Search - Magic Sam :: Live at Ann Arbor & In Chicago

Raw Recordings Still Show A Beguiling Magic Sam

Terence Allen | Atlanta, GA USA | 03/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Live at Ann Arbor and In Chicago does not have the greatest sound. This fact would be admitted by anyone. Any concert taped by a tape recorder can only be remastered so much, if at all. So understand that the sound on this recording is not the best.



But when you consider that Magic Sam Maghett was one of the great blues guitarists ever, that he has influenced every generation of blues musicians since his arrival on the scene, and when you remember that when he died in 1969 at the age of 32 with only two recorded albums, you should be willing to give a little to get a whole lot back.



And these recording do give a lot. They show the Magic Sam we know and love from West Side Soul and Black Magic, the skilled guitarist, the compelling, pleading voice, and gifted songwriter. But they also show a Sam Maghett we would encounter only a live show - a master showman who knew how to engage his audience, a performer who might show up to a gig without a guitar or a band, but who could dig up a guitar and a band, and sound as if they had rehearsed for days.



This live recording is a valuable document for all blues and Magic Sam lovers. Don't miss out because of understandable imperfections."

Simply magic-al

magick sam | London, England | 10/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is a priceless miracle and we should thank the guys who had the foresight to capture Sam live on tape, especially Peter Kroehler who sadly died young himself. Others have said it but if either of these sets had been professionally recorded they would rank amongst the best live blues albums of all time. The Ann Arbor set is a real stomper and crowd pleaser, all the more amazing in that Sam was sick and had both a borrowed guitar (not unusually for him) and band. There's a fantastic momentum to the songs and the energy rubs off on an initially wary crowd of 10,000 who by the end are whooping and hollering for more. Personally, I love the Alex club sets even more because they capture Sam in his own backyard and at the absolute peak of his powers. The opening song "Every night about this time" is awesome in its intensity, soulfulness and power, Sam's beautiful voice pierces right through you and his elongated guitar solo rips the place up. Listen to this, feel the vibe, imagine what it must have been like to be there in that small, dark, smoky, crowded room and think that it was 1963!! Sam had it all - good looks, a warm and witty personality, a voice to die for, phenomenal guitar chops and supreme showmanship and it's a tragedy that we lost him so young. These recordings, more than his studio ones (though of course I love them too) bring Sam to life and I return to them again and again. They are primitive but they have a wonderful intimacy and haunting power. They are a poignant glimpse of a great lost talent and I can't recommend them highly enough to any fan of soulful blues."