Search - Frank Marino :: Live

Seventies guitar god rock

Tony Menendez | Missoula, Montana USA | 12/23/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The year is 1978, and it is ten minutes before I have to be
in senior year high school home room. I am out in the school
parking lot in my lemon yellow Cutlass, listening to music.
I'm listening to Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush Live. My best
friend Trace is next to me in his jeep, blasting out the same
cassette. Across the parking lot, Billy L. is also playing this
cassette at top volume. In my high school class, in my social
circle, this was THE album to own. We had all gone to seeAerosmith that year and Mahogany Rush opened for them and blew them, and us, away. Aerosmith seemed so stale and formulaic after we had seen Mahogany Rush almost tear the roof off the
auditorium. They were just amazing, so exciting and fast and loud and hard, savage, and cool. So then about ten of us went out the next day and bought this cassette and listened to it
constantly. The music here is just awesome, starting with a
blistering The Answer (which has a guitar solo that should makeEddie Van Halen weep) and finishing with an astonishing version
of Purple Haze. I got to see Mahogany Rush a few more times in concert and they were always great. They always embarassed the
headliners. I saw them open for Nazareth and after Mahogany Rush,
Nazareth basically put me to sleep. After seeing Marino stalk the stage, Nazareth just seemed so tame and timid. So, when I
listen to this CD, it just always brings back so many memories of being young, sitting or standing in a hot, crowded auditorium
with my friends, watching Marino work out on his guitar as
Jim Ayoub played his drums as hard and fast as he could. Purple
laser lights pierce the clouds of pot smoke that envelope us, and
damn, we didn't even know at the time that we were having the
time of our lives. Now I'm a middle aged workaholic father of two
and experiences like that are probably behind me for good. But,
I can still listen to this CD and snatch a little of that feeling
back again."

Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush Live

Keith Carmen | Chippewa Falls, Wi | 05/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Few live albums by any band / guitarist can match this live recording for conviction and blistering raw guitar sound. From start to finish it captures one of the most monsterous sounding arena rock bands, that routinely embarrassed the big name headliner acts they often opened for in the 70's and 80's. From the opening firecrackers going off and the deep "Ladies and Gentlemen.....and Frank tearing into "The Answer", this album screams guitar god! Dragonfly almost brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it, and there may not be a heavier and more wilder medley as Talkin bout' a Feeling / Electric Reflections. Frank cooks on old cover tunes "I'm a King Bee" and "Jonny B. Goode" and closes with a incredible rendition of Jimi's Purple Haze. Frank Marino is a amazing guitar talent, and if you like rip roaring, guitar oriented rock and roll....this disc just may be the end all."

One of the best live performances ever captured

Thelonious | 02/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an amazing live set from Frank Marino. He combines epic scorch, hot lava fluidity, and extreme speed into an intoxicating package. The highlights are numerous. Marino burns through a bevy of styles. Propulsive rock ("The Answer", "A New Rock & Roll), cool funk ("Dragonfly") searing blues ("I'm A King Bee/Back Door Man") majestic prog-rock ("World Anthem") psychadelic whammy-bar abuse ("Electric Reflections Of War"), and a high-tech rendering of "Who Do You Love" where Marino unleashes an avalanche of notes over the venerable Bo Diddley beat. A strong version of Hendrix's "Purple Haze" closes out the set. Marino is a great guitarist who is underappreciated. Not only is he a stunning technician, he is a master of a variety of styles. What separates Marino from most of the shredders who followed him is his mastery blues and jazz. Compared to the shredders who would come to dominate rock in the 80's, he is a paragon of musical eclecticism."