Gov't Mule - Rising Low

I purchased this video hoping to get some footage of Gov't Mule in concert. The only material I had previously, was a DVD about Robert Johnson's legacy entitled, "Hellhounds on my Trail", which included the band performing only one song. But, instead of a concert, I got a very entertaining documentary focused on the making of the "Deep End" series that included substantial commentary on the founding member of Gov't Mule, the late Allen Woody. There were only "parts" of songs being performed by the band with guest bassists sitting in. These guests included some of the truly great bass players ranging from classic rock bands, to today's current trendsetters. The magnificent Jack Bruce, Hendrix veteran, Billy Cox, Roger Glover from Deep Purple, and, ironically, the recently diseased John Entswistle is shown in a number of soundbites. Of course, the director is the bassist from Phish, and he is very well in evidence thoughout the video, maybe a little more than is necessary. I really would have enjoyed a little more of the legendary artists that were present. A few minutes with Jack Bruce would have been wonderful, but he was barely seen. Regardless of what I wish had been here, what is here is wonderful to watch, somewhat instructive to the art, and adds to the list of videos that show "some" of Gov't Mule in action. Warren Haynes is the most exciting guitarist to come upon the scene since Stevie Ray! He has the finese of Duane Allman, the "thick presence" sound of Paul Kossoff, the creative riff punctuation of Hendrix, and the sheer power that Stevie R. Vaughn displayed. He has the potential to contribute more to the art of lead guitar than even Page & Beck have to this point. Only the charisma of Clapton, himself, seems to be beyond the reach of this young phenomena! He has said that the Mule will add another permenant bassist soon, and carry on as they had begun. I hope so! The material in this video, and on their recorded work to date, indicate that the future of blues-rock music may well be written in the annuals of this band, by this marvelous master of six-string wizardry!

This DVD is worth going out to purchase a DVD player if you don't own one. I have found myself watching different segments over and over. It also gives you a chance to "sample" the tunes before you go out and plunk $40 on the music CD's. To all bass players out there, I would recommend this DVD to add to your collection. There is a wide variety of some of the best guys that you know, as well as some that you don't. In particular is a cat that keeps coming up in conversations throughout the video. His name is Joey Arkenstat, and he is credited as playing with "Dominion Hinney". For the life of me, I can't find anything on him and wonder if it is some inside joke for this video. You here comments from other bassists mentioning that he is why they came, etc. If anybody can enlighten me, please do so.All in all, this DVD rocks!

I usually try not to be negative, and I think some of the other reviews covered the same ground; however, having just viewed the DVD, I feel obliged to comment. I'm a big Gov't Mule fan, and was excited about watching this documentary. The CD in question was really a momentous event - 25 incredible bassists gathered for one recording, to honor the memory of Allen Woody. The fact that these sessions were filmed is really cool - they could have just issued that, and I'd have given it 5 stars. And then to include backstage insider footage of the band and some Gov't Mule performance footage - it's a no-brainer. It'd be pretty hard to torpedo that combination. Enter Mike Gordon. For my taste, his incoherent, rambling "commentary" did little to illuminate the subject matter; the most up-beat thing I can say is that it subtracted from the time that could have been spent showing footage from the sessions. I mean, how necessary was the "aura-cam"? Gordon would have served his role as the director better had he used his experience as a bassist to ask insightful and/or meaningful questions of legends like John Entwistle, Chris Squire, Larry Graham, Oteil, Flea, Roger Glover, Phil Lesh, Jack Casady, etc., rather than including the occasional teasing snippet of an interview, then committing to film apparently EVERY thought that entered his head during the film. One of the other reviewers made a more generous assessment, then said something to the effect that, oh well, it's all for Allen Woody. I agree whole-heartedly, which is why I'm so irked that ego-maniacal Mike Gordon decided to put himself at the center of the show. Let the buyer beware.

GOOD SOLID SONG LIST AND LOTS OF FUN WATCHING A DIVERSE GROUP OF TODAY'S BEST BASS GUITAR PLAYERS. A STYLE AND SOUND ALL THEIR OWN. IF YOU LIKE THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND THIS WILL BLOW YOUR SKIRT UP, FLOAT YOUR BOAT OR OTHERWISE PLEASE YOU A WHOLE BUNCH !A FIVE STAR PRODUCT.WARE

This dvd is surely a must for fans for any of the musicians who contributed on this dvd. It's by the way my first footage of Gov't Mule for which I'm very pleased. Being a fan of Warren and Allen since there ABB time I knew I had to have this dvd.A couple of other people were right, there is a bit to much Mike Gordon on my t.v. screen, but what the heck it's all for Allen Woody. So my conclusion is that this is a wonderfull documentary.

I'm a bass player, age 47, and I found "Rising Low" to be both interesting and entertaining. It was great to see all the bass players that have influenced me over the years, namely, Entwhistle, Jack Bruce, Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, Jack Cassady, Phil Lesh and Willie Weeks. I agree with some of the other reviewers regarding Mike Gordon (too much of his musings on the meaning of bass). But it was great to hear these guys talk about how they get into the groove and how it takes them into another space completely. I would also agree that it would have been nice to have complete songs on this DVD ... there weren't any complete tunes, just snippets of songs that the various players played on.If you're a musician, I recommend this DVD ... it's fun! If you're not a musician, I'm not sure whether you'll find it as entertaining as I did.