© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc. This feed is subject to our terms of use: http://www.epinions.com/help/rss_terms http://www.epinions.com/user-AlanCrax Recent reviews written by member AlanCrax en-us 121 37 http://www.epinions.com/ http://img.epinions.com/images/epi_images/logos/epinions_121.gif http://www.epinions.com/content_434747444868?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - For 40 years I have been a fan of The Who. Of the original line-up PeteTownshend is the ultimate driving force of the band, its major muse and song writer. Even in the early days, despite the group's outward image and reputation Pete was writing... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~434747444868 Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:33:21 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_434747444868?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_434412883588?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - No visitor to Downtown Disney in Walt DisneyWorld (WDW), Florida over the last couple of years could have failed to notice the major new resort complex which has been taking shape on the opposite bank of the lake. I have been a frequent visitor to Walt... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~434412883588 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:04:35 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_434412883588?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_434412228228?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - I first made some jottings for this review whilst on holiday in DisneyWorld, Florida (WDW) during the summer of 2007. With the benefit of multiple visits to the vacation capital of the world over the last 25 years, I decided to take the opportunity to... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~434412228228 Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:00:03 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_434412228228?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_434399383172?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - I am an experienced traveller to Florida and I am very well aware of the need for care in the strong hot sunshine particularly through the summer months. I use sunscreens were necessary but more often than not I stay out of direct sunlight during the... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~434399383172 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:30:56 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_434399383172?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_434364649092?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - Forsaking my usual Floridian haunts temporarily, I made two trips to San Diego and Southern California in the Autumn of 2006. As the second visit was part conference and part vacation we thought that we would 'push the boat out ' and stay at the... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~434364649092 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:11:26 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_434364649092?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_433475587716?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - Fort Myers, Florida: "Brand new Inn only three miles from airport offers outstanding dining." (1) I am not usually minded to write reviews about hotels where I have stayed only as a transient. However, a recent series of niggles and annoyances have... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~433475587716 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:12:36 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_433475587716?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_433471458948?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - "Caribbean Chic - Naples Only Downtown Waterfront Boutique Hotel" (1) We came away from the Bayfront Inn on Fifth with mixed feelings. I am not sure what the term "boutique hotel" is supposed to conjure up (bijou residence, fripperies and lace,... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~433471458948 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:51:05 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_433471458948?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_433374662276?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - This is the second of an occasional series of reviews of performances of the works of the French composer Jacques Offenbach which are available on DVD. Orpheus in the Underworld was the first Offenbach operetta that I had the pleasure to hear and it has... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~433374662276 Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:49:17 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_433374662276?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_433284288132?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - One of the less welcome aspects of our recent vacation in Florida was that I suffered an attack of gingivitis. Although I have no proof (and therefore I will not be naming names) I have my suspicion that an unfamiliar make of toothpaste could have been... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~433284288132 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:52:05 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_433284288132?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_433115664004?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - There are two reasons why we make Tampa our gateway to Florida: its airport (Tampa International in favour of the crowds of holidaymakers and queues that bedevil Orlando International) and this hotel. There are two Hyatt hotels in the city (the other... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~433115664004 Mon, 9 Jun 2008 10:44:06 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_433115664004?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_432893103748?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - I have to acknowledge that I have accumulated a touch of extra baggage in my passage through life. My wife feels that this has been at least in part due to my dedication to Epinion's Food and Drinks pages a few of years ago. The weight of over eighty... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~432893103748 Sat, 7 Jun 2008 08:04:37 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_432893103748?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_273119022724?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - I have to admit that my first view of the Moody Blues playing 'live' was on BBC television's "The Lulu Show" back in 1970 when they performed the title track of this album. I had of course experienced their previous studio offerings and was well versed... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~273119022724 Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:58:19 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_273119022724?