Magic Sam

At first glance from the uninitiated, this rare treat is a far cry from the polished sounds of today’s blues recordings. Sound wise, it’s rough, without question. Yet to fans of the late, great Magic Sam, this is manna from the blues heaven. Recorded by an audience member from three Chicago club dates in the mid-’60s, this is rare Magic and a textbook sample of Sam’s distinctive Westside Chicago blues captured in full frenzy in front of his hometown fans. Dead before his time, Sam packed a lot of life into every solo, and fans of Luther Allison’s style of supercharged, hard-driving, rockin’ blues will hear Sam’s influence here through his explosive extended solos and soulful moan. Earl Hooker’s "Rockin’ Wild” is a haunting instrumental and testament to Sam’s sadly unfulfilled promise, while his cover of Lowell Fulsom’s "It’s All Your Fault Baby” will forever imprint itself on your heart with its slow, tortured leads and soul wrenching vocals. Rockin’ Wild In Chicago is an important document.