Inspiration Information

Dude's chilling, turning soulful low-key underdevelopment hip. Hey, I got a good idea: start with a snippet and then start jamming making sure we don't wake anybody on this island up!! And keep that up for the rest of the album. The definition of cool.

Didn’t really feel in the mood for this. Made no impression until maybe the last track. Totally inoffensive but inconsequential. In reality a 2.5 but he’s done nothing wrong!

This was a nice inclusion, though I can't claim to have gotten over-excited about it. The sound quality, certainly via Spotify, was not the best, so that didn't help matters. As I listen to "Freedom Flight" (the album that preceded this one) while I write this, I think that would have been my choice (had I been consulted). That album includes "Strawberry Letter 23," made famous by The Brothers Johnson, and that revelation is worth the price of admission on its own. Not to mention he wasn't even 18 when that was released in 1971. (BTW, I didn't know all this, sourced from AllMusic.com, and that site says he was 15 when he wrote the material. It also mentions that Shuggie played most all the instruments on that recording on his own. Interesting that the album cover hearkens to Prince's 1979 release, called "Prince". I suspect Shuggie was on Prince's radar.) Anyway, I liked this record, didn't quite fall in love. It's a 3.5, but I'm keeping this on the runway. Listen to his version of "Strawberry Letter 23," just to experience that if you haven't already. It's always been a favorite song of mine, and I had never heard Shuggie's version before this!

it started out cool. maybe not as interesting groove-wise as Sly & the Family Stone's Fresh or as compelling compositionally as Bill Withers, but it's a chill album. but it kind of died out at the end for me to get 4 stars.

Good stuff, good one to come back to

Oh yah shuggie my Otis please inspire my Otis and let it inform all over you

I am not totally on board with the number of instrumentals here. Tracks 7-9 are all instrumental and aren't unpleasant, yet they are the last 3 songs on the original album. Fortunately, I listened to the expanded edition so I heard four songs after those three. How was Strawberry Letter 23 not on this album? It's a great song. Shuggie Otis is a very talented artist, that much is obvious. It bothers me out of the last four "bonus" tracks, I think all Freedom Flight should have been on the original album. Freedom Flight is nice to listen to once but it's a 12-minute instrumental and it gave me bad flashbacks to when I heard the The Crusaders "Street Life" album. Overall, a good listen and I would revisit individual tracks but not the entire album.

Inspiration Information podría considerarse como el puntapié inicial de la música que mezcla el pop con el R&B y Soul. Con un sonido bastante familiar para alguien que lo escucha desde el 2025 (siendo un disco de 1974), Otis compuso una seguidilla de canciones atemporales que en este punto ya son esenciales para el pop. Escuchando la radio se aprecia cómo artistas como Bruno Mars y Harry Styles buscan tomar de su sonido, canalizando a Otis pero nunca llegando a tocar sus talones (en tanto a originalidad hablamos). A la vez, podemos ver como con canciones como "Not Available", Otis fue influyente incluso para el sonido del "rap alternativo" como de The Internet y su ya icónico Steve Lacey. Con "Sweet Thang" se ve también una de las primeras piezas claves para el desarrollo del denominado "Trip Hop". "Icecold Daydream", busca ser la mejor reinterpretación posible de Hendrix y su "experimentado trío". El track homónimo, enérgico y divertido, antecede una suave y sensual experiencia, producida a cabalidad por Shuggie y su sorprendente habilidad. No hay duda de que esta pieza es sumamente importante para la evolución de la música negra, habiendo inspirado incluso a gigantes como Prince. Lo volvería a escuchar en contexto de fiesta. Creo que los "skits" como "Happy House" y "XI-30", entorpecen el pacing de un disco que por otra parte sería "pop perfection". Se sienten como tracks improvisados para llenar con algo la duración del LP. Si bien del punto de vista técnico son impresionantes, desde el punto de vista de la composición, no tanto. Dentro de esta categoría, el instrumental que sin duda es más hipnótico es "Pling!". Pistas destacadas: Inspiration/Information Sparkle City Aht Uh Mi Hed Sweet Thang Freedom Flight

groovy album. Real solid start to end.

Enjoyable but somehow still missing something.

Felt like this had so much potential but just didn't deliver.

Loved The Brothers Johnson' cover of Strawberry Letter 23 since I was a kid. This album is quite beautiful.

I liked the first few songs but the instrumental tracks aren't really for me. I wish this record was more like what I imagined it was going to be! 3 overall

I think this is a jam band? Seems well done but not really my cup of tea.

It was good

Groovy, but wish the songs had more "meat on the bone", for lack of a better term.

Shuggie Otis is one of those names I recognize and think I’d like their music a lot but just never got around to listening to, so I was very excited to give this album a listen. From the first track I really wanted to love this album. There is a lot to love about- the composition is complex and layered but doesn’t feel crowded or too busy. It’s silky smooth and sexy. Unfortunately, it has a certain quality that makes it easy to tune out or to fall into the mental lane of background music at times. I do wish it commanded my attention a bit more. The title track and “XL-30” were my favorites. An interesting thing about this album: usually when you listen to a mostly or totally instrumental album from a solo artist, it’s clear what instrument that artist plays. I tried to figure this out while listening to “Inspiration Information” and still had no clue by the end. After reading a bit about the album, I learned that Shuggie played almost all of the instrumental track as well as produced the album himself. Very impressive. This album is also an early use case of analog drum machines and garnered the respect of Sly Stone. Cool. Overall this is a pleasant and at times interesting album but not quite what I hoped it would be. 7/10 ⭐️

This is groovy, smooth, and very chill. And it's so impressive that he played most of the instruments and experimented with the analog drum machines. But nothing really grabbed my attention and held it. I can understand why it's on the list, but it's not my favorite.

