Reviews (page 7 of 8)
A really pleasant surprise, great voice and guitar work and pretty inventive and different in parts for what it is
Not bad, but there's yet to be any soul on this list that even comes close to isaac hayes
OK Funky tracks and mellow vibes with early drum machine.
Nice vibe
Really chilled and some nice instrumentation, but at times it is so chilled it's actually a bit boring. Although it was cool to discover the the "Ms Jackson" connection. 5.5/10
Really liked the first half of this album, but seemed to fall away a bit as it became more and more chilled. Would like to listen to some different stuff of his.
Fine overall? Nothing really stood out, but I would be fine if this came on a shuffle every so often. Really enjoyed Happy House, but it was over almost as soon as it started
This guy is nice to hear. Good and inspired musician.
Ni fu ni fa
Kinda funky, kinda chill.
alright but long
Not too crazy about all the songs but some of them were cool
Interesting.
Next6
Not really my style and but another good intro to another genre of music
A nice, mellow album that would be a good listen even
3.5
Good vibes. Some fun funk guitar. Wasn’t obsessed but liked a few songs
Great soul.and funk. 👍
funky
Nach dem ersten Durchhören: nett. Kam nicht dazu, die Platte 2 mal durchzuhören. Gute 3 Sterne, vielleicht 4.
Pretty good. Sounds like it looks
Definitely got better towards the end, but it felt a little slow at the start. I forgot it was on at some points. The last few songs were solid though.
Twas ok to work to
Egentlig et gort album, men lidt mærkelig og stressede nogle steder. Svæver mellem 3 og 4 stjerner
nära en fyra men det var lite för långt och inte riktigt tillräckligt svängigt
Very pleasant.
I totally forgot Strawberry Letter 23 was a thing!
Siistiä musaa, joku etäisesti tuttu biisikin löyty
Pleasant, lounge, lightly funky vibes. Good sitting-in-the-sun music. I liked the instrumentals. Favorite tracks: "Rainy Day", "XL 30", "Island Letter"
My pulse rate hovered around 35 bpm for this entire album. Cool that he played almost all the instruments. That's about it.
So boring that I forgot that I was listening to it while it was playing (more than once)
How would you describe this ? Smooth a little funky but quite boring
Nothing wowed me
found it really hard to focus on this album, can’t remember a single thing about it
I thought I'd never heard a Shuggie Otis song until Strawberry Letter 23 came on and I got Jackie Brown flashbacks. Shuggie should have let Quincy Jones produce that in the first place!
Totally washed over me I’m afraid
There is nothing really wrong with this music. Just heard it before and better. Guess I got bored.
ничего особенного
616/1001 2026.05.18 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
I think the hype got a bit bigger than the sound with this one. Shuggie is interesting, but he can’t hold a candle to Stevie or Marvin.
Feels VERY 70s
Pleasant to listen to but not a lot of stand outs.
Ugh, it was okay, not unpleasant or anything but nothing really caught my attention for some reason. Maybe one day i’ll give it another try, because I do usually like something like that.
This was fine, too long though
The tracks with vocals are pretty OK, the instrumentals grate on me, especially the ones where the electric organ is the main sound. The final track was a bit like Fleetwood Mac's Albatross, which was cool.
Funky what I call pre disco, disco beats. Not really my thing, or thang. Not awful by any means. 2.25. No decimals, so 2 it is.
I don’t really have much to say about this other than it was good and I liked it. It didn’t blow me away, but it was a good album. I guess I don’t really know what to make of Shuggie Otis. Was he trying to be a prominent guitar figure, an R&B singer, or just an another funk musician? I guess he sort of combines those things but not in a way where any of them stand out.
My enjoyment of this album may have been hindered by the fact that I listened to it on my commute to work, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I don't know what it is about this week. I have just been extraordinarily tired on my drive to work the last few days. I regret to inform Mr. Shuggie Otis that I heard his (admittedly cute) album under these circumstances. But I found it just a bit too soft for me. Soft like a cold pillow. A pillow I could rest my head on and close my eyes. I just wanted to drift into slumberland and drive my car into a ditch.
2.5
Very boring 70s soul. 2.5 stars
Bland and boring. Just not for me.
Didn't listen to it all the way. I'm not into funk or 70s music too much, and this was not remarkable enough for me to care.
Preferred the songs with vocals to instrumental only but not for me
Syntes egentligt, at det var lidt kedeligt. Noget af det godt, noget af det henslæbt og langtrukkent med lidt for meget plingeling og antal minutter 2.6
Meh... Lo puse mientras hacía otras cosas y no llamo mi atención. De fondo mientras juego a la play funciona, pero no lo escucharía de nuevo.
3/10
Track 1 is a banger. Unfortunately the rest of the album is a bit nothingy
Shuggie seems like a really talented guy, but this album just didn’t hold my attention. After enough sustained wah from the guitar and organ my brain just kind of zones out. Maybe I’d consider giving it another listen down the road to reevaluate, but for now it goes on the not too impressive or aligned with my tastes pile.
