Frank Marino and guys like that I think we always considered to be 'fringe' players.... guys who were really good, but you could lump them in with a dozen other players who were really good but nothing that made you go "Wow!!".
Like, Ted Nugent was impressive, Pat Travers, Alex Lifeson etc.....
... they were all good players, but they didn't make you sit there with your jaw open the way that Van Halen did.

There was just something about that first album that made you stop and do a double take.... you'd listen to it and go "holy crap... how is he doing that??"