Rockin' Wild in Chicago

Magic Sam | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 22, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Delmark
• ASIN: B00006LESG
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,439 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smoking virtuoso performance that can't be repeated, September 29, 2004

By 

David G. Lucas (Tsukuba Japan, Chicago IL, Milwaukee WI, Monroe WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rockin' Wild in Chicago (Audio CD)

I assume you already love West Side Soul and Black Magic, or you wouldn't be reading this far along in the reviews. Don't let the sound quality turn you off, this is classic, beautiful Sam at his best; some phenomenal talent and showmanship that you're obviously not going to get anywhere else. Here you can enjoy listening to what so many others learned from him (and what he learned from the great guitarists of his time). The live takes are priceless; the ladies are screaming to get up on stage and touch this magic man and his guitar. The recording at the Copa (tracks 1-8) sounds like an old mono deck set in the middle of a gym. Delmark did a service to the listener in putting better and better sounding recordings as you get deeper into this CD. I've got Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly and Richie Valens recordings that sound a lot worse and I still love them (not to mention Robert Johnson's for crying out loud). If you love 60's blues guitar, and if your a fan of anything played by Freddie King, Albert Collins, Robert Nighthawk, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Luther Allison et al, trust me, you're going to love adding this Magic Sam recording to your collection. In these performances, you also get a taste of sax players Eddie Shaw and A.C. Reed, and others performers "back in the day".

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new west side gem, December 23, 2002

By 

Jerry D. Rosen (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rockin' Wild in Chicago (Audio CD)

This CD was recorded, non professionally, at three separate dates in early to mid 60's Chicago. The energy level on this CD is not quite as high as on Magic Sam Live, but it is still a first rate blues release and a must buy for any serious blues fan. On two of the dates, Sam is just playing with a three piece band and it is very interesting to hear how the rhythm section fills out the sound. As usual, Sam's singing is full of emotion and his playing is full of fire and is very skilled. It is amazing to think that this was recorded before the British invasion and before Bloomfield and Butterfield formed their band. Sam's playing was so far ahead of the rockers and you can see where Bloomfield learned his craft. One of the the three sessions was recorded with a full band including Eddie Shaw on sax and with piano. One huge treat is the live version of "I Found a New Love." This tune is on Sam's West Side Soul and the live version is just as good. This is one of my alltime favorite tunes and hearing it recorded live, in a small club, is truly an amazing thing. For my money, this tune epitomizes the west side sound. Another highlight is Sam's treatment of Mojo. If you are a Magic Sam fan, you must buy this CD immediately. If you are a blues fan, but not hip to Sam, you got to start buying his material. Blues is supposed to be played like this - in a smokey bar, through low wattage amps cranked, with a howling audience and a band playing at the brink of destruction, with a vocalist who will make you cry.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Abysmal Sound for half the CD, March 17, 2006

By 

Marc Winter (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Rockin' Wild in Chicago (Audio CD)

I don't know how anybody can give five stars for this album. The sound quality for the first eight songs is really bad. Far worse than usual delmark live records from the 60s and 70s. The second half is about the same sound as comparable CDs by Jimmy Dawkins or Otis Rush, but still a little worse.

This makes it impossible to enjoy the first half of the CD, while the second half is allright. If you're a completist, you'll go for this one, otherwise, I think there are better albums to enjoy Magic Sam's wild West Side Blues