Day 3835 - Pilgrims - 11.19.21

I have photographed these statues before.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3834 - Yes "The Yes Album" - 11.18.21

I listened to this album today as part of the 1001 albums challenge.  I wrote the following to my friends at work.

I listened to this album again over the weekend. It was the first time listening to it in a while. The thing that really stood out to me was the musicianship. Whether you are talking about the bass, or the drums or the guitar or keyboards I felt like we were stepping into a whole new realm of music. We were going beyond rock and roll. We were stepping into a different stratosphere. We were starting that climb up the mountain of musicianship that The Ramones and The Sex Pistols and all the bands of the mid to late seventies were going to reject and topple. I get why they rejected it. There is something nice about simple rock and roll. There is something nice to 3 chords and the truth. But I also think it is great to listen to world class musicians making some insanely complicated and sophisticated music. And when they can do it and still have really cool harmonies and catchy hooks like on "I've Seen All Good People" then that is something I really love. To me the stand outs on this album are the aforementioned "I've Seen All Good People" and "The Clap" or "Clap". I've always referred to it as "The Clap" because that is how it is listed on my record, but apparently that was a mistake and the song should have been listed as "Clap" and is correctly listed on CD releases. When I first heard this album, the musical gymnastics on that track floored me. I quickly put that song on a mix tape shortly after buying this record. Yep, mix tape. I wasn't even burning CDs at that point. I have to say, I don't remember the other songs as much after listening to the record. Not that they aren't good. I think the album is great and I enjoy them while listening, but to me those two tracks I mentioned are the ones I take with me and never forget. I'm glad I got to listen to this album yet again today and I'll continue to revisit this album in years to come.
 

This is something I saw today.

Day 3833 - So Long And Thanks For All The Fish - 11.17.21

Here is the Douglas Adams classic book in paperback form.  I picked this up recently.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3832 - Bath & Body Works Christmas Bag - 11.16.21

This is a Bath & Body Works Christmas bag.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3831 - "Madman" and "Silent Madness" At The New Beverly - 11.15.21

I saw "Madman" and "Silent Madness" at the New Beverly this evening.  This is something I saw today.

Day 3830 - Pee-Wee Herman With A Turkey Hat - 11.14.21

My wife found this turkey hat for Pee-Wee.  It was actually made for a coffee mug cozy or something like that.  She saw it and thought that it might fit onto Pee-Wee's head and she was absolutely right.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3829 - Boxes Of Pizzelle's - 11.13.21

Today we swung by Monte Carlo Deli to pick up some Romano cheese.  While waiting to be helped I took this photo of the boxes of pizzelle cookies.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3828 - "Aqualung" By Jethro Tull - 11.12.21

Today the album on our list was "Aqualung."  This is what I wrote for my friends about this album.

