Frank Marino - The Power Of Rock And Roll (1981/2017)

FRANK MARINO HAD been developing a solid reputation throughout the 1970s as the figurehead of his band Mahogany Rush, an impressive power trio rooted in electric blues, that gave Frank a platform to showcase his tremendous guitar prowess, all set within a wide screen musical landscape. In a bold move, for this, his eighth studio album, he was encouraged to drop the Mahogany Rush handle altogether and set sail purely under his own name. It was a brave step but one that made perfect sense considering the momentum that he had already achieved.
Released in 1981 and once again self produced, ‘The Power Of Rock And Roll’ was a triumph, seeing Frank setting fire to convention with a collection of hard hitting, no nonsense rock that sounded like a defiant call to arms. It also signalled other major changes; splitting with long time management Leber-Krebs and cementing the appointment of his brother Vince Marino, on rhythm guitar, as a full time member of the group.
Sharper, infinitely more focussed and taking no prisoners, the eight tracks are veritable firecrackers, making good on his intent to deliver a record that, by all rights, should have catapulted him to sizeable success beyond his cult appeal. Songs such as ‘Ain’t Dead Yet’, ‘Runnin’ Wild’, ‘Crazy Miss Daisy’ and the frenetic, almost speed metal, pace of ‘Go Strange’, leave little room for any argument that Frank was losing his focus or resting on his laurels.