Dutch with English subtitles since they are / were a Dutch band. th-cam.com/video/nDPlwhqowHI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=1eiTChfyOhjFJi10
It's clear why this was just slapped as an extra on some DVD single. It's just them having fun with an excellent rock song, they grew up listening. This cover version wasn't meant to be taken seriously.
I love all the bands mentioned. I'm a metalhead and a proghead. DT, Maiden, Purple, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Floyd, Yes, ELP, Tull, Rush, love all that stuff (yes, Focus, too!). This was a great cover of a great progressive rock song by another great band
WOW.....I wish I could be in the studio when the guys are jamming like this....just to see their facial expressions and listen to Nicko singing, that would really be a total blast !!!!
This cover is both musically brilliant and also deliberately tongue in cheek- it's great- it honours the original whilst doing something quirky and British with it - also the original had a great deal of fun in it anyway and wasn't taking itself too seriously
@@EricRumplestiltskin Akkerman ruled. Not Hendrix , not Clapton. Listen to Dark Rose from Brainbox with Jan. Or Russian Spy And I by The Hunters with Jan Akkerman. I know . i'm a chauvinist.
This song is from 1971 or 72 and is by the Dutch group, Focus. It was very successful at the time and is instrumental, it doesn't have and never had lyrics.
Holy shit that's awesome, I didn't know they covered this. Hocus Pocus is a great experimental rock song and with Maiden covering it, you can't go wrong. Mega-huge thumbs up!
There is a cover band out of Vegas called the Yellow Brick Road Band or YBR band that does an AMAZING cover of this song, and yes, the singer does the yodeling live.
Go watch the 1973 NBC Midnight Special video on here by the original band and then compare it to this version - this one plods along at metal pace, the original really rocks!
Oh, but it is! This was an included track on their Different World single (You can really tell though at the first break where the song would normally have yodeling, instead we get Nicko rambling is awesome gibberish)
i like how people are complaining about this being crap, shit, garbage or whatever and also saying focus or Helloween did it better. This was just a jam in the studio though, they did it for fun. I quite enjoy this song. it may not do the original by focus justice. but they werent trying to do that, they were just having fun.
@musickkelly - I love Maiden, but you're right on. Focus really had something with Hocus Pocus, and if you listen to A LOT of their recorded live performances of the song, sometimes the more they're into the performance, the faster they play the song and the more Akkerman biffs and rolls through them with some random improvisational licks.
One of the most overlooked GREAT guitar players. It's unreal that he never seems to get mentioned. I'm not a fan of the shredding, but Jan Akkerman was a brilliant Jazz player too.
It is a shame that Akkerman, Zappa, and Les Claypool never had the opportunity to get together. Some of the stuff that would come out of a few of those sessions......
This is fukkin epic, Nicko is such a legend! Oh and everyone bitchin' stop, this obviously wasn't a serious attempt at covering the song, just a bit of fun! GOSH!
Couldn´t agree with you more Gabriel. The original version is so much better but I was so surprised to find this cover by a group that I like a lot. Great effort though. (by the way, I just turned 50 last month) jajajajajajajajaja
@TheDexp - This is exactly the type of thing Maiden would come up with. They weren't being crap, they're well known for their sense of humour - especially where Nicko is concerned.
Dude, wut? 1) "faster" doesn't mean "better" 2) Have you ever seen a live version of Focus? Check out the live 73 one. 3) Also, Focus' lyrics are just plain brilliant. :) Still, Maiden is as always the more powerful band. I think that's what you mean, but that still doesn't mean they're better at this song.
I personally think that the Helloween cover of Hocus Pocus blows the Maiden one out of the water. Like Thijs van Leer has said in a few interviews over the years, the song started with that kick ass riff and then it was the rest of the band just having some fun with it. Thijs van Leer classifies it as humor music. th-cam.com/video/9Hx_mql7l34/w-d-xo.html
i think it's a great cover, and i appreciate good bands covering good music by other good bands. what disturbs me are the crappy modern-day bands trying to cover good bands, just sad and disappointing. it's one thing that nobody does anything original that's good, but if you suck, don't try to cover somebody that's good, just makes you look that much worse. i love this song and this is a damn good version. cheers!
