Le Mans

Like many bands assembled to order by Shrapnel Records owner Mike Varney in the 1980s, Le Mans were built around a set of talented young guitar shredders in Chicago native Derek Frigo and Bay Area son Josh Ramos. But Le Mans — which also included vocalist Peter Marrino, bassist Richard Burns up, and drummer Kenny Stavropoulos — appeared unusually interested (for any Shrapnel signing, anyhow) in composing palatable tunes around their solos, and their unforgettable 1983 debut, Within the Roads, still rates among the label’s greatest true band attempts. Unfortunately, it experienced the same destiny because so many Shrapnel produces by failing woefully to accomplish anything beyond moderate product sales and limited support inside the rock community, subsequently departing Le Mans sidelined until lot of money finally smiled upon them once again three years later on. Ramos had been from the picture at that time, however when Shrapnel guaranteed an upstream distribution cope with Columbia Information, brand-new guitarist Johnny Johnson was enrolled to complement his fight axe against Frigo on Le Mans’ belated, eponymous sophomore record of 1986 (also presenting substitution bassist Brett Bloomfield). Unfortunately, the new work revealed a music group whose creativity acquired either devolved since its last outing, or been coerced into implementing lots of the lamest, mindless dick rock and roll songwriting clichés of the time in a eager bet for quick industrial success. Everything was for naught, since it proved, since this second record fared a whole lot worse than the initial, and Le Mans had been soon ignored to background when Frigo became a member of Chicago power pop peaceniks Enuff Z’nuff (a persistent victim of drug abuse, he would unfortunately die of the heroin overdose in 2004). Vocalist Peter Marrino, as well, had little difficulty finding new work because of the ever faithful Varney, who nearly immediately matched him up with Marty Friedman and Jason Becker’s Cacophony task (also featuring previous Le Mans drummer Kenny Stavropoulos on the second record).