Day 3816 - Frank Herbert's "Dune" Paperback - 10.31.21

I found this beat up copy of Dune.  I really like the cover art.  It reminds me of the imagery at the very end of the new movie.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3815 - Nancy's Drew "The Clue In The Crumbling Wall" - 10.30.21

I picked up a Nancy Drew book recently.  Great cover.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3814 - Rod Stewart's "Gasoline Alley" Album Jacket Inside - 10.29.21

Today on the 1001 list we listened to Rod Stewart's "Gasoline Alley."  This is the inside of the album jacket.  This is what I wrote about the album to my friends.

I really love this period in Rod Stewart's career. The work with Jeff Beck and the Faces and his solo work was all top notch. When I was young, my introduction to Rod Stewart was unfortunately during the "Do You Think i"m Sexy" period and I kind of thought he was a cheese ball joke. So it wasn't until many years later when I started collecting records that I stepped back in his catalog and became a fan. This is Rod's second solo album. HIs first record is okay, but this is where I think things really settled in. I think this record and his next three albums are all great. The albums after that have their moments for sure, and I am actually a fan of his Great American songbook albums from the early 2000s. "Gasoline Alley" is a solid opener penned by Rod and Ronnie Wood, but to me things really get great with "Its All Over Now" which is probably my favorite track on the album. Next is "Only A Hobo" and I gotta love a song with "Hobo" in the title. "My Way Of Giving" is another super solid track. I love the opening with the organ and the drums. It settles into a good groove. Side to starts with an Elton John and Bernie Taupin composition "Country Comforts" which starts off with a nice piano piece and reminds me of "Handbags And Gladrags" which is on Rod' debut record and is an absolute classic. This song feels like he was trying to capture some of that same vibe and magic. "Cut Across Shorty" sounds like it could be an Fleetwood Mac song at the beginning. By that I mean the band sounds like Fleetwood Mac, because Rod's vocal of course doesn't sound anything like Fleetwood Mac. "Lady Day" is good, but not great. This one is one that Rod wrote. "Jo's Lament" is another more subdued number by Rod. I like this one more than "Lady Day" and has a nice folk rock feel to it. The melody kind of reminds me of "Knoxville Girl" which we heard the Louvin Brothers do way back at the start of this challenge. The album closes out with "You're My Girl (I Don't Want To Discuss It)" which is kind of a blues number, but it leans more toward funk, especially with that bass line. If I were to point someone to a deep cut on this album that I think may be kind of a discovery or revelation, I think I might point them to this song. It just sounds surprising and different than everything else and in a very good way.
 

So that was something I saw today.

Day 3813 - Wind Up Toys And The New Beverly November Calendar - 10.28.21

These are some wind-up Halloween toys we have out and the November New Beverly Calendar.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3812 - "Carrie" At The New Beverly - 10.27.21

Tonight I went to the New Beverly to watch "Carrie" on film.  Ive seen this movie many times, but never in a theater.  It was so much fun.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3811 - Sparkle Skull - 10.26.21

I've photographed this skull many times over the years.  It is a favorite around Halloween.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3810 - "Don't Go In The House" And "Don't Go In The Woods" At The New Beverly - 10.25.21

Tonight was a "Don't Double" with "Don't Go In The House"
and "Don't Go In The Woods."  They were good New Bev grind house type movies.  The second movie was actually quite funny with an audience.  I actually enjoyed that one a lot because it kind of didn't stick to normal story telling.  You could feel an amateur touch, but you felt a lot of passion in what they did.  I appreciated what they accomplished.  This is something I saw today.

