Tell me if this story sounds familiar: "Could have been, promising, young artist" blows his wad with overly ambitious magnum opus that goes largely ignored by the mainstream, destroying his confidence and prematurely ending the musician's budding career. Re-released 27 years later, the album enjoys a massive PR blitz and gets grouped alongside world superstars ranging from David Byrne to Fela Kuti, while the rock critics provide an unceasing parade of linguistic fellatio in order to finally give the album the credibility it has always deserved.
Well, its a story that does not seem particularly unusual given the immediacy of the internet age, the essentialness of music marketing, and the (sneeze) perpetual lack of musical talent in the "mainstream" channels. If anything, the story should seem god-damned old by now, given all the impressive and effusive praise that has been heaped upon the 2001 Luaka Bop reissue of Inspiration Information. However, even though similar tales have recently been all the rage (Nick Drake, Daniel Johnston, Bobb Trimble, etc.), very few can match the scope of the Shuggie Otis saga. This cat really should have been famous and it is truly amazing that Inspiration Information was virtually ignored for a generation.
As the son of the legendary R&B bandleader Johnny Otis, Shuggie proved to be a prodigal musician at an early age, cultivating urban legends about his guitar skill, afro, and wispy mustache while he was still a preteen. As a full-teen he had the opportunity (and talent) to gig with his dad and hobnob with some of the most revered rock and blues stars of the day, playing guitar (and getting title credit) on all the tracks of Al Kooper's 1969 In Session album when he was only 15. In 1974, at the tender age of 21, Shuggie released his third solo album Inspiration Information, a musical masterwork that would have finally broken him free from his father's traditional boogie ‘n’ blues image, and it should have propelled him into the limelight on his own terms. Sadly, the album tanked.
In perfect hindsight, what makes Inspiration Information a phenomenal effort is probably what prevented it from becoming successful when it was released -- Shuggie had too many creative ideas and wanted to be all things to all people. But when you’re expecting to sell records as a commercial recording artist, you can’t please everyone! You can’t tickle the Sly and the Family Stone sound and expect to win over the partying fan base, especially when the next track is a slow, introspective blues number. So, similar to listening to Brian Wilson's SMiLE, we (as savvy, contemporary music listeners) now get pleasure both from wallowing in the overabundance of Shuggie’s musical cleverness as well as from the guilty joy of witnessing a young genius put his heart on the line, not yet seasoned with the courage to say "no" to an idea. Playing nearly every instrument on the album (except orchestral), Shuggie essentially makes a supreme pizza – sprinkling flavors of pop, psychadelic rock, blues, Detroit soul, jazz fusion, stoner jam, funk, sensitive introspection, and electronica – baked in Southern California sunshine. It’s the soundtrack to a DJ Shadow, Cee-Lo, Gilles Peterson, and Beck circle jerk.
Although touching on many of the same influences, Shuggie was careful to distance Inspiration Information from the over self-indulgence that plagued many of the other "funky" artists of the 1970s. In addition to complex chord changes, lush instrumentation, and fractional rhythms that give those who listen to a lot of music a chance to pop off, the album works best because it is simply pretty. Including the last four songs on the 2001 reissue, which were previously recorded on his Freedom Flight album, the album maintains cohesion and has a progressive, if not overly Morning Becomes Eclectic flow, shifting seamlessly between trippy meadows and lonesome dance halls. The title track (sampled by Digable Planets), "Strawberry Letter 23" (successfully covered by The Brothers Johnson and later jacked by OutKast), ""Aht Uh Mi Hed"" (the most accessible), and ""XL-30"" (early electronica) are the songs that get the most attention, but as just mentioned, this album is really best listened to as a whole album that transports you to a more mellow, more self-aware place.
Inspiration Information’s sympathy-inducing back story and the corresponding plethora of written critiques fighting for the album’s historical relevance both help the listener keep the music in perspective, but it's all superfluous fodder unneeded for the enjoyment of the album. Inspiration Information is a cheeky, pleasing album that is a perfect backdrop to driving along the Pacific Coast Highway or for stoned-unkempt-‘70s-pubic hair sex.
