Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - What's Next. 1980 Canada

Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush's 7th studio album is about as great as it can get when talking fast paced and bluesy hard rock guitar. 'You Got Livin'', 'Finish Line', 'Mona', and especially 'Something's Comin' Our Way' are jaw dropping in their execution and intensity, and represent the apex of Marino's original recordings. Not an entirely consistent album, though for hard blues fans, it's also difficult not to love 'Rock Me Baby' and 'Loved By You'. I'm not real fond of the Doors' cover 'Roadhouse Blues', primarily because it doesn't add anything new and lacks Marino's usual unique solo touch.

One of the all-time great hard rock albums - at times strikingly so.

Ownership: LP: 1980 Columbia (USA); CD: 2017 Rock Candy (UK). I bought the LP when it came out, at the tender age of 15 (long worn out and gone). I recently reacquired the LP at Wax Trax in Denver, just to own it. For whatever reason, Marino's best album on Columbia was also the one most ignored in the reissue market. It was served up only as a bootleg (gray area Discogs suggests) until recently. The Rock Candy reissue is superb, keeping with the label's great reputation. No bonus tracks but fantastic liner notes from long time Kerrang writer Malcom Dome. Some photos and poster shots as well. The CD is the primary copy here.

10/4/20