Chill, funk, lounge album. Strawberry letter 23 instant ear worm.

I'd never heard of Shuggie Otis before but as soon as Strawberry Letter 23 hit I got a wave of recognition. I listened to the deluxe version (hence hearing that track) and didn't think anything on the original album met the deluxe tracks in quality which is interesting, but I loved this. Great workflow music.

Crispy production Most pleasantly poppy art While keeping it weird

Mostly groovy, mellow background noise. Would be great for drowning out your thoughts while working on something unpleasant. Or for a nice drive. Very melodic and groovy

Ahh. Old Shuggie, Shugster. The Shugmeister General as well always called him. It’s nice to reminisce! I remember when me and Len first met him. We fell in love with his personality in a second but we couldn’t understand his music. We kept saying, ‘Shuggie, come on man! You’re so talented. Let’s get you away from making hotel lounge bar music and let’s make some catchy, funky tunes’. It’s nice to see moments of where he listened to us on this but otherwise it’s just same old Shuggie. You have to respect that in a way. We can’t all be Houmous & Chutney! 2.8

On Amazon Music, this album is paired with "Wings of Love," so I listened to both. This is pretty good. I like the funky 70s vibe. Shuggie also played with Frank Zappa, so that's cool. I am a big fan of Frank. I give this 3 stars, but I will listen to it again in the future, and the rating might change. For the original release, I would say "Sparkle City" is my favorite track. When you add the extra tracks the standouts are: "Miss Pretty" and "Magic".

Not bad honestly. Groovy and easy listening

A curiously funky album. Easy to listen to.

There's a lot of cool stuff going on in this album, but a lot of it feels just a little low effort. Strawberry Letter 23 is an awesome song and you know that he's got that in him, but so much of this album feels like he's just recording him fucking around with his band rather than a formal song. Really love the sound, don't love the effort.

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 🪑🪑🪑 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎸✨😏 Rating: 🍓🍓🍓/5

Pretty decent soul/funk album. Rainy day is a pretty song. Aht uh Mi Hed is cool too.

Good and varied music.

Lemppari: Strawberry Letter 23 Vähiten lemppari: Not Available

Soulful and a bit funky, it is a record you could put on with friends over while having drinks and a conversation and it compliment it. I really mean that in a good way. Stand out tracks: - Inspiration Information - Sparkle City - Rainy day - Strawberry letter 23 - Sweet Thang

Pretty solid....

Was about to say: not bad, but not groovy enough - department store browsing music. But then, from Strawberry Letter 23 (great track) onwards, things improved - hoorah! The rest of the album is pretty cool - I enjoyed the vibe.

Relaxing, funky, easy listening, some nice guitar in places. Goes on for a bit too long, would benefit from having some of the noodley tracks in the middle of the album cut. Strawberry Letter 23 was the standout track for me, liked that a lot. Great name too 🍓✉️ 2️⃣3️⃣

decent funk sound, consistent with the era.

I listened to a double album. I think the first disc was Inspiration Information anx it was 2-3 stars. The second was Wings of Love and it was darn good, 3-4 stars. So, going with 3.

Shuggie Otis is a cool name, I’ve also never heard of him before this. This is fine. Perfectly middle of the road

Cette soul psychédélique teintée de jazz m'a enchanté ! Quoi de mieux pour surmonter une journée morne d'automne que d'écouter des titres qui fleurent bon le soleil des 70's. Certains morceaux ont plus vieilli que d'autres, laissant un petit arrière goût d'ascenseur ou de yachting. Pour le reste, j'ai aimé. Je connaissais la reprise de Strawberry Letter 23 mais pas l'originale ! En résumé une belle découverte tombée à point nommé. Ma vraie note serait 3.5

Love the name. Loved the sound for the first 40 minutes. Funk-lite, would you call it? Idk, but it was pretttty smooth. (ntm.)

This was ok, but I didn't love it.

02/10/24 Average.

This is like elevator music if elevator music was groovier.

Surprisingly enjoyable. Not sure why it's a must listen but I did find it relaxing. An album that could be played in the background that you don't necessarily need to listen note for note what is going on to find some entertaining value from it.

This is some smooth ass shit for sure

Very good unknown album for all smooth/groove lovers.

Smooth soul/ jazz. Mellow vibe.

Inspiration Information // Island Letter // Aht Uh Mi Hed //

Was OK. Would have liked more social commentary. Good musicians, voice nothing special.

Shuggie Otis suffers a fate more common than I had realized before I began this music critic jouney: At the wedding of life you have the head table, than the closer ones, slowly moving towards the back of the venue. Now! Nobody is an enemy, he is a good musician, entertaining, professional, no problem. He IS at the wedding. The trouble is that he is somewhere in the middle tables and gets a bit lost in the crowd. It seems a lot of bands, even ones I have always liked, suffer this fate. Yet they do have superfans and respect anyhow, and it gives an appreciation for how hard it really is to rise to the top in the industry.

