Peter Viney's Blog

Coral, Vogue-Coral

20/03/2023 by Peter Viney

The Decca Group section on AROUND AND AROUND continues to grow. The latest is on Coral & Vogue-Coral (linked) The label was best-known for Buddy Holly & The Crickets, but there was a lot more from Debbie Reynolds to Jackie Wilson.

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Brunswick

11/03/2023 by Peter Viney

AROUND AND AROUND continues through the Decca group with BRUNSWICK (linked). The UK Decca label, derived its material from US Decca NOT US Brunswick. A complex set up. Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Bill Haley & His Comets, Brenda Lee, The Who, The Chi-Lites. This one is another visual feast, I hope. The illustration is The Who EP on Brunswick, France.

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London: sleeves and centres

07/03/2023 by Peter Viney

For the obsessive music fan, there is a new article on AROUND AND AROUND. It’s Part two of the London-American label, focussing on 45 sleeves and 45 and EP centre designs.
LONDON SLEEVES AND CENTRES (linked)

This LP is not in it, but I love it anyway.

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The Tempest – RSC 2023 review

03/03/2023 by Peter Viney

Early in its run, this garnered 4 star reviews from the major papers. We’re seeing THE TEMPEST at the RSC late in the run (link to review), and we thought it almost a complete failure, the second weakest Shakespeare we’ve seen at the RSC in a dozen years. Phew! That’s a contrast in reviews.

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London-American

01/03/2023 by Peter Viney

The latest on AROUND AND AROUND is a long article on London-American, (linked) perhaps the most collected label of all. Lots of pictures too. It’s the first part – there will be another coming on sleeves and designs.

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Pride & Prejudice * (*sort of) – Review

24/02/2023 by Peter Viney

Review added of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE * (*SORT OF). (FOLLOW LINK) We saw it at Chichester but it’s touring the country until June. The original production had five star reviews. I can’t think the touring one is any the less. Five female actors are the servants in the story, and dress up at speed to play the characters in the novel. We loved it. It’s bursting with energy. Do check your memory of the characters in Jane Austen’s original first though.

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How The Other Half Loves – review

19/02/2023 by Peter Viney

Salisbury Playhouse revives Alan Ayckbourn’s 1969 play HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES (LINKED). This is a truly first rate production of one of Ayckbourn’s better plays, well worth the trip to Salisbury. If you’re nostalgic for, or just interested in the 1970s, go and see it.

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Tales of A & E

16/02/2023 by Peter Viney

Some thoughts on the 9 hours we spent in A & E in Poole yesterday (actually 12 hours at the hospital in total). FOLLOW THIS LINK. We’re all fine and home, grateful to wonderful medical staff, but some reflections on the working of the system and some thoughts on what the NHS needs to do, some of which are very simple and non-medical.

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Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour review

10/02/2023 by Peter Viney

Poole was the fourth concert, twenty-eight more to go on Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” 50th Anniversary Tour (LINK TO MY REVIEW) . The hall was packed the sound was superb. There is a great selection of other Oldfield material in the first half, Tubular Bells complete in the second. It’s going all over Great Britain., It had a rapturous reception and rightly so.

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Decca

02/02/2023 by Peter Viney

On the AROUND and AROUND site, two new articles in the labels section. This is the start of a long series of articles on the Decca Group. First up is THE DECCA GROUP, followed by DECCA (linked) which is on the UK label. Hopefully both are also visual feasts on the UK’s second largest music group.