Gov't Mule - The Deep End Volume 1 & Volume 2 (2002) {3CD Box Set} CD-Rip

With the death of bassist Allen Woody, the surviving members of Gov't Mule faced that familiar question of how to carry on. Their answer is this sprawling set, on which a cavalcade of bassists and other visitors fly through the Mule tracks, each fitting into the groove in his own way. Drummer Matt Abts is especially adept at accommodating these guests, shifting from a medium-tempo plod behind the clean-picked lines and world-weary vocals of Jack Bruce on "Fool's Moon" to a four-beat slam-out, reminiscent of "Dance to the Music," to accommodate former Sly Stone side monster Larry Graham during "Life on the Outside." And on "Same Price" he hammers fills behind Who alumnus John Entwistle with an energy that recalls Kenny Jones, if not quite Keith Moon, while Warren Haynes approximates Pete Townshend's harmony-driven style. With the band's rugged sound providing common reference, the styles of each bassist prove easy to discern. Those who play inside the groove make their presence known through stealthy insinuation, like Flea on a catlike prowl through "Down and Out in New York City." On "Tear Me Down," Bootsy Collins follows a different tack, by flitting against the band's heavy tread with nimble lines that dance in and out of wah-wah effects, thumb-slap funk, and sly interactions with former P-Funk colleague Bernie Worrell's Minimoog. Allen Woody himself makes a posthumous appearance, on a previously unreleased cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "Sin's a Good Man's Brother." Here, the band stretches into a comfortable, loose, Hendrix-like feel, as all three members jam with intuitive interaction and raw passion; no other performance here feels quite so natural. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music

Collaboration has always been Warren Haynes' forte. The former sessionman has had many homes – the Allman Brothers Band and Phil Lesh & Friends, to name two semi-regular ones – but only one remotely permanent abode: Gov't Mule, his musical partnership with bassist Allen Woody and drummer Matt Abts. When Woody died in summer 2000, Haynes found strength through more collaboration, opening Gov't Mule's doors to literally dozens of guests. The Deep End, Vol. 2 is the second volume of his tribute to Woody, featuring the second part of a veritable who's who of the world of rock bassists. Featured here are (among others): Primus' Les Claypool, the Grateful Dead's Phil Lesh, Band of Gypsies' Billy Cox, ex-Metallica's Jason Newsted, and the Meters' George Porter, Jr.. The music is typical Mule: hard-rocking Southern blues-rock. And though a lot of it sticks to that formula, the music manages to be pretty creative. The production is solid, and each bassist is given ample sonic space without ever sounding like a showboat. Despite the range of guests (whose day jobs include holding grooves for bands whose specialties include New Orleans funk, heavy metal, psychedelic jamming, and rubbery, punky weirdness), the music all manages to sound like Gov't Mule. This is mostly due to Haynes' strength. Neither his guitar nor vocal styles are particularly innovative or original, but he's quite impressive at both (though his vocal mannerisms are a perhaps a touch affected from time to time). It is this voice, and the focus of creating a tribute to Woody, that elevate this from a simple all-star jamboree to a coherent record. ~ Jesse Jarnow, All Music