This was funky and delightful! I read that this was one of the first albums to make heavy use of analogue drum machines. I love when people find ways to use electronics but their music still feels so soulful and human. The vocals were soft and sweet. They made me think of something my vocal coach Ken Tamplin is always saying - if you build up a strong chest voice, you can go soft or heavy and everything in between. But if you only develop your soft stuff and your head voice, that’s all you’ll have. So it’s ok that the vocals here felt limited to the softest crooning because that definitely served the songs, but it would have been great if they could have wailed a little at some point.

Quite funky in parts

What a good album - really chilled.

Really quite pleasant

This is okay, a portion of it sounds like mediocre background music though.

Some nice funky tracks

Side one was nice and I enjoyed the laid back energy, but side two was instrumental and it made the album feel incomplete. The lyrics were great, his singing was great, the instrumentation on the second half wasn’t necessarily good enough to survive on its own, so what’s the fuckin deal? I would have really like this whole thing, but alas, I must be content with liking half. 3/5

Expected a few more bangers, but still was a cool listen. I’ll go back to it and see if it grows on me more.

Even after reading the Wikipedia entry, I'm struggling to understand why this album is on the list. There's nothing wrong with it, it's fine, enjoyable even but it doesn't seem essential.

groovy and pleasant, though overall it falls a bit flat. some songs get off to a promising start, but cannot maintain the momentum. others are dull from start to finish. still, there are some cool instrumental moments (e.g. the beginning of Sweet Thang) that keep this album from being a flop

aw man they were definitely on drugs

Nice groove - I'd call it light funk. Nice easy listening for dinner music. Not a rotation album, but nice.

Never heard of him before, it was alright. Chill soul vibes.

Smooth and jazzy

I found this kind of boring and wasn't a fan of the vocals. The funkier songs were better but this will end up being an album I completely forget about in a couple days.

This album makes you feel like you’ve shot straight back to the early 70’s disco / motown / hip hop scene. The music gets a little fairground from track 7, but it starts strong.

Smooth R&B.not bad. Digged the title track

3.5/5

Not bad!

This is really great. I've always been a big fan of Strawberry Letter 23, but never dove into the rest of Shuggie's stuff. This is a 3.5, but going lower as it seems like he padded a bit with short songs to finish a record contract. My guess is the previous albums are more substantial.

Pleasant, some great guitar and bass, but nothing super memorable.

I’m giving it through with the combination of both albums.

Shuggie's got the groove, too bad the funk genre has progressed past this standard, artists like Funkadelic really set an insane bar for funk. Shuggie shows off his instrumental talents and whips up soul food, he's got the energy and the voice without a doubt. Quite a few highlights and I will give tremendous credit where it's due, he shines brightly in his effortless attempts at jamming out. We get all kinds of instrument love throughout this LP. Some tracks do fall short to being empty and spacious, void of many different elements that make you groove. However, Shuggie is a talented soul with some memorable records scattered around on this project.

Decent. Impressive that he played everything himself and was just 21, and on his 3rd album, which is somewhat ludicrous. Then disappeared for 30 years. Aht Uh Mi Hed did the rounds, I recognise that one. Probably got sampled in the 00s and made into a dance track. I am however not blown away. Some tracks were just nice background stuff. Middling. Strawberry Letter 23 is fantastic - that riff, gorgeous. However that's on Freedom Flight so perhaps we should have had that record instead...

This album's got some nice and chill music that I really enjoyed (especially the funky instrumentation), but it isn't interesting enough to rate it higher than a three.

Good. Like a funky jazz ripoff.

I wasn't really paying attention but I liked what I heard 3/5

Calm but also experimental flow of music.

70s RnB with a sprinkling of funk

It's gentle funk. It's junk.

shruggie

Groovy. Cool guitar. 3/5

A chill, funky album. 3* Enjoyed: rainy day

3/5

Sounded a lot like the Superbad soundtrack to me which I liked

Superbad soundtrack if they just smoked weed and sat on the couch.

Enjoyed some, but I can’t really get into the softer stuff.

Doesn’t feel like it quite gets going and falls short of its own potential

It’s fine but from the era when R&B started to fall off

OK. Didn't turn off!

Kinda a vibe. Mostly background music, but was relaxing and enjoyable

Unfortunately, this album is underwhelming. Some of the other reviews had this spot on, saying it's a bit of a tease and seems to promise something, but then ultimately fails to deliver. It's quite stripped back and restrained and doesn't deliver on the bigger grooves. Strawberry Letter 23 is a clear standout. 2.5 rounded up.

Mediocre.

Was ok

some pretty good instrumentals

Interesting mix of genres -- definitely more interesting than yesterday's Coldplay.

Ok, but a little boring

I knew Strawberry Letter 23 and liked it. The rest is the album was my kind of music and good but not great. Honestly a little disappointed as I was expecting a lot more

Strawberry Letter 23 is ❤️

‘70’s soul

I wanted to like this more than I did. I think Shuggie Otis is great and I love Strawberry Letter 23. There was something off about the production of this though, it felt really incomplete or something. Not as lush as it should have been in my opinion. Still, the songs were pretty great.

A serviceable funk album. Didn’t blow me away.