I really am hoping that for some people that this is their first time listening to this album and that it is a big discovery for them. I know when I first heard it through many years ago it was for me. Now I grew up in the 70s and 80s and during my formative music years Jethro Tull was a staple of AOR radio. As I kid I thought "Aqualung" was a weird and somewhat amusing song. But I think at some point Jethro Tull sort of became a bit of a joke. I think there was some mocking of the flute. I think in general prog rock became the enemy of the hip and cool punk rock scenes. And then I think when Jethro Tull beat out Metallica for the Grammy for best Metal album their reputation was sealed. They really became this joke and seemed to represent an older out of touch generation. I mean that Grammy fiasco was ridiculous. But then in the late 90s I got a hold of a CD that was a Jethro Tull greatest hits type of thing. It was remastered songs and such and suddenly Jethro Tull came to life for me. I think before that I really just thought of them as the "Aqualung" band. The Jazz flute band. But that CD turned me around because I realized they had all these other songs that I knew and that even ones that I didn't know were pretty killer. I then picked up a few albums along the way and this one is one of the ones that I got. And it is a pretty great album. It starts with "Aqualung" which is no longer just a weird song to me. It is actually a pretty powerful song and it has some killer hooks and riffs. Then we move into "Cross Eyed Mary" and things really kick into high gear. This was a song that I think I may have first heard from the Iron Maiden version. Now I liked that Iron Maiden version, but this one seriously rocks. I mean there is just something so awesome about the vocal delivery when Ian Anderson sings "Cross-eyed Mary." The next three songs slow things down and get quite lyrical. They are a welcome break after those killer opening two tracks. Then side one finishes out with "Up To Me." Right off the bat there is there is a hooky and slightly dark riff and flute riff which signals a return to the harder darker vibe of the start of side one. I really like this song. Flute work is fantastic. Side Two is just as good as side one. It has a nice mixture of the more acoustic numbers as well as some serious rockers. "My God" quietly brings us into side two. It is a sort of sneak attack starting off quiet and gentle, and then builds in its intensity. The music I think gets quite complex and impressive and again the Flute is front and center kicking butt and taking names. "Hymn 43" I think is probably considered a deep cut, but it is a killer of a track. It has any amazing riff/hook with that dun, dun da da da dun dun. achicka, achicka, achicka. That was my attempt to put that music into words. But seriously, this is a track that when it comes up you have to turn up the volume to 11. I think when I get to this song I am like "Yep this album rocks." "Slipstream" is a nice calm before the storm which is "Locomotive Breath". "Locomotive Breath" may be the best song on the album. And I like it's placement deep into the album. The song is so killer, you'd almost expect it near the beginning or to start a side two, but nope. This one is saved for nearly the end. This is another one to turn up to eleven sit back and let the song take you away. To me the image that comes to mind is the image from the old Maxell tapes adds where there was the guy sitting in a Corbusier chair in front of speaks getting blown away by the sound coming from the speakers. https://iconicphotos.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/images_maninchair.jpg?w=1618 I'd like to imagine that the guy in that photo is listening to "Locomotive Breath." And as much as this song rocks, the flute is doing its own jazz thing and it all works perfectly. The album finishes up with "Wind-Up" with another rocker. I feel like this is another deep cut that I never heard on the radio, but it should have been played on the radio more. I think it is a great song. It has all the elements of "Aqualung", "Cross-Eyed Mary" or "Locomotive Breath" and in my opinion can stand shoulder to shoulder. So over all this album is extremely strong and is one that I have played quite a lot over the years. It is definitely my go to album for Jethro Tull. And so as good as this album is, that just speaks to my statement about the Santana record which I declared better than this. And even still I'll rank Abraxas above Aqualung, but both are super stellar albums. These two are great examples of album oriented rock during its classic early days. I think if you are a fan of classic rock and classic rock albums these two are must haves.

This is something I saw today.

Day 3827 - "My Hairiest Adventure" A Goosebumps Book - 11.11.21

This is yet another Goosebumps book.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3826 - Nancy Drew "Mystery Of The Tolling Bell" - 11.10.21

This is another Nancy Drew mystery that I picked up.  I am really loving the cover art on these books.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3825 - Inside "McCartney" LP - 11.09.21

The album for today was Paul McCartney's "McCartney."  This is inside the album jacket.  

This is an interesting album in that so much of it just seems like song ideas and almost like demos. That is probably because Paul recorded this on the sly and a bunch of it was recorded at home. So they lack the sort of studio polish that we have come to expect from a Beatles album. Still to me the album is enjoyable. It is funny that while on George Harrison's album I felt like he had a collection of great songs that had been suppressed or rejected by the lad and was just waiting to get them out. When I listen to this collection of songs from Paul I can't help but feel like there is an absence of John. I have no idea if that is fair of me to think that and probably by this time John had very little influence on Paul's songs, but I just can't help but think it. I think because some of the song seem so much rawer and less produced and finished. They feel like they are missing that last element of bouncing the song off your song writing partner. The highlight of the record is of course "Maybe I'm Amazed" which feels like a proper song and single that you'd expect from a Beatle. I also do have to say that while I've had this record in the collection for many years, this past week listening to it several times in close succession, I've liked it more than I ever have.

This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3824 - "Sweet Baby James" LP By James Taylor - 11.08.21

Today we listened to James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James album.  This is what i wrote about the record.

Of course "Fire And Rain" is the clear winner of the album as Edu points out, but I like "Sweet Baby Jame" quite a lot. I also really like "Lo And Behold." I listened to that one several times this past weekend and even played it as part of the morning call's pre-meeting playlist. "Sunny Skies" just makes me feel happy. It reminds me of Jack Johnson's music. I thought "Steamroller" was a bit of a surprise on the record because it is basically a straight up blues track. I thought James delivered some nice Blue-eyed soul. i don't usually think of James Taylor in those terms. "Country Road" is also a solid song for me. So basically side one is all pretty strong for me. Side two is held up by "Fire and Rain", but I also like "Suite For 20G" quite a bit. I think it settles into a nice groove once it gets going. The production and musicianship on that track is also really nice. I like that in "Oh Baby, Don't You Loose Your Lip On Me" he refers to himself as JT (Lord, have mercy, baby, now, don't you loose your lip on poor old loving man JT) because it made me think of the modern JT (Justin Timberlake) and I liked that James Taylor was the original pop JT. The track also was another nice bluesy, soulful track. And it was short and to the point.

