Tag Archives: Rock party DJ

Beach Boys Good Vibrations

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Beach Boys Good Vibrations. It was May 21st, the eve of my 19th birthday. Me and two of my buddies were enjoying a night out at one of our favorite clubs in West Orange, NJ. It was last call and one of the guys turned to me and said, “Let’s go and celebrate your birthday in A.C. (Atlantic City)”. Ten minutes later we were in my Camaro headed South on The Garden State Parkway.

 

Two hours later we were playing blackjack in Ceasar’s Palace. I won a pile of cash and they offered us a room for the night complimentary. We woke in the morning and went to the beach to relax not knowing that The Beach Boys were giving a free concert on the beach! It was a great show and Beach Boys Good Vibrations made it one of my best birthdays still to this day.

Dance in sunset on Beach with The Beach Boys Good Vibrations DJ in New Jersey

I grew-up listening to Beach Boys Good Vibrations and other records mostly on 45’s and some albums. As a professional DJ they have always been a part of what I play when it makes sense to do so. I used to play a bunch of different Beach Boys medleys due to their still high popularity at the time. Today they are more of a nostalgic band for younger folks but those old enough to remember them continue to ask for whichever of their songs is their favorite.

Beach Boys Good Vibrations Music Video

Beach Boys Good Vibrations

“The Beach Boys Good Vibrations is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys, released as a single in October 1966. Composed andproduced by Brian Wilson, the song’s lyrics were written by Wilson and Mike Love.

Released as a single on October 10, 1966 (backed with the Pet Sounds instrumental “Let’s Go Away For Awhile“), it was The Beach Boys’ third U.S. number-one hit after “I Get Around” and “Help Me, Rhonda“, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1966, as well as being their first British chart-topper. Initiated during the sessions for the Pet Sounds album, it was not taken from or issued as a lead single for an album, but as a stand-alone single, although it would be later considered for the aborted Smile project. It would ultimately be placed on the album Smiley Smile eleven months after its release.” Wikipedia

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Joe and Nalini Wedding

Gallery

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This gallery contains 29 photos.

  DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

The Police Began Recording First Album Today

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With a budget of only £1,500 borrowed from Stewart Copeland’s brother Miles Copeland III, The Police started recording their debut album at Surrey Sound Studios, Surrey, England with producer Nigel Gray. The album ‘Outlandos d’Amour’ which was released in November of this year featured the hits ‘So Lonely’, ‘Roxanne’ and ‘Can’t Stand Losing You’.

 

The Police originally formed due to a lack of success to the previous formation with Henry Padovani as guitarist. The second formation included Andy Summers, formerly of Eric Burden & The Animals. They toured as a four-piece band before they determined that Padovani was not wanted as guitarist, in favor of a three-piece ensemble.  In the post-Punk, Progressive Rock era, a three piece band was not common. This was a big risk for The Police.

 

They started with the now-famous bleach-blond hair when they were hired for a TV commercial that never aired needing them to be blonde. They decided after positive response from audiences to remain blonde.

 

Sting (Gordon Sumner), was initially a Jazz and Rock bassist, was not able to contribute to the writing early on due to his lack of knowledge of Punk Rock Music. Stewart Copeland was left to the songwriting duties in the beginning.

 

“The band has won a number of music awards throughout their career, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, an MTV Video Music Award, and in 2003, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Police have sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, and were the world’s highest-earning musicians in 2008, thanks to their reunion tour.” Wikipedia

Fun Wedding Party at The Mill on The Jersey Shore with The Police and Rhode Island Wedding DJ

“Although they existed for just over six years, the band’s contribution to the lexicon of rock was immense. They were the first band to fully integrate the no-nonsense approach of punk rock and the spirit-moving positive energy of reggae. Having sold an excess of 50 million albums worldwide, The Police had phenomenal chart success and won a multitude of accolades both public and critical, but they never allowed such peripherals to overshadow their commitment to the music itself. The band’s history bears that out from the beginning to end, providing a clear, concise picture of a musical group that took us on a short but unforgettable trip through the inner reaches of its soul – and let us have a great time in the process.” ThePolice.com

The Police Roxanne Music Video

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ 

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Set Billboard Record

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It was on this date in 1994 that the Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons song, “December, 1963(Oh What A Night) re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 Music Charts for a second run. It was originally released in 1976 when it charted as high as number one on Billboard’s Hot 100. each time the song stayed on the charts for twenty-seven weeks, totaling fifty-two weeks. Fifty-two weeks was the record at the time for the longest stay on Billboard Hot 100. The remastered version, which peaked at number fourteen was remixed by Dutch deejay and producer Ben Liebrand.

