With the Radiators currently celebrating their 20th anniversary, it’s only appropriate they document their time-honed chops with a new live CD. Recorded in September of ’97 in San Francisco, this platter of fresh Fishhead grooves is sure to please longtime admirers, but more importantly, there’s enough razor-sharp guitar leads, soulful vocals and unexpected jams within this disc to win over anyone who thinks the Rads are only an affable band coasting on autopilot thanks to a devoted fanbase.

Having a good time has always been at the core of the Radiators experience, and the whimsical track “UFO’s Exactly” and the closer “Rainbow” will satisfy connoisseurs of lighthearted fare. But the horseplay ends there. The rest of the CD is a feast of dual-guitar leads and syncopated rhythm-section twists, with Malone’s growl powering through the tough R&B of “Last Getaway” and Clarence Carter’s gem “You Can’t Miss What You Can’t Measure.” “Devil’s Dream” finds pianist Volker engaging in some stream-of-consciousness hoodoo that would make Dr. John proud, and the raucous six-string showcase “Barnburner” lives up to its name. The nuances in the great soul nugget “Slip Away” are handled with supreme confidence, shining brightly thanks to a crisp and full recording that’s probably the closest you’ll get to having the Rads in your living room.

The medley packed into the 13-minute-plus “Lucinda” is vintage Radiators, and the high point of Live at the Great American Music Hall. After Baudoin takes a Dickey Betts-like lead in the beginning, Volker takes over the groove with snippets of his composition “Dancing Leaves,” and then things really start soaring. The band finds its way to the theme from The Magnificent Seven, then pulses on to a taut wall of riffs that melts into a devastating version of the Meter’s “Cissy Strut.” Funky rock and roll doesn’t get much more powerful than this excursion, and it sure bodes well for the Rads ride towards their 25th anniversary…