Invisible Jams. Poetry Disguised As Discography

Remember a time when recorded music was a tangible thing?

We all fell in love with the artwork and packaging and liner notes on our favorite LPs and CDs. Squinting at the microscopic print on the fold out from our cassette tapes is probably why some of us need glasses and laser eye surgery today. Much has been said about the pop-art revolution enabled by the heyday of the music industry from the 60s through the 90s, when bands and artists often went hand in hand to create something bigger. When it was right you could almost hear the music as soon as you saw the artwork. And if you were lucky enough to score printed lyrics, that was a big bonus, but to me there was another kind of magic hidden in plain sight;

The seemingly random, poetic brilliance of the track listing.

Sometimes obvious, often times obscure, stuck in the back of your mind like an old photograph. Think about your favorite record. Do you see the cover art? Of course, besides the music, its the first thing we all think about. Now flip it over in your mind and there it is like an affirmation, a neat little poem of song titles that is already burned into your subconscious.

Of course, good music doesn't need a visual component, and the great paintings have been known to 'sing', but what if there was no artwork? What if there was no music at all? What if there were only song titles? Could you still hear the song?

Its all just words right...?