Shuggie Otis, we hardly knew ye. No, the former child prodigy hasn't spun off this mortal coil just yet, but Shuggie's erstwhile recording career has certainly seen better days-- and unfortunately, those days were 30 years ago. Back in 1974, Shuggie managed to raise critical eyebrows with his ambitious Inspiration Information LP, an elegant, absorbing collage of delta blues, soul, R&B;, and funk laced with the velvety psychedelic twist of his own flawless production. At the time, due to promotional misfirings and a fickle music market, album sales barely registered, and a despairing Shuggie turned reclusive. But finally, following a 2001 reissue on David Byrne's globe-spanning Luaka Bop label, the record gained the widespread acclaim it was previously denied, and rock's standard bearers hailed its genius at last.
Sadly, Shuggie's ain't the Cinderella story it could have been. Grasping at his 15 minutes three decades after they were due, Shuggie embarked on a major-city tour in the fall of '01, culling voracious audiences on both coasts. But this time, the press wasn't so thrilled-- SF Chronicle critic Joel Selvin called Otis' Fillmore performance "haphazard" and "inept"-- and Shuggie once again retreated from the spotlight.
Whether this release from Australian two-for-one reissue mavens Raven Records is a worthwhile listen for fans of Inspiration Information depends on how much of a completist you are. Raven packages Shuggie's solo debut, 1971's Here Comes Shuggie Otis and its '72 follow-up Freedom Flight together on one epic CD, but only Here Comes Shuggie Otis contains any true classics not featured on the Luaka Bop release. That disc added Freedom Flight's four best tracks, including the cosmic funk of the title song and Shuggie's most famous composition, "Strawberry Letter 23", a swirling, swinging midtempo breeze inspired by his girlfriend's scented stationery. "Me and My Woman" and "Someone's Always Singing" elicit Shuggie's gentle bump, but fail to merit revisitation rights. And even though his B.B. King-inflected guitar and deft, overdubbed bass on the instrumental "Purple" reveal his rootsy intuition, the song is far from classic.
The liner notes, which are interesting but never revelatory, can't overstress Shuggie's youth during the original recording of Here Comes, and the depth of the record's content certainly belies his 16 years: He played six instruments, sang, and co-wrote each tune with his famous father, bandleader Johnny Otis, Sr. Kicking off the twofer, "Oxford Gray" is second only to "Freedom Flight" as Shuggie's grandest stroke. Blazing guitar and harpsichord lead into a massive, stirring pizzicato-strings-vs.-slide-guitar duel which trips through a rock 'n' soul jitterbug crowned by a elaborate orchestrated horn section. It's an astounding opening statement from the father-and-son team, and its heaving, soulful psychedelia rivals even Axis: Bold as Love.
But from there, Here Comes becomes less focused, and its quality wavers. "Jennie Lee" is noteworthy for its gorgeous strings and horns, darkened blues guitar, and Shuggie's Alan Toussaint-esque vocals, while "Bootie Cooler" brings standard Sly/Meters funk nodding to Shuggie's bouncy organ and Hammond overdubs. Namedropping his guitar influences (B.B., Elmore, Son House), Shuggie busts into a rolling blues shuffle on "Shuggie's Boogie". Elsewhere, the rolling horn section and syncopated guitar on "Hurricane" provide a gritty Stax/Volt spark, while "The Hawks" closes with a Memphis country funk feel.
Casual consumers will likely pass up this reissue like they did Inspiration 30 years back-- which is probably fine, as the majority of these songs fail to add much of significance to Shuggie's discography. Still, for groove hounds, funk archivists, and collectors, there's more than enough solid material here to justify at least a few spins.