Good lounge music, but not very memorable. Stand-out: Not Available

Just gotta say shuggie otis is a fantastic name. Especially if you go in to be an R&B musician. If listened to a few shuggie songs and definitely love strawberry letter. This album was more of that with heavy grooves, synth, and instrumental tracks as well. This was a very well made enjoyable album. A little long at points and some of the instrumentals could have been omitted but really it’s all pretty fun stuff. 7.0/10

Interesting ideas here and there but overall boring album. I liked the first few tracks but lost interest before the halfway point

This was fine, but forgettable funk. Favorite songs were Inspiration Information and Not Available.

Some really great funk tracks like Inspiration Information but also some fairly esoteric filler like Pling!. Overall sounds a bit like what would happen if Stevie Wonder took a fuck tonne of drugs.

Hat mir teilweise sehr gut gefallen.

Perfectly decent old school 70s R and B. Nothing bad about it but nothing stood out. I really hated the mixing and mastering on this album though, everything sounded out of whack

Day64 - he has a smooth voice

I enjoyed this a fair bit, decent background music. Would give a 3.75 if possible on here.

Pretty funky, I enjoyed this one, mid 3.

Head to this? Pls

This was really, Stevie Wonder vibes.

ottimo sottofondo, niente di più

Really enjoyed this. Will be back for more.

Very pleasant easy listen, nothing particularly special but solid background music.

Pleasant soul for pottering around the house, but didn't leave a huge impact. Another of those I'd never be upset to have on but would never pick out. Fave track: Strawberry Letter 23

Interesting. Might buy this on vinyl, cool vibe.

certainly had some cool moments, but the middle dragged. cut out the middle and we can talk.

Some really nice elevator music here and I mean that in good way. This album is really easy to listen to. Nothing extraordinary but just some nice easy music to have on while working or going for a nice walk.

This is some nice mellow soul/R&B music. A bit funky, a bit jazzy, overall pretty solid. Slightly uninspiring perhaps (despite the name), but perfectly enjoyable. Also the 2001 re-release tacked on four songs from another album of his to the end of this one, and they're on the Spotify version. I didn't include them in my playlist since they really are from his album "Freedom Flight", not this one (it has a pretty different sound). Favorite song: Inspiration Information Other: Aht Uh Mi Hed 2/10/24

I like the ambition to mix so many instrumentals and flavors together. However, short of Strawberry Letter this sounds like Hobby Lobby background Jazz, a step up from elevator jazz.

Ret groovy, lidt blusset, lidt funky

fino za slusat al nisam bas dozivila album

Ok al nije nes memorable.

Soulful, funky bra album med fina instrumentala låtar

It sounded like it had potential in the first track, but doesn't really get up and go, veers close to being elevator music at points. Still a pleasant listen, but maybe was hoping for a little more.

Relaxing, funky, was waiting for the plumber to come in and fix the pipes. Bam bam chicka wow wow.

This was fun, I enjoyed it. Nothing incredible about it, but generally really enjoyable background music. Enjoy some of the funky lines. Shame I can't give it a 2/5, so it will have to be a 3

Inspiration Information is actually quite a decent album. It definitely is the best of all the elevator albums I have looked at. The music was handled well throughout the songs and didn't get tiring at any point. The vocals were pretty good too if a little underutilized. All and all, Its a pretty good album. Best Song: Aht Uh Mi Hed Worst Song: Pling!

Mostly just meh one or two nice tracks but was mostly bored

The title track was a funky surprise, and a few others were decent, but much of the slower stuff wasn't good for much more than background music. Still, I feel like the good outweighed the not-so-good.

Very good music to start your work day to at 5am. Bill Withers type beat

I just like old funk.

Ayo this funky Best song: inspiration information Worst song: N/A This album goes on a little too long, not a top 1001 album imo, more like a top 3000 album

mildly satisfying

Funky soul

Reggea Sound

Very chill Jazz/funk album. There wasn't a lot that stood out to me, but at the same time this is pretty good for 1974.

Shuggie got a funny name. Don't know this guy, seems like a lost funk/R&B cat, like a precursor to Jamiroquai or something. It's pretty good music, no denying it. I like the instrumental tracks peppered in here. Credit deserved for making this in the early '70s, it feels quite a bit newer than that. Favorite tracks: Island Letter, Happy House, Pling. Album art: The art on Apple Music is different, and it's kind of bad. The cover on here is much better, definitely fits the '70s. A shot of (I assume) Shuggie sitting on a chair in the sun. He seems very disgruntled, but this is a decent cover. 3/5

3.5

Inspiration Information Strawberry Letter 23 Sweet Thang

Boring but not terrible I guess

Interesting mix of instrumental and voice

chill funk neutral

Eh, nothing special about this one. Not sure why it's in this list. It is not bad, just don't see anything that makes it exceptional.

Pretty boring. Really chill and good for a rainy day. Low 3

Low quality production, but some good stuff.

Это более мягкий и суфлешный Джими Хендрикс!

жалко пацана, а альбик хороший даж вполне

I loved the vibes of this album and I was just able to groove to every song throughout. I wish some of the songs with just a beat had more lyrics because there was so much opportunity. Great album and definitely gonna add a few to the playlist because how coney these songs are.

Been mostly disappointed with my listening lately. This was fine. Sweet Thang was good. Probably won’t listen again.

La chanson titre est cool, /Sweet thang/ aussi, le reste ne m'a pas beaucoup marqué

Cool

Never heard (of) Shuggie Otis before. This psychedelic funk was fairly easy to listen to.

