Gov't Mule is almost single-handedly bringing back the spirit of the '60s and '70s power trios, the same kind of rock & roll magic that made
Jimi Hendrix and
Cream such musical icons. With this two-CD set,
Gov't Mule once again breaks the rules by recording both their second release and their fourth record live in concert. But hey, that's OK for
Warren Haynes,
Matt Abts and
Allen Woody because they are, after all,
Gov't Mule. This show was recorded on New Year's Eve, 1998, at the Roxy in Atlanta, GA, and documents the band in peak form, from the power charged vocals and lead guitar of
Warren Haynes, to
Abts' freight train drumming and
Woody's thunder driven bass. On any given night,
Gov't Mule alone can rock your socks off, but on this magical evening, the band was joined by some real brothers of the road --
the Allman Brothers,
the Rolling Stones,
Eric Clapton; sideman
Chuck Leavell was there, along with
Parliament's
Bernie Worrell, former
Black Crowes guitarist
Marc Ford,
Aquarium Rescue Unit's
Jimmy Herring,
Randall Bramblett, newly appointed
Allman Brothers' bandmember,
Derek Trucks and
Yonrico Scott, the drummer from the
Derek Trucks Band. Talk about a stage full of talent. The set kicks off with a pair of
Gov't Mule originals, "Thorazine Shuffle" and "Dolhineus," before counting down the New Year clock and launching into an unexpected but amazing rendition of
Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." Next comes a guitar rocking take on
Steve Marriott's "30 Days in the Hole" followed by
Paul Rogers' "Mr. Big," featuring
Marc Ford on guitar, followed by the blues laced "Look Over Yonder," with some ultra fine piano work from
Leavell.
Haynes and the boys keep up the momentum by bringing out
Worrell and
Trucks, in addition to
Leavell, to perform the
Haynes-penned
Allman Brothers favorite, "Soulshine." Disc one closes with a hard rocking "Mule," featuring
Worrell again on organ, and incorporating a segment of
Van Morrison's "I've Been Working."
Dave Mason's "Sad and Deep as You" is given the
Gov't Mule treatment to begin disc two, with
Leavell's and
Bramblett's sax enhancing the sound just that much more, and
Herring and
Worrell sit in on
Haynes' "Devil Likes It Slow." Next comes yet another surprise for 1999, a dramatic reading of
Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer," leading up to the closing all-star jam of "Afro Blue." "Live" clocks in at about two-and-one-half hours, so there's no doubt you are getting much more bang for your buck, but it's not the quantity of the music that is important here, it's the quality, and believe you me, you won't find more quality rock & roll and blues anywhere. [
Live...With a Little Help from Our Friends was also released as a limited-edition four-disc set, including video footage.] ~ Michael B. Smith