I found this really dull, almost lift music-esque in the main. Way too peripheral with little to anchor the songs or to solicit your attention, aside from the odd funky/groovy guitar lick here and there. The songs with vocals were mildly more engaging, but in the same way as giving plain tofu a slight modicum of flavour by grinding a bit of salt over it.
Unremarkable. It just is & doesn’t strike me one way or the other.
Nice 70's groove, but what makes it worthy of the Top 1001? There are a few tracks with sizeable listener counts (title track at 51M and "Aht Uh Mi Hed" at 23M) but overall it's relatively overlooked since 1974. I liked the title track, it's nice background music but it wasn't a headturner that made me wonder how I missed it growing up. "Sparkle City", "Island Letter", "Rainy Day", "XL-30", "Pling!" were all so boring I've already forgotten them. These songs just wandered, nothing great, nothing bad. Boring and incomplete is how I'd sum this up. No radio hits, no songs I know from a modern cover, just cutting room floor tracks that got slapped onto vinyl in the 70's. LAME CHOICE. 2 stars
This didn’t even register as anything.
Some good tracks on here but a bit overindulgent at 27 songs and 1 hour 55 min runtime. Probably could've put together a really solid 45 min album instead of this meandering mess
Deeply average, I've heard Strawberry Letter 23 before, but it's all a bit forgettable.
Meh
Did not enjoy to my surprise.
Album started strong, and there a few other really good songs on here. Cool groove with a mellow funk feel. Yacht funk. I may have made up a new genre and I dig it. Regrettably there is a down side to the album, the misses are rather poor. Okay, I'm being kind because I really did like the good on the album. I'll do it again. The misses are terrible. Long, directionless, no soul and a muddy feel to the music. Those I most certainly did not dig. I think two is slightly harsh for this album, but I can't do three. 2.8
starts off quite interesting, but gets a bit boring later on
Es wirkt es stellenweise wie ein überambitioniertes Klangexperiment, das sich in seiner eigenen Trägheit verliert. Der Groove, der eigentlich das Rückgrat des Funk und Soul jener Ära bildet, bleibt hier seltsam blutleer. Statt mitreißender Rhythmen und pulsierender Energie gibt es schleppende Beats, die eher einschläfern als mitreißen.
No strong feelings for or against, it was nice background music but I didn’t connect to it at all I found it easy to tune out of. Really cool that he played most of the instruments himself!
There's a lot to like here if this mild groove is your thing. But I would have appreciated something a bit less bland.
What do you get when mix a little very light disco, some easy listening, a touch of subpar jazz and pipe it in lot an elevator? Answer… listen to this album.
Not for me.
Seriously? More techno jazz funk without any words? And it's not even innovative? How many more of these can there be???
Huske kje, va sikkert greit
This sounds good. Some of the tracks are classics. But it could have benefited from Quincy Jones’s hand to harmonize the album — this sounds like a bunch of different songs played back-to-back, not a cohesive coherent unit. Some of the pieces needed a stronger hand to add some discipline— many of the pieces sound experimental. I think Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes do a better job bringing off the overall sound (“light funk”? “Psychedelic Improvisational R&B”?) it’s a 2 — enjoyable, with some classics in the 2nd half, but not strong as an album.
This is very relaxing and soothing. I felt like I was stoned by the end of it. If you were hoping to be productive at all today then I'd advise you not to listen to his album.
Fine
Need to check this one out again but wasn't super impressed. The instrumental tracks at the end kind of remind me of what The Weather Channel played in the early 00's.
Admittedly, this just didn't do a whole lot for me. I found it a bit boring and lackluster. The moment I felt that the music was going to swell and something interesting was going to happen, it just didn't. I don't think this was bad by any stretch, but it was a bit boring for me personally.
Alright, coolest of good ones, a few shit ones. Lots of samples taken from this is imagine 2/5
Mellow jazzy/funk album - but without real drive. He's talented - playing all/most of the instruments and producing the album. It's interesting, but bland. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: n/a Best Songs Aht Uh Mi Hed Strawberry Letter 23
Wasn't really vibing with this but it shifted to weird spacey electro funk towards the end and I liked it more.
Not bad, just not good either.
I don't really care for Shuggie Otis' music. It should be something I really like on paper, being an excellent blend of all sorts of genres I enjoy. The playing is smooth and well performed. I just don't really care for it. It's a bit too philly Soul at times and it's a bit light on hooks or other earworms. Wish I liked it more but alas. My favorite moments were Freedom Flight and Sweet Thang, but either one wasn't part of the original album itself.
Eh
not my cup of tea
Not my thing. But I listened
With a name like Shuggie Otis, I expected this album to be more fun. If nothing else, there were some relaxing moments. Favorite Track: "Inspiration Information".
