State Theatre will expand album-spine mural; public can vote for favorites

by JAY LUSTIG
state theatre nj mural

One of the walls outside The State Theatre in New Brunswick.

Painted on the outside wall of The State Theatre in New Brunswick are 11 vinyl-album spines, honoring artists who have performed at the theater itself, in the course of its 102-year history. The theater is looking to have artist Les Floyd add some albums to the collection, and is asking for the public’s help in choosing them. Through April 22, people can vote for up to five albums HERE.

Thirty albums are nominated. I won’t list them all here, but I will say that the five I voted for are Kool & the Gang’s Celebrate! and Glen Burtnik’s Heroes & Zeros (because of the artists’ Jersey roots), Ringo Starr’s Ringo (because he’s a Beatle), Tina Turner’s Private Dancer (because she’s Tina Turner) and The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds (because it’s my favorite album from among the nominees).

The 11 albums that are already on the wall (L-R) are:

The Smithereens’ Especially for You
Aretha Franklin’s I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Ella Fitzgerald’s Ella at the Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook
Los Lobos’ How Will the Wolf Survive?
Liza Minnelli’s Live at Carnegie Hall
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons’ Anthology
George Carlin’s Class Clown
Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA
Tony Bennett’s I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Pat Benatar’s Precious Time

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