Tag Archives: Oldies Music

Ritchie Valens Sleepwalk

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It is hard not to feel the energy and Soul that the great Ritchie Valens Sleepwalk put into every guitar lick in this song. Smooth as silk without being overproduced. I recently had a Groom ask for this song to be the song that he and his mother would dance to for their Mother-Son Dance.  I fought hard to contain the tears that well-up every time I hear this song. I do not remember the scene in the film La Bamba but I remember it was one of the more emotional ones. There are few artists from that era that had a full-length feature film made about their life like Ritchie Valens Sleepwalk. As a professional Wedding DJ, I get requested plenty of his music these days and continue to feel moved by his music.

Ritchie Valens Sleepwalk Music Video

He was born Ricardo Esteban Valenzuela Reyes. He was asked by his producer and agent to change his family name to make it sound ‘more american’. Its strange in 2011 to contextually imagine that happening today, where nearly twenty percent of American population is Latino.  His death along with other pop stars Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper is still considered an American tragic story. After the February 2, 1959, performance in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly, Richardson, and Valens flew out of the Mason City airport in a small plane that Holly had chartered. He was on the plane because he won a coin toss. The plane, a four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza, departed for Fargo, North Dakota, and crashed shortly after takeoff in a snow storm. The crash killed all three passengers and the pilot; at 17, Valens was the youngest to die on the flight. The event inspired singer Don McLean’s popular 1971 ballad “American Pie“, and immortalized February 3 as “The Day the Music Died”.

Ritchie Valens Sleepwalk with Rhode Island Oldies DJ

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

The Bee Gees Stayin Alive

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The Bee Gees Stayin Alive. I was in 7th grade when John Travolta was at the peak of his teen icon status with his role as Vinnie Barbarino on the TV show Welcome Back Kotter.  My brother who was four years older than me, met and became friends with him strangely enough at a bar in Miami. They stayed in contact for a little while and  once I answered the phone and sure enough John Travolta was on the other end. My brother wasn’t home and I took a message.

Fun Rhode Island Wedding DJ Dancing Bee Gees Stayin Alive

It wasn’t till I was in high school that Saturday Night Fever and The Bee Gees Stayin Alive came out. My brother liked Disco, at the time I was not as much a fan. I have grown to appreciate how it is so well-made for dancing. As a professional DJ, The Bee Gees Stayin Alive such an effective tool for mixing genres and generations.  It continues to amaze how often I get The Bee Gees Stayin Alive requested by people of all ages from teens, college students, middle-aged and older folks at weddings and parties. There are many remixes of The Bee Gees Stayin Alive out these days that are all fun and great party songs.

The Bee Gees Stayin Alive Music Video

The Bee Gees Stayin Alive is a disco song by the group Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by the Bee Gees (Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb) and produced by the Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It was released on 13 December 1977, as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It is one of their signature songs. “Stayin’ Alive” was placed at number 191 on the list of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Upon release, “Stayin’ Alive” climbed the charts to hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of 4 February 1978, remaining there for four weeks. In the process, it became one of the band’s most recognisable tunes, in part because of its place at the beginning of Saturday Night Fever.”

The Bee Gees were an interesting group who made their name originally as a Soft Rock, almost Folk, in the 60’s and early 70’s. They had a completely different sound and energy in their first round as pop stars. They gained international success and lasted nearly forty years as recording and preforming artists.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

John Lennon Imagine

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John Lennon Imagine. I remember the bittersweet night of being a professional DJ at a club in Randolph, NJ on a Monday night, it was December 8,1980. The club was mostly packed, especially for a Monday night in winter. The dance floor was jamming and everybody was having a good time. A young woman came up to the DJ booth and begged me to play Bruce Springsteen. I explained that the dance floor was full and she would have to wait till it thinned out, otherwise everybody would probably stop dancing. She finally convinced me to play him while she was standing there. I had the record in my hand when one of the bouncers ran up and told me John Lennon had just been shot and killed. I dropped the record on the floor of the DJ booth. After the song playing was over, I turned on the mike and announced his death. I asked for moment of silence and then played “Imagine” before returning to my regular set, although not regular at all. It is the moment I think of the most when I get behind my turntables, then CD Players and now MacBook. Growing up, he was hero my hero with his music and desire for peace.

John Lennon Imagine Music Video

The next day, as Program Director of the local college radio and DJ, I stated that we only play John Lennon Imagine and music by John Lennon for the next twenty-four hours.