Strawberry Letter 23
Short and sweet, but there's nothing particularly "inspirational" about it.
Very pleasant background music if you want to concentrate on someone or something else. Not offensive but not memorable either.
This is soulful musicianship for sure, but the vocals are reedy and the lyrics schlocky.
Inoffensive and low-key, but ventured into boring way too frequently. Felt like a string of musical ideas that never really evolve or develop, but solid enough on first pass to be palatable
1. Inspiration Information - 6 Lyrically it's completely random but instrumentally it's absolutely brilliant. The guitars and synthesizers give this a very Jimi Hendrix-mixed-with-disco vibe that's surprisingly very enjoyable. Guitar solo in the bridge is simple but fun. 2. Island Letter - 3 Slower track but very stale. The lyrics make it sound like it was a struggle to write something within the rhyming scheme for some of the lines. Instrumentally it's okay but not anything phenomenal and the part without lyrics starting half way through the song is very repetitive and light it could lull you to sleep. 3. Sparkle City - 6 Decent song. Lyrics are fun but that bass guitar is what you come for and it doesn't disappoint. Short bursts of the other instruments help provide a little more character to the track but the bass guitar is what leads it and is the most enjoyable part of the track. The way the vocals slide up and down pitches is really excellent as well. 4. Aht Uh Mi Hed - 8 This is a fun track. Lyrically solid, the sound of the vocals leads the song well but the sound of the intro before those vocals are introduced is awesoem and sets the tone for the entire song. The tone change into the bridge is also very enjoyable as is the introduction of the acoustic guitar at that point. Overall a fun track. 5. Happy House - 5 90s vibe a little bit with this track but it's very quick and the instruments aren't given enough of a freedom to explore the 82 seconds. Lyrically it's okay. Not anything fantastic. 6. Rainy Day - 4 Standard coffee house background music. 7. XL-30 - 3 Mario stage background music at parts, church organ filler at others this is just album filler. Pretty dull track. 8. Pling! - 1 Standard coffee house background music but unlike Rainy Day, not an enjoyable version of it. 9. Not Available - 3 The song builds so well for almost the entire opening minute into what felt like was going to be a fun track with an enjoyable sound. Then it just hard stops and a second later starts with a completely different sound that feels like you've had money snatched out of your hand. Ruined the entire enjoyment in the track practically. Average Rating: 4.33 Adjusted to 5 Point Scale: 2.17 Rounded Down: 2 Stars
Too psychodelic and random for my tastes.
Happy House was excellent, super groovy, but unfortunately everything else fell flat against that track. Enjoyed the instrumental only tracks towards the end more than I did the beginning. Likely won’t revisit.
It was okay
Sparkle City was cool but otherwise not really my thing
J - 2/5 Best Track - "Inspiration Information"
Didn't enjoy this at all really. It starts well but fades into the background quickly
This was fine. Nothing special.
The album starts well and funky but then with further progression loses tension for me. (Rated the original release) 2,5
4/10 - it was fine
Psykadeliskt? Fast liksom instrumentalt. (Halvsov genom hälften av albumet)
Huh, for as influential a record as this is not much is hitting for me. It's impressive being a one-man band and all and his virtuosity (instrumental, less so vocally) is admirable but a lot of musicians are admirable. Have to revisit.
Soundtrack to a Ralph Bakshincartoon porno.
Скучно и неинтересно
I had never heard of this singer. I really liked the more upbeat songs. I was very hopeful after the first song but there was a major dip in the middle of the album.
pretty boring and meandering
It was ok playing in the background.
Sounds okay, but its pretty boring.
Calm music to wake up to. It promises to swing today
I had never heard of this guy before. His music is so adult contemporary, so light it just floats away into nothingness as if it had never even been there. What it's doing on this list, I'll never know.
I feel like a bit of a villain rating this so lowly, but it doesn’t do much for me. It’s a vibey, smooth listen that’ll go down well with company round your house on a weekend. But it reach out of the speakers and grab me. There isn’t a particular element that I lean into and get obsessed with. It’s just totally fine.
Good jazz/rock guitarist.
I respect this album a lot. Dig the sound. Only a handful of memorable tracks, however.
iets te laidback voor mij...
Casi me quedo dormido, y eso que lo escuche parado. A ver, el tema de cierre me gustó, y ya, no hay virtuosismo que me haga apreciar este género. Nota: 2.5
Overpromising and underdelivering ('elevator music') psychedelic soul.
Canción destacada: Aht Uh Mi Hed
Meh, me gustó la primera canción
2.5 — listened on an airplane stressed out and It felt like I kept waiting for it to get to the good part
Mi sono piaciute le strumentali, ma a livello di sound un po’ sempre la stessa roba
It has its moments. Strong finish with 'Destination You!' I would say overall 2.5/5.
Started it out. I just thought it was a disco album couple of different tunes there. Music is definitely of that era.
I respect that this exists, and the influence it provided, but damn this shit was boring.
