Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
"Sounds To Make You Shiver" Free Album
By bohus
One of my fondest Halloween memories when growing up was a house two blocks away. Their back yard faced the street, and Mr. Rubin would festoon his entire yard for Halloween. Under his massive willow he had all manner of witches, a few light-up skulls, some pumpkins - and I'm talking years before Halloween decorations were so easy to buy. He hand-made most of his display, using some mannequins and homespun know-how.
The best part was the figure of an old man tending a fake fire seated next to a little boy. Not impressive? What made it really great was that on Halloween night Mr. Rubin would set out a record player and play some classic spook-house platters like "Sounds to Make You Shiver". I used to imagine myself as that little boy mannequin, listening to the great ghost stories and haunted sounds of that LP.
There were countless fun and spooky children's records. I remember that listening to these LP's was like being able to put on my own haunted house anytime. When I listen to this recording today, there is an extra shiver of nostalgia as I remember staring through my neighbor's fence, convinced that the lifeless mannequins had moved a little.
People drove from miles around to see Mr. Rubin's display. His elaborate efforts were so much more than the usual paper cutouts in people's front windows that were the extent of Halloween decorating back then and I miss his display of good-natured spooks. So many of today's haunted displays have the kind of gore that is nightmare fuel for the younger set.
