One of my favourite things to do right now, is put on some music and let my mind drift whilst editing and mixing photographs into different patterns and dimensions. You may have guessed that I suppose, or already known it if you’ve been reading my musings and observations in the attempt to make sense of my reality.
The beauty of listening to music on Spotify, and it may be the same for other music apps, is if I listen to an album, at the end it merges into a radio station based on that album. This opens the door for a magical musical journey unearthing tunes and artists that are often new to me.
I was busy getting lost in the parallel universes unfolding…
Today started with Aretha Franklin’s 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black. It really is one of my favourite of all time recordings; so perfect for a sunny Saturday morning. Once it finished and I was busy getting lost in the parallel universes unfolding from my photos and editing apps, I was suddenly grabbed by a beautiful chilled tune – Inspection Information, by Shuggie Otis. I immediately stopped what I was doing to find out more about it. It turns out that it’s the title track of an album released in October 1974, a few weeks before my 14th birthday. It passed me by back then, as my musical outlook was more limited, mainly because I just wasn’t exposed to much more than chart music and various derivations of rock.
Anyway, getting back to the track, I stopped what I was doing and searched the artist, found the album and pressed play. It was the perfect segue for my mood, from Aretha to Shuggie.
It turns out the album took around 3 years to complete and release. A Wikipedia search for information about it quotes Pitchfork stating that it’s a combination of “smooth organ-driven California funk, quasi-new age psychedelia, loungey jazz instrumentals, and string interludes.”
The album’s tracks have spawned a multitude of covers and samples, and it is truly wonderful. Timeless in many ways; it has such a current contemporary feel to it despite being conceived nearly 50 years ago.
The resulting photographic artworks are here. These all started with a simple macro lens picture of a white flower growing wild next to Macclesfield Canal, my never-ending source of photographic subject matter.
As you can see I drifted into a free flowing expression of my current mood, which right now is one of contentment. There’s a definite psychedelic edge to the pics, with more alien life forms appearing from the mesmerising patterns generated by delving deep within the recesses of the plant. I love them. I love the album that inspired them.
Ronnie xx