Day 3809 - Pumpkin On The Porch - 10.24.21

This is a close up of the pumpkin my wife carved last night.  It is now on our porch.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3808 - Pumpkin Carving Party - 10.23.21

This evening we went over to our friend's house for a pumpkin carving party.  It was fun to be around some other people doing a fun holiday related activity.  These are all of our pumpkins.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3807 - "Race With The Devil" And "The Brotherhood Of Satan" At The New Beverly - 10.22.21

My son and I went and saw "Race With The Devil" and "The Brotherhood Of Satan" at the New Beverly tonight.  Both films were great in their own way.  I had seen "Race With The Devil" before and so I knew what I was in for there.  "The Brotherhood of Satan" was the winner of the evening for me.  It really had some great moments and kept you guessing what was going on the whole way through.  And the Act III climax was pretty crazy.  I loved it.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3806 - Stephen King's "Christine" Paperback - 10.21.21

This is a beat up copy of Christine with the original paperback artwork.  This book is literally falling apart, but I like it for the cover.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3805 - Halloween Kills Soundtrack - 10.20.21

Today I was playing the soundtrack to the new Halloween movie, "Halloween Kills."  It is pretty good.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3804 - Led Zeppelin III Inside Album Jacket - 10.19.21

Today on the 1001 albums list we listened to Led Zeppelin III.  This is the inside of the album jacket.  

This is what i wrote on our work Slack channel about this album.

Listening to Led Zeppelin III this time through was a great experience. I think in my mind I can't help but group the first four Zeppelin albums into a group and then compare and rank them. I am sure that is just because of the basic number system of the albums. It is dumb, but that is the way my mind has always thought about these albums and in so doing I think I always rank Led Zeppelin III as the 4th best. And because that in my mind it puts it at the bottom of this stupid imaginary list in my mind. That ranking for me by the way goes: Led Zeppelin II Led Zeppelin IV Led Zeppelin I Led Zeppelin III But what I really got out of this listening of Led Zeppelin III this time through is that this stupid list in my mind is distorted because basically all 4 of those albums are awesome and even if Led Zeppelin III is 4th on my list, it is still an amazing album and I really, really loved listening to it. I mean it starts off with "Immigrant Song" which is one of the all time great Zeppelin songs. He has that amazing howling opening. I listen to that opening and I instantly started questioning my ranking system. How could an album that opens with "Immigrant Song" be at the bottom of any list? So dumb. This time through a song like "Friends" which is definitely more of a deep cut, was heard with new appreciation. "Celebration Day" is just a bluesy rocker and is great. Great guitar riff, and the bass lines are pretty great on this one. "Since I've Been Loving You" is an awesome blues number. I think this can go up against some of the classics by the three kings, B.B. King, Albert King and Freddie King. "Out Of Tiles" has a great chorus. "Gallows Pole" is a track that really stood out to me listening to the album this time through. I feel like I'm hearing this song for the first time, and may have been my favorite song. I think mostly because for whatever reason I really locked into it and it felt like a new discovery. Maybe it is the dark subject matter and the fact with it being October that I'm in a Halloween mood and so dark songs are just clicking with me. "Tangerine" is a favorite Zeppelin song that is easy to forget. It is one of those songs where I totally forget about it, but then when I hear it I'm like "oh yeah, I love this song." To me this song sort of feels a head of its time in terms of where Zeppelin was. This sounds like a song that could have been later in their catalog, off something like "In Through The Out Door" or "Houses Of The Holy". I think it might be that slight country flavor of the slide guitar that gives me that vibe. "That's the Way" has long been a HUGE favorite of mine. I love the mellow vibe and the guitars. I love Plant's laid back delivery. I don't know what I am thinking this, but it sounds like Southern California to me. It feels breezy and laid back like it could have come from Laurel Canyon. Love "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp." Love when that bass drum kicks in. Sounds like Zeppelin going to a hoe down. Love that bluesy steel guitar on "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper." This I feel like is another song that I forget about, but I really enjoyed this time through. I really liked this kind of rootsy blues sound. This and "Celebration Day" are a good pairing.

And with that this was something I saw today.