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_272522579588?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - In 2003 Universal Music embarked on a project to re-master the first five of the Moody Blues albums from the original tapes using modern production techniques. They also decided to issue additional tracks - alternative takes and versions - which were not... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~272522579588 Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:46:51 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_272522579588?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_271212449412?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - I am taking you back in time over thirty years for this review - back to the days of "Tommy", flower power and the concept album. The Moody Blues produced two studio albums in 1969: this is the first and was also the last that was issued on the DERAM... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~271212449412 Fri, 27 Oct 2006 07:51:02 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_271212449412?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_270813859460?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - It may seem strange to be reviewing an album that first saw the light of day nearly 40 years ago. However the Moody Blues have maintained their popularity and their loyal fan base through three generations and (down to three of the original members now)... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~270813859460 Thu, 26 Oct 2006 07:41:29 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_270813859460?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_270485327492?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - Isn’t life strange? So wrote John Lodge on a later album. This, though, was the one that started the ball rolling, creating a distinctive and unique sound that would become loved and followed for 40 years and three generations of fans. It is appropriate... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~270485327492 Wed, 25 Oct 2006 11:18:52 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_270485327492?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_247250652804?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - I have written at length on these pages about the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. I have also discovered and learned to enjoy the source of their inspiration, the operettas of Offenbach. Although the full catalogue is perhaps not so well known to an... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~247250652804 Wed, 9 Aug 2006 13:18:54 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_247250652804?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_247250259588?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - It was ironic that while we were away in Florida, the UK has experienced its hottest July day for one hundred years. We were not immune from the extremes of weather either during our stay become acquainted with the vagaries of the Bermuda High. First it... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~247250259588 Wed, 9 Aug 2006 13:09:07 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_247250259588?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_246506753668?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - The opening song "Bittersweet Symphony" from the album "Urban Hymns" by The Verve was one of the most haunting sounds of 1997. It dominated the charts and airwaves that year and has continued to be used as background music in television programmes and... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~246506753668 Sat, 5 Aug 2006 18:42:04 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_246506753668?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_246506491524?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - One glance at the list of music reviews I have added to these pages over the years should confirm that I have pretty catholic tastes. I grew up in the sixties, matured and have now grown older always surrounded and immersed in a variety of sounds and... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~246506491524 Sat, 5 Aug 2006 18:38:56 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_246506491524?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_119670345348?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - I have to admit it here and now that I am not a great lover of smoked food. I guess it was during my spell in a Hall of Residence at University in Dundee that part of my tongue became permanently sensorially scarred with a diet high in the Arbroath... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~119670345348 Mon, 24 Nov 2003 16:09:33 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_119670345348?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_119669755524?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - I guess that if you believe that the subject of my current jottings is an American group; that guitarist Lindsay Buckingham is female and lead singer Stevie Nicks is a bloke then I suppose this review will mean very little to you. Fleetwood Mac has been... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~119669755524 Mon, 24 Nov 2003 16:01:52 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_119669755524?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_119164931716?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - Let me ask you a couple of questions. What do you know of Schikaneder and Mozart’s “Die Zauberflaute”? Can you whistle any of the tunes from Paive and Verdi’s “La Traviata”? When was “Orpheus Aux Enfers” by Halevy, Cremieux and Offenbach first performed?... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~119164931716 Wed, 19 Nov 2003 16:09:29 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_119164931716?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_118809333380?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - Think of France and perhaps the thing you are least likely to think of is beer. Wine - of course, cuisine - superbe!, ze ladies - mais oui!! Kronenbourg is a common enough sight in most supermarkets. You don&#146t have to go far down the aisles to find... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~118809333380 Sun, 16 Nov 2003 16:03:06 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_118809333380?linkin_id=8003929 http://www.epinions.com/content_118807563908?linkin_id=8003929 rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author AlanCrax - My wife has been a member of the National Trust here in England for twenty years. I have been a beer drinker for (scratches head, twiddles counting fingers) probably longer than that. Two unassociated facts you may surmise. Until recently, that is somethi... http://www.epinions.com/content/submit.html/comment_~118807563908 Sun, 16 Nov 2003 15:41:43 GMT http://www.epinions.com/content_118807563908?linkin_id=8003929