Personnel includes: Shuggie Otis (vocals, guitar, piano, organ, bass, drums, bell, programming); Richard Aplanalp (oboe, tenor saxophone); George Duke (celeste, electric piano, organ); Wilton Felder, Mike Kowalski, Aynsley Dunbar (drums); Johnny Otis (percussion, background vocals); Jim "Supe" Bradshaw (background vocals).
Includes liner notes by Winston Cenac and James Sullivan.
This is part of LuakaBop's World Psychedelic Classics series.
Ignored upon its release in 1974 and celebrated upon its reissue in 2001, Shuggie Otis' fourth and last album Inspiration Information exists out of time -- a record that was of its time, but didn't belong of it; a record that was idiosyncratic but not necessarily visionary. It was psychedelic soul that was released far too late to be part of any zeitgeist and it was buried at the time. Yet no matter what Luaka Bop's grand poobah David Byrne claims on the sticker -- he says Shuggie's "trippy R&B jams are equal to Marvin's and Curtis', but somehow more contemporary sounding...closer to D'Angelo meets DJ Shadow" -- this isn't revolutionary. It can occasionally sound modern, such as on the rolling head trip "XL-30," but only because it's the kind of groove Shadow would sample and build on; the slow, liquid instrumental head trips sound the same way. Perhaps that's why it can seem more contemporary -- contemporary ears are more attuned to these relaxed, warmly trippy soundscapes. Otis crafted all of this essentially alone, playing each instrument himself, and it's quite clearly a reflection of his inner psyche, and no matter how much it floats and skates upon its own sound, it's a welcoming, inviting sound. But, no matter how much the partisans claim -- and their effusive praise is plastered all over the liner notes, with Sean O'Hagan claiming that it shocks you out of a rut, Stereolab's Tim Gane says it is "almost like a new style of music that could've developed but never did" -- this isn't revolutionary, even if it's delightfully idiosyncratic. So, don't fall for the hyperbole. This isn't an album that knocks your head off -- it's subtle, intricate music that's equal parts head music and elegant funk, a record that slowly works its way under your skin. Part of the reason it sounds so intriguing in 2001 is that there just aren't that many musicians that doggedly pursue their individual vision while retaining a sense of focus. But it isn't a record without precedent, nor is it startling. It's a record for people that have heard a lot of music, maybe too much, and are looking for a new musical romance. [Luaka Bop's reissue contains four fine bonus tracks, including the original version of "Strawberry Letter 23," which the Brothers Johnson later had a hit with. The reissue also replaces the original cover -- which is nowhere to be seen in the liner notes -- with a "hip," self-consciously retro cover. Also, it has put in the "World Psychedelic Classics" with Os Mutantes, which is slightly misleading and a little unsettling -- with that subheading, there's just a little too much self-conscious, scholarly distance at play.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (3/15/01, pp.81-2) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A smooth, trippy soul-funk opus....revealing an expansive creativity that appeared unlimited..."
Spin (2/01, p.107) - 9 out of 10 - "...We're (quite) taken through clear-eyed soul, blues, funk, and pop, then dropped home with our astonished smiles..."
Entertainment Weekly (5/4/01, p.71) - "...Like Stevie Wonder, the self-reliant, sweet-voiced, then-17-year-old is on every track, stirring up soul, jazzy chords, psychedelia, and studio ingenuity into a tasty, weird mix..." - Rating: A-
Q (5/01, p.133) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Half the album is marvelously psychedelic soul....Factor in jazzy bubblebath ambience, primitive electronica and opulent funk, and this is a bona fide lost classic."
Uncut (p.126) - 4 stars out of 5 - "That this incredible recording sound so utterly 'now' is testament to the visionary genius whose synth silkiness and sophist-funk orchestrations tripped the minds of everyone from Prince to DJ Shadow."
The Wire (1/02, p.40) - Ranked #13 in Wire's "50 Records of the Year 2001".
Vibe (4/01, p.172) - 4 discs out of 5 - "...The sound of a 21-year-old guitar prodigy...getting really deep into his own groove-obsessed head. A bona fide buried treasure."
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Reviews
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This one floors me. Each song sounds like Shuggie is reinventing soul and rock and blues and funk- all at once. And he is. I can't believe how young he was whe he put this out. In his early 20's younger than I!!!!! It would be depressing if it weren't so damn good!!!! It's rare for me to find albums that I can put on and play in their entirety. VERY RARE! This is one of the handful. Despite the complexity of the arrangements, there is continuity. Despite the shuffling of styles and modes and aural textures- it's still hella funky and soulful overall (the drum patterns on the tital track- they way they start echoing and skittering towards the third verse- it never fails to make me tap my foot). Even the string sections are funky.
This album is like having a breezy, clear, azure-beyond-belief summer day siphoned into your CD player. It is the antithesis of boring, repetitive garbage that treacles out of car windows when I do errands. This is the antidote, or, I suppose, one of the better forms the antidote has taken. Everyone I have given this to as a present has in return bought a copy for someone else who 'gets it.'
Some minutiae: Many great artists have sampled this milestone, most notably, Digable Planets on Blowout Comb (one of the best hip hop albums of all time). And like the above said, The Brother's Johnson had some fame and appeal with their cover of Strawberry Letter 23 (a version of which I heard recently used as background music in a Special K with Strawberries commercial. Yuk.) The original is far better. This is an album that has to be heard to be believed.
Finally, The one negative reviewer likened this work to Shuggie being, "the Syd barrett of the blues." I'm sorry, but how is that a bad thing? I disagree with the comparison for a couple of reasons, but even so- how would it be bad to be the Syd Barrett of any musical genre?
And, post-finally,- a caveat... Now then- don't come to this expecting something bluesy, or at least straightforwardly bluesy. You will be let down if you heard some of Shuggie's early bluies albums and are looking for something in that vein- just as I picked up his blues albums looking for more of this vein. This isn't a blues album- it's an album entirely of its own. It is one of those wonders that defies you to categorize it.
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