May 1967 - July 1968: In Less Then a Year

Pictured above: Focal Point, 1968.

Despite being a small footnote in the history of music, the story Focal Point is still interesting for being one of the first bands to sign with Apple Records, before fading into obscurity with an abrupt stop. Despite this they still have a cult following and are remembered in the mainstream mostly by their bassist Dave Slater, drummer Ted Hesketh, and guitarist Paul Tennant, all of who would later play in the Plastic Ono Band, with Slater and Hesketh even participating in the recording of the album Plastic Ono Band.

Musician friends and songwriting partners Paul Tennant and Dave Rhodes happened to come across Paul McCartney one day in the summer of May 1967, who was walking his dog in London's Hyde Park. After chasing after him, they told the Beatle how they had been writing songs and didn't know what to do with them, then asking for his help.

After about five minutes of talking to each other, Paul McCartney gave them the number of Terry Doran, manager of Apple's record publishing business (later the manager of Apple Records, in particular the band Grapefruit). 

It would take them a week to muster up the courage to make the phone call, after which they were called over to Doran's office. After hearing the pair play some songs in his office, Doran was impressed enough to record some demos with the duo, which he played to Brian Epstein and John Lennon.

Epstein suggested that the two form a band called Focal Point, Tennant and Rhodes did form the group in Liverpool with bassist Dave Slater, keyboardist Tim Wells, and drummer Ted Heshketh. Then signing a contract with Apple Records, with Terry Doran and Lionel Morton as their managers.

The band soon got to work in recording an album of original compositions on August 2nd, 1967, finishing on January 4th, 1968, with the album being released on February 29th, 1968 on vinyl, later with an ELP release, as well as the single Never Never / Sycamore Sid one month earlier.

Focal Point

Side A

- 01. Miss Sinclair (2:29) [1]

- 02. Sycamore Sid (2:28) [1]

- 03. Hassle Castle (3:39) [1]

- 04. Never Never (3:26) [1]

- 05. Lonely Woman (3:31) [1]

- 06. Far Away Form Forever (3:41) [1]

- 07. Love You Forever (2:55) [1]

Side B

- 08. Tales From The GPO Files (2:19) [1]

- 09. McKinley Morgan The Deep Sea River (3:10) [1]

- 10. Falling Out of Friends (3:28) [1]

- 11. Girl on the Corner (2:21) [1]

- 12. Goodbye Forever (2:29) [1]

- 13. This Time She's Leaving (3:19) [1]

- 14. 'Cept Me (2:28) [1]

Released: February 29th, 1968

Track sources:

[1] - First Bite of the Apple (The Complete Recordings 1967-68), 2005

Within less of a year after chasing down Paul McCartney walking his dog, Focal Point became all the rage in Liverpool, the press likening the band to The Beatles, with a local tabloid going as far calling them the "potential Beatle killers". The band wasted no time playing live all across Liverpool and other surrounding cities in the Merseyside county.

"That was it. In less then a year we were on our way to the top. Our album hit number 5 in the charts, we were playing live gigs, doing interviews, appearing on radio shows, the works. However it would all come crumbling down on June 30th, 1968 - I remember the date because it was one day after my birthday - we were having a party or something like that, and everyone was absolutely drunk. (David) Rhodes fell from a window on the fourth floor and died on the spot. After that we didn't feel it was right to carry on, it just wasn't the same without Rhodes."

- Paul Tennant, 2005

The band officially broke up on July 4th, 1968. The remaining members would go on to perform as studio musicians and keep in touch between themselves, The Beatles, and other Apple alumni, with John Lennon latter calling in Tennant, Slater and Hesketh as somewhat regular members of the Plastic Ono Band lineup between 1969 and 1974.