Är ingen funkare tyvärr :-(
OK I guess? Not sure why it's on the list. Shuggie Otis is a good name for a singer though, and Aht Uh Mi Hed is a good name for a song.
Who the fuck is Shuggie Otis? Never heard of 'im. This album is what I might expect to hear if I was tied up in a hotel lobby for 55 mins and 54 seconds. Background music. Kinda mello jazzy funk fusion. Some tracks too long. Some tracks ironically too short! Some tracks fade out in weird places. Some tracks just a fucking mess. I really needed to be doing something else when this is on because it struggled to hold my attention. Not awful but I can live without it. I know now why I’ve never heard of Shuggie Otis. Not quite bad enough for a 1 though. 1½
Super chill album. Too much so. Forgot it was on. But a second run through got my attention. Groovy.
Not a great one in my opinion. Should not be on the list
nice chill kind of proto-ambient album but i’m not really connecting with it all that much.
Ihan kiva. Vähän liian chill instrumentaaleissa mulle, mutta mukavan kuuloista, sellaista mitä vois soittaa levykaupassa keskipäivällä. Strawberry letter 23 oli megasymppis, herätti huomion, muut biisit ei.
It's a great lazy Sunday morning album but on the whole it's just too long and has too much filler for me. Probably worth a relisten sometime in the future in the hope that I am mistaken.
A little too laid back for me.
This was another artist that I've never heard of previously. I'm not sure what exactly what I was expecting, but it seems pretty straightforward. It's funky and it's soulful, but honestly I didn't find it to be particularly attention-catching. I genuinely struggled to pay attention to this album, it felt like the whole thing was buildup to some crescendo that never actually happened. I appreciate the vibes, I appreciate the musicality and the talent that went into making it, but I just really wanted something more than this album could give. I really found myself bored by this record. It's not bad by any means, there's no objective negative qualities, it just really failed to strike a chord with me. 2*
Listenable and reasonably chilling.
Not my type of music at all, in my opinion a little bit boring.
Oh dear. The massive over-production fails to disguise the lack of actual songs. It's just fluff. Strawberry Letter 23 is the only track with anything approaching a memorable hook or melody.
very long, groovy sound most times. not bad
I just read that he turned down the Rolling Stones, Bowie and Stevie Wonder. Bet he regrets that! I'm sure he's very talented but this does nothing for me.
Hints of something that never really develops into anything
Boring as shit. Could not tell when one song ended and another began.
Je ne connaissais pas , pas vraiment séduit . Un peu fatigant à mon gout
Rating after listening to the album 4 days ago. I don't remember disliking anything, but to be honest I only vaguely remember the album cover and that's it.
Generic soul. I guess it's fine. Not what I would search out. But generally inoffensive. Can't say that is the picture of things I need to listen to before I die though.
Mostly pretty boring
This album was all over the place, it was like they just threw a bunch of demos together and called it an album. The music wasn’t bad, it wasn’t all that great either.
I've never heard of Shuggie Otis before, but this sounds like an interesting album, and it should make for some good Saturday afternoon listening while my kids nap. Well, this album would be more suited for my nap than my kids' naptime. Reading about this album, I was impressed Shuggie's resumé, and the fact that he did so much of the work that went into this album (I love that fact about the first Foo Fighters' album as well. I guess Dave Grohl had more time for quality music when he wasn't busy impregnating women half his age). But while the concept is great, the execution just wasn't that interesting to me. Shuggie clearly knows how to craft good musical arrangements, but musically, this album just didn't go anywhere interesting or unique. I kept waiting to hear something new and exciting, but this album felt like it could have just faded into obscurity amongst all the other soft rock that was being put out in the seventies. Only one song really stood out to me, "Aht Uh Mi Hed," because it was the only song where Shuggie did something unique. I loved the bass and rhythm forward sound, and things were rounded out nicely by some sparse guitar playing, some nice organ sounds, and some really great woodwinds and horns. The atmosphere of this song felt dense and dark, even with the flute and horns. This album wasn't bad, but I found it pretty bland, and it's not the sort of things I'd seek out again.
I read "psychedelic soul" and was expecting a wild trip. What I got was more of a comfortable afternoon nap. The best tracks are 'Inspiration Information' and 'Strawberry Letter 23' - the latter of which was not included in the original release. Oh well.
It started of as a soulful trip with psychedelic vibes, but soon turned into a great occasion for me to practice my napping skills. Nothing is particularly bad - just boring.
can't even recall how it sounds
Not offensive. I'm really not sure what makes it essential listening though. I kinda like it, but I wouldn't tell my friends. There's a lot better from this genre and era, that were more impactful. Was Shuggie ground breaking? Or inspirational? I don't care enough to drive any deeper. Two decent but forgettable stars.
It didn't do much for me. Fine overall, but never really hooked me.
Soul que começa envolvente e acaba ficando arrastado e enfadonho.
Funky, mellow … meandering. Not memorable for me.
