Delmark Records artist: Magic Sam Blues Band - Black Magic - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Black Magic, from Magic Sam Blues Band and it's nothing short of great! Magic Sam passed only days before the original release of Black Magic back in 1969 and this shows Sam with his allstar studded band and a few additional/alternate tracks. Opening with Roscoe Gordon's, I Just Want A little Bit, Sam leads the way on guitar and vocal for a snappy blues rocker. The great Eddie Shaw is right there blowing a great sax solo and Sam handles guitar with Mighty Joe Young. What Have I Done Wrong has a cool R&B underpinning supported by Lafayette Leake on piano, Mac Thompson on bass, and Odie Payne on drums. Willie Dixion's classic, Easy Baby has a super soul feel with strong horn work from Shaw. With it's Boogaloo style, Sam has this track hopping. Slick guitar work and rolling rhythm gives this track extra spark. Lowell Fulsom's, It's All Your Fault Baby has a great unique take showcasing Sam's vocal styling and tidy guitar riffs. Shaw's sax work gives the track depth and classic double stops and beautiful guitar runs make this one of my personal favorites on the release. Don Nix's Same Old Blues has a great swing and excellent solo's from both Sam and Eddie. Excellent! I really love Sam's take on You Don't Love Me Baby with a great tempo and spicy riffs from Shaw and Sam. Freddie King's San-Ho-Zay is a crisp rocker with Sam hittin the strings just right. You Better Stop is a really nice slow blues number with fluid "Magic Sam" riffs over Eddie Shaw tone and Leake piano riffs giving it just perfect balance on Payne's snappy drumming. Excellent! Otis Rush's Keep On Loving Me, Baby really gets up and goes. Sam leads the way with clean, simple guitar riffs, echoed by Shaw and grounded by Thompson and Payne. What Have I Done Wrong (alt)is tight with alternate vocal tracks. The alternate on I Just Want A Little Bit has some great sax work by Shaw so make certain you catch this! The alternate on Everything's Gonna Be Alright has a great feel and stinging guitar solo. Keep On Doing What Your Doing has a great Chicago feel with warm sax from Harris and cool guitar riffs from Sam, coupled with his soulful vocals...very nice! Blues For Odie Payne is a real hot one with Sam and Young each taking an excellent solo before letting Eddie off the chain for a super solo as well. Excellent! The alternate for Same Old Blues has a great groove and Sam is in it. Dig his guitar phrasing on this one! The alternate 2 on What Have I Done Wrong is a great R&B number with super vocals and close work between Shaw and Sam. Wrapping the release is the alternate to Keep On Loving Me, Baby with high energy and powerful vocals. Sam's guitar work is clean and concise speeding to a conclusion about to erupt. Excellent ending to an excellent release! Also included is an excellent 16 page booklet with some great photos and notes not published before.

 

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Sufferin' Soul - Mighty Joe Young

Mighty Joe Young (September 23, 1927 – March 27, 1999) was an American Chicago blues guitarist. Born Joseph Young in Shreveport, Louisiana, he died in Chicago, Illinois. Though born in Louisiana, Young was raised in Milwaukee. He first began playing in the early 1950s by singing in Milwaukee nightclubs. By the mid 1950s, Young had recorded his first song for Jiffy Records in Louisiana.

Before Young became known for his contributions to blues, he was training to become a boxer.

Young was one of the busiest sidemen in Chicago from the late 1950s. He was in Otis Rush's band for several years in the 1960s, and played on Magic Sam's albums, West Side Soul and Black Magic. He recorded his own solo album, Blues with a Touch of Soul, for Delmark Records in 1971. Young also worked alongside Willie Dixon, Billy Boy Arnold and Jimmy Rogers. Young's song, "Turning Point", appeared in the Michael Mann feature film, Thief (1981).

Young died in March 1999 at the age of 71, from a complication of spinal surgery which he hoped would restore his ability to play the guitar.
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Who's That Comin' - BBC series by Tony Palmer

All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music is the name of a 17-part television documentary series on the history of modern pop music directed by Tony Palmer, originally broadcast worldwide between 1976 and 1980. The series covers the many different genres that have fallen under the "pop" label between the mid-19th century and 1976, including folk, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, vaudeville and music hall, musical theater, country, swing, jazz, blues, R&B, rock 'n' roll and others. This is part 4 - the blues.
Memphis Slim, Lt. George W. Lee, Johnny and Verlina Woods, Roosevelt Sykes, W. C. Handy, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Blind Arvella Gray, Son House, Ray Charles, Mamie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Bessie Smith, John Hammond, George Melly, Muddy Waters, Lead Belly, John Lomax, Jimmy Dawkins, Mighty Joe Young, Billie Holiday, Barney Josephson, B.B. King, Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Sufferin' Soul - Mighty Joe Young

Mighty Joe Young (September 23, 1927 – March 27, 1999) was an American Chicago blues guitarist. Born Joseph Young in Shreveport, Louisiana, he died in Chicago, Illinois. Though born in Louisiana, Young was raised in Milwaukee. He first began playing in the early 1950s by singing in Milwaukee nightclubs. By the mid 1950s, Young had recorded his first song for Jiffy Records in Louisiana.

Before Young became known for his contributions to blues, he was training to become a boxer.

Young was one of the busiest sidemen in Chicago from the late 1950s. He was in Otis Rush's band for several years in the 1960s, and played on Magic Sam's albums, West Side Soul and Black Magic. He recorded his own solo album, Blues with a Touch of Soul, for Delmark Records in 1971. Young also worked alongside Willie Dixon, Billy Boy Arnold and Jimmy Rogers. Young's song, "Turning Point", appeared in the Michael Mann feature film, Thief (1981).

Young died in March 1999 at the age of 71, from a complication of spinal surgery which he hoped would restore his ability to play the guitar.
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