Oct 27, 2018
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Paul Rishell (guitar) and Annie Raines (harmonica) Goin' Home Rykodisc 17306
-- West Side Soul diehards are quick to praise the clarity of Magic Sam's guitar tone on the record, but the reality is it's rarely emulated by the guitarists who cover "Lookin' Good." Most prefer the snarly, overdriven tone that Sam unleashed on the Ann Arbor version (and the Stuttgart version).
One notable exception is Paul Rishell, who plays "Lookin' Good" not just clean, but uncannily accurately -- he captures a lot of the subtleties and variations that are unique to the West Side Soul version. The fact that the song works so well in a duo context (with Annie Raines on amplified harp) is a reminder that getting "Lookin' Good" right means groove and rhythm more than anything else.
A brief tutorial on Magic Sam given by Paul Rishell over the phone, in 2002.
I do three, but he might have done it with two. It’s possible he did three. Either way, I don’t know, it’s hard to say. It sounds like he’s doing three when he plays. So he’s got the A going, the B string at the fifth fret, and the E string at the third fret. So that’s three fingers.
Paul Rishell, on the right-hand technique in “Lookin’ Good.” From part 2 of his interview.
The artistry of blues musicians, really great ones, is often the last thing that you think about or that enters your mind. The subtleties and restraint that these guys are showing — those kind of words don’t come to mind when people think of the blues. But in fact, that’s what makes that music work so well — it’s an amazing application of discipline and restraint and good taste and all these things that people just don’t think of when they think of that music. There’s an elegant side to that music. And 'Lookin’ Good' is one of those real classic, funny, brilliantly put together little pieces of African American music.
Paul Rishell, in 2002. Rishell was a huge fan of West Side Soul when it first came out in 1967, and he's been studying the Sound Studio version of "Lookin' Good" for 40+ years. "I've never been able to figure it out," he admits. But he's pretty damn close.
