- Apr 5, 2003
- 2,668
- 2
- 38
Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush - RealLIVE!
Just A Minute Records - MIN 007-2 - November 9, 2004
By Brandon Strader
This massive two and a half hour double-CD live performance is simply incredible. The sound quality is great, and the performances really shine through splendidly. The set starts out with "Voodoo Chile", which is a very bluesy, soul-fueled Jimi Hendrix cover. Frank Marino's solo abilities are amazing, and his vocals are great too though his voice does distort a bit when he tries to reach those very high notes. It's very impressive to hear him totally shred up a storm with a brilliant blues solo, and sing some vocals for a moment, and then whip right back into the solos. Speaking of solos, there are a ton of them throughout the set as Marino relentlessly blazes into a flurry of notes that sound so effortless yet still full of vintage blues emotion. The band occasionally enters a notoriously short instrumental segment which is usually an excerpt from a longer peice featured on the set, like the following track, "Something's Comin' Our Way (Excerpt)" as well as "She's Not There (Return)", "Poppy (Return)", and "Ain't Dead Yet (Excerpt)". These comparably brief tracks feature mostly Marino's impressive shredding prowess, but that seems to be a major focus of their music.
"He's Calling" showcases more vocal work from Marino and backing vocalist, Aaron Scoones that is a pleasing departure from the more solo-fueled arrangements. The tune enters a stationary jam, and Marino begins solo'ing yet again! At 14 minutes in length, the song only repeats a verse and chorus a few times, and a large majority of the jamming is spent in the act of experimental solos. You know how it feels to jam with a band, and all the joy you feel from playing a solo, do you not? I once jammed with a band performing the "Ghostbusters Theme" for about half an hour, and you really begin to lose stamina after a while, and ideas. Well, the mediocre player may, but not these fellows; everything sounds fresh throughout, and it seems like the performers really don't lose much energy and are able to continue on for hours... "Red House" (another Hendrix cover) is your somewhat typical laid-back blues tune (by today's standards anyway) with Marino providing yet another soulful lead performance. The song is very enjoyable and provokes swaying back and forth with the flow of the music! "Guitar Prelude To A Hero" is a short number that must be familiar to the audience, as they let out a wave of cheers when the acoustic riffs begin to play. This performance is only a couple minutes, and the arrangement sounds like some kind of medieval performance with a dash of classical influence. This little prelude leads to "Stories Of A Hero" which introduces the verse and chorus sections which are simply stunning. The vocal melody during the verse is the most enjoyable, and the lead guitar seems to follow the vocal line very tightly which any guitarist would tell you is pretty difficult to pull off while staying in time, yet Marino pulls it off perfectly. The song sounds sort of like Rainbow's "Soldier Of Fortune", that kind of mellow ballad.
"Poppy" is the next especially massive performance clocking in at 17 minutes! The rhythm guitarist provides a clean strummed guitar that plants the base for the solo to cover like the cherry on top of a banana split. Eventually the rhythm changes, and the band kicks in with percussion and bass and soon later Marino is back in the picture with more solos. The progression is somewhat similar to Camel, and those older prog rock bands that were so great. Again, the band jams for a bit while improvised, and often experimental, solos are laid down. Marino makes a lot of insane pinch harmonic sounds, and guitar feedback squeals that sound totally "out there", and really makes the crowd roar in approval! The rhythm shifts into a different key again at the 7 and a half minute mark, and continues to glide for a while. The funkier surfing-tune "She's Not There" links smoothly from the last track, and it doesn't last too long but it does feature a few great chord progressions. "Crossroads" initiates the ending of the first disc of the set, and actually has a lot of double-bass being played throughout the song, but the kick tone is a bit too soft to really notice it too much. Most of you have heard "Crossroads", as it is a rock 'n' roll classic that many will associate with the fellow who sells his soul to the devil to gain skill with the guitar! It almost seems like Marino has done just that...
Although the second disc is 77 minutes in length, it does hold a bunch of shorter songs for most of the time. The two epics, "Ode To Creation" and "Try For Freedom" feature more juicy jamming and incredible solos, as do the shorter numbers. After experiencing the first disc, you will definitely enjoy the second one as it features more of the same: fast, skillful solos unwind as if Marino has unlimited stamina for his performance, and the tight playing of his band. All of the musicians manage to stay in time with minimal mistakes throughout the whole massive show, which is truly impressive. The band basically touches every surface possible as they even do a jazz ballad entitled "Jazzed A Moment" that features some hefty bass lines and plenty of bass slaps! Each song throughout this whole set flows smoothly into each other, as the band never stops to talk, which is great for a live performance and also the tracklist - who knows how many songs they could lose if they talked too much? The music dies down a lot on the second disc to allow Marino more space to perform some more solos with less backing, though the band kicks back up before you know it and they actually provide a couple louder, slightly faster numbers before the end of the set. If you're a fan of music at all, you should hear this, but it will probably please rock 'n' roll and blues fans the most, and will provide hours and hours of enjoyment... After you hear it once, you'll be tempted to listen to it a lot more...
