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This on my AROUND AND AROUND site.
The Best Beatles Album?  (FOLLOW THE LINK TO THE ARTICLE) |This was a response to the release of the Giles Martin remix of Revolver, and nearly every reviewer declared that Revolver was the greatest of all Beatles albums … whether they loved or hated what Giles Martin did with it. I thought about it, checked some of those ‘Greatest Albums of All Time’ lists and decided to argue about it. I might just be deliberately provocative so feel free to add to the comments box on the page itself.

Review of Bob Dylan “Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour” (FOLLOW LINK TO THE REVIEW … THIS IS NOT THE REVIEW ITSELF) in concert at Bournemouth International Centre tonight. A concert of two ways – the Rough and Rowdy Ways material, and he played all of it, was great to hear. The interspersed older songs were uniformly dreadful. See the review (This is NOT the review, just a link to it) . If you get angry you can comment on the page, but do keep it civil!

If you comment on the review itself (rather than on this page) it is easier for people to see.

Review of LOCAL HERO (LINKED), the stage musical version, at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre. The day before I was rating The Famous Five lower than the newspaper reviews. but today I’m rating Local Hero higher than the newspapers (and I’m right!). This is a full 5 star production, directed by Daniel Evans – who will move to the RSC next year as artistic director. This is based on the 1983 film, but David Greig has rewritten the story, and Mark Knopfler has added new songs and lyrics. Gabriel Ebert, a Broadway Tony-Award winning actor takes the lead role of oilman Mac MacIntyre. Just look at the production photos in the review, and it runs until 19th November.

THE FAMOUS FIVE: A NEW MUSICAL, review is linked at Chichester Festival Theatre. We went as great Famous Five fans, and we really disliked it intensely. Full on energy acting which is very good, but it’s let down by an atrocious tick box plot and weak songs. Sorry, I try to avoid bad reviews, but this is one (with a lot on The Famous Five too).

I first saw Al Stewart play (oh, dear, yes) sixty years ago, at Bournemouth Pavilion Ballrooms. He grew up in Bournemouth and here he is tonight at Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre, just yards away from the ballroom behind the theatre. Home town gig then, supported by the Chicago band The Empty Pockets and virtuoso flute / sax player Marc Massino. The review has a long introduction on the 60s Bournemouth music scene and connections. LINK TO THE REVIEW.

I’m in the mood for ranting. So to SUPERMARKET CHECK-OUTS (linked). We all go there. This explores what happens … obnoxious customers, the demise of check-out assistants, invisible customers. The lot. There’s a discussion box. Do add a rant of your own.

I don’t review classical concerts, because I don’t know enough to make sensible comments, but I had to review this Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra programme (FOLLOW LINK). We booked it for Respighi’s The Fountains of Rome, but Czech violinist Pavel Šporcl played Glazunov’s Violin Concerto, and the major piece was Elgar’s Symphony #1. There’s more on my memories and Respighi than erudition.

SEE CYCLING IN LONDON & ELSEWHERE (follow link)

The third review of our London visit, Arthur Miller’s THE CRUCIBLE (link to review) at the National Theatre. This is a major production of one of the greatest 20th century plays. It’s a detailed review,and I assume you know the story. Few plays get so many five star reviews, yet it failed to get the standing ovation that Blues For An Alabama Sky got the evening before. The play always fascinates.

Credit: Johan Persson

The second of the three reviews, this is BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY (link to review) by Pearl Cleage. This 1995 play is set in ‘Haarlem Renaissance’ New York in 1930. As so often happens, the least known of the three plays in the trip got the best audience reception by a long way and was the most enjoyable too. It’s at the National Theatre, so catch it if you can. Like most National Theatre plays it’s sure to be streamed eventually.