This is some music to get down to or study. I really like the 70s feel here of smooth jazz alongside Shuggie's sultry voice. It does feel of the time and a somewhat hidden gem compared to the superstardom of Barry White or Stevie Wonder.

All i can say about this album is: 🎵🎶"Ooh baby sweet thang, sweet thang sweet thang!" 🎶🎵

It's alright, it's got groove but not much bite. Not especially impactful.

The Apple Music notes claim that he played every instrument and sang every part, and between the ages of 20-23. That, in and of itself, is very impressive. This is a great background music album, I actually listened twice while at work. Solid album.

Had only ever heard the name before this post. Some nice sounds on this album by a talented multi instrumentalist. Will have a look at his back catalogue

Äärimmäisen kaksijakoinen levy. Nimikkoraita ja Aht Uh Mi Hed ovat olleet pitkään suosikkeja, mutta muu levy ei oikein sytytä. Vielä kun Strawberry Letter 23 on valitettavasti spotifyn bonusbiisi eri levyltä. Sen kanssa olisikin varmaan neljä, mutta nyt olkoon 3/5.

Kelpo levy! Tykkään äänestä. 3/5

фанк и психодел, но интересно! надо потом ещё заценить

Smooth, and just ok

Decent album, if not the most memorable thing in the world. While nothing really stood out or wowed me, it’s clear Otis is a talented musician, and a good consistent album is much-needed after some of the schlock I’ve had to weather here lately.

Ok, nawet fajne, dużo różności, trochę jazziku

Pretty good - did most of the instruments himself. Early use of drum machine. 3.8

a little too laidback for my tastes and a bit annoying but not bad by any means

3.5

The first track on this album is superb. I think the album starts quite well but then I lost a little of the momentum in the second half. It's still very decent, but track one was my jam. I would say it could be a grower of an album for sure. Between a 3 and a 4. I would say a hiiigh 3/5

A quick but funky album, nice bass lines, would work well in the background as most songs don't have lyrics.

Ganska skönt album.

Heavy Bill Withers vibes. This is a really great soul record. Lots of instrumental. Experimentation is tasteful and interesting. Definitely will listen again

Two hours of inspiration and information! It's actually quite soothing. I'd probably listen to it again if I somehow stumble across it. But probably wouldn't search it out.

A smooth, soulful understated funk that definitely gives off the 70's vibe. Has a very Casio keyboard thing going on. Pretty innocuous, but also not much that stands out... the lead track Inspiration Information is good.

Funky but I felt like it was missing something

It's a mix this one. Very patient, very sensual, very calm and collected. But lacks a bit of a flavour. 3.5/5.

Happy house could have been a thundercat song. The rest was kind of forgettable to be fair.

The title track was a little interesting, but I didn't really get into this album.

Cool record! Definitely the story of 'finding a following in the 90s' is very interesting also. Ultimately I think it's not the /kind/ of music that really turns my crank, but there wasn't anything objectionable about it whatsoever. An enjoyable record I would probably be happy to listen to again, though ultimately I think I probably won't.

Very pleasant, but nothing extraordinary. An interesting collection of songs though, with enough interesting things going on to hold the attention and stop it from becoming background music.

Feels like it's about to break into Stevie Wonder territory, but never quite gets there.

Empieza muy bien con "Inspiration Information" y también incluye su canción más escuchada "Strawberry Letter 23". No está nada mal lo volveré a escuchar.

Sådär, med några små pärlor.

I enjoyed this smooth and funky music but didn’t find it especially memorable.

Música un tanto psicodélica con ritmos tranquilos, en su mayor parte instrumental, donde destacan melodías suaves

One of those unexpectedly fun albums you get from this project. I'm not sure it's a classic, but it was good to listen to.

Good vibe, good tunes. What's not to like.

Very easy listening. *Note - I need to re-listen. Standout: Sparkle City

I don’t get the hype. I read that a lot of early funk and soul bands were inspired by or liked this album but I just don’t get it. It’s pretty boring and no song stuck out to me.

usikker på ka detta e, men da va ikkje så altfor ille

BL: Shuggie Otis is a artist I became aware of earlier this year when i discovered "Sweet Thang" on a random spotify mix whilst playing Dead Island, that warranted it being added to the playlist. Lets see how this album holds up AL: Very good rare groove cut, I didn't think it was particularly mindblowing but can appreciate its place and why for the age he was at the time it was made this was particularly good. I'm sure i'd grow to appreciate it more with a relisten. FT: "Inspiration Information", "Sparkle City", "XL-30", "Ice cold daydream" 3/5

It's nice and all, but not sure it's anything really special. Seems like fairly standard 70's funk/R&B. 3 stars.

Jazzy and introspective. It could be better and more impactful with some less duration, but it's good.

Really enjoyed this, glad I listened!!

it was pretty alright 2.5/5 but ill give it a 3

3.5

Shuggie Otis is great. Just kind of always heard his name--being name dropped by Beastie Boys will do that--but never listened to one of his records. This is just a smooth groovin' jam. Great songs, great sound, great record.

Solid background music and instrumentals. Not anything that stood out specifically, though.

fairly typical album of the period. Sounds a little like Marvin Gaye's Here Dear, also a 'must-listen'. 3/5.