As a New Jersey native, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons are part of my childhood and musical history. They grew-up in the same neighborhood in Newark, NJ as my Mother did. She, her sister and my Grandmother all knew the original members of the band, The Four Lovers, which became Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons . Of course, there have been many folk tales about Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons in my family that I have no idea if are even remotely true:)

 

The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles.  The Four Seasons (group members 1960–1966) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and it joined the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons are one of the greatest selling vocal groups of all-time selling over 175 million records worldwide! Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons have five number one and three number three hits on The Billboard Hot 100 charts.

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons December, 1963(Oh What A Night)

Jersey Boys, a musical play based on the lives of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and directed by Des McAnuff, premiered at his La Jolla Playhouse and opened on November 6, 2005, to generally positive reviews and subsequently won multiple Tony Awards after its move to Broadway.

Fun Birthday Party with Rhode Island DJ and Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & Boston DJ

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Paul McCartney at 12.12.12 Rocks This DJ

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It was such a treat to see Sir Paul McCartney onstage at the 12.12.12 Benefit Concert for Hurricane Sandy! Of course, the whole line-up was great to see from Bruce Springsteen to The Who, Roger Waters and The Rolling Stones to Kanye West and Alicia Keys and Bill Joel.  Most of the performers looked old, well, because they are old. I am not sure why I give a pass to Paul McCartney and not as much the rest of the Classic Rockers who made the trip from near and far to support us here in the New Jersey, New York and Long Island area hit by Hurricane Sandy. There is something about Paul McCartney that is different, I felt it as a kid and still do today. Paul McCartney has that ‘thing’ that few people posses to the degree he does. It also might have something to do with this past Saturday Night being the memorial of John Lennon’s death, which hit me harder this year than most.

 

Paul McCartney’s set began with “Helter Skelter” that somehow seemed very appropriate. “Let Me Roll It” and “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five”. It was fun to hear this song played with such energy! The video is below.

Paul McCartney Nineteen Hundred Eighty-Five Music Video

Paul McCartney  invited Diana Krall onstage for “My Valentine”. There was also a heartfelt dedication to the victims of Sandy and rendition of “Blackbird”.  Members of the band Nirvana joined Paul McCartney for a song. Paul McCartney then played “I’ve Got A Feeling” and “Live and Let Die”.

Fifty-one years ago Paul McCartney & The Beatles signed with Brian Epstein!

Paul McCartney and Beatles Icon with Rhode Island Rock DJ

I enjoyed many of the performers but Paul McCartney’s set moved me the most. I also was inspired by Bill Joel’s “Miami 2017” and Kanye West’s “Golddigger”. The only negative perspective I would add is that Alicia Keys was the sole female musical performer. She did a great job but would have liked to had more female musicians represented. It was a great night for an excellent cause. Any professional DJ would be thrilled to support this benefit if they live in the area or anywhere.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

ZZ Top Legs

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ZZ Top is a unique Rock Band that has strangely had three ‘separate” careers as a group. There were the early years as a touring Texas blues and boogie band that had success in the Rock genre nationally. Then they had massive success as a pop band in the late 70’s and 80’s with hits like ZZ Top Legs and finally returning back to their roots again later. Their mainstream success was so fast and unexpected it surprised the music industry at the time. I listened to ZZ Top from the early days and when they changed their style and became pop stars, I had mixed feelings but loved playing their songs as a professional DJ, especially ZZ Top Legs!

Beautiful Woman Dancing at Wedding ZZ Top Legs with Rhode Island DJ

“By the mid-1970s, they were among the most popular touring acts in the United States and broke various concert attendance feats. After years of touring, the band went on a two-year break in 1977, which resulted in Gibbons and Hill growing chest-length beards.

Although they returned in 1979 and the band signed a new deal with Warner Bros Records (taking the rights to their London recordings with them), it was not until the band released 1983’s Eliminator that they reached a new height in popularity, selling over 10 million copies. Throughout the late 1980s, the band made several hits and won several awards for music videos like “Legs” and “Sharp Dressed Man“. After over 40 years of performing with the same members, the band continues to tour and record music.”

 ZZ Top Legs Music Video

http://youtu.be/eCcdjGUFnMY

Their videos in the 80’s were fun, sexy and a demonstration of how music videos were shaping the music industry. The trio of hits, ZZ Top Legs, “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Gimme All Your Lovin” all utilized the red car, the three women, synthesized beats and the band members as ‘angels’ in the videos that commanded major success internationally. The guys were as popular for their beards as their music.

