Machine – s/t (1970 Netherlands). Machine were a 1970 Dutch group who played a mix of what was popular at the time: Psych, progressive, hard rock and horn rock. Nederbeat was one of the more healthy psych/garage scenes coming out of continental Europe and Machine were like the latter stages of those groups such as Q65 and Cosmic Dealer. The strong Hammond organ presence adds a proto-prog sound similar to Deep Purple and Mainhorse. Horns were frequently inserted in those days to increase the odds of a chart appearance, given the wild success of Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears. And, as expected, there’s also a strong blues influence throughout. The album has a strong start but really crawls to the finish, as predictable 3-chord blues rock takes over the lion’s share of the proceedings. Recommended to fans for bands as diverse as Affinity, Ahora Mazda, Warhorse and Irish Coffee. No legit CD exists.
Goliath – s/t (1972 England). In the jazzy proto-prog area, with plenty of great flute, and SASSY female vocals. I’d be surprised if this chick made it to her 30th birthday, but she sure put her estrogen into this one. One band that rarely gets mentioned as a comparison, but did come to mind here is Fusion Orchestra. More gritty and less progressive perhaps, but does paint a pretty accurate picture. I also hear some melody/composition lines that recalled the great Diabolus album. Affinity is probably the most obvious comparison and when they really get into jazz mode, Catapilla came to mind. Sassy baby! No legit CD for this either.
Frank Marino – The Power of Rock and Roll (1981 Canada). Right in the breadbasket of Frank’s prime era (roughly 1979-1982). While his previous effort “What’s Next” is generally regarded as his high water mark (and I agree), I’d say “The Power of Rock and Roll” is his most consistent effort. Gone are the tedious blues numbers and its place are 100% Frank Marino patented hard rockers. Simple chord tunes with a few yelled lyrics to qualify it as a “song” and then onto some amazing guitar instrumental jam, featuring non-stop screaming guitar (with lots of effects) and through a myriad of genres like jazz, blues, prog, or whatever the hell he felt like. The Mahogany Rush rhythm section were no slouches either, adding that extra zip to propel Frank along into the stratosphere. The 3 long tracks here are incredible, while the shorter ones just have less jams, so not quite as good. Among the best albums he’s ever done. I was already into Frank’s music when this came out, and I can tell you that even then, this album was out of touch with the times. Punk, metal, new wave, arena rock or synth-pop was getting all the airplay (on both radio and MTV). But guitar fronted hard rock? Only as a private press maybe. But Columbia carried on with Frank for as long as they could. And he hasn’t changed a bit, as his last studio album “Eye of the Storm” will attest to. One of those artists I appreciate more every year.
(originally posted Sep. 2005)