Friday Flashback :: The Brothers Johnson's Strawberry Letter 23
Terrifically layered, and sonically interesting, The Brother's Johnson's version of Strawberry Letter 23 is like a musical acid trip. The original song was the brainchild of a little known songwriter, Shuggie Otis, who wrote and recorded a version in 1972. His was not a well-remembered version, unfortunately for him. But in a stroke of good luck for The Brothers Johnson (and yes, for Otis too, as he had the writing credits), one of the brothers was dating Otis' cousin and came across the song, got permission to record it and had it ready for their 1977 release, Right On Time.
Quincy Jones produced the album, and his masterwork was his arrangement done for Strawberry... Some reviews of the day characterized Jones' work on Right On Time as just a warm-up for his production work on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall, but some warm-up it is! He enlisted guitarist Lee Ritenour to record one of the best guitar solos in musical history and he created what has been called a "hallucinatory soundscape." Indeed, psychedelica was big in the early- to mid-70's, one of the few 60's elements to survive, and the musicianship, composing, and arrangement of Strawberry... fit in very well.
Undoubtedly, you've hummed, sang, or tapped out the famous notes of this classic song. Now, you can enjoy it again at your desk, or wherever you're reading this post. Today's Friday Flashback, the excellent Strawberry Letter 23.
The Brothers Johnson :: Strawberry Letter 23
Album: Right On Time
Released: 1977
Billboard peak: #1 U.S. Black Singles in 1977, #5 U.S. Pop Chart in 1977
Play the Track: Strawberry Letter 23 (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').
Quincy Jones produced the album, and his masterwork was his arrangement done for Strawberry... Some reviews of the day characterized Jones' work on Right On Time as just a warm-up for his production work on Michael Jackson's Off The Wall, but some warm-up it is! He enlisted guitarist Lee Ritenour to record one of the best guitar solos in musical history and he created what has been called a "hallucinatory soundscape." Indeed, psychedelica was big in the early- to mid-70's, one of the few 60's elements to survive, and the musicianship, composing, and arrangement of Strawberry... fit in very well.
Undoubtedly, you've hummed, sang, or tapped out the famous notes of this classic song. Now, you can enjoy it again at your desk, or wherever you're reading this post. Today's Friday Flashback, the excellent Strawberry Letter 23.
The Brothers Johnson :: Strawberry Letter 23Album: Right On Time
Released: 1977
Billboard peak: #1 U.S. Black Singles in 1977, #5 U.S. Pop Chart in 1977
Play the Track: Strawberry Letter 23 (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').
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Another classic song. Shuggy Otis's version is interesting in its own right. Some of the very first synthesized rhythm work (you might say it was the begining of the end of live music). It is truly a far cry from the funky groove that the Brothers Johnson laid out, but worth a listen none the less. At least once. OK, maybe only once.