Gov't Mule
The Deepest End: Live in Concert

(ATO)

Warren Haynes is an incredibly busy man. For the past few years, he has been recording and touring with both Phil Lesh & Friends and the Allman Brothers Band, and despite the untimely death of his long-time friend and musical collaborator Allen Woody, he has managed to keep his own group Gov’t Mule plugging along at a phenomenal pace, raising the ensemble’s profile in the process. Instead of replacing Woody, Haynes has taken the unique approach of incorporating a revolving door of all-star caliber bass players into Gov’t Mule’s line-up in order to record a pair of studio albums The Deep End, Vol. 1 & 2. All of this climaxed with a monstrous 5 ½ hour concert that coincided with the 2003 Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. Due to its careful timing, a plethora of bass players — such as Dave Schools, Jack Casady, Will Lee, Mike Gordon, Rob Wasserman, and Les Claypool — as well as other artists, all of whom were already in town to perform with their own ensembles, were placed at Haynes’ disposal, allowing him to orchestrate the ultimate tribute to Woody.

The culmination of this massive undertaking is The Deepest End, a extensive package that features the entirety of the event spread over the course of two albums and a DVD. Fans wishing to hear the complete concert in its proper order, however, may be a little frustrated by the collection’s design. Some songs appear on the CDs, some appear on the DVD, and some appear on both. This, of course, is due to the overall length of the affair, but it should be at least some consolation to fans that they won’t be coerced to shell out money for two separate sets.

Not surprisingly, The Deepest End is the definitive Gov’t Mule compilation, touching upon all aspects of the band’s catalog. For the most part, the various guests — which in addition to the many bass players include guitarist David Hidalgo, banjoist Béla Fleck, and keyboard player Bernie Worrell — seamlessly assimilate themselves into the ensemble. This allows the band to stretch its songs to epic proportions, unleashing a torrent of psychedelic energy that fills its hard-driving blues with a magical air. Of particular note is the incendiary guitar duel between Haynes and Sonny Landreth on Robert Johnson’s 32/20 Blues. Elsewhere, the ensemble is simply content to deliver its crunchy rock with a concise blitzkrieg of heavy metal thunder. Either way, Gov’t Mule, with a little help from its friends, overcomes its biggest fault — it’s one-dimensionality — and as a result, The Deepest End frequently finds the group mining its material for all it is worth. ½