Inspiration Information
Shuggie Otis
1974
Album Summary
Inspiration Information is the third album by Shuggie Otis, who produced it and performed most of its instrumental parts. Released in 1974 on Epic Records, it reached number 181 on Billboard's Top 200 Pop Albums list, and its title track also reached number 56 on the U.S. R&B singles chart. The album was reissued in 2001 on the label Luaka Bop, receiving widespread acclaim.
WikipediaWow. This album is so tasty. Every groove is in the pocket, every note sung is perfect, the mixing and production are smooth as hell and yet retain enough energy to stay super interesting. There some really dated, Casio-level synth drums on here that would usually lose an album a star but this was 1974, so this was cutting-edge stuff at the time. No penalty. Full marks.
Album generally is a tease. Makes you think it's going somewhere and it's got something or it's developing something, but ultimately just waddles about like a lost penguin. The highlight of the album is the latter 1/3 of "Sparkle City", the rest is sleepy, boring, slop of someone too stoned to have put in the effort to be as good as they could be.
underrated gem. I don't know anyone who even knows who Shuggie is. The file clerk at Flagstar used to hook me up with albums all the time. This was one of his best recommendations.
Shuggie is a recent discovery for me. A music podcast that came out during the early days of the COVID pandemic was discussing albums of 1974 and Inspiration Information was one of the albums that was talked about. I immediately fell in love with it and also discovered that I knew the title track as well as Shuggie's famous Strawberry Letter 23. What I didn't know was that he played bass on Zappa's "Peaches en Regalia" and that he was only 16 when he did. In fact this album came out when he was only 21. Everything written by him. The album is a soulful and psychedelic musical journey that deserves to be better known than it is. This is an easy 5 stars!
Started well, but then became a bit too much elevator music for me. A couple of decent tracks towards the end but I don’t reckon I’ll ever think about this album again.
A little soul, and R&B, with a nice '70s vibe. But there wasn't really anything about the song writing, or the singing that put this over the edge for me.
Once upon a time, a man used a drum machine for his soul album and pretty much everyone was hyped about it
Urgh... This is my first 1 star album. It's soooo boring and long and I just didn't like it. Not one song is memorable.
album is pretty good too. not much to say about it. its warm and it grooves. would probly be more fitting on a sunny day and not a cloudy afternoon-almost-night but hey whatre u gona do ? 9/10
Crazy album with soul, funk and jazz mixed into one with an epic outro. This album will grow on me. And how can I forget about Strawberry Letter 23.
LOVE the title song, so it was nice to be exposed to the rest of Shuggie's songs. Very chill and funky. I'll definitely be diving deeper into his music! Highlights: -Inspiration Information -Island Letter -Sparkle City -Strawberry Letter 23 -Not Available -Ice Cold Daydream -Sweet Thang
Anonadado. Conocía una canción de este disco. Qué chido que este juego me dio la oportunidad de escucharlo. Increíble. Lo voy a conseguir en vinil.
A veces funky, a veces jazzero, a veces rockero pero siempre psicodélico. Hay wawa y hay Hendrix con bañador de palmeras. Largos desarrollos y piezas vocales muy bonitas. Grande.
This album rules. Love a modern sounding soul funk sound. Synths plus soul is such a good combo.
Até as viajadas mais lounge no órgão valem a pena nesse álbum. Espetacular (a versão com 13 faixas, que vai até Freedom Flight).
5/5 - has that Stevie Wonder feel to it; analog synths and a Jamiroquai flavour
23rd July 2021 Listened on my phone in the morning and sent a recommendation in to the Blues Kitchen podcast. Absolutely loved this, saved it on Spotify. Summer, heat, waves, juice, all of it in one record. Stunning.
This is the first artist I hadn't heard of, and it is a fantastic album!* *Disclaimer: I'm white, so any RnB/Funk/Soul boggles my mind with its greatness!
Am I old? Because this was awesome. Jazzy noodle-y 70s guitar vibes. Gentle. Ground zero for the 70s revivalists bands. And as soon as I heard Freedom Flight I knew it was sampled or covered somewhere.
Excellent. Finally an album I’ve not heard before that I really enjoyed listening to. Sounds like Shuggie could have been one of the greats but shied away from success after this release. Very impressive to write and perform that album at 21.
Wow - this is the era and style I love - but why don't I know Shuggie Otis - it's hardly a forgettable name. But then pop on Strawberry Letter 23 and it's 'ohhhhh'. Lovely, warm, cuddly.
Oh man i love this weird lo fi r & b funky record so much. Where has this been my whole life? He used to roll with zappa. Of course.
This album is a hidden gem, and one of the greatest I have ever heard. Filled with smooth beats, analog drum machines, Shuggie's voice, this is all I could ever ask for from a '70s album. 100% relistening, it's a shame Shuggie Otis never got the recognition deserved for this genius album that was far ahead of its time. Favorite Tracks: Rainy Day and Pling!
What a revelation. Mostly instrumental pieces that are smooth and funky. Didn't want it to end. And that cover? Sheesh.
Vraiment une decouverte, bonne guitare, bonne production, du grouve du fumk il y a tout ce qu.il faut pour que j’aime. 4.95
So awesome. Great mix of funk and soul with some early rock thrown on. I can see got this has been so influential for R&B
Superb album. Totally dig this vibe, definitely something that I'll spend more time listening to. Just really enjoy how loose and mellow this is all the way through. Also, if I have another kid, I'm naming it Shuggie.
Petit bijou que cet album hétéroclite et très personnel. La soul, le funk qui en constituent les assises principales sont des musiques qui ont l'habitude de prendre de la place, mais ici Otis les propose à partir d'un endroit intime, comme si c'était du R&B de chambre. La voix y est pour quelque chose. La guitare, idiosyncratique, est savoureuse. Un Hendrix qui se serait calmé. J'y reviens souvent, cet album est magnétique.
