Hi all,

Time for you to voice your opinions please...

What would YOU like Sean, the MusicGuru, to discuss on forthcoming show on Talk Radio 702? Please post here, or drop Sean an e-mail at seanmusicguru.co.za with as detailed an idea as possible about what you would like featured or discussed on one of his shows.

There's no guarantee that there will be a show based on your idea, but Sean will certainly look at all ideas very seriously.

The Music Guru is about EVERYONE enjoying and loving music, so make your voice heard, and drop Sean a mail.

Marc

Coming up on 702

As the great refrain goes: ‘You can’t stop the Children of the Revolution’.

I’m having a tilt at musical families on Thursday, the concept of genetic harmony and ability, and whether it’s a blessing or a curse for an aspirant musician to have a star parent.

Join me on 702 just after 130, and you’ll hear, amongst others, the Wilsons, the Phillipses, the Marleys, the Cleggs, the Coles, the Shabalalas, the Sinatras.

Rock ‘n Roll is all in the genes!

(Y’ all make it all worthwhile, thanks for the many great suggestions.)

My suggestion for a show is songs and artists who never made it but should. We all know album tracks that we love and think should have made great singles, singles that disappeared inexplicably (we think) and artists whose every recording we own and wonder why we are the only ones who really appreciate them. I'd love to hear other peoples suggestions as well as mine below and perhaps there's a wonderful show of relatively undiscovered music there. My choices:
Sandy Denny "Who knows where the time goes". Heartbreakingly beautiful, self penned and sung with her perfect voice and a brilliant counterpoint guitar. I cannot imagine why this song is not in everyones 10 favourites.
Al Stewart for a body of brilliant songwriting comparable with Billy Joel yet only known for a couple of songs. An outstanding musician but unfortunately he doesn't have Joel's delivery. Try "Trains", "Roads to Moscow", " Laughing into 1939".
Lonnie Mack - Great country rock and the best drive music next to Bob Seager.
"Buffalo Women", "Hard Life".
Ralph McTell - only known for one song but he has written many more as good if not better. I've just listened to "Not till Tomorrow" again. Not a bad track on it.

Argy, I love your idea. I am the consummate supporter of the underdog, so this theme fits me perfectly. I hope Sean manages to do one like that, I'll definitely be listening with rapt attention.

I need to think a bit about my contributions to the list... Helen Shapiro didn't get as big as she should have, and nor did Donovan before he was swamped by Dylan et al. Magna Carta should have been HUGE in the late 60's and early 70's.

I'll go through my iPod and see if I can find a few more.

Marc

Howzit Argy, welcome to my world.

It's an excellent idea

I also back the mongrel every time, in the words of the mighty Dylan, (what's the song guys?),

' Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken-for granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an' blind, tolling for the mute
For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an' cheated by pursuit....'

Sean

(And what of Tom Robbins, Billy Bragg, and Ian Curtis?)

Hi
Thanks for the enthusiastic responses.
I used to have a mate who could quote all Dylans lyrics a week after a new album was released - he couldn't sing anything, just learnt them verbatim but Dylan had that effect on people during the sixties. You may guess that I haven't got the foggiest which song they're from but most appropriate. (I could cheat and Google them I guess)
I don't know Tom Robbins and Ian Curtis (which is the whole point of my suggestion). I've a couple of Billy Bragg tracks and highly rate "I was looking for trouble to lighten my life when trouble came looking for me"...the case has taken leave of the disc so I can't tell you the title but I'm sure you know. I remember Magna Carta but will have to have a session with YouTube (my favourite occupation) to jog a few synapses.
So far there's a definite bias to folk singers, is this because there was a certain cliquiness about them which presented some barriers to popular taste?
By the way, the best song written about having a domestic argument - contains the immortal lines "Well alright, alright, alright, I don't want to talk about it this time of night". Who's that?

Regarding Magna Carta... I was idly sort of surfing the net in October 2010, and I thought I'd see what had happened to Magna Carta... I found a website for them, and then to my absolute amazement, I read that they were actually going to be performing in Cape Town that month!!!

I was so blown away that I immediately booked a flight and accommodation and went to see Chris Simpson (he WAS Magna Carta ). It was the MOST wonderful show. It was at a small venue with about 80 people, and afterwards I sat and drank vodka till the early hours with the band and a few other Magna Carta fans. It was actually quite magical... like a dream come true really.

I'd love to see Magna Carta in Joburg sometime soon, and at a bigger venue.

I was suprised to see a video of Magna Carta performing at Pietermaritzburg, posted on YouTube so I suppose it was at the same time. I never knew they had been here. You might like to check Bert Jansch and John Renbourne who were/are absolute heros of mine. They are stunning acoustic guitarists and were very influential in developing folk / jazz since the 60s. They formed Pentangle who had some chart success.
Sean - Ooops. The trouble with playing CDs in the car is that you never remember track titles, or artists in compilations. Sorry, the Billy Bragg track I have is A New England. I see that he did some work with Woody Guthrie lyrics and could be described as a British Woodie Guthrie.
The song I was thinking of was Richard Thompson, Poor Ditching Boy

What about Pat Metheny Group, Dead Can Dance, Miroslav Vitous, Chick Corea, Weather Report and any other not so know(by the general public) music that needs to be showcased on a special show giving us a bit more information about their background.

Hi
Just read John Martyn's biography and thought that a show about the wilder musical characters would be rather entertaining albeit at the risk of glamourising some dodgy activities. Martyn is probably not very well known here but was a stunning and innovative acoustic guitarist from the Scottish folk / jazz scene which produced Bert Jansch, Steelers Wheel, Incredible String Band and Billy Connolly. He was very influential, attracting stars like Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour & Bonnie Rait to his concerts and recording sessions. His most popular period was during the 70's when he played with double bass jazzman Danny Thompson and recorded a number of albums, Solid Air the best known. But he was an abuser of industrial proportions and was known to precede a concert with a large dose of cocaine, a bottle of bacardi, another one to take on stage and a succession of joints passed to him during the concert by members of the audience. Amazingly he lived like this into his sixties despite losing a leg on the way (through neglect), but he finally pegged it ('scuse me) a few years ago. There are numerous stories to go with his lifestyle. Of being nailed under the hotel carpet by Danny and waking with a massive hangover unable to move. Of making a bet with Danny that he would not remove an item of clothing after each number at a concert which of course ended with the audience only protected by their instruments. He was often involved in drunken brawls and would appear on stage with various parts of his body damaged. But his music is at odds with his demeanour and often are gentle love songs with brilliant accompaniment. Lot's of other artists to choose from including the legendary Keith Moon.