Day 3803 - Lon Chaney Jr. Inner Sanctum Triple Feature - 10.18.21

This evening my wife and I went to a Lon Chaney Jr. triple feature of Inner Sanctum movies.  We love Lon Chaney Jr. and we had never seen any of these movies and so it was a real pleasure.  We watched "Calling Dr. Death", "Weird Woman" and "The Frozen Ghost." This is the view while we were waiting in line to get in.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3802 - "A Night In Terror Tower" A Goosebumps Book - 10.17.21

This is another Goosebumps book I got recently.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3801 - Nordstrom At The Americana - 10.16.21

Today my wife and I met some friends at the Americana in Glendale to see Halloween Kills.  My wife showed up early and went to Sur La Table and Barnes & Noble.  I walked around and also took some photos like this one of Nordstrom.  After the movie we had dinner outside and it was an all together great day.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3800 - Hawaiian Records - 10.15.21

These are the records I have been listening to and the Hawaiian records are ones I have been digitizing.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3799 - Cafe De Olla - 10.14.21

This afternoon I met up with my friend Ray at Cafe De Olla near my house.  This was the little thing to scan to get the menu that was on our table.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3798 - "Little Vampires" and "The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight" Goosebumps Book - 10.13.21

This is the small selection fo books we have set out for Halloween.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3797 - "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Clamshell VHS - 10.12.21

This VHS of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and black cauldron are a couple decorations we have out.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3796 - "Def By Temptation" And "Bones" - 10.11.21

Tonight I went and saw "Def By Temptation" and "Bones" at the New Beverly.  "Def By Temptation" was interesting and pretty entertaining.  For me though, the real surprise was how much I loved "Bones."  The film continued to win me over and get better and better and by act III, I was in love with this film.  I love when I go into a film not knowing much and turns out to be so much better than I had ever hoped.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3795 - Hidden Toy Dinosaur - 10.10.21

This morning my wife and I went on a walk an placed another hidden toy along Burbank Blvd.  This is where he is hidden.  I hope he stays at this home for a long time.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3794 - "House" and "Encounters Of The Spooky Kind II" At The New Beverly Cinema - 10.09.21

This evening was a great night out for me and the wife over on the West Side.  We had dinner at El Coyote and then we hit up a double feature that the Bev.  "House" which is a favorite of ours was great on the big screen.  We had never seen it in the theater.  "Encounters Of The Spooky Kind II" I had seen before, but it was new to my wife.  It was super entertaining as one would expect from a Sammo Hung film.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3793 - Paul Page "Hawaiian Honeymoon" LP - 10.08.21

I started digitizing more Hawaiian/Pacific Island Records again recently.  One of the records today was this one by Paul Page.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3792 - "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath - 10.07.21

Today on the 1001 Albums list the album was "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath.  This is one of the great albums of all time and I was super happy to listen to this album today.  This is what I wrote about the album to my friends at work.