One of my favourite songs played by one of my favourite bands... AWESOME!
for people who say this is crap, ''this is just Iron Maiden having fun in the studio so,''
That is how this song started when Focus wrote it to begin with. Thijs van Leer (keyboard / flute / vocals for Focus) explains in an interview that the group was practicing and screwing around, Akkerman came out with that kick ass guitar riff, the rest of the group jumped in, pretty much just having some fun with it, and next thing they knew the song Hocus Pocus was born.
Some people wouldn t believe how hard that riff actually is
@@Terpe75 Gee, I didn't know that. Thank you mate !
@@pateris This is the interview, it is in Dutch with English subtitles since they are / were a Dutch band.
th-cam.com/video/nDPlwhqowHI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=1eiTChfyOhjFJi10
love this, they have captured the moment, the humour, total blast. its only rocknroll
Take a piss at Jan Akkerman? No its taking a piss at Thijs van Leer.
It's clear why this was just slapped as an extra on some DVD single. It's just them having fun with an excellent rock song, they grew up listening. This cover version wasn't meant to be taken seriously.
I love all the bands mentioned. I'm a metalhead and a proghead. DT, Maiden, Purple, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Floyd, Yes, ELP, Tull, Rush, love all that stuff (yes, Focus, too!). This was a great cover of a great progressive rock song by another great band
The Helloween version though, that one is PEAK.
I for one, love this cover. It's just them having fun with a song they love, nothing more.
LOL - funniest METAL cover of the classic. Well done Maidens, well done!
Guys, please. It's just a tribute from one of the greatest bands to one of the greatest songs. I like it.
HUMOUR.......the thrill, raw approach only Maiden brings, on or off stage !!
WOW.....I wish I could be in the studio when the guys are jamming like this....just to see their facial expressions and listen to Nicko singing, that would really be a total blast !!!!
Excellent tribute to the Dutch supergroup Focus !!!
Sounded Great! I remember when this song came out, it was ahead of its time back then!
Yes, it sure was ahead of it's time.
It might be a just a jam session but this track has one of the greatest riffs and the guitar work is superb.
This cover is both musically brilliant and also deliberately tongue in cheek- it's great- it honours the original whilst doing something quirky and British with it - also the original had a great deal of fun in it anyway and wasn't taking itself too seriously
Its just a cover, the original is unique.
agreed
Man I love them. They can do no wrong
The uncoverable song. Focus are still touring the original.
I honestly thought this was gonna be clickbait or something. I can’t believe they actually did this song, haha.
What a pleasant surprise, Hell Yeah!
an epic song covered by an epic band. I love it.
Both this and the original version have energy that could power a city
Arrepiado eu estou e emocionado também!! Que coisa sensacional !! Rock and Roll Progressivo mostrado de forma Heavy Metal !! Amei !!!
cool that Maiden did this; i saw Maiden in 1984 and they where awesome respect for these cool dudes
YES! Akkerman was INSANE on the guitar!
Yes he was
@@EricRumplestiltskin Akkerman ruled.
Not Hendrix , not Clapton.
Listen to Dark Rose from Brainbox with Jan.
Or Russian Spy And I by The Hunters with Jan Akkerman.
I know . i'm a chauvinist.
@takker9705 In my music groups, I mention him as the very first shredder on many occasions
Iron Maiden - Hocus Pocus !!!!!!!!
Thanks for posting,
lethemania
what's wrong with you guys? This is an awesome cover. I always knew Maiden were progheads at heart. Steven cites Yes, Rush, and Tull as influences.
Listen to theit cover of. Jethro Tulls " Cross Eyed Mary" that's a real cover vand it's amazing.
And also old Genesis.
DAMNNNNN!!! GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great cover!
why did they put Homer Simpson for the vocal parts?