STANDOUTS: n/a OVERALL: 2/5
Not really my thing.
Pretty chilled put but not exciting
It was ok at first, but didnt really care for it
Man...this is really depressing to say, but this flirts aggressively with being elevator music. Chill funk is really hard to pull off, and unfortunately it hasn't been pulled off here
It was definitely interesting background music, but definitely not something I’d put on again. 2.4
Not really my kind of music.
I noticed one of the reviews said "its like listening to pink floyd without the drugs". Tbh, i think i need drugs to truly enjoy this. Pretty boring. Not great. Rating 2/5
Not for me. Some people will probably love it and find it ground breaking, I found it dull.
Not for me.
Ugh, I was so disappointed by this. I read his Wikipedia page first and I thought it was going to be funky and soulful. It wasn’t
Pretty poor, sounded like an older version of Jamiroquai, but without any hooks. As the album progressed, it got duller and duller, so I pulled the plug once I got into the bonus tracks.
This album sounds vaguely pleasant, I suppose. The problem was it lacked almost every quality I hope to hear in music. No clever lyrics, no interesting melodies, the album was just generally boring.
I didn’t love this album, or even like it. On the other hand I dudn’t hate it, or even dislike it. This was simply boring. Lite Jazz meets drum machine, it seemed like something I’d hear in a tourist bar on some 2nd tier Caribbean island. 2/5
The music was ok but nothing special. Probably won't ever listen again
Experimental, smooth jazz
This album was boring, even by this list's standards. The second half of the album just dragged on forever, and the first half wasn't very exciting or had much substance at all. Maybe it's an important album? But it's not apparent from listening to it.
Easy to listen to, but ultimately it’s 70s porn music
rainy day
Toch best een beetje een saai jazzy soul album. Je moet het van de drumcomputer en elektrische toetsen hebben lees ik. Vernieuwend toen, schijnt. Dan krijg je namen als 'XL-30' en 'Pling!'. Luister XL-30 en je hoort dat er nog een hele ontwikkeling nodig was op dit gebied. Tot je ineens de hit voorbij hoort komen. Smaakt inderdaad als een gezoete aardbei. Maar zit veel beter in elkaar dan alles wat we hiervoor op dit album hoorden. Ook het volgende nummer 'Sweet Thang' klinkt ok. Wat rustig en jazzy. Dan nog even 'Ice Cold Daydream' doorkomen. En dan een goed uitgewerkt (maar ook weer heel rustig) instrumentaal nummer. Dat met 13 minuten toch wel weer veel te lang duurt. In die tijd duik ik wiki op. Wat blijkt. Die laatste 4 nummers waarvan ik het wel waard vind om wat over te schrijven, zijn juist de bonus nummers, toegevoegd toen er een cd van werd gemaakt. Deze nummers stonden allemaal al op een eerder album uit 1971. Hoe krijgt de 1001 het voor elkaar? Altijd de meest verschrikkelijke debut-albums voorschotelen en dan juist nu kiezen voor de mislukte experimenten boven het staande eerdere werk. Zelf had ik deze artiest helemaal weggelaten denk ik. Als die laatste nummers er eigenlijk niet bij horen, is het toch een harde 2 sterren.
Sounds like music you'd hear in a lift, not terrible but very forgettable
A pretty underwhelming third album by Shuggie Otis. Full of extremely slow psychedelic soul and R&B there was no Inspiration Information to be found anywhere throughout. Truly one to put right to the back of the shelf in my opinion. Best: Inspiration Information Worst: Freedom Flight
It's decent I guess, but much like 90+% of jazz, it shouls be relegated to being just background music and nothing more.
Starts off like some early-mid 90s movie music for a sex scene, then about track 5 swaps to post coital music Average
Started off thinking i was going to like it a lot, but lost interest pretty quickly. Seemed like unfinished at times.
