When Doug Sahm (1941-1999) recorded Hell of a Spell for Takoma in 1980, he already had 25 years of experience as a recording artist, and was about halfway between two notable associations; with the Sir Douglas Quintet in the Sixties and the Texas Tornadoes in the Nineties. Sahm dedicated this record to the great New Orleans electric blues man Guitar Slim, and the mix of blues, R&B, and Texas rock features a red-hot band on some of Sahm’s hardest-hitting performances, like “Tunnel Vision,” “Hangin’ on by a Thread,” “Can’t Fake It,” and the title track. Although it never achieved sales figures to compare with the best-known hits, Hell of a Spell is a hell of a record, a high point in a unique career.

with Charles McBurney, Louie Bustos, Rocky Morales, John Reed, Kelly Dunn, Jack Barber, John "Fuzzy" Oxendine