Because Homer Simpson ROCKS
Dont you know Nico Mcbrain is Homer’s voice?
Scratch tracks
Lmfao 😂
Maiden,paying their respects.
Excellent Cover.
Totally AWESOME.....BRILLIANT, NO lyrics needed..........
This song is from 1971 or 72 and is by the Dutch group, Focus. It was very successful at the time and is instrumental, it doesn't have and never had lyrics.
Nicko McBrain is the best singer!
Did Nicko sing on this one?
😂
@@JossFromAnarchy 3:38 и 4:28 и 5:26
Nice cover of the song by Focus (the original Amsterdam band).
I love the original but also love IM's version.
Freaking awesome cover. This song is already a jam masterpiece and Bruce and the boys just took it to another level.
Right!
What a great cover by Maiden, love Nicko Mcbrians vocals, seriously pissed myself laughing
La original no se puede igualar,pero es una poderosa y metalera version .
Holy shit that's awesome, I didn't know they covered this. Hocus Pocus is a great experimental rock song and with Maiden covering it, you can't go wrong. Mega-huge thumbs up!
Did we hear the same thing?
@@bryanb8366 Bruh, I left that comment 11 years ago, I was probably drunk or high or both. Listening to it again, it's not the worst thing. 😄
@@bryanb8366there is always one ! .
...My Dad Had This On a K-Tel 8-Track "22 Fantastic Hits",The Yodeling part reminded me of Chief Dan George on the BeachCombers!!!
I love this Cover!
Why does nobody get it..... Its not suposed to be better! its just a Jam in the Studio ffs
*****
Bruce doesnt even sings here, its fucking Niko taking a piss at vocals -_-
It's still retarded
exactly ~! played this in several bands onstage and everyone loved it
it's a jam for fun. nothing more.
Ya gotta do the singing part...this sucks!
its a cover from Focus. a pretty bad one indeed, thats why people dont like it very much
I am a Focus fan and this is good.
a very good cover. the original song by Focus with Jan Akkerman. made in Holland.
Maiden Kicked ass with this song.
Hocus Pocus has such an extensive catalog..... Crazy Maiden chose this song to cover in the studio.
a lot of you guys don´t know what "cover-version" means, right?! this one is a cover and it´s great, too!
Nicko McBrain is a national treasure!
He is THE national treasure
Excelente cover.... muy muy buen cover
Sure it is ! You can recognize them during solos ( 1st is Adrian, 2nd is Janick and 3rd is Dave !)
Maiden play Maiden. Let that be. It´s another class. You´ll never reach Focus!
SENSATIONAL!!!!!!!!
DE TODAS LAS VERSIONES,ESTA DE IRON MIDEN,Y LA ORIGINAL,SON LAS MEJORES.MUY BUENO¡¡¡¡
La de helloween es mejor que esta
There is a cover band out of Vegas called the Yellow Brick Road Band or YBR band that does an AMAZING cover of this song, and yes, the singer does the yodeling live.
Ahhhh! The McBrain humour in all it's splendor!
Go watch the 1973 NBC Midnight Special video on here by the original band and then compare it to this version - this one plods along at metal pace, the original really rocks!
Oh, but it is! This was an included track on their Different World single (You can really tell though at the first break where the song would normally have yodeling, instead we get Nicko rambling is awesome gibberish)
Beautiful cover of Iron Maiden of de Focu's song.-
HOLY SHIT!!!! I never knew Iron Maiden covered this song by Focus. This is FUCKING GREAT!!!!!!
abgefahren!!!, bin schon vor 30 jahren auf die focus-version abgefahren, aber diese ist auch geilo!!!
It's brilliant
i like how people are complaining about this being crap, shit, garbage or whatever and also saying focus or Helloween did it better. This was just a jam in the studio though, they did it for fun. I quite enjoy this song. it may not do the original by focus justice. but they werent trying to do that, they were just having fun.
Thx for putting that up . . love this version!