I remember this album cover from somewhere, but can't remember it. Well it's a different genre from rock at least. First song, vibey, expected from funky genre. It's very chill, good background music. There is different sound in each ear, also some instrument in my right ear, and beat is in the left one. It included jazz, so not as bad as I expected. Second song, elevator vibes. This is so slow compared to the last song. He sings in a background vocals way. Main part in the song is the instruments, and paying close attention will make one discover new sounds in each 10 seconds(idk). I like that it's smooth and easy listening. There are different things going on, now it's piano in the left ear and some weird sounds in the left one, while the beat is in the middle. Long outro, but not boring. Third song, oh, it's already ear changing sounds. After two minute intro, the lyrics came in. It's monotonous, but it has a vibe I enjoy. Not as bad if you get it. Fourth song, lyrics are early. The name is weird. Slight diversity between the ears. It's getting to sound similar, but I guess that's the point. Nothing unique. Fifth song, it's a faster. There is weird pause of the best and star-like sound Starting, it was an interlude I think. Sixth song, this has an old jazz vibe. Was quite slow and less interesting, basically no lyrics?! Umm he has a Voice right, should use it. Same with the seventh song, he doesn't sing, it's weird ai sounds. I mean it is something but not I would listen to because I wanted to. 8th song, it started so good what happened. It's like lofi(idk). It's relaxing plus fun, I almost fell asleep. Outro was a littlee different. 9th song started differently, upbeat and stuff. Oh now it's upbeat info the winning minute back 10th song, finally he sings, before that there was different style i think. It's different with the Christmas sounds going now especially. He stopped singing and made me fall asleep again(almost). 11th song, again instrumental, I was rating this 3 starts, now that's a stretch. Just background voices were heard, not Something I wanted. 12th song, it's good, uplifting, and a little interesting. The lyrics are not much, but now it's rocky guitar, didn't expect that from this album. 13th song, 12 minutes?! For a literal elevator music, a good quality one I guess. The progression is fun, it's jazzy vibes now. Guitar is still playing. Obviously some weird noises. Why is this album a must listen I don't get it, I mean it was interesting and stuff, but not that much. Imma quickly say that, it was much worse than I expected, why does he not sing, I mean at least the instrumental could have been better. It came down from 3 to 2 star album, that 2 stars is because of the first few songs that actually had something, at least lyrics. It's chill and I get it, but this kind of songs ask for something, than just making it same and boring.
Made for some pretty good background music, but not much else I'm afraid. 2.5
Blind album and artist. Gives off vibes for sure and mellows me out, but these aren't my vibes and it ain't my flow.
There were a couple good tracks in this, but most of it bored me. I also feel like the tone was inconsistent. Favorite track was not available
It's easy listening, its kind of groovy, its smooth, cool, and has a hint of the 60's abotu it. It also has a hint of 'elevator' musak about it. This isn't really my bag, it's inooffensive and, whilst it does play with soe dissonant harmonies here and there, relatively uneventful.
Smooth & mellow & kinda sat in the background like elevator music.
just not feeling it at all
I'm sure for the right crowd this is great but just didn't hit it off for me. Wouldn't even say I have a best song, it's all just very mediocre (not terrible though).
I felt like every track almost pulled me in, with the feeling that by the end songs would finally be grabbing me enough and I'd be enjoying myself, but then halfway through it felt like the album gave up and became relatively boring instrumentals. Nothing bad, but we went from smooth vocals and neat progressions to what many would consider elevator music, and it left a sour taste in my mouth, even if I did enjoy the intial run of tracks on side A. Perhaps I could turn to enjoy side a enough to bump the score up a bit on this album, but as it stands I just leave feeling a tad ripped off, and not much else.
Not horrible, not great. Slightly tone-deaf, generic funk/R&B. Not sure there are any tracks on here that stand out to me.
Known Before: Standouts: 11. Sweet Thang 4.5
Boring but inoffensive. Soft 2.5
Loose laid back funk with a jazzy feel and a tropical psych vibe. Busy rhythms with drums, bongos and more percussion doing polyrhythmic stuff and a tight bass sound high in the mix linking that to the array of textural instruments: acoustic guitars, flutes, strings and horns and cheesy keyboards. There's odd fill/noodle but no leads/solos really - like pure background jazz bordering elevator music. The singing is a bit tuneless and flat. Pleasant but dull overall, great for the pre-show music at your next coffeeshop poetry open mic. Favorites: sweet thang, Island letter, strawberry 23
Could be background music at a party.
funky
Rollo. Soniditos.
Hier haben die Absoluten Beginner ihren Beat fürs "Liebeslied" her! Das Album ist anfangs noch recht rockig mit Blues- und Funkanleihen. Später wird's dann rein instrumental in eine jazzige Ambientrichtung. Nicht meins.
Those Casio drum loops kill the vibe completely. Padding out the tracklist with 4 songs off his last album is lazy as hell too.
Inoffensive, but not exactly exciting either
Too long
No thanks
kinda boring
Groovy as fuck but kinda forgettable
Strawberry letter 23’s a banger but could live without the reat
Most recognizable song is 'Strawberry Letter 23', which was later made famous with the Brothers Johnson release; this later version was used in two different Tarantino movies.
Glemt allerede
Pleasant, but boring.
Huske kje, va sikkert greit
It's bearable when he's not singing
man, I was so looking forward to this but it's kind of... boring. Smooth jazz meets soul/funk. Strawberry Letter 23 is still a jam but the rest of the album is just ok.
Felt kind of slow and boring, just not for me I guess
And it lingers on ...
Yea, not bad! I was vibing to the first half of this but it was mostly forgettable!!!
Couple decent tracks, but also a lot of filler. Songs with vocals are the best ones while the instrumental tracks feel more like interludes. Talented musicians on this album but felt pretty boring and same-y throughout.
This album was fine.
Middle of the road album for me, nothing special.
