Here Comes Shuggie Otis / Freedom Flight [Original recording remastered, Import]

'Bootie Cooler', 'Gospel Groove', 'Funky Thithee' and 'The Hawks' are funky/bluesy workouts very much like Johnny Otis' (his father) music, while 'Hurricane's', good groover, hints at 'Ice Cold Daydream'. 'Shuggie's Boogie' even has the Shugster telling of his apprenticeship: how he copped all the blues licks, and had to wear shades and a pencilled-on 'tache to get into the bars to play his father's gigs!

The early songs ('Jenny Lee', 'Knowing (That You Want Him)', and 'Baby, I Needed You)', are mellow Pop with a slightly flower-power vibe, but they're not classics.

Freedom Flight is a far more mature work, and Shuggie was still only 17/18! By this stage his vibe had become more personal (his Dad's fingerprints are all over the previous album), and his sound more homogenous and focused. This is a five star album, with no bad tracks on it.

'Ice Cold Daydream' kicks the album off with bags of energy on a tight jittery riff. 'Strawberry Letter' is of course a bona fide Classic, and more raw and earthy on the original than the Bros. Johnson version. 'Sweet Thang' revisit's Dad's vibe.

'Me and My Woman' may be one of the weaker songs here, but it's a damn funky nugget nonetheless. Even the hackneyed lyric ("monday this, tuesday that" etc) is lifted by the bittersweet evocation of the stormy relationship conundrum. 'Someone's Always Singing' is the most dated sounding piece, with it's tie-dye vibe, but it's still very good.

'Purple' is a gentle 6/8 instrumental blues vehicle for Shuggie's soulful 6-string explorations. The second album ends on the shimmering Hendrix/Coltrane-esque 'Freedom Flight', where the band in general, and young Otis in particular show off their chops in an epic yet soulful semi-psychedlic exploration perfectly embodying the tune's title.

Inspiration Information is that genuine thing, a "lost classic", Freedom Flight is as near as he got before that, while Here Comes Shuggie Otis is a more mixed affair. Still, these two albums are definitely worth having, and the best moments are truly superb.

'Bootie Cooler', 'Gospel Groove', 'Funky Thithee' and 'The Hawks' are funky/bluesy workouts very much like Johnny Otis' (his father) music, while 'Hurricane's', good groover, hints at 'Ice Cold Daydream'. 'Shuggie's Boogie' even has the Shugster telling of his apprenticeship: how he copped all the blues licks, and had to wear shades and a pencilled-on 'tache to get into the bars to play his father's gigs!

The early songs ('Jenny Lee', 'Knowing (That You Want Him)', and 'Baby, I Needed You)', are mellow Pop with a slightly flower-power vibe, but they're not classics.

Freedom Flight is a far more mature work, and Shuggie was still only 17/18! By this stage his vibe had become more personal (his Dad's fingerprints are all over the previous album), and his sound more homogenous and focused. This is a five star album, with no bad tracks on it.

'Ice Cold Daydream' kicks the album off with bags of energy on a tight jittery riff. 'Strawberry Letter' is of course a bona fide Classic, and more raw and earthy on the original than the Bros. Johnson version. 'Sweet Thang' revisit's Dad's vibe.

'Me and My Woman' may be one of the weaker songs here, but it's a damn funky nugget nonetheless. Even the hackneyed lyric ("monday this, tuesday that" etc) is lifted by the bittersweet evocation of a stormy relationship. 'Someone's Always Singing' is the most dated sounding piece, with it's tie-dye vibe, but it's still good.

'Purple' is a gentle 6/8 instrumental blues vehicle for Shuggie's soulful 6-string explorations. The second album ends on the shimmering Hendrix/Coltrane-esque 'Freedom Flight', where the band in general, and young Otis in particular show off their chops in an epic yet soulful semi-psychedlic exploration perfectly embodying the tune's title.

Inspiration Information is that genuinely rare thing, a "lost classic", Freedom Flight is as near as he got before that, while Here Comes Shuggie Otis is a more mixed affair. Still, these two albums are definitely worth having, and the best moments are truly superb. Thanks to Raven!