Inspiration Information

I first heard 'Strawberry Letter 23' by Shuggie Otis back in May this year, on Jamie Cullum's Radio 2 jazz programme, and it's been haunting me ever since. Soon after that first exposure I read a great piece about Otis on Richard Williams' wonderful music blog The Blue Moment and again made a mental note to explore some of his work. One thing led to another and I never did get around to it.

Last weekend, as I wrapped Christmas presents on a gloriously sunny Sunday morning, the song turned up on Cerys Matthews' 6 Music show. It sounded so good I was forced to down sellotape and listen. It wasn't back-announced, or referenced on the iPlayer tracklisting after broadcast, but I knew I had been revisited by an old friend.

It's a song that reinforces my long-held opinion that 1971 may well have been the greatest year in pop history. The dusting of jingle bells lends the song an unobtrusively festive air, but it's far more than that. Musically it's perfectly executed, as though Emitt Rhodes and the Isley Brothers had double-booked studio time and thought, what the heck, let's make a record.

The first 2 minutes 20 seconds may sound like unremarkable, if high-quality, singer-songwriter fare, but appearances are deceptive, as the ensuing maelstrom of phased harmonies and guitar picking proves. If there's a more intoxicating second half to a song I'd like to hear it.

Thanks to a friend with impeccable taste, I now have a borrowed reissue of Inspiration Information, from 1974, with appended extras (including 'Strawberry Letter 23') to wrestle with over the Christmas break.

Result.