Frank Marino – Juggernaut – CD Encore Records Ltd

1 Cd

Digitally remastered edition of this 1982 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.

For the most part, Frank Marino was perceived by the music business, and the majority of his fans, as a red-hot guitar player capable of laying down riffs and solos like they were going out of fashion. However, that overall impression belied his musical depth as a musician with a deep understanding of composition and arrangement. For Frank, despite his reputation for endless soloing, the goal was always about crafting songs that had meaning and weight.

Nowhere is this better demonstrated than on the Juggernaut album. Recorded and released in 1982, the record showcases Frank in spectacular form, setting out a stall that solidly welds his penchant for blistering hard rock and memorable songs. The title track alone is arguably his greatest triumph, fusing a rock solid riff with a synthetic dusting of melody. Indeed, it became one of Frank’s most successful tracks, nearly nudging him into the upper reaches of the American rock charts.

And that song is not alone as there are several equally impressive examples, such as ‘Midnight Highway’ and the brilliantly evocative ‘Stories Of A Hero’. Sadly for Frank, this was the point, after seven albums recording for Columbia Records, at which he and the label reached a creative impasse, resulting in him leaving the company and vowing never to record for a major label again. It was certainly a shame as, at long last, it seemed that he’d made a creative breakthrough, pointing him to a whole new level of creativity.