Wikipedia describes this as Psychedelic / Progressive Soul / Funk - I'd describe it as inoffensive soulful funky lift music and nothing to write home about.
Funky and at times weird, but ultimately it was a little sleepy for me. I feel like this would be an enjoyable listen to vibe to with the help of a recreational substance but without it, only a 2-star listen
One of the most inoffensive albums i've heard. There's not much here, good or bad. Surprisingly, the bonus tracks on the reissue are actually really good, and much better than the rest of the standart album.
Solid album, but a bit indistinguishable. Liked island letter in particular.
Hintergrundmusik, paar gute Sachen dabei, aber kein großer Ohrwurm hängengeblieben
2.5
Unfinished funk. It has a 70’s incomplete vibe. Some cheap beats that lead nowhere interesting.
Soul just really isn't the genre for me, although I'm sure this album is great if you do like it
Ok music, not something I would listen to outside this context.
Totally devoid of any energy. Made me feel more tired after listening to this, than before starting. Listen to this album if you want to lull yourself to sleep. Starts promising then half of the album transforms into elevator music. Also I find Strawberry Letter 23 to be delivered better by The Brothers Johnson band. Best song: Inspiration Information (The only song that vaguely sounds interesting) Worst song: XL-30 (Dollar-store Tangerine Dream)
Great opening track
Funky. Soft rock from a band I'd never heard of. Interesting listen. I enjoyed the song Miss Pretty, but overall the album was a no from me.
Didn’t really connect with this.
Not quite for me. Half way through it seems like he gives up on singing, lots of instrumentals.
Not sure about this. Not a big fan of soul anyway but I just thought it was lacking something. The funk wasn't funky enough! Not enough bass. Inoffensive enough but didn't do anything for me. Recognised strawberry letter 23 but nothing else Shouldn't think I'll be listening again
Yeah summer beer garden music.
Groovy, funky good vibe
The first half of this album was just ok. Just as it started to improve, it stuck me with boring, repetitive instrumentals that sounded like an extended song outro.
felt bloated, way too long. vocals weren't pleasant to listen to, too much groaning. Would have been better as an instrumental. 2.
PRettz cool ambience albumm nothing fantastic though 2.5/5
Great background music, some nice vocals, nothing that I would say is absolutely amazing though it is all very pleasant.
1970s soul R&B album. The first side features tracks with vocals, whilst the side 2 is almost purely instrumental. It's chilled and pleasant enough, but not one I'll remember this time next week. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Inspiration Information Date listened: 12/10/22
it felt like everything was filler for inspiration information, happy house and aht uh mi hed.
meh
really not for me
Bit of a confused album overall. Not bad per se just all over the place
It started off so strong and I had so much hope, but it just fell flat after the first song :(
Boring album.
I nice sound that I couldn't quite pin down to a specific genre. Almost like jazzy reggae elevator music? I think I'm way off. A few too many instrumentals too.
I wanted to like this but I felt stuck in an elevator. The longer it went, the more desperate I was to get out and move on to something else.
Pretty solid, did not mind this album.
This album makes me feel like I'm on hold but the company have given a bit more thought to their muzak. Or I'm on hold with Ann Summers or something.
Completely different to the album yesterday, but somehow exactly the same. Some very nice sounds that are gentle and easy to listen to, but nothing that is in any way memorable. Just read the Wikipedia page, and I know that album sales aren't everything, but it reached 184 in the album chart at its peak and the single hit number 56. It's not particularly influential I don't think, there's certainly nothing new here as far as I can tell. Literally no idea why it's on this list. 2/5.
Love this dude's name. I'm not sure if Shuggie is his birthname or a nickname. Or, maybe his first name is Otis and "shuggie" is like a cool adjective that describes him? Like, "Man, you are shuggie, Otis." Either way, that was the most interesting part of this album.
p316. 1974. 2 stars. This ain't aged well. Vague echoes of early Hall and Oates but without the melodies. The boy's got talent - he plays nearly everything on the album, and some tracks like Rainy Day, Sweet Thang and Freedom Flight show promise - but there's a reason why this didn't sell in the first place, and its because its utterly forgettable. Why is this even on the list?
Meh, not doing much for me
Too often smooth and ponderous, but admirable as a declaration of love for his heroes, who are also my heroes.
It's a nice album but it's a little too -backgroundy- for me. It was hard for me to be grabbed by the music without sitting intently and paying attention to everything going on. The vocals being so soft probably played a part in this. The track "XL-30" was cool- I think it's like mimic-ing what a robot would sound like with some early electronic sounds? That was unexpected and while I do like things like that, I think that it's just kind of added to this album for the sake of adding something different? I'd rather they got experimental in the other tracks and throughout the album rather than all at once to try to spice things up. Got nothing wrong with chill music but this didn't do much for me.
way too long first song is decent though
Struggled to get this to two stars but there were a couple of songs with interesting sounds
A wholly okay album. Inoffensive to the ears, there are some moments that stand out, but it never really gets past its 'easy listening' stage.