Decent album, but I don’t know if I’d listen to it again. Just nice, chill music

Never listened to an album with three-four instrumental songs in a row smack-dab right in the middle of it. Very unique and cool format. Even in the songs with lyrics, some cool extended jams.

An all caps album title, wayyy before it was cool to do so. This album is perfect for chipping ice out of your troughs and spouts. Crucial for making your house happy. I don’t think this will be groundbreaking analysis, but the songs where Shuggie sings are great. Very chill vibes that put you in a good mood, like my favourite on the record, Aht Uh Mi Hed. The songs where the vocals are not available (instrumentals) aren’t great, and that’s coming from a guy that digs instrumentals. I get a little Hall & Oates vibe off the title track, and since H&O is a guilty pleasure of mine (come @ me), I dig it. This is legit a decent rainy day album, I’m not even forcing a song title here. Decent job Shugster

For me, 3/4s of this album is great, the rest is kinda junk. Starts off awesome, the title track is probably my favourite song. Not into Island Letter but everything else is pretty good until we get to XL-30 which hurts my ears. Pling! makes me feel like I'm in a hotel lobby. Too bad Strawberry Letter 23 isn't included in the official album because it's a great song. Overall, love the funk! Just wish Shuggie could have written a complete album rather than throwing in those nonsense songs at the end.

This album starts off great, with some soulful good stuff. The rhythm guitar and keyboards throughout are great, played really tastefully and adding a ton to each track. The first five tracks are all quite good, building up an excitement for the quality of the album. Rainy Day comes on and it's a nice step back into a moody instrumental that I find to be quite nice. And then you're smacked with XL-30, some sort of dystopian circus soundtrack that absolutely sucked me out of the mood of the first half of the album. It's an awful song that reeks of unstructured jamming. When that's over you hope to get back into the groove for the final two tracks Pling and Not Available. You could easily fall back into the groove as those two fit better with the first half, but unfortunately the wake up call that was XL-30 lowered the veil over the second half of the album, and you can't help but notice that where the first four tracks are well put together songs, the last five really just seem like jams by comparison. I have a strong suspicion that our buddy Shuggie put together an EP of material but wanted to release an LP so he filled the rest of the bare minimum play length with a few jams and called it a day. It's too bad, there's some real potential in the first half of the album that ends up unrealized.

Started out intrigued and liked it. After half way point it was not as interesting to me. I would give it a 3.5 if that was an option.

Its a ver fun album

Did not know anything about Shuggie before… this kind of soul is so intense that put me to sleep. Loved a couple of songs, though!

Kinda cool, a little sparse in places

First few tracks felt like this record has a pleasing surface but no songs. Some nice woozy guitar but lacking in hooks... by the time Sweet Thing & Ice Cold Daydream wafted by I was revising my opinion. Then the final track just reinforces initial impressions.

Starts very well but the end is dull prog/ambient/blues

Aht uh mi hed es un temazo histórico. Qué bueno que lo he descubierto. El resto del disco no puede mantener la misma calidad.

This was fun but longer than it needed to be. Some of it sounded like hotel lobby music.

Cool vibe but I grew bored. It didn’t need to be almost an hour long. Funk/soul is a genre I like in small doses.

Best song: The title track

I am in for this ride. It goes from being a boogie soul album to a waiting room musak record?

Very laid back and soulful. Maybe too laid back for my tastes though I did find it a great album to listen to on a Sunday afternoon while relaxing

Good chilled out

Great album to chill out to.

Yeah it was nice, loved the first song -i found it kind of a bit too long but yeah nice!

I think it was really like funky and intriguing yet at the same time was boring? I think it could have given something but it didn’t. I just needed more. It was jazzy and cool but too short- if I had been given more to go off of I could have grasped more- but for what I heard I liked.

Not really my style of music

Super chill and funky, definitely worth taking a deeper dive. Highlights for me: Sparkle City, Happy House, Sweet Thang, and Freedom Flight.

Pretty great funky and atmospheric. Side two was a different feel but also good.

By the age of 21, Shuggie Otis had already chalked up an impressive resume. He'd released two albums with a roster of guest musicians, worked as a session musician for various artists (including electric bass on Zappa's "Hot Rats") and was referred to by B.B King as "my favourite new guitarist". It can't be ignored that he was born into a musical family: his father was bandleader, producer, "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues" Johnny Otis, who helped establish many of Shuggie's connections and had him playing guitar by the time he was two years old. Nepo babies… they're nothing new. On "Inspiration Information", Otis is out to stand on his own. He plays almost every instrument, incorporates drum machines in their infancy, and crafts an intriguing blend of delicate pop songs and soulful noodling. There's a really promising start, with the title track striking a good balance of languid soul and a tight, catchy hook. "Island Letter" is a nice mellow ballad, if not a showstopper, while "Sparkle City" and "Aht Uh Mi Hed" both have some good grooves hiding in the padding. At around five tracks in, though, the album evaporates slightly, with Otis seemingly losing his vocal mic halfway through. After the insubstantial interlude, "Happy House", there are no more vocals (or melodies at all) across the remaining four tracks. It's a strange way to sequence the album and means things go out on a bit of a damp squib. Otis saw the guitar as his primary instrument (above his voice), which would be fine if it featured slightly more here. He only lets rip in final track "Not Available" with some caustic funk rhythm guitar, and is in a more introspective mood in the jazz inflected "Rainy Day". The other two instrumentals are meandering, keyboard or organ-focused, and unimaginatively named ("XL-30", "Pling!"). Pleasant enough, and not actively bad, but ultimately it leaves the whole album feeling intangible, and not very cohesive. Some of the bonus tracks tacked on the re-issue (the hits "Strawberry Letter 23" and "Sweet Thang", along with the lengthy but proficient "Freedom Flight") showcase what could have been with this album. Shuggie Otis clearly had a knack for accessible, gently soulful singles as well as psychedelic, hazy guitar jams. It's a pity that we don't get a full commitment to either on "Inspiration Information": instead, we end up drifting in the nether-zone.