This is excellent. Like Jarimoquai twenty years before Jarimoquai, with the added bonus of not having Jay Kay anywhere near it.
Two of my favorite musical flavors: psychedelia and soul, perfectly balanced here, with early drum machines to boot! I remember when this was reissued on CD in 2001 and me and my friends devoured this album. Hearing these irresistible tunes and finding out it wasn't particularly well received in its time blew my mind and sent me on a neverending quest to find similar "lost" albums - but I'm not sure I'll ever find one that is both as amazingly ahead of its time and downright enjoyable as this one. Dude was 21!
Wow! This is the most wildly varied funk/soul album. I am so blown away by it. And is this the original of the mighty Strawberry Letter no. 23? One of the best tunes ever. It's surprisingly experimental. Can't believe it flopped at the time too, it's got tunes!
Hear influences of/from Grateful Dead, Beastie Boys, Tod Rundgren , Tommy Bolin, and Al Greene. Even the Casio synth beats are great.
Masterpiece of instrumental music. Really good and groundbreaking loved it and nothing to add. 5/5
liked it. music to play if you own a studio apartment in ny and want to impress your date.
Now THIS is some easy listening funk and soul! Perfect album to just chill out to.
This album is ultra-smooth. I especially love ‘Strawberry Letter 23’, and, while a very unique thought, ‘Rainy Day’ would maybe be a good basis for a mellow electronic song.
What a gorgeous album and what a find?!? So pleased to be introduced to Shuggie Otis too, I will certainly be listening to his other albums now! Really enjoying the jazz r&b blues and other great sounds of this. Also love the ideas behind the lyrics. Highlights included inspiration information with its squelchy bouncy beats and lush guitar parts. Such a top fee good track. And also Strawberry Letter 23, really cool idea for a song.
2/4 Our brother Shuggie had the right ideas! Standout Tracks: Aht Uh Mi Hed, XL-30, Wings Of Love
Funky. A couple of forgettable tracks, but really pleasant overall. Best track: Sparkle City
Likte det overraskende godt. Vanskelig å plassere helt, funk, rock, blues, alternativ. Hadde vært fin å ha i platesamlingen.
Some really good funk, here, and it led to me learning more about Shuggie Otis, which was cool.
I never listened to it before, but the mix of vocal and instrumentals is great. Nice introduction for me, but a favourite for her.
Incredible inventiveness, musically adept and powerful. I’m not sure it all quite hung together as a cohesive whole, though all the individual pieces were exquisite.
This album was long! It had alot of great songs, but I don't see myself revisiting them.
Oh yeah, this is lovely! Super chilled out soul, with a splash of psychedelia and folk. "Strawberry Letter 23" is an absolute tune, but it's not present on most versions of the album, so I'll go with "Island Letter" or "Pling!" as my top track - love those relaxing latin rhythms underpinning them!
Got a kick out of this one - a groovy album navigating various genres and standing out as an early predecessor to more modern R&B styles. Put it on good speakers and vibe out!
Ahora sí que un álbum muy chill. Ni siquiera sé qué género es, pero hay un balance acertado entre lo instrumental y las vocales. Acertado porque varía, se complementan, al principio parece que las canciones van perdiendo la voz, pero después regresa y bueno, finalmente desaparecen en esa última canción larguita de pura instrumentación. Fue muy bonito escucharlo, desconocía a Shuggie Otis por completo y creo que "Inspiration Information" es un rolón. "Aht Uh Mi Head", "XL-30" y "Strawberry Letter 23" me gustaron especialmente por esas percusioncitas y la vibra más chill que siempre. Un álbum del cual me quedo con canciones, pero quizá no revisitaría entero. 8.5/10
I thought I might like this more than I did. Some of the songs were just kinda background despite being pretty good R&B in other places. 7
Oh this the vibe. Shuggie has got me chillin out maxin, relaxin all cool. He was always a name I'd been familiar with but someone I'd never listened to. Huge fan of the synth loop, drum machine groove stuff on here. Perfect music to just chill to, possibly to relax and study to, know what I'm saying. Fantastic groove through out. This dude really knows how to find the pocket.
4.3 + Just thumping with soul and mellow funk. An amazing album that’s equally at home bumping in the background as it is on a pair of cans.
This is incredible! Funky and highly engaging. I never would have found this on my own.
Buenas vibras. No soy muy fan del blues, no porque me desagrade sino porque no me engancha lo suficiente, soy milenial y necesito chingos de gratificación instantánea diaria, como cuando escucho pop, por ejemplo; pero bueno... ese no era el punto. El disco me pareció muy reconfortante por lo bien producido que suena (o al menos esa es la idea que me formé porque me suena como que uh la la, todo está muy bien "pensado" y bien ajustado antes de sacarlo a la luz), siento que tiene una melancolía ligera y una introspección tranquila. Canciones favoritas: aht uh mi hed por el ritmito, Rainy Day por la guitarra melancólica y Strawberry Letter 23 me hace sentir muy bien además de su letra wholesome, jaja. Mood: en un lugar de introversión, descansando en un lugar muy cómodo, sin gente a mi alrededor y a una temperatura ideal en el ambiente.
Pretty good, didn't listen super attentively thought. 7, but might have been a little better
Funny, I've never even heard of this. Really enjoying it. Jamiroquai totally ripped this off! Production is so crisp and bright. It doesn't sound like something that is 46 years old.
Really good overall! I think it could’ve used a little more drive/emotional intensity especially in the vocals, I found some of the tracks boring. 8/10