The Beatles and John Lennon Imagine Icon

 

“BMI named John Lennon Imagine one of the 100 most-performed songs of the 20th century. The song ranked number 30 on the Recording Industry Association of America‘s list of the 365 Songs of the Century bearing the most historical significance. It earned aGrammy Hall of Fame Award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. A UK survey conducted by the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles Book named it the second best single of all time, andRolling Stone ranked it number 3 in their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time“. Since 2005, event organisers have played it just before the New Year’s Times Square Ball drops in New York City. Dozens of artists have performed or recorded versions of “Imagine”, including Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Joan Baez, Elton John, and Diana Ross. Emeli Sandé recorded a cover for theBBC to use during the end credits montage at the close of the 2012 Summer Olympics coverage in August 2012. “Imagine” subsequently re-entered the UK Top 40, reaching number 18.” Wikipedia

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Carly Simon You’re So Vain

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It was the summer between sixth and seventh grade.  I had just gotten home from a Little League game which I pitched and we won. I walked up to my room and the new telephone that my parents had just hooked up for me rang its old-style ring like a bell. I picked up the phone and heard the song Carly Simon You’re So Vain playing from beginning to end with the person on the other end hanging up, evidenced by the click and dial tone. I smiled as I put my new beige phone back on its receiver. I was twelve and did not know what ‘vain’ meant yet and in my foolishness thought it was a compliment:)

Fun Boy Dancing with Rhode Island Sweet Sixteen Party DJ Carly Simon You're So Vain

Later that summer I was at our school camping weekend to end the year and these two girls kept singing Carly Simon You’re So Vain every time they passed me in a chorus. I again smiled every time just fueling them even more.  Finally, one of them came up to me and told me the other one had played Carly Simon You’re So Vain on the phone to me. I asked her to thank her friend and smiled, still clueless. She explained to me with fire in her eyes “Vain is not a compliment, it means you are a jerk!”

 

“Jerk? Really? Why am I a jerk?”

 

“Because Mary is your girlfriend and you are going to the dance with Dana! Jerk!”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Don’t your remember when Bryan asked Mary to go out with you in January on the playground at lunch-time?”

 

It took a minute but I remembered something like that happening in what seemed like such a long time ago at that point. “Oh yeah, I remember, tell her I am sorry that I forgot all about that.”

 

Since that day every time I have heard this song I think of that Saturday afternoon phone call that I thought was a compliment but learned later that vanity is not something that we aspire to achieve.

Carly Simon You’re So Vain Music Video

 

I really like the video of Carly Simon You’re So Vain they made for this and the remix.

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY DJ

Clarence Clemons Tribute (Jungleland)

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As a New Jersey teenager in the 70’s and 80’s, it was hard not to be a Bruce Springsteen fan. He spoke to a time and place in our shared story and had those riveting live performances that lasted anywhere from 3-4.5 hours with everybody leaving covered in sweat.  As soaked in sweat as Bruce Springsteen was by the end of the night, equally drenched was The Big Man on The Saxophone, Clarence Clemons.

 

This clip is from a performance in 2009 with Clarence Clemons performing one of my favorite solos of Clarence Clemons, “Jungleland”.

Clarence Clemons Tribute “Jungleland” Music Video

I remember when Izod Center (originally Brendan Byrne Arena, formerly Continental Airlines Arena and commonly Meadowlands Arena) first opened and they booked Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen to perform the first and second weeks respectively.  I had the opportunity to obtain tickets to two of the Springsteen shows. Those were some great memories for me.  Clarence Clemons, you will be missed and remembered.

Clarence Clemons Hartford Civic Center, April 24, 2009 Born to Run

Clarence Clemons playing his “Born to Run” saxophone solo with house lights up. Hartford Civic Center, April 24, 2009.

Clarence Clemons and How He Became Part of The E Street Band

Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone.

