Inspiration Information

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.

Easy listening but probably won't revisit

I enjoyed listening to it but a little forgettable.

this is the most 70s album of all time

Glad to have checked this artist out! Good stuff, although a bit outside what I usually listen to.

There’s no denying Shuggie Otis’ talent and musicianship - performing most of the instruments himself - and his songs are very pretty. But as an album, the focus seems to wander and meandering instrumentals with no real hook or draw lead to a disappointing record. Perhaps more collaboration would have seen Otis soar.

Lekkere soul-achtige muziek. Wat mij betreft mag het allemaal wel wat meer up-tempo op de vrijdag, maar ach, lekker voor op de achtergrond. ***

Funky & smooth & chill

He composed, played and produced on his own. Really nice (6/10) FT: Strawberry Letter 23, Pling!, Sweet Thang

Funky som f. Tittelsporet var gøy. Kanskje hakket mye pling plong på de siste låtene.

Hmmmmm. Ok album, but not overall remarkable/rememberable. Poor man’s Marvin Gaye. Smooth vocals, and some decent instrumental experimenting going on.

S'écoute bien, du bon soul. Plus un bon bruit de fond qu'un album qui a vraiment attiré mon attention

All right. Nice lo-fi vibes.

Mysigt!!

Jag gillade detta förvånandsvärt mycket. Även om det inte är exakt det här gitarrsounded jag är förtjust i så fanns det en asymmetri som jag uppskattade väldigt mycket.

Un secret amagat del r&b setenter d'un artista llargament oblidat. No és cap obra referencial a descubrir, però sí un bon tractat del génere, amb cançons especialment aconseguides com 'Aht Uh Mi Hed' o la que li dóna títol

Felt like a solidly good album. Not my favorite by a mile but it's smooth and calming. That's all you need for a Tuesday

has some nice songs on it but i don't get why its called psychedelic also some of the songs are basically elevator music so it evens out i guess

Side A has pretty good soul that takes the extra step with embellished arrangements to make the songs sound a bit better. Regardless, it never really stuck with me much. Side B gets adventurous with jazz and a particularly interesting electric organ solo over a programmed beat. This was more compelling that side A, I feel, but the whole record would need to grow on me.

Longest. Album. Ever?

Dos o tres veces sentí que el disco iba a empezar a despegar y ponerse bueno, pero nunca llego a todo. Interesante quizá, por el uso de la máquina análoga de percusiones, pero incluso tomando eso en cuenta la verdad no llega a llamar toda mi atención.

None of the songs particularly stood out, but I appreciate the musicianship and control over the album that the guy had from all angles. It was a pleasant discovery.

Decent soul album that has no real issues but fails so provoke more interest. great for the background

Its Ok. I don’t think I will get back to it.

The slow 70s where you can have a double album with not much content.

more funk. I'm here for it.a little too chill at times to get higher then a 3 but not that bad

Soft, sweet and funky. Funk guitar but not at a high tempo, very laid back. Singing is soulful and quiet.

Good grooves but lost impetus as it progresses - great 70s nyc vibe

It is a funk and soul album and was relatively short. It was alright but nothing memorable.

The good songs were fun but the rest were super boring.

Not bad but I got bore with the slow songs. Nice to hear some pretty crazy guitar parts though.

There’s a few gems and some tasty licks! A bit bloated and is unjustifiably lengthy. Highlights are the title track, Strawberry Letter 23, and Ice Cold Daydream. Sparkle City has some pretty great lyrics, the execution just didn’t do it for me though.

Kinda funky but nothing really grabbed my attention.

Packed with grooves, chill and funky. A few outstanding tracks. 3.5/5

Really want to give it 4 stars. Love the laid back and soulful grooves and Shuggie’s whole vibe. However, this album felt a little hollow to me, not much stood out, not much went on, just nice, chill funk groovin’. Hope more of his albums are on this list cause he deserves at least one 4 or 5.

If I could go back in time and experience how new this sounded when it was released, it may have had more impact

A bit too slow for me

Bueno. Distinto.

loffy???

Voice is sort of cute. Like Rainy Day best, methinks. But I still prefer having each track with lyrics for modern music. And off-pitch yelling of high notes is very much a no. 3 star at most.

