Shuggie Otis: "Inspiration Information"

So, I just had to mention this one as being in the company of my recent finds, as anyone who is even a casual fan of ‘70’s funk knows what a holy grail this is, particularly in its OG vinyl incarnation.  I’m not sure it’s necessary to bore you with yet another tirade about how “brilliant,” “futuristic” and “ahead-of-its-time” this album seems, though it is all of those things.  The truth is that it’s all been said before, mostly in the wake of Luaka Bop’s re-release of this classic LP some years back.  What I did think, however, is that my (very) recent review of Van Hunt’s new album might serve as an interesting comparison.  Both Shuggie and Van are restless souls, and Van Hunt’s newest is the “Inspiration Information” of his own career.  While people often discuss how revelatory Shuggie’s experimentation on “Inspiration…” is, what is often overlooked is that it might not have been fun to actually BE the Shuggie Otis that made such a record, as he most certainly knew that it was not something his peers would quite comprehend, and that, if it were ever to receive the accolades and appreciation it deserved, it would be years after his own star had faded.  Still, thank goodness he did make “Inspiration…,” ‘cause it continues to be a standard-bearer for the kind of creative innovation that only a select few can actually attain.  From the lucid summer dreaming of the title track, to the personality crisis of “Aht Uh Mi Hed,” to the moody, all-instrumental B-side of the album, this really is one of those pieces of art that people are still racing to catch up to.  In keeping with my aforementioned comparison, I can’t help but think that Van Hunt’s latest occupies the same sort of space.  Van Hunt and Shuggie Otis…idiosyncratic to a fault, but what would the world of music be without them?