Nice to listen to, probably more of a 3.5.

I liked this, but the style isn't really my thing so nothing totally jumped out

Kinda nice background music for doing Down Stay with Doggos

Oh, this is really unusual. Smooth and soulful, but also quirky. I really like the songs where Otis sings, but some of the instrumentals are giving me flashbacks to the organ we had in the basement when I was a kid. Fave Songs: Inspiration Information, Rainy Day, Sparkle City, Island Letter, Aht Uh Mi Hed

I didn’t hate it the album just kinda passed through me, the starting tracks with the vocals were okay but I didn’t overly like his singing but then it goes full instrumental and my interest is gone. 3/5

Lots of funk, was nice to listen to in the background while working but not something I found super memorable or that I’d return to.

R&B inspirat i ben produït. No emociona, però funciona i mereix una escolta més atenta.

It's an decent funk album. My favorite track is the title track. The artist showcases his musical talents well on this album.

A lovely soothing soulful album. Drifts into the jazzy indulgence from time to time but it all works.

My first impression was, “wow, this sounds like porn music.” The bow-chicka-wows were <i>very</i> bow-chicka-wowing. The funk was strong but not particularly notable?

Boring

Inspiration Information is the third album by American singer-songwriter Shuggie Otis. This funky psychedelic soul album performed mediocrely at release, but was a beautifully introspective project. I recommend this to listeners that want to relax, but also want to hear something interesting.

Meandering but listenable. I liked a review that likened this album to a list penguin.

Psychedelic soul, very pleastant listen and that Tarantino track, but not more than a 3

Some very nice parts, unique

3.5/5. This was good, I had no issue listening to it. It was nothing mind blowing, but it is a solid album.

Cheesy easy listening

Glad I listened to the extra songs! Ice Cold Daydream was great.

Pretty good, I enjoyed this one! Not anything to shove you out of your chair, but still good stuff.

Doesn't stand out of the usual soul/funk genre from this era, but still good.

Very nice vibe and some great songs. The album runs out of steam a lot towards the end. Average stuff.

nautinnollista musiikkia. ei nouse ei uskalla nousta korkeimpiin korkeuksiin.. mutta ei sinänsä haittaa, kelpo jummutusta koko reilun puolituntisen, turvallinen. inspiration information.. nimikko... paras...

This might be the most plain Jane album ever produced. Nothing in it stood out throughout the entire playthrough. If anyone needed an example of why this generator should have half stars, this is it. This is the epitome of a 2.5 star album.

Un album ma foi sympathique même si je me vois dans l'impossibilité de lui donner plus de trois pour une raison assez simple : étant en pleine écoute de celui-ci, je n'ai pas entendu ma cafetière à l'italienne totalement s'emballer dans ma cuisine. Café bouillu, café foutu...

Je commence à en avoir sérieusement ras la casquette de tous ces artistes pour hipsters retenus par Robert. Il semblerait qu'il n'ait pas compris le message que mon camarade d'écoute robpelletière et moi lui avons laissé il y a quelques jours de cela, en passant soigneusement à tabac sa compagne. Qu'à cela ne tienne, nous allons devoir monter notre protestation d'un cran.

This is one of those records that is impossible to categorize. Wikipedia has 5 different labels for what it is. And I love that about this album. Parts of it are a little too elevator muzak for my taste, but overall this sounds great and FEELS great.

Eh

The track Inspiration Information, is it the template for Hall and Oates? I don't mean that as a pejorative rather that they must have spent a lot of time listening to Shuggie. This is a nice record and again that's not meant as an insult. If someone put this on I'd happily listen to it again but I'd never consciously go back to it. The instrumentals feel like fillers and I did go back to the Johnson Brothers version of Strawberry Letter just to see why theirs worked better (the energy they bring to it maybe). Aht Uh Mi is a fine track and probably the standout after the opening son. I dont know much about Shuggie but wonder if he's time could have been better spent song writing and producing?

So this album is vastly over-rated. It has a certain hipster cachet because it is willfully obscure. Shuggie Otis was a pretty fine guitar player, playing in his father's (Johnny Otis) band from a very young age, He played on Zappa's Hot Rats. He was invited to join the Stones and Bowie's band. This was his magnum opus, the result of three years' work in his home studio. And it shows. It is a slightly over-worked, psychedelic funk record, similar to There's a Riot Going On or some of Stevie Wonder's contemporaneous work. But not to Sly or Stevie's standard. OK, but nothign to write home about. But, because of it's commercial failure and Shuggie's subsequent reclusive nature, it built a reputation as a hidden gem.Hipsters have, I think, over-praised this record (see this Pitchfork review as a case in point: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17909-shuggie-otis-inspiration-information-wings-of-love/). I really disliked the meandering keyboard pieces on side 2; they didn't offer much. Interetsingly, after Strawberry Letter #23 *best known for the hit cover version by the Brothers Johnson a few years later), I thought "this album is really picking up." Interestingly, the review above pointed out that these tracks at the end are, in fact, bonus tracks on CD reissue that were drawn from other albums. This record is perfectly OK, but would be pretty weak without Strawberry Letter #23 and the other bonus tracks. Without them, this is a two star record, but I'll give it three with the bonus tracks.

