West Side Soul is the debut studio album by Chicago blues musician Magic Sam. Released by Delmark Records in 1968, it is often cited as one of the key modern electric blues albums.[4][5][6] The album includes a re-recording of Magic Sam’s first Cobra Records single, “All Your Love” (1957), and an updated “Sweet Home Chicago“, which became a popular blues anthem.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| DownBeat | [7] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [8] |
In an album review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album five out of five stars and commented:
this isn’t an album that should be preserved in amber, seen only as an important record. Because this is a record that is exploding with life, a record with so much energy, it doesn’t sound old. Of course, part of the reason it sounds so modern is because this is the template for most modern blues, whether it comes from Chicago or elsewhere.[4]
In 1984, West Side Soul was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as a classic of blues recording. Blues historian Jim O’Neal wrote in the induction statement:
Magic Sam’s soaring vocals and sparkling guitar work enliven the remake of his own Cobra classic “All Your Love,” propulsive boogies, and covers of nuggets from Little Milton, Otis Rush, J.B. Lenoir, and others. Sam’s “Sweet Home Chicago” is one of the best versions ever recorded, long before the song became the overdone sing-along theme of every Windy City blues band.[6]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “That’s All I Need” | Samuel Maghett | 3:40 |
| 2. | “I Need You So Bad” | 4:51 | |
| 3. | “I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie)” | Junior Parker | 4:36 |
| 4. | “All of Your Love” | Maghett | 3:43 |
| 5. | “I Don’t Want No Woman” | Don Robey | 3:38 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Sweet Home Chicago“ | Robert Johnson | 4:11 |
| 2. | “I Found a New Love” | Little Milton | 4:03 |
| 3. | “Every Night and Every Day” | Jimmy McCracklin | 2:19 |
| 4. | “Lookin’ Good [instrumental]” | Maghett | 3:11 |
| 5. | “My Love Will Never Die” | Willie Dixon | 4:04 |
| 6. | “Mama Talk to Your Daughter” | J.B. Lenoir | 2:40 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Magic Sam – vocals, guitar
- Mighty Joe Young – guitar
- Stockholm Slim – piano
- Earnest Johnson – bass, except tracks 1, 3, 8
- Odie Payne – drums, except tracks 1, 3, 8
- Mac Thompson – bass on tracks 1, 3, 8
- Odie Payne, III – drums on tracks 1, 3, 8
Production
- Recorded – July 12 and October 25, 1967
- Album production and supervision – Robert G. Koester
- Recording – Stu Black, Sound Studios
Notes
References
- ^ “New Album Releases”. Billboard. September 28, 1968. p. 49 – via Google Books.
- ^ Baker, Robb (May 17, 1968). “The Sound – Music and radio: for young listeners”. p. 2:14 – via Newspapers.com.
… [Magic Sam’s] locally produced album on Delmark is entitled ‘West Side Soul’ …
- ^ Irvin 2009, p. 124.
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. “Magic Sam: West Side Soul – Review”. AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ Herzhaft, Gerard (1992). “Magic Sam”. Encyclopedia of the Blues. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. pp. 215–216. ISBN 1-55728-252-8.
- ^ a b O’Neal, Jim. “1984 Hall of Fame Inductees: West Side Soul — Magic Sam Blues Band (Delmark, 1968)”. Blues.org. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ Down Beat: November 14, 1968 vol. 35, no. 23. Review by Harvey Pekar.
- ^ Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 418. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
Sources
- Irvin, Jim (2009). The Mojo Collection (4th ed.). Edinburgh: Canongate Books. ISBN 978-1-84767-643-6 – via Google Books.
