Live at Great American Music Hall - September 1997
The Radiators have become New Orleans' answer to NRBQ. Both, after all, are well traveled, good time bar bands with a cult of fans more than willing to give their brains the night off. Recorded during a four-night San Francisco stint in September of 1997, this 12-song set focuses on original songs that get the feet moving and the head smiling. Although some originals stand out--the swaying calypso groove of "UFO's Exactly," for instance--the Rads' strength lies in their covers. They offer Muscle Shoals soul with a pair of Clarence Carter numbers--a passionate "Slip Away" and an urgent "You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure." The traditional folk song "Little Sadie" receives a blistering rock rendition, while on the rollicking, 14-minute "Lucinda" jam, the "Theme from the Magnificent Seven" segues into the Meters' "Cissy Strut."-- Marc Greilsamer