9.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush Website
Official Just A Minute Website
Just A Minute Records - MIN 007-2 - November 9, 2004
By Brandon Strader
This massive two and a half hour double-CD live performance is simply incredible. The sound quality is great, and the performances really shine through splendidly. The set starts out with "Voodoo Chile", which is a very bluesy, soul-fueled Jimi Hendrix cover. Frank Marino's solo abilities are amazing, and his vocals are great too though his voice does distort a bit when he tries to reach those very high notes. It's very impressive to hear him totally shred up a storm with a brilliant blues solo, and sing some vocals for a moment, and then whip right back into the solos. Speaking of solos, there are a ton of them throughout the set as Marino relentlessly blazes into a flurry of notes that sound so effortless yet still full of vintage blues emotion. The band occasionally enters a notoriously short instrumental segment which is usually an excerpt from a longer peice featured on the set, like the following track, "Something's Comin' Our Way (Excerpt)" as well as "She's Not There (Return)", "Poppy (Return)", and "Ain't Dead Yet (Excerpt)". These comparably brief tracks feature mostly Marino's impressive shredding prowess, but that seems to be a major focus of their music.
"He's Calling" showcases more vocal work from Marino and backing vocalist, Aaron Scoones that is a pleasing departure from the more solo-fueled arrangements. The tune enters a stationary jam, and Marino begins solo'ing yet again! At 14 minutes in length, the song only repeats a verse and chorus a few times, and a large majority of the jamming is spent in the act of experimental solos. You know how it feels to jam with a band, and all the joy you feel from playing a solo, do you not? I once jammed with a band performing the "Ghostbusters Theme" for about half an hour, and you really begin to lose stamina after a while, and ideas. Well, the mediocre player may, but not these fellows; everything sounds fresh throughout, and it seems like the performers really don't lose much energy and are able to continue on for hours... "Red House" (another Hendrix cover) is your somewhat typical laid-back blues tune (by today's standards anyway) with Marino providing yet another soulful lead performance. The song is very enjoyable and provokes swaying back and forth with the flow of the music! "Guitar Prelude To A Hero" is a short number that must be familiar to the audience, as they let out a wave of cheers when the acoustic riffs begin to play. This performance is only a couple minutes, and the arrangement sounds like some kind of medieval performance with a dash of classical influence. This little prelude leads to "Stories Of A Hero" which introduces the verse and chorus sections which are simply stunning. The vocal melody during the verse is the most enjoyable, and the lead guitar seems to follow the vocal line very tightly which any guitarist would tell you is pretty difficult to pull off while staying in time, yet Marino pulls it off perfectly. The song sounds sort of like Rainbow's "Soldier Of Fortune", that kind of mellow ballad.
"Poppy" is the next especially massive performance clocking in at 17 minutes! The rhythm guitarist provides a clean strummed guitar that plants the base for the solo to cover like the cherry on top of a banana split. Eventually the rhythm changes, and the band kicks in with percussion and bass and soon later Marino is back in the picture with more solos. The progression is somewhat similar to Camel, and those older prog rock bands that were so great. Again, the band jams for a bit while improvised, and often experimental, solos are laid down. Marino makes a lot of insane pinch harmonic sounds, and guitar feedback squeals that sound totally "out there", and really makes the crowd roar in approval! The rhythm shifts into a different key again at the 7 and a half minute mark, and continues to glide for a while. The funkier surfing-tune "She's Not There" links smoothly from the last track, and it doesn't last too long but it does feature a few great chord progressions. "Crossroads" initiates the ending of the first disc of the set, and actually has a lot of double-bass being played throughout the song, but the kick tone is a bit too soft to really notice it too much. Most of you have heard "Crossroads", as it is a rock 'n' roll classic that many will associate with the fellow who sells his soul to the devil to gain skill with the guitar! It almost seems like Marino has done just that...
Although the second disc is 77 minutes in length, it does hold a bunch of shorter songs for most of the time. The two epics, "Ode To Creation" and "Try For Freedom" feature more juicy jamming and incredible solos, as do the shorter numbers. After experiencing the first disc, you will definitely enjoy the second one as it features more of the same: fast, skillful solos unwind as if Marino has unlimited stamina for his performance, and the tight playing of his band. All of the musicians manage to stay in time with minimal mistakes throughout the whole massive show, which is truly impressive. The band basically touches every surface possible as they even do a jazz ballad entitled "Jazzed A Moment" that features some hefty bass lines and plenty of bass slaps! Each song throughout this whole set flows smoothly into each other, as the band never stops to talk, which is great for a live performance and also the tracklist - who knows how many songs they could lose if they talked too much? The music dies down a lot on the second disc to allow Marino more space to perform some more solos with less backing, though the band kicks back up before you know it and they actually provide a couple louder, slightly faster numbers before the end of the set. If you're a fan of music at all, you should hear this, but it will probably please rock 'n' roll and blues fans the most, and will provide hours and hours of enjoyment... After you hear it once, you'll be tempted to listen to it a lot more...
9.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush Website
Official Just A Minute Website