I can't believe I'm finally writing about this album. I feel like I have been writing about this album for months, referencing so many other songs and albums in comparison to this album. To me this album is such a watershed moment in music history. I know I am not saying anything new or revelatory, but there is a reason this is considered to be the first real heavy metal album. And to me it is that what the band did here is take all the hard rock that was going on around this time and added a level of doom and horror that was unlike anything before it. That was the atom bomb element that was ignited on this album. Now this is an album that I have been listening to since I was in 5th or 6th grade, I honestly can't remember when I first got a copy of this album. So in many respects this album has been played as much as any Beatles album and each song is an old friend like any song on a Beatles album. Now I say that, but I must say that listening to it this time through there was a bit of a revelation and that is that I listened to the original track listing that includes "Evil Woman" which was not on the American release. So the version of this album that I grew up on has Wicked World kicking off side two. So it was great listening to this album again with "Evil Woman" because that is one hell of a good track. And in my reading I learned that "Evil Woman" was actually a cover track and was the single off the album. And that all makes sense. While the track is great, it is a little more straight ahead rock and doesn't have that doom element that is so quintessentially Black Sabbath. It is more of a single. Now I have to circle back to the opening of this album. I honestly think this is one of the all time greatest album beginnings of all time. The gentle rain sets a mood and then the haunting church bell in the distance. Then some thunder and the rain gets louder. And then some more thunder and then the thunderous opening chords just pound down on you. Tony Iommi really make a statement with this opening riff. He hits those first 3 notes or chords and there is this trilly thing he does and all of it sounds like the scariest horror movie ever. In that opening Iommi signals to the world that he is doing something different and if you go on this journey with him, it is going to be dark and scary. Then the lyrics are so dark and Ozzy is amazing. But truly one of my favorite moments in the song is how at the end of the first first Ozzy bellows out "Oh no" as if the song and the evil and darkness is overtaking him. Sure he is playing a character, but man of man, I don't think the world had heard character like this before in a song. As the song continues the lyrics continue to paint a horrific picture that includes Satan and by the end of the second verse, things have gotten so dark Ozzy wails, "Oh, no, no, please God help me." I mean come on. I listen to this and I think about how Jim Morrison gets all this credit for his theatrics and his performance and his poetry and cinematics. But honestly "Black Sabbath" makes Morrison look like a mere amateur. "The Wizard" is that perfect mix of drawing upon the hard blues rock that was happening at the time, and the English interest in English folk songs and folk horror. That harmonica is awesome. It is bluesy, but it is also for lack of a better phrase, so metal. Again Ozzy paints an amazing story with the dark Wizard. Again Tony Iommi is not only on fire, but he is burning down the forest and blazing a new path. But I have to call out Bill Ward's drums on this track. They are relentless and awesome. If Iommi is burning down the woods, Ward is hacking and slashing and beating his way through that forest along with him. "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" is so good. I really like how how the band actually clears out this spaces for Ozzy's voice to cut through. It gives the song this very raw an immediate quality. If there is anything bad to say about this songs it is just that it isn't "Black Sabbath" "The Wizard" or "N.I B." which are honestly some of the greatest metal tracks ever put down. But that isn't really fair because this song is great on its own and fills out what could arguably be one of the best sides to a heavy metal album ever. And it sets up and slides with into "N.I.B." which as you can see from my previous sentences is simply amazing. "N.I.B." opens with an almost funky bass line which fades out, but then in comes another of Iommi's archetypal heavy metal riffs. At this point some 51 years later this guitar riff is as ubiquitous and "Jingle Bells" to me. Similar to "Black Sabbath" this song has all the hallmarks of what make Sabbath and this album great. Killer guitars and lyrics as pitch black as they come. Now I know we've already listened to "Sympathy For The Devil" by the stones in which Jagger takes on the character of Lucifer. And that seemed kind of dark and the bad boys of rock and roll were pushing that whole Satanic envelope, but let's be honest that song sounds more like a gospel song than it does sound evil. "N.I.B." on the other hand when Ozzy cries out "My Name is Lucifer, Please take my hand." I believe that character. I feel like I am listening in on a Black Mass and it feels sort of helpless. It feels horrific. I feel like I am listening to something evil and scary. And just to be clear these lyrics: Now I have you with me, under my power Our love grows stronger now with every hour Look into my eyes, you will see who i am My name is Lucifer, please take my hand That is METAL. That folks is how you do it. And then the back half of this song is just an instrumental orgy. The guitar on the bridge shreds. The end just builds and builds and is something that I dare say gets perfected on their next album with the last minute of "Iron Man." But I get ahead of myself. We'll get there soon enough. Needless to say, the end of "N.I.B." is heavy metal ecstasy. Tony Iommi lays down some guitar that I think could rival anything Jimmy Page laid down with Zeppelin. I've already written about "Evil Woman." So I'll just move on to "Sleeping Village" which showed that even just as a band, they could conjure up horror. Sooo goood. "Warning" which is another cover, is also a fine song and to me fits in a little better with everything Sabbath was laying down on side one. It is darker than say "Evil Woman." It sounds like Sabbath as apposed to "Evil Woman" which sounds like Sabbath doing a cover. And lastly I do want to write about "Wicked World" which as I mentioned wasn't on the original release and as it turns out was the B-Side to "Evil Woman", and was included on the American release. So this song is pretty much an essential part of this album to me. I can understand how the record company or the band or whoever makes these kinds of decisions went with "Evil Woman" because it was safer and felt like a single, but "Wicked World" feels like Black Sabbath. I am so glad that this is what I've heard all these years when listening to this album. I think you could make an argument that maybe it is the weakest song on the album, but honestly, not by much. It has a couple killer riffs in it and I think sits well on the album. I think there is also an interesting effect on Ozzy's voice that is cold and kind of scary, almost robotic. It is different kind of horror, that isn't as supernatural as some of the other tracks, but is a different kind of scary. This is a precursor to "War Pigs" in how it is coldly laying out the horrors of the real world. I think contrasted against all the fantastical sounds, it becomes quite powerful. But I will admit that what I think they are exploring here also gets perfected on "Paranoid." with "War Pigs." Okay, I have to wrap it up. I wrote about this album the way Stephanie wrote about Beatles records, except I didn't even go into any of the behind the scenes or production. I am really only writing what I felt as I was listening to the album. An album that brings this much in me is special and I can honestly say is one of my favorite albums of all time. And with that this was something I saw today.