Soooo smooth that it put me to sleep.

Gave the same to Lana Del Ray, which was WAY worse than this. Wish I could change the LDR review

Groovy and cool

Was good

It’s cool, Shuggie. You do your thing. And I’ll be moving on.

Écoute vraiment agréable, mais ne s'est pas distingué pour moi.

Listens: 2 Enjoyed: Yes Very relaxing/ groovy but doesn't really stand out too me. Don't really have anything particularly good or bad to say. Not sure if it's something I'd actively put on but I wouldn't skip it either

Listnened Before? N I wasn't even aware that John Otis HAD a son, much less that he was a famous musician in his own rite. Now I know. Great album, great funky sound, mixed with lots of electronics. I really loved this. Good mellow listen. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Aht Uh Mi Hed

Pretty easy listening.

I didn't particularly love this album, that is up until the last four songs where I absolutely started to love every track on it. I later found out that version on Spotify was wrong in this track listing and the last four songs were actually from a different album by Shuggie Otis called freedom flight. I would have much rather listen to that because it actually had some really interesting compositional material that was the most memorable stuff on the album, and it wasn't even technically on this particular album from the list. Going to have to check that out for sure

I really, really dug the sound of this album. But, I found that I mostly enjoyed the tracks with vocals. They seemed to have a lot to offer and really did something with the music ("Strawberry Letter #23" is outstanding), but where this album fell short for me was the instrumentals. They always started with a nice groove but then just kept going on with the same theme. They sounded cool but were just repetitive and got boring fast. I'd love to give this album a higher rating because some of it was SO good, but he lost me with the other half of the tracks.

pretty good, but not amazing.

This album was just a lot of good vibes. It was nice easy listening bordering on ambient funk. The first song somewhat stood out and the rest of it was good too.

I’d call it easy listening funk. Funky listening. Yup. Book it. It was looking like a solid 2 stars until I heard the unexpected and familiar bells of Strawberry Letter 23. What a lovely little ditty.

Not my genre but it was ok I guess

great soul album. I especially like the longer tracks

Enjoyable listen

Enjoyed starts great but did tail off

Never even heard of him, although I recognised the famous song right away. Well made album, qreat musician, should have gotten way more recognition. But the lyrics too sweet for my taste

Nice soul/jazzy, which usually starts to bore me after a whole album, but was kind of nice to have on while I was writing the rest of these entries.

3/13, 23%

Chill

Pretty enjoyable album with a bunch of influences. Freedom Flight is definitely the standout track on the album for me.

Singer has a nice smooth voice and reportedly plays all or most of the instruments on this album. A true music lover, always a good start. It is pleasant sounding indeed and I enjoyed it. Nothing against the artist but it is dated to a time that I care not to revisit, 4th grade, Watergate, lousy pop music on the radio, the early 70s were a bit of a let down after the 60s. Even a 10 year old girl could feel it.

Fine. Not by preferred brand of funk.

Funky, smooth, a little slow. Don’t love it, don’t hate it.

Different album than the rest. Mix of genres, soft voice by Shuggie, catchy beats and riffs. Just not for me.

Расслабляющие мелодии и хорошее исполнение. Но не мой жанр.

funky, lots of wah. Some good grooves but not outstanding overall. Wouldn't turn it off.

I was impressed with the range and sound of many parts of this album, but other parts were a little too saccharine for me. Overall I'd probably pick and choose some things to re-listen (I felt it was strongest on instrumentals with a jazz flavor) but probably not re-listen this massive collection of songs all over again.

that strawberry song though, incredible.

Cool album this one, enjoyed the laid back groove.

Great soul/funk. I was only familiar with Shuggie when he played bass on Peaches En Regalia with Frank Zappa. This record was fun. I can see how it influenced Prince and Lenny Kravitz.

2 stars for the name, 1 star for the songs

Slight groove

"Not Available" was, in fact, available. "Pling!" was a bit of an inaccurate onomatopoeia for that song. And "Aht Uh Mi Hed" makes it clear that spelling wasn't really Shuggie Otis' thing. But chill funk music was his thing, and he did it well. Nothing blew me away, but it was even and consistent.

Pleasant background music. I’m impressed that Shuggie wrote and played most of the music.

I really liked the sound, but it stayed a little too "low key" to engage.

I can see this as a mid way point between contemporary and old school r&b. Very interesting.

some really good songs and some songs that didn't engage me. The good songs; Strawberry Letter 23 and Ice Cold Daydream, Sweet Thang are really good. Wish there were a few more gems. 3 stars

Not bad for background listening. I've definitely heard "Strawberry Letter 23" (although I had no idea of the title or singer).

Nice enough jaunt

Oké luistermuziek, maar niet zo speciaal

Skemmtilega létt-fönkí soul.

Chill album, with some nice instrumental bits. Didn't stand out too much, but was pleasant to listen to while working.