Soul Strut 100: # 26 - Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information

RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,779 Posts
edited March 2013 in The Soul Strut 100
I will slowly be unveiling the Top 100 Soul Strut Related Records as Voted by the Strutters Themselves.

# 26 - Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information



The list so far:

# 100 - Jr. and His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds
# 99 - Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul
# 98 - Donny Hathaway - S/T (1971)
# 97 - Bernard Wright - ???Nard
# 96 - Tom Scott - Honeysuckle Breeze
# 95 - People Under the Stairs - Question in the Form of an Answer
# 94 - Harlem River Drive
# 93 - Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
# 92 - Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
# 91 - Muddy Waters - Electric Mud
# 90 - Les McCann - Layers
# 89 - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
# 88 - Leroy Hutson - Hutson (1975)
# 87 - ESG - S/T (1981)
# 86 - Can - Tago Mago
# 85 - Bohannon - Stop & Go
# 84 - WILLIAM DEVAUGHN - Be Thankful For What You Got
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
# 82 - Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
# 81 - The J.B.???s - Doing It to Death
# 80 - Parliament - Osmium
# 79 - McNeal & Niles - Thrust
# 78 - The Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Malik
# 77 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (1971)
# 76 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
# 75 - Black Sabbath (1970)
# 74 - Trap Door / An International Psychedelic Mystery Mix (2006)
# 73 - Bob James - One
# 72 - Matthew Larkin Cassell - Pieces
# 71 - The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
# 70 - Big Bear - Doin??? Thangs
# 69 - Steely Dan - Aja
# 68 - Quasimoto - The Unseen
# 67 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! (1971)
# 66 - Al Green - Im still in love with you
# 65 - The Beatnuts - Street Level
# 64 - Archie Whitewater - Archie Whitewater (1970)
# 63 - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca & the Soul Brother
# 62 - Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
# 61 - The J.B.???s - Food For Thought
# 60 - Don Blackman (1982)
# 59 - Niagara - (Tiddies)
# 58 - Can - Ege Bamyasi
# 57 - Whatnauts - On the Rocks
# 56 - The Mohawks - Champ
# 55 - McDonald and Giles (1971)
# 54 - Darondo - Let My People Go
# 53 - Dorothy Ashby - Afro Harping
# 52 - Beastie Boys - Paul???s Boutique
# 51 - Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu of Ethiopia
# 50 - Lyman Woodard Organization - Saturday Night Special
# 49 - Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
# 48 - Lyn Collins - Think (About It)
# 47 - James Brown - In The Jungle Groove
# 46 - Bill Withers - Still Bill
# 45 - Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
# 44 - Silver Apples - S/T
# 43 - Mobb Deep - The Infamous
# 42 - Lyn Christopher (1973)
# 41 - Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson
# 40 - Gang Starr - Step in the Arena
# 39 - Diamond D - Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop
# 38 - Terry Callier - What Color is Love
# 37 - David Axelrod - Song of Innocence
# 36 - The Invaders - Spacing Out
# 35 - Leo Sayer - Endless Flight
# 34 - Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
# 33 - DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - Brainfreeze (Mix)
# 32 - Michael Jackson - Thriller
# 31 - DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
# 30 - De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising
# 29 - Ray Barretto - Acid
# 28 - The Sylvers - II
# 27 - Donald Byrd - Places and Spaces

Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.

About


Widely considered a cult classic, 'Inspiration' was Otis' debut project as both an adult and a producer, having been a teenager backed on his two previous solo efforts by his father, R&B pioneer Johnny Otis. The change of overseeing the production himself would result in a less traditional approach to songwriting in regards to Otis' deep upbringing in the blues. In addition, the utilization of analog drum machines gave 'Inspiration' a newer electric sound that at the time were being used by only a handful of Otis' contemporaries, notably by Sly Stone on Sly and the Family Stone's 1971 hit album, There's A Riot Goin' On.

Otis' relationship with Epic came under heavy scrutiny as he would take three years to finish Inspiration and fulfill his three-album contract, as this would also be the final release for Otis on the Epic label.

Inspiration was re-issued on CD by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne's independent label Luaka Bop Records. This version, released on April 3, 2001, included the original album in its entirety as well as four songs taken from Otis' 1971 album Freedom Flight, including "Strawberry Letter 23".

The album is set to be re-released again in 2013 with four previously unreleased tracks from 1971: Miss Pretty, Magic, Things We Like To Do and Castle Top Jam. The re-release will also feature a second CD entitled Wings Of Love featuring 14 previously unreleased live and studio tracks recorded by Shuggie between 1975 and 2000.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspiration_Information

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For those who needed it

Media



  Comments


  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    Another great record that took me forever to acquire.


  • Was introduced to this album via Aht Uh Mi Head and wasn't disappointed, great album.

  • GrandfatherGrandfather 2,303 Posts
    Fantastic album.

  • RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,779 Posts
    Scored this in Boston many moons a go for $5. Shit blew me away. Taking this to the grave.

  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,390 Posts
    A brilliant record to have made at any age but he was practically a foetus when he made this. Aht Uh Mi Hed is a track I will never tire of.

  • I think he was 19 when he recorded it, unbelievable. I was only really interested in sinking alcohol and my dick into as many girls as possible at that age really.

  • LoopDreamsLoopDreams 1,195 Posts
    One of my top 10 :goat: by a mile. Shuggie killed it on this one so hard dudes were playing catch up for yrs to come. Such a special vibe I don't think I could ever get sick of. This legitimately could have been in the top 5

  • Incredible joint. The reissue by Luaka Bop was big in terms of re-issues in general. Lots of labels saw monetary potential in re-releasing some hidden gems (hidden to the general public at least). I used to see that orange/red CD everywhere

  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    start to finish great. i hope the rest of the ss100 are a full listens like this.

    i got up on it from my friend Ben Velez who used to write the Diggin in the Crates column for On the Go (he succeeded Cosmo). He wrote a great review and generally reviewed records that are still cornerstones of my "hallowed crate" (as he used to say). archie whitewater, the albert, stillness. inspiration information had that same feel and vibe and was equally timeless

    so glad that reissues have made this widely accessible and loved

    and the parallels to Theres a Riot Going on are spot on. which is saying a hell of a lot

  • tripledouble said:

    and the parallels to Theres a Riot Going on are spot on. which is saying a hell of a lot

    They're like two sides of a coin to me. This has the highest replay value of almost any record I own. Up there with Rubber Soul and Sweet Exorcist in my private mind garden all-time spins list. I used to do a shitload more drugs than I do these days and I inextricably associate this album with that period of being really high and blissed out. Upon achieving relative sobriety, I was curious if I would like this album any less. If anything, I like it more as it is capable of altering my consciousness all by itself.

  • This is a record I'll never part with. Such a great vibe from start to finish.

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    incredible and unique record one of the first the strut put me on to

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    One of those albums where I seem to discover a new favourite track when I revisit it every few years, different sounds and vibes appealing to my changing personal tastes. Helps that my other half also fell in love with it when I played her it in the very early days of romance many many moons ago. Love it.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    one of my desert island discs for sure, and I think it's still underrated despite the lavish reissue treatment, in a day and age when I'm getting daily calls for Rodriguez "Cold Fact"

    A lot of what's going on musically on the west coast right now owes a debt to this record, I think, and I'm not even sure dudes realize it.

  • kalakala 3,358 Posts
    genetics/osmosis
    this is what happens when you grow up in a cat like johnny otis' house

  • toby.dtoby.d 254 Posts
    Incredible record.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    As a long time fan of Shuggie and Johnny I was happy when the break beat crowd started giving this the love it deserves.
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