West Side Soul | ||||
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Studio album by Magic Sam Blues Band | ||||
Released | April 1968 [a] | |||
Recorded | July 12 & October 25, 1967 | |||
Studio | Sound Studios, Chicago | |||
Genre | Chicago blues | |||
Length | 44:26 | |||
Label | Delmark | |||
Producer | Robert G. Koester | |||
Magic Sam chronology | ||||
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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.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
DownBeat | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
Side A
Side B
Musicians
Production
... [Magic Sam's] locally produced album on Delmark is entitled 'West Side Soul' ...