Feature Image of Richie Ranno courtesy of Richie Ranno. Photo Credit goes to Trudi Knight.
As the lead guitarist and proverbial linchpin of New Jersey-based act Starz, Richie Ranno amalgamates glam, good-time rock, and early leanings of hair metal to critical acclaim. Alas, shoddy record dealings and a manager’s attention focused elsewhere (oh, hello, KISS) left Starz in the commercial doldrums in the wake of a string of retrospectively adored late-70s albums. In Ranno, we found a player who, with his early example of a Super Strat in hand, took his nuanced love for the music of the ’60s and combined it with his guttural instinct for sublime melody, resulting in four albums worth of must-hear music.
These days, Ranno still gigs around New Jersey, and after nearly meeting its demise, it seems that Starz is set to rock once again, as Ranno and his cohorts are set to share the stage with fellow ’70s cult rock icons Angel this coming spring.
Of course, every guitarist has his origins, and Ranno is no exception. Taking a moment to relent from his stage antics, Richie Ranno dialed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to recount the ten albums that changed his life.
# 10 – The Cult, Sonic Temple
Certainly, one of my favorite rock albums. Did it change my life? Not really, but I still listen to it, and when The Cult comes to the area, I’m always there to see them.
# 9 – Love, Forever Changes
This incredible album was released in November 1967, but I didn’t become aware of it until 1969. Every song is a gem and somehow under the radar – something I know a thing or two about. [Laughs]. Anyway, Forever Changes is one of my favorite albums of all time and should not be ignored by radio, even though it is.
# 8 – Aerosmith, Get Your Wings
Hearing Aerosmith’s first album and not particularly caring for it other than the gem, “Dream On,” Get Your Wings blew me away. Every song was great, and the sound and production were stellar. This album changed my life when I read the credits and saw the name “Jack Douglas – Producer.” Two years later, when we [Starz] were looking for a producer, I brought his name up and our manager, the late Bill Aucoin, was able to contact him, and we were blessed to work with one of the greatest rock producers of all time!
# 7 – David Bowie, The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders from Mars
This album is perhaps the greatest rock album in history – PERIOD! For me, it was life-changing and had a major influence on how I approached music from that point on.
# 6 – The Who, Who’s Next
In my opinion, this is the best album by The Who. The Who is up there as one of my all-time favorite bands. Pete Townshend definitely had an influence on my guitar playing.
# 5 – A tie between Spirit, The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus & Alice Cooper, Love it to Death
With the Spirit record – it’s an absolutely incredible album! Every song is a gem. Randy California’s guitar style was unique. I heard him do an interview where he said, “I make every note count.” I have taken that advice with me to this day. I was also fortunate to have met Randy and vocalist Jay Ferguson and spent some time with them.
As for the Alice Cooper record – every song is great, and it was a new sound and style. It was more song-oriented rock than performance which influenced my songwriting. The following three Alice Cooper albums were just good, if not better.
# 4 – A tie between Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin & The Beatles, The White Album
Zeppelin’s first album was the greatest rock album recorded to that date – January 1969. The sound was like nothing ever heard before. I had seen Jimmy Page live with The Yardbirds at the Village Theater (later became The Fillmore East), but this album took rock and blues and guitar playing to a new level!
As for The White Album, it’s four album sides of incredible songs that I couldn’t stop playing over and over. In my opinion, it is the greatest Beatles album ever recorded.
# 3 – Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced?
Another innovative guitar album that blended psychedelic, blues, rock, and R&B and rolled them all into one. I heard this and knew I had to add this style and sound to my arsenal.
# 2 – Cream, Fresh Cream
As soon as I heard this album, I went from playing The Beatles, The Stones, and The Ventures songs to playing as much like Eric Clapton as I possibly could! Fresh Cream changed the sound of the guitar for all guitarists right up to this day!
# 1 – The Beatles, I Want to Hold Your Hand 45 RPM
I know it’s supposed to be albums, but this 45 single changed my life more than any other record or piece of music. I bought this 45 the day it came out and played it repeatedly. I knew that I had to start playing the guitar. And I was totally driven to be able to play that song as soon as possible!
