MAGIC SAM
Rockin' Wild in Chicago (Delmark)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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Magic Sam's blues career is surely a promise unfulfilled. He died of a heart attack at age 32 in 1969 after releasing some of the most passionate, high-energy Chicago blues from the West Side ever recorded. If your West Side blues experience is limited to Otis Rush, that's not half bad. Magic Sam is well worth seeking out, partially for the high-quality early CDs on Delmark like West Side Soul or Black Magic. Rockin' Wild in Chicago features previously unreleased recordings from Chicago nightclubs long shuttered, like the Copacabana, the Alex Club, and Mother Blues. Even if the recording quality is often sub-par on this release, Delmark acknowledges this on the CD cover. There's no denying Magic Sam's command of the blues guitar with some smooth and natural vocals. When I listen to Magic Sam's playing on "Further On Up The Road" and "Tore Down," I think of an up and coming British guitarist that would have been inspired by Magic Sam's playing. I've heard Eric Clapton do these same songs, and I know he'd appreciate Magic Sam's versions as West Side Chicago blues textbooks of the blues.

Track List:

Tremble * Call Me When You Need Me * How Long Can This Go On? * Every Day, Every Night * Why Are You So Mean to Me? * Dirty Work Going On * Further On Up the Road * It's All Your Fault Baby * Looking Good * Keep On Loving Me Baby * I Found Me A New Love * Got My Mojo Working * I Don't Want No Woman * Just A Little Bit * Tore Down * Rockin' Wild

© 2003 - Eric Steiner