I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing Govt. Mule in concert the once and it was akin to a religious experience for a music/ guitar geek like me.
Their live shows are traditionally known to be long and legendary, but their New Year’s Eve shows are known to be off the hook.
So when I heard they were releasing a new triple CD of the original power trio (guitarist/ singer Warren Haynes, bassist Allen Woody and drummer Matt Abts along with an assortment of guests) “Mulenniu
m” show ( Jan. 31, 1999 in Atlanta), with original bassist Allen Woody,” I had to have it.
The first CD is pure vintage Mule, with long standing concert staples, including a different version of “Bad Little Doggie,” “Lay Your Burden Down” a scorching version of “Blind Man in The Dark” and a laid back jam on “Life Before Insanity,” and several others which are regular features of numerous Govt. Mule recordings.
But Mule covers are just as legendary, so there is a fine selection of them.
On the first CD there is a sizzling tortured version of King Crimson’s “21st Schizoid Man” and lead singer/ guitarist Warren Haynes gets to show off his inner Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (simultaneously) on a long version of “Dazed and Confused. He also tackles something from the Who’s “Tommy,” which is titled “We’re not Gonna Take It,” but is really something completely different as Haynes puts his own indelible mark on it.
Guest stars are a familiar feature of Govt. Mule live concerts. On this one, they have the Black Crowes’ Audley Freed, Robert Kearnes, Johnny Mosier, Mark Van Allen and most importantly legendary bluesman Little Milton as Haynes produced his CD “Welcome to Little Milton.”
So the second CD is worth the price of the package alone because it features Little Milton playing straight up blues with Haynes through several tracks including an outstanding version of “When The Blues Comes Knocking,” the hilarious break up song “My Dog and Me,” a cool song called “Lump on Your Stump,” an 11 minute version of “I Can’t Quit You Baby,” plus blues standard “Blues is All Right.”
The blues is definitely all right when played like this.
The rest of CD 2 is given to more cool covers including Alice Cooper’s “Is It My Body” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Power of Soul,” featuring Freed.
So is CD 3, with the exception of a Mule song I haven’t heard, “End Of The Line.”
The third CD features excellent versions of “Helter Skelter”, the Black Crowes’ “Sometimes’ Salvation” and Humble Pie’s “30 Days in the Hole” and ends with an epic 15 minute version of Lynard Skynard’s Simple Man Which features Audley Freed and Mark Van Allan.
The sound quality throughout is superb with the exception of a few places on CD1 where Haynes’s voice is distorted.
But Allen Woody’s brilliant basslines shine throughout, which illustrate why it took Govt. Mule several years to replace him when he died a few months after this CD was originally recorded.
Yeah, most the songs are very long, but that’s what the Mule do best — they jam, they play big, meaty, bluesy riffs, they take familiar songs and put their own stamp on them and draw you in in the process.
If you want to be humbled as a musician and want to hear what good music sounds like you owe it to yourself to check out “Mulennium” or any Govt. Mule.
Band: Govt. Mule
Genre: blues rock, jam rock
Record Label: Evil Teen Records