Richie Ranno of Starz Interview: 10 Albums That Changed My Life Article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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![Rob De Luca of Spread Eagle, Sebastian Bach & UFO: 10 Albums That Changed My Life From humble East Coast origins to grandest stages worldwide, veteran bassist Rob De Luca has seen and done it all. De Luca first hit the local Boston rock and metal scene in the late 80s after meeting guitarist Paul DiBartolo, bonding over Van Halen before forming Bang. Regional success came quickly, but eventually, the members of Bang went their separate ways, with De Luca and drummer Tommi Gallo heading to NYC and hooking up with Ray West and, later, DiBartolo to form Spread Eagle. By 1990, Spread Eagle was on the fast track, with a contract through MCA Records and a self-titled debut album poised to crush skulls. But poor timing and MCA's sad indifference left Spead Eagle out in the cold despite being a hard-boiled answer to Guns N' Roses's West Coast sleaze. Spread Eagle's first chapter came to an end in '95. As for Rob De Luca, his nimble fingers and gift for melody and songwriting kept him moving forward. Soon, he found a gig with former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and the legendary outfit UFO. And in 2010, after coupling up with Ray West and his cousin Rik De Luca, Spread Eagle retook flight. During a break from Spread Eagle's increasingly busy touring schedule, Rob De Luca dialed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to run through the ten albums that changed his life. But only after adding, "I made a playlist of these songs, including some I've written or co-written. Do you hear any of these albums' influence on me?" Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LWJuhDrE8JmzhsmTeIDUq 10) Gentlemen by Afghan Whigs (1993) Here's an entry that was so important to me. This may be the darkest break-up album of all time. Greg Dulli has been in many projects, but I feel Gentlemen is his zenith. Somewhat undefinable at times but always profound and honest. Listen to "Gentlemen," "Fountain and Fairfax," and "What Jail Is Like." 9) In on the Kill Taker by Fugazi (1993) By this time, I had been sucked in and spit out by the major-label record industry. Glam came and went; grunge was history, too. I was searching for new sounds. When I heard Fugazi's twin guitar approach, I knew this was what was missing. Fugazi may be considered a less polished sound than the albums above; however, once you "get it," it hits you like a ton of bricks, and there's no going back. From the moment I heard Fugazi, I went to every NYC show after. It's easily some of the best concerts of my life, and possibly my favorite bassist in Joe Lally. And their DIY ethics refused to charge us more than $5 a show! In on the Kill Taker is a powerful album demonstrated in songs such as "Smallpox Champion," "Great Cop," and "Public Witness Program." 8) Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses (1987) I discovered many of these albums (sometimes long) after they were released. However, I was at the right place at the right time for this one. Steve Ostromogilsky had a Berklee College of Music lunch card and used to sneak out sandwiches for me. One day, he invited me to hang out at his place and listen to music. As we got off the train, he put Sony Walkman headphones on my ears and said, "Hey, check out this brand-new group." A song like "It's So Easy" was so different from the popular Sunset Strip sound at that time. Me and about 499 other informed rockers were lucky enough to see them on their first East Coast tour at the sold-out Paradise on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston (the same street Aerosmith started on). I saw Gn'R every tour after until I took a break when Buckethead joined. Gn'R is the band I've been lucky enough to see the most times live, almost 100! Everyone on this album is just stellar. Axl [Rose] had the tones, power, melodic sensibilities, and foresight to do what no other singer did then. Slash's playing was beyond memorable. Duff [McKagan] is one of the most underrated bassists in rock history, and learning his Appetite basslines is a masterclass. Steven [Adler] had the natural swing, and Izzy [Stradlin] was the secret weapon songwriter. Everything that's been heralded about this gem is deserved and true. Check out "It's So Easy," "Out Ta Get Me," and "Mr. Brownstone.' 7) Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd (1975) Another contender for my favorite album and band of all time. Using The Beatles machine (same recording studio, engineer, record label), Pink Floyd made what I feel is their strongest, most cohesive album (my second favorite of theirs would be Animals). This list mainly consists of bands with an instantly recognizable sound. Floyd is certainly no exception to that! This album included a solid handful of undeniable rock radio classics, bookended by two halves of the mind-blowing song "Shine on You Crazy Diamond.' That song was written about former band member and founder Syd Barrett. It would be hard to live in a world without this album. Check out "Welcome to The Machine," "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (parts 6-9),' or even better yet, listen to the whole thing in one sitting! 