Any Prince fan who digs his music in all its multifaceted glory right down to TRC should get Shuggie Otis's Inspiration Information. Rarely a review goes by without Prince being mentionned, and it's no wonder. Incidentally, one article mentions Prince producing a cover of Strawberry Letter 23 for Tevin Campbell, but I've never heard it.

Here's a review I think is pretty informative.

"
A Man Before His Time
by: matt halverson

It's cool to be cool, but it's so much cooler to be cool before anyone knows what cool is. Trouble is, there's not a lot of fame or money that goes with laying the groundwork for the future of coolness. "Seminal" is an adjective bandied about far too easily by modern music critics. Nowadays, an artist merely has to hold the reigns to the latest musical bandwagon to be labeled a pioneer. To truly qualify as seminal, a musician has to go unheralded in his or her own time and sacrifice fame for the satisfaction of furthering art. Witness Nick Drake. A tortured '70s folk singer who seemingly depressed himself so much with his heart-rendering pieces that he took his own life, he wouldn't be recognized by most until Volkswagon bastardized his "Pink Moon" in a recent commercial. Working in the same time period, the truly seminal Shuggie Otis slipped Inspiration Information, one of the most innovative and influential R&B recordings of the past 25 years, under the mainstream radar. And it's only now that he can really be appreciated.

A guitar virtuoso, master arranger and an original funk soul brother, Otis had a groove vision that defined the idea of "forward thinking," which is why his music seems so much more at home now than it ever could have in the '70s. The remastered and reissued Inspiration opens with a cascade of sultry "oohs" and "aahs" that would make Maxwell smile. In fact, it's difficult to listen to Inspiration without finding traces of the sexy confidence that would eventually weave its way into the sounds of Maxwell and fellow modern-day soul revivalist D'Angelo.

Because it was so far beyond what others were attempting at the time, it's difficult to describe Otis' sound outside of the context of modern music, but comparisons to other artists don't do his music justice. It's the innovators of today that should be compared to him. Though it would only be a short time before Prince wiggled his ass on to the pop scene, Inspiration's synth-laced melodies surely had a hand in shaping the burgeoning generation of New Power.

Though his music is undoubtedly revolutionary in a broader sense, it would be a mistake to overlook Otis's strength as an arranger and producer. His orchestral arrangements add a subtle poignancy to tracks like "Aht Uh Mi Hed" (say it out loud, it'll make sense) and "Island Letter," while his wah-wahing guitar work on "Strawberry Letter 23" offers a glimpse into the future of trance. The cosmic organ stutters and burps on "XL-30" and "Pling!" even show signs of early ambient exploration.

For all his mastery of the knobs and dials in the production booth, though, it was his work on the guitar that gave form to each of his songs. Though it's usually reduced to a rhythmic component, his guitar talent is strikingly evident when allowed to step forward. Otis gives Clapton a run for his money with his bluesy slide work on "Sweet Thang," and he evokes images of Electric Ladyland-era Hendrix on the airy "Freedom Flight." Yet, among the vast soundscape he creates on Inspiration, his guitar is only one instrument in an otherworldly experience.

The most exciting thing about Inspiration Information isn't the songs themselves, but picking out all of the musical gates they open. It's difficult to accept such a visionary artist might have gone largely unnoticed in his time, but one needn't look far to see how many artists of today Shuggie Otis helped create."

been meanin 2 check out that album...

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Please do. This is easily one of the greatest unknown record ever.

Aerogram said:

While I know the author of the review didn't say it was a "masterpiece", some people do, though I don't agree. To me that line quoted above describes it perfectly. I don't think it has that FLOW that most great albums do, but it definitely does have those "musical gates" that make it easily worth owning. Shuggie was not at a loss for good ideas, and his production could be really atmospheric at times.

He had some health problems for a while, but Shuggie's been making public appearances during the past year, and he still looks good.
[This message was edited Mon Jan 20 17:15:28 PST 2003 by Supernova]

Supernova said:

The original album was shorter and tighter. Even so, I absolutely disagree with your assessment. This record is right up there. There's little about it that isn't remarkable, from the songs to the arrangements to the vocals, all that and fine guitar and studio work that is way ahead.

There's an orger here who has that CD cover as their avatar. I forget who though.

Aerogram said:

I know. That's what I'm talking about.


The vocals? Personally, I don't think Shuggie's vocals were as mature or as close to being as sensual as George Johnson's on "Strawberry Letter 23", which The Bros. Johnson made their own.

I bought this album after reading several great reviews of it too, and it is pretty cool. It may not seem to be all that great to us because we are really used to the ideas that Shuggie put down, but to keep in mind just how long ago he did this stuff does make it a little more impressive. And even though I've never heard him mention it, there is no way that Prince did not hear this when he was younger.

Supernova said:

Come on... an album like this comes only once in a while. The vocals are superb. I don't doubt that the Johnson Brothers version is top notch, but this is like saying Redding's version of Respect is forgettable because Aretha came along.

Besides, compared to what is out there right now, what's the point of quibbling?

How was Tevin's version of Strawberry Letter anyhoo?

Aerogram said:

You missed my point. I never said the album wasn't good, I like it a lot. I just said I didn't think it was a "masterpiece" that some fans have described it as. There's a big gulf of descriptions between forgettable and masterpiece, ya know. I almost agree with your Otis/Aretha "Respect" analogy though.


Never heard of it.

Supernova said:

You are going to agree with me whether you like it or not.

the Cat is very Talented&a Scary Force of Musical Nature.but timing worked against Him.I think with the Band Concept so heavy&also not a Label pushing Him outward as such it had too effect His Direction as a Solo Artist as well.but I really dug His Talent&usage of Arrangements&Vibe.

Actually
The album cover you have posted above
is a collection of the material from 2 of his albums
which explains the length
I consider Shuggie
one of the few true musical geniuses
If he came out in the late 70s like Prince did
and if he was a little more determined
then he might as well have been Prince

IrishGecko said:

Hence this thread. Anybody knows what kind of "health problems" he had?

I think this album was more of a predecessor to Sly's Riot/Fresh period than Prince, although you can hear the whole Prince '86 Revolution sound in Not Available. It's definitely a must have.

It's an excellent album, especially for it's time although I feel it's "lost legend" reputation has been overdone a tad.

The "Shuggie Plays The Blues" CD re-release is alaso worth checking out.