Born To Boogie – Marc Bolan Story

They don’t make pop stars like Marc Bolan any more! He was anything you wanted him to be – gay or straight, hippy mystic or teen idol and for a (brief) period the most famous man in British music.

Timed to coincide with the anniversary of his tragic death (16 th  September 1977) this programme reveals Bolan, the man, his remarkable story and his timeless music with comments from friends and family plus contemporary musicians revealing their feelings about Bolan’s enduring music and in the process giving a contemporary view of this unique musical icon.

In Production – To Be Broadcast on BBC Radio September 2017

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Presenter Miranda Sawyer presents a special magazine programme exploring the better realises of the month with exciting guests and reviews of the best product Universal Music has to offer via the label’s excellent web site U Discover music.com also available on You Tube. Please check our promo for a flavour of the half hour show.

 

The Art Of Paul McCartney

Sugar Productions Ltd was involved the production of a unique recording. ‘The Art of Paul McCartney’ is a 32-track album featuring some of the finest performers of today paying tribute to the greatest! The recordings feature covers of Paul McCartney’s songs from his Beatles and solo career by the some of the world’s leading artists with Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Roger Daltrey, Jeff Lynne and more recently announced by new recording label – Arctic Poppy Records.

The list of artists also includes; Billy Joel, Steve Miller Band, Willie Nelson, Barry Gibb, Jamie Cullum, and Corinne Bailey Rae (see picture). The songs covered include “Live and Let Die,” “Let It Be,” “Yesterday,” “All My Loving,” “Things We Said Today,” “The Long and Winding Road,” and many other classic McCartney compositions.

Sugar Productions Ltd was delighted to be involved in this creative project producing a film record of the project with a DVD, audio documentary, plus detailed sleeves notes for the deluxe CD box sets.

Star Spangled Hendrix

 

When Jimi Hendrix returned to his native America as a star, the country he knew had changed.

Presenter Tom Robinson explores the pressure the guitarist was under to make an explicit political declaration and how Jimi’s beliefs and racial outlook would not be shaken by the political trends of the time. Hendrix a former member of the parachute Regiment was ultimately a patriot (the programme explores his military career.) He rejected the mystical racist separatism of the Nation of Islam who’d successfully recruited Muhammad Ali to their struggle.

In fact, the guitarist was suspicious of any activist which saw race as the eye of the hurricane circling America and even more suspicious of black organizations which sought to recruit him. Jimi spoke through his guitar – the stage at Woodstock was the place where Hendrix took his chance to make a key statement about the Vietnam war. Towards the end of his set as he launched into ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ it was an eloquent (and wordless) statement. An epic deconstruction of the national anthem familiar to every American. Many saw it as a political statement against the Vietnam war. In retrospect however, it can also be read as a swan song for the era of peace and love and for Hendrix himself, who died in his sleep the following year.

Broadcast March 2016 BBC Radio 4 Xtra

Mayhem at the Ritz

In the 1960’s, demand to see the latest music sensation was so high, there were insufficient British venues to meet the demand for tickets. The cinema chains saw a money-making opportunity and in “Mayhem at the Ritz” presenter Andrew Collins revisits this bygone era. He reveals how cinema staff switched work routines to embrace the new era of the pop package. We hear from projectionists and managers about how they worked alongside Little Richard, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix at your local high street cinema. It was unique time when the pop package was at its peak and heath & safety issues were of no concern, as the kids went wild having a good time.

Broadcast February 2016 BBC Radio 4 Xtra

Robin Hood and The Cuban Revolutionaires

 

Errol Flynn was cinema’s brightest Hollywood star, with a series of unforgettable swashbuckling epics to his name.

However Flynn spent his last year on the island of Cuba mixing with Castro, Che Guevara and the Cuban rebels. This programme explores this remarkable story and the incongruity of a Hollywood star finding himself at the epicenter of a revolution, 50 years after his passing. Errol Flynn is famous for his epic films, womanizing, and hard living life style but, his strange venture into the world of Cuban politics and flirtation with the flowering of Castro’s brand of communism is as an untold story. This programme presented by Patrick Humphries addresses that over sight revealing in the process a compelling and unique story.

Broadcast January 2016 BBC Radio 4 Xtra