@musickkelly - I love Maiden, but you're right on. Focus really had something with Hocus Pocus, and if you listen to A LOT of their recorded live performances of the song, sometimes the more they're into the performance, the faster they play the song and the more Akkerman biffs and rolls through them with some random improvisational licks.
Es una excelente versión del tema de Focus.-
Jan Akkerman out shredded these guys 35 years earlier.
Thank god I wasn't the only one thinking that...
One of the most overlooked GREAT guitar players. It's unreal that he never seems to get mentioned. I'm not a fan of the shredding, but Jan Akkerman was a brilliant Jazz player too.
It is a shame that Akkerman, Zappa, and Les Claypool never had the opportunity to get together. Some of the stuff that would come out of a few of those sessions......
excelente versión !!!!
No, there's a chord that alternates between D and C maj7. They just play D, as do most people. Don't know why.
Iron Maiden - "Hocus Pocus" :)
It doesn't matter, awesome Jam
Great drumming
Great job Nicko!
This is fukkin epic, Nicko is such a legend! Oh and everyone bitchin' stop, this obviously wasn't a serious attempt at covering the song, just a bit of fun! GOSH!
What's with the Maiden hate? Jesus christ. This is a great cover.
Excellent version!
Couldn´t agree with you more Gabriel. The original version is so much better but I was so surprised to find this cover by a group that I like a lot. Great effort though. (by the way, I just turned 50 last month) jajajajajajajajaja
tobalus f
This just shows me what a great sense of musical humour this band has...
This kicks ass!!
I never new Maiden covered this. It has really made me smile. It doesn't have the humour of Focus and is bit too Metal but a great attempt.
@mich19ael - double fail :
• The german Power Metal band is Helloween, and not halloween.
• The original track comes from Focus, not Helloween.
Ha ha ha haaaaaaa!!! Nicko is SOOOOOOO FUNNNNNYYYYYYY!!!! :)
This is great
@TheDexp - This is exactly the type of thing Maiden would come up with. They weren't being crap, they're well known for their sense of humour - especially where Nicko is concerned.
Originally from Hocus Pocus 1972
Bruce no yodel?
Hit it, Nicko!!
Seriously funny cover, love it!
Agreed! They're obviously having a great time just goofin'..Do I love you more than you love me? Great!! :):)
Dude, wut?
1) "faster" doesn't mean "better"
2) Have you ever seen a live version of Focus? Check out the live 73 one.
3) Also, Focus' lyrics are just plain brilliant. :)
Still, Maiden is as always the more powerful band. I think that's what you mean, but that still doesn't mean they're better at this song.
I personally think that the Helloween cover of Hocus Pocus blows the Maiden one out of the water.
Like Thijs van Leer has said in a few interviews over the years, the song started with that kick ass riff and then it was the rest of the band just having some fun with it. Thijs van Leer classifies it as humor music.
th-cam.com/video/9Hx_mql7l34/w-d-xo.html
The Focus hit was a "faster" version already, go find the original album and single versions.
great cover !
Good cover from Focus!!!!
I think it's great this version, i like it
Only big bands are imitated...!. and Focus is one of them..
Chill out, it's a bit of fun.......
Awesome!
@PeterLaman It's a cover and you don't have to copy everything exactly as Focus played it.
I listened to it, but still, can't beat Nicko :)
song is from focus from the 70tes
i think it's a great cover, and i appreciate good bands covering good music by other good bands. what disturbs me are the crappy modern-day bands trying to cover good bands, just sad and disappointing. it's one thing that nobody does anything original that's good, but if you suck, don't try to cover somebody that's good, just makes you look that much worse. i love this song and this is a damn good version. cheers!
Muito bom - Very Good
Very good version,too
Very cool!
Klasse Version!!!!
I've always played the correct alternate D and C maj7 chord change :) ... have always liked this tune !
I love the original & I love Iron maiden. Have I died & gone to heaven? I don't care if it isn't serious. it's still fantastic