 ⭐⭐ ⭐ ## General notes: Funky, soulful music. Wha guitars, staccato bass-lines, break-beats. Very chill relaxed voice and vibe. Lots of instrumental pieces and sections, lots of keyboards and drum machine too. A lot of times this album sounds like experiments and jams that doesn't seem to go anywhere. It has some great moments though. Both Pling! and Strawberry started boringly but managed to get interesting along the way. Other highlights include Sparkle City, Ice Cold Daydream and Happy House. ## Song by song - Inspiration Information: Good opener, very funky and lively but chill at the same time. - Island Letter: Laid back, relaxing vibes, tremolo guitar to the left, slow wha to the right, bass is almost reggae like, understated bolero percussion. - Sparkle City: Straight funk, starts instrumental. Cool song. - Aht Uh Mi Hed: The Bolero drum machine again, not a great song, not that bad either. - Happy House: Funky and jazzy. Really visionary in its structure, not your regular funk. Interesting find. - Rainy Day: Laid back again, blues guitar instrumental. - XL-30: The drum machine is back, now with all the samba. At least there's some real drums. The song evolution is jazzy and experimental. Another instrumental piece. - Pling!: The energetic onomatopoeic title will misguide you. This, again, is a slow laid back affair with electric pianos and drum machines. At a distance, like, across the street a sax is joining the jam. Good to fall asleep to, but not much else. Should have called this one Zzzz! - Not Available: Funk's back! Very guitar and bass oriented. Sadly, goes nowhere, one instrumental piece again. - Strawberry Letter 23: Some singing. This is supposed to be a hit song. I haven't ever listened to it before and I don't find it terribly interesting. Oh! Scratch that! There's a looping psychedelic guitar section at the end (complete with phased choruses) that's fresh and interesting! Sounds a little like Terry Riley. In all, that section elevated the whole song. That was cool. - Sweet Thang: Oh, the blues. All the right sounds are there. Westerny guitars, obstinate bass, a lonely hammond. A soulful voice. Goes nowhere though. - Ice Cold Daydream: What a start. Full of energy, wha guitars, frantic bass playing, turning into a really funky verse. Really nice descending bass-line. The hammond to the sides hammering like crazy. Wha guitar panned jam and electric solo are really interesting though short. - Freedom Flight: Hendrix meets Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain" after a long night of partying. Miles Davis stop by and say hello too (though there's sadly no trumpet playing, but he's coming from recording "A Silent Way" and brought the whole band). You get the idea. A slow, airy jam constructed around a bass groove and an improvising guitar. Really nice.

Pretty cool album. Not so sure about the instrumentals and the more R&B tracks, but the funk ones were excellent.

Weird lil album

The version that I found on Spotify was the 2013 re-release, which included a bunch of extra tracks, but I will keep this vote limited to the origional first nine tracks ("Inspiration Information" through "Not Available"). Overall, I really liked the album, for what it was. It actually felt more like two sub-albums put together into one. The first four tracks are completely constructed compositions with vocals on top. The title track is the stand-out of them all, but I didn't think "Aht Uh Mi Hed" (read "That hurt me head" in a cockney lilt, I think) was far off. Then, starting with "Happy House", the album gives way to more experimental and funky tracks, which are entirely instrumental. Of that set, I particularly enjoyed "Happy House", "XL-30" and (to a lesser extent "Pling!". These tracks felt more like musical streams of conciousness, and I felt a connection of influence all the way to more current tracks by artist like Knxwledge. And then the (original) album wraps up with "Not Available", which I think is short for, "We had a song ready to record but the singer was Not Available". The song sounded ready to go, and it's just missing someone to sing along. That sort of sums up the album in general, I think, and the fact that there were two more releases with two sets of additional tracks added seems to support this. When it was released, despite 3 years of production, the album was still sitting as a work in progress. It has some gems, shows a lot of promising ideas, and who knows... maybe a couple more re-releases and it will feel complete.

This is the softest not-totally-instrumental music I've heard that I would still call funky. I wish I got the more interludey bits: It tickles my brain that Otis opted for so much material of that kind while using his voice as a lead instrument elsewhere.

Very funky and smooth - I liked the title track and Strawberry Letter 23 a lot, and Rainy Day was a lovely chill instrumental.

I was excited for this album but it underwhelmed. I had no idea who he was but read he was a hugely talented guitar player and could play multiple instruments. I can't really hear the guitar for all the other instruments. He also plays all the instruments (like I mentioned Grohl does for the Foo's first album) which is pretty cool. But the tempo is kinda dull, especially for the latter half of the album that is all instrumental (tracks 6-9). It sounds like a ho-hum lounge piece. The funk on the first 5 tracks is fine (and it comes back decently on track 9) but didn't blow me away. It feels like this album didn't age well. In the end, it wasn't awful just not what I expected.

Incredible musician but these songs are pretty boring. Definitely some bright spots (Sweet Thang and Strawberry Letter 23) but overall not really worth listening to, except maybe as some inoffensive background music.

maybe i've just been having an off day. week. whatever. it just seems like i haven't come across anything that's really grabbed me lately. this album, apart from the closing track, is really no exception - i remember the time (roughly) when it came out, and i don't miss it. that last track, though...that was actually really awesome.

This was interesting.

Better than I expected!

Dit is best ok, maar eigenlijk niet leuk of slecht genoeg om hier echt een mening over te hebben.

Dit kende ik totaal niet en heeft mij enorm positief verrast!

I actually really liked this. Good voice and cool instrumentation. Pretty funky.