ZZ Top Legs Rankings

  • ZZ Top Legs is listed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
  • In 1999, “MTV: 100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made” included “Gimme All Your Lovin'” at #43.
  • In 2000, ranked No.44 on VH1’s “100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists.”
  • In 2001, “VH1: 100 Greatest Videos” included “Legs” at #96.
  • In 2003, Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time included Tres Hombres at No.498 and Eliminator at #396.
  • In 2004, ranked No.292 on the “Top Pop Artists of the Past 25 Years” chart.
  • In 2008, Rolling Stone ranked “La Grange” at No.74 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.
  • In 2009, “VH1’s 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs” ranked “Tush” at #67.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony

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Songwriter Richie Cordell wrote (or co-wrote) and produced many of the group’s hits, among them the classic good-timing “I Think We’re Alone Now”, “Mirage”, and Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony. The creation of Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony was a group effort, involving Cordell, James, Shondells band member Peter Lucia, producer Bo Gentry, and Bobby Bloom. James and Cordell set out to create a party rock single working out everything except the song’s title, which eluded them even after much effort. They took a break from their creative endeavors on James’ apartment terrace, when they looked up at the Mutual Of New York Insurance Company’s large neon sign bearing the abbreviation for the company: M-O-N-Y. Both knew instantaneously their song now had a name for Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony.

Fun Rhode Island Wedding Party DJ Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony

Tommy James and the Shondells Mony Mony produced a video when the song was a hit, hiring a video company to produce a short film of it. Even though a number of musical groups had already produced videos by that time, there was no market at all for that film in the US. Television stations would not air it, and it was originally shown between double features in movie theaters in Europe. The film was not seen in the US until the creation of MTV.

 

In recent years, the Billy Idol version has become the most played and popular version of Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony. I still like the original and think Tommy James has not gotten enough credit for the list of pop songs that have covered into great dance songs these days that any good professional DJ keeps close by:

Mony Mony

I Think We’re Alone Now

Crimson and Clover

Hanky Panky

Sweet Cherry Wine

Crystal Blue Persuasion

Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony Music Video

With “Mony Mony” becoming such a hit in the US and an even bigger one in the UK, James was contacted by George Harrison of The Beatles, who was working with a group called Grapefruit at the time. Harrison and the group had written some songs they wanted James to consider recording. Since the group came to a decision to change their musical style (and would do so with “Crimson and Clover”: see below) and the material Harrison and Grapefruit provided was in the style of Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony, James turned down their offer.

 

The music business changed after the success of Tommy James and The Shondells Mony, Mony. Top 40 program formatting, based on 45 RPM single records, drove popular music on the radio. Few stations played cuts from record albums, so radio was, in effect, “selling” single records for the record companies.

 

James estimates the company owed him $30 million in royalties he never received.

 

I couldn’t resist adding the link to “I Think We’re Alone Now” as well! Another professional DJ favorite.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Dropkick Murphys I’m Shipping Up To Boston

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Recently I had a young couple ask me if I would play Dropkick Murphys I’m Shipping Up To Boston and I had to think for a minute to recall what song they were talking about. I had a vague memory in my head and listened to Dropkick Murphys I’m Shipping Up To Boston later to verify what they were talking about. Immediately I was all pumped up when my mind kicked into gear and saw the scene from the film The Departed and Dropkick Murphys I’m Shipping Up To Boston was so forceful and stayed in my head weeks later. What a way to bring out your friends and family! It is not for everybody but for a couple with a bit of an edge and willingness to take a risk, Dropkick Murphys I’m Shipping Up To Boston is totally a fun way to come out and join the rest of the Wedding Reception. I can’t wait till I get to play it for them in a couple of weeks. Of course now I can’t get the song out of my head again. This is the original version which is a bit harder than the movie version.

Dropkick Murphys I’m Shipping Up To Boston Original Music Video

A fun aspect for me as a professional Wedding DJ in the process of planning the wedding with a Bride and Groom is picking their The Bridal Party Introduction Songs or First Dance songs.  Although many choose the more expected route of Beyonce, Usher and other popular hits and classics, there are many who choose to go a much different direction. Recently this list has included some interesting covers of pop hits like the The Muse version of Can’t Take My Eyes Off  You or The Flaming Lips Borderline. They made great First Dances with the mixing of slower and faster, hard tempo and energy. But Dropkick Murphys I’m Shipping Up To Boston as a Bridal Party Introduction Song?

