Search - Frank Marino :: Dragonfly: Best of

Good Anthology Of Hendrix Styled Canadian Guitarist

J. E FELL | Carterville, Illinois United States | 03/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Frank Marino was a Canadian guitarist who adeptly played in a Hendrix hippy/psychedelic guitar style with his band Mahogany Rush during the seventies. "Dragonfly: The Best Of Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush" only features his tenure at CBS. His work before and after this period is not included here. Marino's style especially later in his CBS tenure tended to be more overblown and bombastic than the work of another Hendrix aficionado Robin Trower. His playing was also not as bluesy and more metallic than Hendrix fan Stevie Ray Vaughan. That being said he still produced some interesting material and his albums always featured some great playing. Reportedly he used to participate in guitar "cutting" contests with Ted Nugent and Mark Pinera (Iron Butterfly). For most of his tenure at CBS his band Mahogany Rush was a power trio with Paul Harwood on bass and Jim Ayoub on skins. Most of his best tunes are included here such as originals like "Jive Baby", "Dragonfly", "Sister Change" and "Woman". Covers like "Johnny B. Goode", "All Along The Watchtower", and "Roadhouse Blues" prove he could also interpret the material of others. He was perhaps at his best in a live context and there are a number of cuts from his "Live" lp and a live version of "I'm A King Bee" from the rare "California Jam" lp. I was disappointed that a few cuts like his covers of "Purple Haze" (often his concert encore) and "Rock Me Baby" were not included. I also miss "The Answer" and "Broken Heart Blues" and somewhat oddly one of his last singles for CBS "Strange Dreams" was omitted. This set provides a good sample Marino's playing and style. Rumor has it according to his web site that CBS is planning a multi-disk box set later in the year. Hopefully my favorites which were omitted from this compilation will be added to that set if it is released along with some unissued live and studio tracks. If like what you hear on this set your next step should be the purchase of the "Live" lp."

BEFORE THERE WAS SHRED!

James E. Lane | Joplin, mo. USA | 10/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before there was shred, before anyone knew what to label it or how to market it, there was Frank Marino. But he was much more then a speed freak, as this retrospective (which traces his band's late-seventies Columbia years) clearly demonstrates. Songs like "Dragonfly" (a haunting bit of psychedelic funk) and "Requiem For a Sinner" (with it's droney, Middle-Eastern overtones and Marino's amazing Arabic-tinged guitar solo) are not merely testaments to his agility but also to his adventurous and creative spirit. Of course,Frank often just liked to boogie, as he most dramatically does on the scathing live versions of "Johnny B. Goode" and "Who Do Ya Love," where he plays some of the fastest and intense blues licks ever heard by man. Long may Marino wail!"

Marino...the overlooked Canadian guitar master

James E. Lane | 08/01/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most people my age (31) have probably never heard of Mahogany Rush, or think it's some disco combo from the forgotten depths of 1975 or so. Never mind the name "Frank Marino." As a guitarist it was only a matter of time before I came across this music, since so many others cite Marino as an influence. The easiest way to think of his playing is as a cross between Chuck Berry, Ted Nugent and Hendrix turned up to 11. Armed with a Gibson SG and extraordinarily fast fingers, Frank rips through rock n' roll standards, hippy-dippy diversions, and some pretty smokin' originals on this set. There is no discernible personality here, as it was years before video music and band branding; there's just damn fine rock and roll goin' on and if you enjoy early Nugent, Grand Funk, Mountain, Pat Travers, kind of intelligent sonic mayhem built around the blues, you'll find a lot to like here. In some ways MR was a Canadian Cream. Essential for guitarists and fans of the early 70s style of boogie jams."