Kolejny Otis do muzycznej kolekcji, dodatkowo jest to syn jednej z ikon hamerykanskiej czarnej muzyki, czyli Johnnyego Otisa, ktory zrobil odwrotnego Jacksona, czyli jako bialy czlek wybral zywot czarnego muzyka i jeszcze zdobyl przy tym aprobate czarnej spolecznosci, wiec pierwszy solowy numer jego syna jest synteza tego co gral papa z elektronika ktora juz pojawiala sie w muzyce lat 70s, inspiration information to jeden z tych albumow na ktorych czuc, ze bylo tworzone praktycznie przez jedna osobe, bo Shuggie Otis to nie tylko multiinstrumentalista, wokalista, ale takze producent tego materialu, wersja ktora sluchalem to reedycja z 2001, ktora zawiera 4 dodatkowe traki w tym strawberry letter 23, czyli najwiekszy komercyjny sukces Shuggiego Otisa, jako song nagrany przez the brothers johnson, ktory w shuggowej wersji jest takze hajlajtowym momentem plyty na rowni z otwierajacym inspiration information, oba te kawalki to funk z elementami soula, ktore mialy chartowac sie wysoko, co nadaje im brzmienie czegos co juz sie slyszalo, a moglo sie slyszec na samplach, bo z tego co widze, to nawet w popowych wydanach jak u byonce, outkastcie, czy digable planets, czy rjd2 sie przewijaja, co daje najlepszy certyfikat materialu, ale jak dla mnie strona liryczna takiej muzyki jest niesluchalna, albo w moim obecnym moodzie lub po ostatnim picku za swiezo w glowie slychac poezje na gitarkach, cale szczescie plyta jest podzielona na dwie czesci strona a zawiera inspiration information i inne kawalki wokalowe, natomiast od 6 traka do konca, nie liczac kawalkow ktore doszly w reedycji panuje instrumentalne brzmienie, z ktorego najbardziej przypadl mi do gustu pling!, w ktorym slychac wykorzystanie analogowej maszynki drumujacej, wiec ten kawalek znajdzie sie na instrumentalnej plejce, natomiast wspominany juz II i letter wedruja na funkowa polke w biblioteczce, dziwne ze jest to pierwszy i ostatni solowy album tego artysty, bo w reszcie dyskografii moge znalezc tylko pojedyczne kolaby, bo chocby sama pierwsza strona powinna byla sie dobrze sprzedac, jak w wypadku spektakularowego orakulara od mgmt

чета залупа невыносимая, инструменталы ещё там куда ни шло, какой-то чилл, но вокалист когда выступает - аж крота бахнуть хочется. на трояк как-то тащат только песни про клубничное письмо и та, шо за ней идёт. но все равно это кал какой-то хиппарский

Чем больше фанка предлагает список, тем более ограниченным я себя чувствую. Ибо хейт целых жанров обычно считал маркером музыкальной некомпетентности. Поэтому пока остановлюсь для себя на том, что репрезентативные треки в жанре есть, но я их не слышал. Но с этим альбомом попроще. Почему-то в уши мне сразу бросился фанк, но первым жанром указан соул. А это уже нормальная тема по большей части. В итоге треки, от которых не веет фанком, воспринимаются весьма неплохо, хоть и не цепляют: Aht Uh Mi Hed, Rainy Day, Pling!, Not Available. А от которых веет, отвращают: Inspiration Information, Sparkle City, Happy House. А, вот почему бросился, заглавный трек ведь околофанковый. А ещё есть невнятное экспериментальное душилово под названием XL-30, не одобряем. И снова тот случай, когда хочется поставить ровно среднюю оценку, без перевеса вниз или вверх: 2,5. Ну да ладно, в этот раз натяну тройбан.

This was pretty good

Let’s just start with the fact that this guy’s name is Shuggie Otis. That’s pretty much my whole review. Part funky, part mellow, all smooth. All Shuggie.

Up next: Snatch and the Poontangs

65. Passe-me ao PBX, por favor. Sim, rápido, estou no quarto 302, e está aqui alguém que, não interessa, passe rápido! Beep beep beep. A sua chamada está em espera. Por favor aguarde. Your call is on hold. Please hold the line. PBX hotel Lavinia, boa noite. Estou. Estou sim, boa noite. Estou. Sim. Boa noite. Então com licença. Boop. MotA: Aht Uh Mi Hed "We had a rainy day"

Strawberry Letter 23, Sweet Thang, Ice Cold Daydream, and Freedom Flight were tacked onto the end of the album on spotify. Those four aren't actually part of the album. It's a good record and put me in a good mood. if the last four tracks were actually a part of the record i'd have given it a 4/5

Groovy, funky, easy to listen to.

So far the album reminds me of Hall and Oates. It's not terrible but not something I would not listen to often if at all.

Unmemorable (is that a word?) Decent vibe, but nothing stands out on first listen.

A really interesting and varied album. Some great tracks on here and will definitely go back to it

Layered with sweet and sour sounds. The re release I listened to on Spotify included some non original tracks, which while excellent don't help the flow.

Some standout songs, nice and chill, but overall nothing stood out to me. Maybe 1 or 2 songs I'd come back to.

It was okay. Nice background music. Chill

Unmemorable (is that a word?) Decent vibe, but nothing stands out on first listen.

Great soul r+b album, groovy

A really interesting and varied album. Some great tracks on here and will definitely go back to it

Chill and smooth. I'd definitely give it another listen if the mood hit me.