Hello, and welcome to Mick's classic rock website, where I'll share my thoughts, opinions, observations, and personal history of the music I've cherished for 50+ years. My rock & roll education originated on turntables and cassette tapes, along with the good fortune of attending many classic concerts, including Led Zeppelin, Queen, Rush, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, and many others. My mission is to expand the boundaries of classic rock beyond the repetitive corporate radio format we’ve all had to endure for far too long.
What is classic rock? If you search the internet for a definition, most will refer to it as (AOR) Album Oriented Rock - a format developed by radio stations in the early 1980s. I don't know about you, but that definition tells me nothing. Likewise, corporate jargon is only concerned with marketing demographics. Who listens to it: age, race, education level, occupation? What year was it recorded? Was it in the top ten? etc.? Stats alone can't reveal the essence of classic rock or why it is such a dominant force in the music industry.
So, what defines a classic rock artist or band? Ask an older person on the street, and they'll probably name the big British five: Beatles, Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Who. Ask them why, and they'll probably tell you it's all about memorable songs, albums, or the influence of a band or artist on other musicians.
Let's begin with the Beatles and the legendary Lennon/McCartney songwriting partnership. Nearly everything they recorded was a mini-masterpiece, from the opening chord of “Hard Day's Night” to the ending of “A Day in the Life” off Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Paul McCartney, in particular, crafted some incredible melodies.
Chicago Blues had a lasting impact on the Rolling Stones, who even took their name from a Muddy Waters song. Those early records exemplified a two-guitar rhythm-based sound from Keith Richards and Brian Jones. At the same time, drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman provided a consistent backbeat. Most importantly, they had Mick Jagger, a highly visual lead singer who would dance, strut, and gyrate to the delight of millions of fans. When I first started playing electric guitar, my primary influence was the album Hot Rocks 1964-71. I'll never forget all those great early songs, such as “Satisfaction,” “Under My Thumb,” and “Jumpin' Jack Flash.” I even borrowed and failed to return an unauthorized hardcover biography of the Stones from my high school library in 1976. I hope they never decide to calculate late fees; it could be hundreds of dollars by now! I saw the Stones in 1978 at Soldier Field in Chicago. I hate to say it, but they sounded terrible, and our seats were up in the rafters. I think the last decent Stones album, one of my favorites, was 1973's Goats Head Soup.
Led Zeppelin probably influenced more rock guitarists than anyone during the 1970s. While taking lessons, I bought a copy of Led Zeppelin Complete, which contained lyrics and guitar tablature for their first four albums. I carried that book everywhere, hoping to impress the girls, to no avail. I was lucky to get a few last-minute tickets during their 1977 North American tour. Unlike the Stones, Zep sounded great. Unfortunately, one hour into the April 9 show, guitarist Jimmy Page sat down to play a song when the overhead lights suddenly flashed on, and they canceled the rest of the show. Later, we discovered that Page suffered from stomach cramps caused by food poisoning.
On March 1, 1973, Pink Floyd released their influential album Dark Side of the Moon. I was a freshman in junior high, and that summer, the sound of DSOTM filled the air from car speakers and backyard barbecues. The production was immaculate. It was the first time I had heard a progressive concept album filled with superb vocal harmonies, guitars, synthesizers, and sound effects such as alarm clocks, cash registers, and heartbeats. A classic without question, Dark Side of the Moon spent an incredible 931 weeks on Billboard's Top 200 charts!
Thanks to the superb songwriting of guitarist Pete Townshend, The Who defined classic rock in the late 1960s and mid-70s. Townshend even composed a rock opera album in 1969 called Tommy, about a deaf, dumb, and blind pinball wizard. Their 1971 release Who's Next spun nonstop on my basement turntable and at keg parties for many years. There wasn't one wasted track on Who's Next.
However, classic rock is more than an assemblage of British Invasion supergroups, although it's always amazed me how England produced so much extraordinary music. Still, we can't ignore the impact of artists such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience or the immense contributions of American blues, country, and Motown music. Unlike corporate rock stations, I can't define classic rock by a specific decade, e.g., 1966-1977. The corporate rock mindset cannot identify musical influences and connect the dots. Which garage and punk bands paved the way for all those early 80s “New Wave” bands and the Seattle grunge sound? What reggae musicians influenced The Police, Culture Club, and the Clash? Which country-rock pioneers influenced The Eagles and singer-songwriters like Steve Earle?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to revise, or perhaps a better word is revive, the Mick Reno website. I began writing blog posts about my past musical experiences in local cover bands, playing songs that every other band was playing, and how some or most of us butchered many of these songs, mostly because we couldn’t hit the vocals correctly, or, in the case of one of the bands I was in, because the drummer couldn’t keep time to save his life. The most obvious culprits were songs by Led Zeppelin, Queen, or any other group with lead singers difficult to imitate. In addition, I wrote about great bands and guitar players who, for some reason, had been forgotten by corporate radio, such as Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe. Unfortunately, the website template I chose wouldn’t let me remove the date stamp on blog posts. Since I wasn’t posting very often, it looked like I’d run out of things to say, even though I had a whole slew of ideas. It just took time to write, edit, and find the appropriate original or royalty-free image to accompany each post. What made it even more frustrating was receiving little or no response to my posts on Twitter, or X, as it’s now called. They weren’t poorly written or uninteresting, but most likely this younger generation of music fans isn’t really into classic rock unless they happen to be musicians. Most of the younger crowd, I assume, is listening to hip-hop or candy-coated stuff like Taylor Swift.
So, where does that leave me now? First, as a guitarist, I’ve decided to build a repertoire of mostly cover songs and some originals, with the hope that if someone invites me to a jam session I’ll be ready with a shitload of material! Also, I’ve made it my mission to relearn songs I never played correctly when I was younger. There are plenty of YouTube channels with guitar instructors breaking down songs note by note, riff by riff, and some include tablature, chord files, and backing tracks. At some point, I may include sound or video clips of my playing, in case musicians watching or following my site want to contact me to jam. As my wife always tells me, “You have a lifetime of musical knowledge in your brain; why not try to share it with other musicians?” I’ve decided to market and restructure the website for musicians my age, though I won’t ignore younger players who have questions or wish to contribute to the discussion of classic rock or music in general. I will undoubtedly talk about gear. Speaking of that, I was originally going to make my Gretsch Streamliner my primary guitar, but after noticing some intonation inconsistencies, even with new Grover tuners, I’ve decided to rely on my trusty Telecaster. Not only does it feel more solid than the Gretsch, but it also stays in tune and sounds great. Don’t get me wrong, the Gretsch is lightweight, has an incredibly comfortable neck, and I’ll no doubt use her when working on original ideas.
Trying to practice and compose music at home in a small apartment is nearly impossible. First, there are too many distractions and too much noise outside in the street. So, beginning in September, I’m going to invest in rental time at a nearby rehearsal studio where I can practice and play my guitar in peace.
The Mick Reno website is for entertainment and educational purposes only. I encourage your comments and personal rock & roll experiences, but we should avoid political discussions. And please don’t confuse me with Mike Reno (birth name: Joseph Michael Rynowski), former lead singer of the Canadian pop band Loverboy. Coincidentally, I saw those guys on August 9, 1981, at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin. They were the warm-up act for ZZ Top.
Well, without further ado, are you ready to rock?