I think Ray sez it best:

Trying to the synthesize the 30 years of New Orleans road dogs The Radiators into a two-disc set is nearly impossible. The group has a catalog of more than 1,000 songs, has allowed its concerts to be taped from the beginning and hasn't played the same show twice. As singer-guitarist Dave Malone told me in March, "We could have a 20-CD package."

That considered, the 28-song "Wild & Free" does a decent job of showing why the group has been a favorite concert draw for decades and how it's followed its own muse throughout that period. That the group sounds almost the same in 2008 as it did in 1978 is something the die-hards laud. If you haven't liked the Rads until now, "Wild & Free" isn't going to change your mind.

Good New Orleans rock bands have not been abundant in the last 25 years (many of the city's best musicians play funk, jazz or blues) but The Radiators could only be from the Crescent City. The city's slippery rhythms are at the core of The Radiators' sound and make the group stand apart from other great bar bands. The rhythm section of drummer Frank Bua and bassist Reggie Scanlan is both elastic and muscular. The group's greatest strength, however, is the distance between its two singers: Malone owns a gruff voice perfect for bluesy, countrified rock, while Ed Volker is something of a bayou shaman - the kind whose poetry and grace could only exist in Louisiana - and prolific songwriter. His keyboard work is heavily influenced by Big Easy Ghosts who went by
names like Professor Longhair and Tuts Washington. Second guitars are provided by Camile Baudoin.
There are two new studio tracks. Malone's "Where Was You At?" is a funky rocker a la "Papaya" off "New Dark Ages." Volker's "Girl With The Golden Eye" hangs at a comfortable tempo, allowing him to reflect on his formative years ("living in bars/sleeping in cars") - a subject he's getting masterful at capturing - behind a constant guitar lick and his steady keyboard work. It's a fine addition to the band's latter-day catalog.

The rest of the two discs come from the band's archives. Of most interest to hardcore fans will be the eight songs recorded between 1978 and 1980, including early versions of crowd-pleasers "Suck the Head, Squeeze the Tip" and "All Meat Off the Same Band." That the band is fond of mid-tempo grooves and sometimes hangs on to a groove for long amounts of time is a trademark in place from the start. That "Songs From the Ancient Furnace" lasts more than 11 minutes is either delightful or dreadful, depending on your opinion of jam bands. It's preceded by a standout performance of "I Want to Go Where The Green Arrow Goes" from The Ritz in New York City in 1989; here, Malone gets into country soulman role in a major way.

Spending 30 years in the rock 'n' roll game is rare. Doing so with the same lineup borders on impossible. In that regard, Malone was justified in saying The Radiators have earned that 20-disc box set. Here's to many more years. New Orleans wouldn't be the same without you.

- Ray Hogan