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When Art Unites, It's Amazing

Record Store Day was this past Saturday, and it prompted a flashback to the ’70s when I'd head to my local record store to buy an album every other Friday.  That was payday – with an actual check I had to take to the bank to cash.

A big part of the pleasure was browsing the cover art, which – more than once – was the deciding factor in my selection. In fact, I think the exposure to art that my record store trips provided was almost as significant to my aesthetic stimulation as the music itself.

The two that spring to mind are the Moody Blues’ Question of Balance and It’s a Beautiful Day, the San Francisco psychedelic band. Maybe you remember the song “White Bird” from their self-titled album.

I’m also drawn to the album as a body of music, whether it’s vinyl or digital. When it works, an album can take you on a complete journey, like a good novel or film. On My Name is Buddy, Ry Cooder takes us down the road with Buddy the red cat and an assortment of other characters who weave their stories of poverty, greed, and the human condition through an eclectic musical range from gospel to Tex-Mex.

Music and visual art are healing creative forces and irrepressible expressions of our species. When they unite in print or online, they give our imagination wonderful things to riff on.

I’m Paula Garrett, and that’s my perspective.

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