CD – Frank Marino – What’s Next Encore Records Ltd

Digitally remastered edition of this 1980 album from the legendary guitarist. Includes 16 page full-color booklet, new essay about the making of the album, enhanced artwork and previously unseen photos.

Amazingly this was Frank Marino’s seventh studio album in almost as many years, an accomplishment made even more impressive by the amount of live work that he had stashed under his belt. Marino had become a notorious road dog, playing everywhere and anywhere, helping to establish him as one of the great showmen of the era.

Of course, his comparison to Jimi Hendrix’s playing style served as an ideal introduction, but Marino’s appeal was so much more than that. What’s Next was an important milestone in Frank’s career, not only because the music was getting far more precise but because the band had expanded to a four piece after years working as a power trio. And it wasn’t any old expansion either, with Frank enlisting his brother Vince on rhythm guitar, lending the unit a far broader appeal – bigger, bolder and effortlessly streamlined, to take advantage of the changing times.

Produced as usual by Frank and originally issued in 1980, the album made a strong impact, attracting healthy reviews and an impressive placing on the all-important Billboard top 100 chart. It also featured some of Frank’s most impressive playing thus far, with tracks such as ‘Mona’, ‘Something’s Comin’ Our Way’, ‘Loved By You’ and a surprising cover of ‘Roadhouse Blues’, originally penned by the Doors. There is no question that this album is one of the many triumphs of Frank Marino and it’s reappraisal is long overdue.