This was something I saw today.

Day 3823 - Black Cat Halloween Decoration - 11.07.21

This cat was out on our front porch for Halloween.  I brought him in today to get put away.  This is something I saw today.

Day 3822 - Upcoming Albums - 11.06.21

This morning I looked ahead on my list of 1001 albums to hear before you die list and pulled albums off the shelf that I had on vinyl.  I knew that I had quite a bit of them for the upcoming weeks.  I then laid them out on the floor and took some photos.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3821 - "Booked To Die" By John Dunning - 11.05.21

I picked this book up because I liked the cover.  This is something I saw today.
 

Day 3820 - The Alley Cats "Strike 3!" - 11.04.21

I found this CD in a lending library.  This is a doo-wop group.  There are some fun songs on this CD.  This is something I saw today. 

Day 3819 - "Tea For The Tillerman" By Cat Stevens - 11.03.21

Today's album was Cat Stevens' "Tea For The Tillerman" and it is one of the great albums.  This is what I wrote about the album today.

This is probably Cat Stevens’ best album. It is probably between this album and “Teaser And The Firecat.” I like quite a few of his albums, but this one has a lot of hits and is maybe my favorite. Actually, I don’t know how many were actual hits per se, but the album has a bunch of his super well known songs. “Where Do The Children Play”, “Wild World” and “Father & Son” I think are the most classic and recognizable. In addition to those three I think “Hard Headed Woman” may also be recognizable to a lot of people. It certainly is great. In terms of deeper cuts “On The Road To Find Out” is one of my favorites for sure. Also the last track, the title track “Tea For The Tillerman” is short, to the point and I really like it. I love when the chorus comes in for “Happy Day” at the very end. It gives me chills. Cat Stevens has a talent for great melodies and his lyrics are great across the board. My real introduction to Cat Stevens was with this album. I met someone who was a big fan and he really wanted me to hear “On The Road To Find Out.” It spiritually spoke to him. That is probably why that song means a lot to me, because it really was my introduction to really paying attention to Cat Stevens. I’m sure I had heard him on the radio before. I eventually got a greatest hits CD and when I started picking up records, I added this and several other albums of his to the collection. I have played this one a lot over the years. This time through “Miles From Nowhere” popped for me as a deep cut stand out as well. “Father & Son” is a masterpiece of a song. I have listened to that song and wept in the past. Recently on an episode of Ted Lasso there is a joke about the complicated nature of the relationships between fathers and sons and a character sarcastically says someone should write a song about it. When I heard that line, I thought of this song.

This is something I saw today.

Day 3818 - SImon And Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" LP - 11.02.21

Today we listened to "Bridge Over Troubled Water" for the album on the 1001 albums list.  This is what I wrote to my friends.

Today's album is a true classic and it has been a while since I listened through it. I listened to it last night and again this morning. It is always enjoyable. The title track "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is a song that when I first moved to LA I remember hearing on the radio a piece done on KCRW or some public station about this song. The piece made the argument that it was a perfect pop song and I think it may have argued that it was the greatest pop song ever. I don't know if I would go that far, but it certainly is great. The production on it certainly is bigger than anything Simon & Garfunkel had done before. It is a great song just to listen to and appreciate the production. This album has some of my all time favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs like "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)", "Cecilia", "The Boxer" and "Baby Driver". I could listen to all of those songs endlessly. I also love the live version of "Bye, Bye Love" because I think it is a nice nod to amazing song writing by Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant and amazing song writing for a two part harmony duo. Two songs that stood out to me on these listens which are deeper cuts are "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright" and "The Only Living Boy in New York."

And that was something I saw today.

Day 3817 - "Last Night In Soho" At The New Beverly On Film - 11.01.21

Tonight I got to go watch "Last Night In Soho" on film at the New Beverly.  It was great.  So glad I saw the movie there.  This is something I saw today.
 

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.