 

“One night we were playing in Asbury Park. I’d heard The Bruce Springsteen Band was nearby at a club called The Student Prince and on a break between sets I walked over there. On-stage, Bruce used to tell different versions of this story but I’m a Baptist, remember, so this is the truth. A rainy, windy night it was, and when I opened the door the whole thing flew off its hinges and blew away down the street. The band were on-stage, but staring at me framed in the doorway. And maybe that did make Bruce a little nervous because I just said, “I want to play with your band,” and he said, “Sure, you do anything you want.” The first song we did was an early version of “Spirit in the Night“. Bruce and I looked at each other and didn’t say anything, we just knew. We knew we were the missing links in each other’s lives. He was what I’d been searching for. In one way he was just a scrawny little kid. But he was a visionary. He wanted to follow his dream. So from then on I was part of history.” Clarence Clemons

 

DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY 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

Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

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It is interesting how songs change their cultural shape and form over time. When Steam released the song “Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” in 1969, I doubt very much Gary De Carlo thought it would be a song used as a way to hate and taunt people fifty years later. It is actually a love song in a way, not your traditional love song but still not hateful or a way to give somebody ‘the finger’ through music.

 

I think the first seeds of the negative perspective of the song  Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye originated with cheerleaders leading this song as a way to say ‘goodbye’ to the fans and players of the other team that they beat after a game; pretty simple and harmless stuff. It may be indicative of todays culture that this simple song, Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye, has gone from a number one hit on Billboard Hot 100 in 1969 to a cheerleaders chant to a way to disrespect a person or group with anger and force. The artist literally meant for the person to actually kiss the man goodbye, like a real kiss. He says, “I still love you girl, I still need you girl”. These are not words of hate or taunting…

Steam Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye Music Video

Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye was meant to be the ‘B side’ of Gary’s first single because he did not like it. The record company wanted him to release it as an ‘A side’ single so Gary changed it from his real name to Stream, to not be identified with the song personally. Bananarama released a cover of Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye in 1983, which also enjoyed commercial success. The video of Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye has a woman punching a man in the face, as a way to ‘kiss him goodbye’. This may be when the song changed from a soft, playful tune to one of hate and anger. This goes in line with the current climate in the USA that supports women taking their anger out on men physically, as if it will solve the cycle of violence of men towards women.

Reaction To Women Abusing Men In Public

Hate and violence do not quell hate and violence, they expand it. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us this many years ago (click the link for the entire speech).

“…Through violence you may murder the hater,
but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
So it goes.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Martin Luther King Famous Quotes Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye

Bananarama Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye Music Video

Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye gained another round of popularity following the success of the film, Remember The Titans. The film’s last scene includes the men humming the chorus. The song itself was played earlier during the film as well.

Again, Na Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye is not a song about violence or taunting.

 
Here is the exact quote from the last scene from allsubs.org:
Older Sheryl: "People say that it cant work, black and white; well
  here we make it work, everyday. We have our disagreements, of
  course, but before we reach for hate, always, always, we remember
  the Titans."


DJ Mystical Michael Rhode Island DJ & NY 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 

Let It Be. Is it Still Not Time Yet?

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Due to the recent events locally and globally of violence and more violence, I keep coming back to “Let It Be”, The Beatles Classic song. I know it can be overused but that does not take away from its value and profoundness. “Let It Be” was written by Paul McCartney but credited to Lennon-McCartney, as were other Beatles songs written by either Paul McCartney or John Lennon.

The Single version includes orchestration and backing vocals overdubbed on 4 January 1970—under the supervision of Martin and McCartney—with backing vocals that included the only known contribution by Linda McCartney to a Beatles song. There was the album version for the album of the same name Let It Be, the Single version, the Anthology Version and The Naked Version of the song.

 Paul’s mother had told him “It will be all right, just let it be.”

The song came to Paul McCartney during the very intense period around the recording of The White Album. Paul claims that he was thinking of his mother often then. His mother, Mary, died when Paul was fourteen. He was referring to her and felt like he connected with her when he references “Mother Mary”. He later said, “It was great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing ‘Let It Be’.” He also said in a later interview about the dream that his mother had told him “It will be all right, just let it be.”

 

“Let It Be” was the last song released as a single before Paul’s announcement to leave The Beatles. John Lennon had already done so before this time. The song, “The Long and Winding Road” was actually released as a single after Paul’s decision to leave the band.

 

“Let It Be” reached number one on The Billboard Hot 100 Charts for two weeks in The USA but only number two in The U.K. It is interesting to note how many songs have achieved such greater success commercially but few over time as “Let It Be”.

The Beatles Let It Be Music Video

Personally, there are only a handful of songs that touch and effect me as “Let It Be”. It is one of the songs that I reach for when needing inspiration, hope, direction and connection.

The Betles Icon Let It Be Rhode Island Wedding DJ

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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