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Inspiration Information
Shuggie Otis
Inspiration Information
Genres: Blues, R&B, Rock, Classic Rock
 
  •  Track Listings (13) - Disc #1

Inspiration Information, the brainchild of guitar prodigy Shuggie Otis, more than justifies the cult following garnered in the years since its (largely ignored) 1974 release. Son of R&B legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie was ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Shuggie Otis
Title: Inspiration Information
Members Wishing: 4
Total Copies: 0
Label: V2
Release Date: 7/5/2004
Album Type: Import
Genres: Blues, R&B, Rock, Classic Rock
Styles: Regional Blues, West Coast Blues, Electric Blues, Funk, Soul, Psychedelic Rock
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1

Synopsis

Album Description
Inspiration Information, the brainchild of guitar prodigy Shuggie Otis, more than justifies the cult following garnered in the years since its (largely ignored) 1974 release. Son of R&B legend Johnny Otis, Shuggie was a late-'60s celebrity due to his Super Session duets with Al Kooper. Opting out of arena rock -- he reputedly refused an offer to join the Rolling Stones -- the 19-year-old Otis spent three years in the studio generating this one-man opus. His multitracked rhythms recall the laid-back funk of the Meters embroidered with psychedelic filigree, and his voice resembles Allan Toussaint's. But in every other regard, this is singular, sexy music, dislocated in time. Drum machines propel "Island Letter" and the beat-box-plus-organ stabs of "XL-30" predate England's Young Marble Giants by several years. Also featured are four bonus cuts from the artist's 1971 set Freedom Flight, including "Strawberry Letter 23," which was later a hit for the Brothers Johnson. Heard here in its original form (with a surprise prog-guitar coda), the song conveys the impression of "Good Vibrations" being played by a lone musician. Unbelievably wonderful. - Billboard

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CD Reviews

An overlooked masterpiece
H Shariff | London, UK | 05/26/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is a work of subtlety, nuance and is best summed up by the word 'sublime'. From the soaring riffs and joyful intensity of 'inspiration information' to the introverted yet ex-corporeal spaciness of 'freedom flight', this is a thing of pure genius--not a single note is misplaced."