 

Day 3791 - "Phantom Of The Paradise" and "Suspiria" at the New Beverly - 10.06.21

I didn't have pre-ordered tickets for tonight's show because the online tickets sold out very quickly.  However I went plenty early and waited in line and got tickets.  I was so happy that I did.  Thought I have seen these movies many, many times and I've even seen "Phantom Of The Paradise" at the Beverly before, it was really great seeing the two films together.  The audience was amazing as well.  "Phantom Of The Paradise" I enjoyed more than I ever have before.  For whatever reason I really, really loved the music this time through.  Then seeing Suspiria on the big screen was fantastic.  I have wanted to see it on the big screen for a long time and it was everything that I was hoping for.  What a great night.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3790 - "Night Of The Living Dummy III" Goosebumps Book - 10.05.21

I picked up some Goosebumps books recently.  I've decided that I am going to try and collect as many of the Goosebumps books as I can.  The "Night Of The Living Dummy" episodes of the TV show were favorites and my family and I loved Slappy.  So I was very happy to find this book.  What a great cover.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3789 - "A Man Called Tiger" and "Bruce Lee: Super Dragon" At The New Beverly - 10.04.21

Tonight was a Brucesploitation double at the Bev.  The first film was okay.  The second film was interesting and a bit of a mess.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3788 - Tiny Mosasaurus On A Wall - 10.03.21

This past summer my wife and I started finding little toys places on walls and ledges in Burbank.  Specifically we have found them along Burbank Blvd.  We've wanted to add to the fun by adding our own toys for kids to find.  Today we placed our first toy.  This is a tiny what i assume to be a mosasaurus, which is a pre-historic crocodile.  I hope he stays in his new home for a long time.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3787 - "A Nightmare On Elm Street" and "Don't Panic" At The New Beverly - 10.02.21

This evening my wife, son and daughter-in-law had a great time at the cinema.  We watched "A Nightmare On Elm Street" which we all had seen before, but never on the big screen.  It worked great and I think unanimously we all thought it was the best experience we've had watching the movie.  The second film was a jaw dropper and we couldn't stop talking about it after the film and on the whole car ride home.  It was a Mexican film from 1987 called "Don't Panic."  It was inspired by "Elm Street" but was just bonkers.  The crowd in the theater was great and it was such an amazing, entertaining experience.  Tonight is why I love the Bev so much.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3786 - Sad Vampire Wind Up Toy - 10.01.21

This is a sad vampire toy that I own.  He's cute.  This is something I saw today.