So strange that all the things they learned about producing music in the 1960's seemed lost at times. Why is this so muddy? Still, if you are going to get stoned and look out at the schoolyard from the back of your Chevy van, this is a really good album for it. (I have now learned that he produced it himself. Don't do that.) I'm not going to do any of those things. But it was a fine groove for being inside on a grey day in Cambridge.
Rollo. Soniditos.
Somewhat palatable psychedelic jam band vibes. annoying mumble-y first half. frustratingly close to being good
the version i was listening to stops streaming after about 7 tracks. can't say i was disappointed. too smooth for me.
Sexual prowess diminishing with every breath. Jesus living in a dustbin, smoking cigars and doing crosswords. A filthy little dwarf ruining a picnic. A friend of a friend of a friend once told me never to eat the tits off tiger whilst it's laps at saucer of milk.
SHACK loves lamb chops
Oddly unfunky funk.
Not a huge fan of this album but I'd give some of his other work a listen to see if I like it.
I didn’t care for it. Not My tempo surely. Best I can tell you is if you dig ‘70s funk/pop this’ll hit for you…I don’t though.
Basically nothing. This genre of music is just white noise to me. "Rainy Day" really sounds like a rainy day somehow, I'll give him that. Sounds like a song I would listen to while I'm having a headache. Nothing else caught my attention.
could be one star, nothing good about it except its chill, very boring
Empieza muy bien pero consistentemente perdió mi atención. Demasiado tranquilo o algo pero tendió a aburrirme. No es nada malo pero creo que no es mi gusto. Songs: Inspiration Information
Not for me, sounds like Bruno Mars filtered through an Easy Listening radio station. Dull.
weird vibes not sure why this is so popular
Well put together, but not my style
Not bad. I wasn't really engaged with it though. It seems like some good background music. 5/10
Wel okay, meer achtergrondmuziek dan echt actief luisteren
Liked a couple of songs,but that's about it
Nah. But glad I listened
The phrase "Casio concerto" kept coming to mind. Maybe the programmed drums were cutting edge in 1974, but this sounds like someone playing tunes on a Casio over some pre-programmed fake drum track. BORING. It's a shame because the album started strong - "Inspiration Information" is a smooth groovy song. I liked "Sparkle City," "Happy House" and "Rainy Day." Pretty sure the one constant across those tracks is real drums, confirming to me that the programmed drums just killed this album.
Rollo. Soniditos.
Werkte me gek genoeg behoorlijk op de zenuwen
Hmja, het was zeker niet vervelend om naar te luisteren, maar om nou te zeggen dat ik iets wereldschokkends heb gehoord..... nee.
Regular
Quite enjoyable but forgettable.
Ok I guess. Just couldn’t get into it.
2/5 instrumental music, somewhat experimental but i didn't like it
Meh, musica de restaurante chique. Outras musicas dele sao muito boas tho, tipo Ice Cold Daydream, e ele lembra um pouco Jimi Hendrix (Curtis Mayfield tambem)
Upsettingly, spotify seems to have taken each song from another album. I'm willing to bet that the original albums records sound like they flow together, but this rendering from spotify doesn't. How can you mix cuts from remastered 2013 collections with original album versions of songs from '74? Of course its fucked. Well other than those issues of disjointed moments, I really enjoyed the album. Did I think it was profound? Hell no. Do I really the tracks? Most. I think a lot of the music is something you can really sink your teeth into instrument wise. I wish some of the vocals were clearer, but that might be the cutting again. I also wish the instrumentals were more evenly distributed. Real OG shit though. I'm also biased because I really like Shuggie. His voice is very pretty. I have to give this album a 2.5 though, because the mix is just atrocious. I mean you can get better uniformity of quality on some low budget debut albums. Also because the song ordering needs help.
The first half of the album is good. "Inspiration Information" is a great single, but very little else in the album stood out to me. The second half of the album (the instrumentals) sort of faded into the background.
Some vibes hits but overall a bit boring.
Imagine you step into an empty elevator. Doors close. You notice the song “Aht Uh Mi He’d” playing through the tinny speaker, and you think ‘not bad for elevator music...’. and then the elevator gets stuck and your stuck with the rest of the album. Not much going up here. It’s floor 2.5 - going down.
eh
Meh
This is good. Completely unknown to me. Would make a good lo fi groove station.
This was just okay, really my kind of thing, but it didn't grab me
Letkeätä fiilistelyä joka ei jättänyt parilla kuuntelukerralla suuria muistijälkiä. Ehkä tämä olisi pitänyt ottaa käsittelyyn vähän paremmalla keskittymisellä. Jotain samaa tässä oli tunnelman puolesta kuin aiemmin päivällä kuunnellussa Erykah Badun levyssä. Ei tarjonnut suuria elämyksiä negatiiviseen tai positiiviseen suuntaan.
Some songs were good. Others
Nice enough.