Fun Bridal Party Introduction Song Dropkick Murphys I'm Shipping Up To Boston

Dropkick Murphys I’m Shipping Up To Boston The Departed Version Movie Trailer

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

John Lennon Life, Death and Influence on A DJ

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John Lennon, born John Winston Lennon and murdered outside his apartment in New York City on December 8th, 1980. John Lennon was and still is one of my heroes, possibly the only one at the time of his murder. His music, lyrics, message and lifestyle inspired me to be a better person and professional DJ.

 

I had the opportunity to view some of John Lennon artwork at an exhibit in Bloomington, Indiana in 1995. The beautiful simplicity had an effect on me and I recall reflecting on how simple he was, which seemed contradictory to what many might view him. John Lennon was a controversial man who pissed-off almost as many people as he inspired. His views on peace and religion caused major ripples throughout American and Western culture at the time, and possibly to a lesser degree today.

John Lennon Imagine

I remember the night he was murdered. I was working as the Resident DJ at a large New Jersey club called The Final Exam. It was somewhat busy for a Monday Night but enough people to have fun and a filled dance floor. I was cueing a record, when one of the Bouncers came running up, out of breath, “Michael, John Lennon was just shot and killed!” I dropped the record to the floor and began to weep. After the song playing ended, I announced over the PA system the news and played “Imagine” even though it was a dance night and not Rock Music. The next day, the radio station I was Program Director collectively decided to play twenty-four hours straight of John Lennon music in all its forms. For the year that followed, I played “Watching The Wheels” as my closing song live and on radio.

John Lennon Watching The Wheels

When I lived in South Korea, where I was an English Teacher, one of the school’s Teachers, who was a friend of mine, decided to use The Beatles, “Let It Be” as a song that her class would sing at the school talent show. She was disappointed at how they were not getting enthusiastic about the performance during their rehearsals. She asked if I would talk to them and explain the song and its significance. I shared with them about Vietnam, Beatlemania, peace, love and the anti-violent messages of the song. I further explained how it impacted people around the world and is considered, along with “Imagine”, to be one of the most famous community-building songs of peace and love for millions then and now. They got it and their performance the following week was powerful.

John Lennon  & Plastic Ono Band Let it Be

It was thirty-two years ago December 8th since his death. He is still one of the most influential people in my life that I have never met personally. He packed so much into his forty years with us; his music changed the music industry and supported a peace movement, along with other social movements at the time. The messages are still with us.

John Lennon give Peace A Chance

http://youtu.be/RkZC7sqImaM

John Lennon & The Beatles Icon

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Jimi Hendrix Would Be 70 Today

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I remember the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”, I was like “WOW!” and my admiration and appreciation for his work was born. Jimi Hendrix was born November 27, 1942, making him seventy if he was alive in body today. I wonder sometimes how the current generation view him as an artist and icon, now that such great time has passed and his musical styles are not really reflected in Pop Music anymore. In the late 60’s, he fit right in although a complete pioneer and inovator. As a professional working DJ, I get to see his influence in the requests that still pour in for his music in places and events that do not seem like Hendrix-type environments. One of the venues that I am a Trivia Host on Wednesday Nights is The Applebees in Hackettestown, NJ. On a consistent basis some of the regular participants in the games will ask me to play Jimi Hendrix. What surprises me is that they are mostly people under age thirty and young professionals!

When the power of Love overcomes the love of power, the world will know Peace

Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix Quotes with DJ Mystical Michael

The legacy of Jimi Hendrix is hard to calibrate due to his involvement with drugs and alcohol and subsequent death from the abuse. His music lives on boldy in the influence of many young guitarists and musicians seeking inspiration from an artist who created and lived a life his own way, with few or no social restrains or concessions. He was a passionate human rights activist including environmental, race and social class as issues that he contributed his time and music.

Jimi Hendrix icon with DJ Mystical Michael

Hendrix received his main break when Paul McCartney had suggested him to The Monterey Pop Festival. He accepted the invitation and the media could not write enough positive praise of his musicianship and on-stage presence. This was followed by two solid albums that were adorned with critical and popular enthusiasm and he was on his way as an international success. Interestingly, he was first achieving popularity in Europe before the United States. It is possible that his performance at the Woodstock Music Festival was his signature moment as an artist. Today, his performance of the of aforementioned “Star Spangled Banner” often is the singular song that viewers of the film about the festival hold in their memory as what ‘The Sixties were about’.

Music doesn’t lie. If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music.
Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix quotes music doesn't lie with DJ Mystical Michael

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