These days a lot of people talk about 'music from the streets' - but that is exactly - exactly! - what is on offer here on this two-CD set. A radio interview at the end of the set fills in some background for those unfamiliar with the duo, so suffice to say that back in the late eighties Satan And Adam had a regular pitch on 125th Street in Harlem, Mr. Satan (a-k-a Sterling Magee), the older African-American singer and incredibly unfettered and imaginative electric guitarist (he also plays percussion) who had had a recording career of sorts, letting Adam Gussow, the young white eager harmonica player, sit in, and the two men finding common ground over the hours, days, weeks, months and years they worked together for a passing audience (and a few regulars). Together they have made some of the most vibrant blues of the last couple of decades, though it is not always easy listening.

What has been absent from their studio releases though is the sound of the street, the way they sounded above the traffic, babies, and other extraneous noise of Harlem as they tried to coax the dollars, nickels and dimes from the pockets of the passers-by (you can hear an occasional 'thank you' from Mr. Satan) or just played for whoever wanted to listen - even if that was sometimes only themselves. That is of course what this release rectifies. These recordings have been digitised and remastered, but Adam recalls in his notes that he used to tape their performances on a "$79 Radio Shack boom-box that I set down on the sidewalk, in front of us, usually, but also on several occasions somewhat off to my side". This loose arrangement carries over into the music, as the city's sounds intrude sometimes, others shout or join in, and the two main men hit a groove and work it for all it is worth - and what a groove! It is frequently difficult to believe this is the work of just two men. It does go without saying that the sound balance may not always be perfect, but it really doesn't matter - just trust me on that! "A typical day in Harlem", is how Adam describes it; I'm not disagreeing with him, but I call it the blues as real as you'll get it.

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