U.S.A.  BUYERS

PLEASE IGNORE THE SHIPPING COSTS MARKED ON EBAY

BECAUSE WE ARE ITALIAN SELLERS

 SO PLEASE DO NOT PAY IMMEDIATELY AFTER WINNING BEFORE I SEND CORRECT INVOICE!

  BEFORE BIDDING, PLEASE

CAREFULLY READ BELOW THE CORRECT SHIPPING COST!

 THESE RATES ARE FOR BOXES UP TO 1 KG (1 or 2 LPs).

The shipping cost from Italy to USA for 1 or 2 albums

[it is a question of weight, we have to stay under 1kg] 

is $ 21.00 via priority letter and $ 28.00 with registered letter, with a sturdy and well conceived box.

For 3-5 albums [from 1kg to 2kg] of course with registered letter, the shipping cost is $ 40.50

Usually, if the price of the item, or the total amount of the records is from & over $ 30, we ship only with registered letter. 

The shipping cost  also depends by the exchange euro/dollar. 

Still, starting from the 1st of December the Italian Post increased the price for the international shipment. 

We have done our best to absorb any handling fees in order to keep all international shipping rates as low as we can

FOR ITEMS FROM & OVER $ 30.00 WE’LL SHIP 

    ONLY WITH REGISTERED MAIL

NO EXCEPTIONS PLEASE

PLEASE ASK FOR ANY INFORMATION

SHUGGIE OTIS

Guitarist/singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Shuggie Otis may not be a household 

name, but his "Strawberry Letter 23" is in the record collections of millions of households. 

Born Johnny Otis, Jr. on November 30, 1953, in Los Angeles, CA, Otis' formidable musical 

talents appeared at an early age. He began his professional career around 1965. 

He played a guitar solo on his bandleader, father Johnny Otis' 1969 number 29 R&B hit, "Country Girl," 

issued by Kent Records. His guitar skills were so adept that during his teen years, 

he would have to wear dark glasses and strategically apply black ink between his nose 

and mouth to appear old enough to perform in clubs with his father. Signing with CBS Records, 

Otis began recording virtuoso guitar-laced R&B/West Coast blues sides. His first LP was 

Al Kooper Introduces Shuggie Otis on CBS. Johnny Otis produced 1970's Here Comes Shuggie Otis, 

which was issued on the CBS imprint, Epic Records. Otis' Freedom Flight was issued September 1971

 and included the original version of "Strawberry Letter 23." His LP Inspiration Information was issued 

in October 1974, with Otis playing all of the instruments on jazzy and Latin-tinged R&B numbers. 

The LP was one of the first releases to showcase the electronic rhythm box then found usually 

on organs. Besides "Inspiration Information," the LP included the sly "Sparkle City," 

the sweet ballad "Outtamihead," and the lush, strings-laden "Island Letter," 

which was the B-side of "Inspiration Information...(AllMusic) 

"INSPIRATION INFORMATION"

Produced by Shuggie Otis

1974        LP        EPIC RECORDS       KE 33059

PRINTED IN U.S.A.     ORIGINAL COPY

THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

This version: "FOR GOVERNMENTAL SALE ONLY" stamped in gold on rear (top left corner)

Barcode and Other Identifiers

LABEL:  EPIC -  ORANGE LABEL - BLACK TEXT

Catalog on cover: KE 33059

Catalog on labels: KE 33059 (AL 33059 / BL 33059)

Matrix / Runout (Side A, Etched): 1S  PAL 33059-1C 

Matrix / Runout (Side B, Etched): 1S  PBL 33059-1D

On labels: ?1974 CBS Inc.

rim text reads '?"EPIC," Marca Reg. Printed in U.S.A.'

On Back Sleeve: Recorded at Hawk Sound and Columbia Studios, Los Angeles, California

from my records collection

tracklisting

Side A: INSPIRATION INFORMATION - ISLA LETTER

SPARKLE CITY - AHT UH MI HED

Side B: HAPPY HOUSE - RAINY DAY - XL-30

PLING! - NOT AVAILABLE

  grading

RECORD NEAR EX but (please, read above description)

SLEEVE VG but (please, see pictures and read above description)

Ignored upon its release in 1974 and celebrated upon its reissue in 2001, Shuggie Otis' fourth and l

ast album Inspiration Information exists out of time -- a record that was of its time, but didn't belong of it; 

a record that was idiosyncratic but not necessarily visionary. It was psychedelic soul that was 

released far too late to be part of any zeitgeist and it was buried at the time.

Shuggie's "trippy R&B jams are equal to Marvin's and Curtis', but somehow more contemporary 

sounding...closer to D'Angelo meets DJ Shadow" -- this isn't revolutionary. It can occasionally 

sound modern, such as on the rolling head trip "XL-30," but only because 

it's the kind of groove Shadow would sample and build on; the slow, liquid instrumental 

head trips sound the same way. Perhaps that's why it can seem more contemporary -- 

contemporary ears are more attuned to these relaxed, warmly trippy soundscapes. 

Otis crafted all of this essentially alone, playing each instrument himself, and it's quite clearly 

a reflection of his inner psyche, and no matter how much it floats 

and skates upon its own sound, it's a welcoming, inviting sound...(AllMusic)