Vans, Kiss, etc

I was making an Amazon order for this book about the birth and history of the Vans shoe company. The hardcover is pretty cool; "canvas" textured checkerboard with a big red rubber Off the Wall logo similar to the one on the back of the shoes. Different sections were written by different people. They could've used a better editor, because the parts written the Steve Van Doren (son of the originator) are kinda hard to parse. He's definitely not a writer. He should've been interviewed instead of letting him write his own thoughts.

Anyhoo, I didn't want to submit the order with just the one item, so I picked up Levon Helm's new album and the 6 remaining Kiss albums that I've either never owned (Hotter Than Hell, Rock and Roll Over, Destroyer, Dressed to Kill) or never replaced the vinyl with CD (Music from "The Elder", Creatures of the Night). I'd only heard some of the songs once or twice in my life, probably in Leo's car. It was fun to hear Take Me again. (Yes, pocket rhymes with rocket.) I hadn't listened to The Elder in years, and now I remember why. Well, at least 6 of the 11 songs are listenable and/or good.