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Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Revisiting Shuggie Otis’ “Inspiration Information”
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Thread started 10/07/21 7:10am

Hamad

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Revisiting Shuggie Otis’ “Inspiration Information”

In my fact, my focus here is the “Inspiration Information/Wings of Love” remastered release. Only because of the included outtakes.

I’m so grateful for this album’s existence, I feel any music geek no matter which genre, will fall in love with the music here if not at least intrigued. I’m always happy to find people show appreciation for it because I don’t feel like Shuggie gets enough recognition. Any fans of this album? And if so, how did you discover it?
Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QLH82
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Reply #1 posted 10/07/21 6:46pm

paligap

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...

I kind of stumbled onto the original vinyl album, just a few years before it got its first CD release on David Byrne's label.

Way back in the day, around 1977 or 1978, I had only heard about the Shugggie's previous album, "Freedom Flight"(1971) on Epic, because that's the album that originally had "Strawberry Letter 23", and at the time, The Brothers Johnson version was such a big hit.

Anyway, once I heard "Inspiration" (originally released in 1974 , but I didn't hear it until more than two decades later), I was knocked out, because it had an inventivenss that was only hinted at on "Freedom Flight". When I heard 'Inspiration', I remember thinking, Wow this was Shuggie firing on all four cylinders!

Looking back, I think it's because albums like "Here Comes Shuggie Otis", and "Freedom Flight" were done when he was still a teenager, and "Inspiration Information" was him coming into his own as a young adult...

....

[Edited 10/7/21 18:48pm]

" I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout
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Reply #2 posted 10/08/21 2:43am

Hamad

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It was his grand opus for sure, I got the CD when it was released mainly due to a discussion here in the org, and I remember somebody sending a clip of “Happy House”. It was trippy, weird, quirky, whimsical and funky at the same, all the qualities I look for in music, when I finally got the CD, it took two months to listen to something else, I was so obsessed, wanted to check every intricate note and make sure I didn’t miss anything. But of course, everytime I revisit the album I discover something new. I recently realized how equally gifted he is as a guitarist, “Freedom Light” is becoming a fave guitar piece, so meditative & just gorgeous.

I hope someone write a book about the album as part of the 33 1/3 series, or better yet a documentary.
[Edited 10/8/21 2:43am]
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Reply #3 posted 10/08/21 6:50am

SPYZFAN1

Classic album. Bought the re-issue CD back in 2001. Read that Sly was even knocked out by this album when he first heard it.

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Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Revisiting Shuggie Otis’ “Inspiration Information”