6) Decade by Neil Young (1977) About this time, I started playing guitar. As a beginner, it was comfortable jamming to this album because the chord changes were simple—a great "first ten years" retrospective of Neil's stunning, unique songwriting. Neil is a treasure who always writes from the heart and stands up for what's right. Check out "Southern Man," "A Man Needs a Maid," "Down by The River," and "After the Goldrush." 5) Highway to Hell by AC/DC (1979) When I heard this album, I was firmly "me." My life would be 100% focused on hard rock music forever. AC/DC are like air; they're ubiquitous. Everyone knows them and their incredible songs. However, as a young teen in Wilmington, Delaware, I only had WMMR 93.3 FM Philadelphia and a few friends to inform me about the world of Rock outside my bedroom. AC/DC had not gone mainstream, and their albums were available primarily in the USA as imports. To put things more in perspective, I only knew two people in the world who had heard of AC/DC. A friend had an import that we played in Steve Buckley's basement, which sounded ripping. When Highway to Hell was released, WMMR started spinning the title track, and I immediately bought the album, listening to it every single day after school. Then WMMR announced AC/DC was coming to the Spectrum in Philly, supporting Ted Nugent! I liked Ted but loved AC/DC, so my good friend Mick Cummins and I bought tickets, and he drove us up to the Spectrum (where we saw most of our concerts). Bon Scott was in fine form, and the band went over great. Although the crowd knew Ted better, Angus [Young] wouldn't let anyone upstage him. I'll never forget it! Unfortunately, Bon would be gone in 6 months. Check out "Walk All Over You," "Touch Too Much," "Shot Down in Flames," and "If You Want Blood (You Got It)." 4) Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith (1975) By the time I heard this, I was now in my teens. I had a childhood friend up the street, Jim Linberg (we're still good buddies). His older sister had a great album collection, including Toys in The Attic. Once I heard that groove, my taste changed. I lost interest in rock music that didn't have some sort of "swing" feel to it. I think Rocks is a slightly better Aerosmith album (and possibly my favorite album of all time), but both are perfect or very close. Check out "Uncle Salty," "Adam's Apple," "No More No More," "Round and Round," and "You See Me Crying." 3) Alive! by Kiss (1975) When I was still a little kid, I asked for Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke album for Christmas. The entire family came over for an enormous feast, and I dropped the needle. When my mother heard the content, she turned off the album and said I had to exchange it. My mom was cool, but I was young and knew much more about life than she suspected. Anyway, the next day, she drove me back to the store. In the music section, promoted on an "endcap" was a Kiss Alive! display. I had never heard of Kiss, but that cover picture told me I had to have it! My first foray into hard rock. Check out “Strutter.” I went through my Kiss phase very quickly, I believe in a matter of months because I discovered the previous entry, Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic. 2) Honky Chateau by Elton John (1972) When I was a wee lad, my parents bought a used Volkswagen camper van from my uncle Ozzie. My favorite Elton John album is Yellow Brick Road, but Honky Chateau is great and easily one of his best. It sent me down a lifelong rabbit hole of loving everything about the 1970s partnership between Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin. The simple beauty of voice, the master songwriting, the perfect backing band, the clear, unobtrusive recordings, and always Bernie's incredible lyrics. The day this album was released, Elton became an unstoppable force that conquered the music industry. Check out "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and "Rocket Man." 1) Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967) Another tape that was included in the VW Camper. The van had a bunch of music tapes, and one was Sgt Pepper. I was too young to understand the sophistication of the music, but that was one of the many skills of The Beatles. They attracted listeners at every level, even little kids. I still feel that immediate connection to Sgt Pepper; now, I hear so much more. It's an album that changed the world and the world of music. Check out "Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds," "A Day In The Life," and "Fixing a Hole."](http://www.classicrockhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Shutterstock_1815495569-1-300x200.jpg)
