The Rock Album is an instrumental rock collection featuring 12 original compositions, marking a departure from Tony Marino’s previous recordings. The album is deeply nostalgic, capturing elements that evoke memories of his early childhood years discovering music. It draws inspiration from his upbringing in South Philadelphia during the 1960s and ’70s, a time when the sounds of bands jamming and rehearsing could be heard on almost every block. While Marino admired the music of many artists, he was never compelled to play their songs verbatim. Instead, he was always driven by a desire to create original music.
A few years ago, while waiting for his bandmates to arrive for rehearsal, Marino put on one of his Doors albums. As his bandmates showed up, each of them asked what he was listening to. When he told them it was Jim Morrison and The Doors, they were surprised to learn he was a fan.
From a very early age, Marino always loved music—long before he discovered his true passion for studying, writing, playing, recording, and performing Latin jazz. He remembers listening to the records his parents owned, tuning into the radio, and watching every music show that aired on one of the eight channels available while he was growing up. He was exposed to artists like Elvis, The Beatles, Little Richard, John Sebastian & The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Guess Who, Leon Russell, Marc Benno, and Joe Cocker, among others.
Marino first discovered The Doors’ music through a neighbor in 1967. The unforgettable encounter took place in South Philadelphia, where the neighbor was standing at the corner of Broad and Porter Streets. A man walking down Broad Street stopped and asked if he knew where to buy some weed. As luck would have it, the neighbor was the local go-to guy for pot. The man introduced himself as Jim, sampled the goods, and mentioned that he was from LA and playing with a band called The Doors at Town Hall later that night. After that encounter, the neighbor bought The Doors’ newly released album and played it nonstop. As new albums from The Doors were released, he eagerly purchased them and continued to play their music around the clock.
In 1968, while scanning radio stations, Marino came across a station that played an album by Leon Russell and Marc Benno called Look Inside The Asylum Choir. He saved the money he earned shining shoes and purchased the album at a record store on Passyunk Ave., a few blocks from his home. Shortly after, he began taking piano lessons, and the rest is history.
The following are the new compositions recorded for this project. Marino hopes listeners enjoy the music as much as he enjoyed writing and recording these songs:
- Happy Hour
- Without Explanation
- Let’s Go
- See You Later
- Secret Agent
- What A Pleasant Surprise
- A Wildwood Weekend
- Nikola Tesla
- An Evening With You
- Rocking The Waltz
- Leadbetter Beach
- D Ending Blues
