Gov't Mule - By A Thread Review
Posted by Scott Rutherford on 10.26.2009
Southern fried greasy blues.....hmmmmm tasty!
For some one that qualifies themselves as a music fan I believe that before listening to By A Thread I had never knowingly listened to a Gov’t Mule song and that surprised me. I knew that the band was formed by guitarist Warren Hayes as a sideshow to his gig at second guitarist (or more accurately Duane Allmans’ replacement) in the Allman Brothers band. I also knew that Gov’t Mule was a favorite of blues lovers and even one James Hetfield form Metallica professed to be being a big fan.
Considering all of that, I couldn’t recall any of their songs or albums and decided I needed to change that. I found out that Hayes and Co were about to release a new album and made my mind up that I was going to grab the CD release and give it a listen and jot down my thoughts for this review. I also made the decision to not seek out any of Gov’t Mules back catalogue so I could listen to this fresh and my opinions are not tainted by any comparisons.
The Tracklisting
1. Broke Down on the Brazos - 6:19
2. Steppin’ Lightly - 7:10
3. Railroad Boy - 5:03
4. Monday Mourning Meltdown - 8:08
5. Gordon James - 3:48
6. Any Open Window - 4:45
7. Frozen Fear - 5:48
8. Forever More - 4:17
9. Inside Outside Woman Blues #3 - 9:04
10. Scenes From a Troubled Mind - 7:23
11. World Wake Up - 5:54
As I will also note with every review…this album earns points for being only 11 songs long and then promptly loses some for being over an hour long. My rule = no longer than 45 minutes.
At a glance, I also notice we have a collection of tight 4 minute songs and a range of songs either close to the 6 minute mark or above. Being a blues band I wasn’t surprised by this since jamming and soloing is part of the package but I always tread lightly when I see so many songs of this length on an album because you can get too much of a good thing and while I am a fan of guitar playing and players showing off how good they are, if it carries on too long my interest will wane.
Right form the start my interest was held. The sexy (yes sexy) bass line intro of “Broke Down on the Brazos” was a fine way to get the ball rolling. Everything that I expected of Gov’t Mule was fully realized. Dirty, gritty blues riffs, swaggering vocals, great grooves and outstanding playing. As I was listening to the solo I was struck by how familiar it sounded and after a quick bing search I discovered it was Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top doing the fretwork on that song. Added points for a stellar guest slot.
The first four songs follow a pretty similar template (save for Billy Gibbons) and notice that the songs flow pretty quickly and you don’t realize that “Monday Mourning Meltdown” with its more languid pace trips the meter at over 8 minutes. It’s a testament to how these musicians can keep a listeners attention.
Other album highlights are “Gordon James” which starts out with hymn-like organ and then morphs into a very Pink Floyd like first verse. It’s a real highlight as Warren Hayes’ vocals really take center stage showing that you can make relatively noncommercial music accessible to every listener even if he is signing about a man who lived down to the low expectations that everyone set for him. It’s not a nice song in theme but a haunting one in melody and structure.
Perhaps the biggest thing I noticed about By A Thread are the very Cream/Hendrix like riffs that form the spine of most of the songs. “Any Open Window” is the great long lost Cream song, even if it was written and recorded by Gov’t Mule. The soloing is straight out of the Hendrix handbook and I’m just stunned at just how good Hayes is at his craft.
The prevailing mood of the whole album is 70’s southern rock with a great blue vein pumping at its heart. I mean, this is the type of music Kid Rock would give his left nut to make and couldn’t find even with a detailed map. Its unforced and natural so that even when the band throw some stylistic curveballs (the reggae-feel verses of “Frozen Fear”, the blue-apocalyptic squall of album closer “World Wake Up”) , it doesn’t seem out of place.
The guitar player in me thinks the best song of the set is “Inside Outside Woman Blues #3” which is over 9 minutes of throw-down blues by a band born to play. Hayes comes off sounding like some preacher rocking his pulpit and exhibits some serious smarts. Just when you think the song is about to veer into jam band hell, some crunching riff blows out the speakers and brings everything back into focus. If this is what the band is like live (and it does sound like Gov’t Mule is throwing down in a live atmosphere on this disc) I will be lining up to see them next time they venture my way.
The 411: First impressions are always important and I am blown away. At the end of my first listen I am hooked. I completely forgot about my 45-minute rule as the playing and bravado carried me through over 60 minutes of highly changed blue-rock and not even feel like it was half that long. I’m now a fan and will be hunting down their previous releases…and a quick look on Wiki shows me I have 13 other releases to get now. That’s a lot of cool music in my future. As for my recommendation…for rock purists and lovers of honest music this CD gets a high recommendation.
45 minutes is too long? You'd hate these guys in concert....3 hours with no problem. The band is definitely back to form after replacing their bassist yet again, and they're playing better than ever - incidentally you get a live feel because Mule generally records live, not part by part.
Posted By: Marksman (Guest) on October 26, 2009 at 03:42 PM
Gov't Mule has a fair amount of studio albums now, but they are truly a live band. Their site MuleTracks.com is a model of what the music industry should be doing. Every concert they do is posted within a few days for download at around 10 bucks a pop. Compare that even to the Allman Brothers who take months to put their concerts up for sale, then charge 25+. That access to such a vast library of music is what drives many of us Mule fans. There's an unending supply of professionally recorded live music from them, and being a jam band, it's all new stuff.
Yes, By a Thread is a great addition to the Mule catalog, but I'll argue any day of the week that Live With a Little Help from Our Friends is one of the great albums of all time - live or studio. And going back into the bowels of MuleTracks unearths more gems, from Halloween and New Year's shows, to great festivals with more guest stars than SNL. So if you're a new fan of Mule, as you say, spend more time digging into the live materials and you'll really appreciate what this band is doing for rock.
Posted By: Daniel (Guest) on October 26, 2009 at 11:44 PM
Recorded albums and live shows are two different things. Live you have the visual aspect working on conjunction with the music. When you listen to a CD/LP?Download you only have the album image and the music carries the ball. Honestly, how many albums over 45 minutes have you ever just listened to and not get some sort of boredom creeping in?
So when some acts decide they just HAVE to do 80 minutes and fill a whole disc, they usually don't have the material to carry it off. It's why LP's were so good. You had about 40 minutes and you had to make it all count.
The digital age has taken quality control out of the picture and it's hurt the long player medium.
Posted By: Iron Chef Bobby Flay (Registered) on October 27, 2009 at 01:35 AM
Hey dude appreciated the kudos you gave to the band and this rocking album (its quite possibly the bets rock album to come out in years in my opinion. I have a couple of beefs about your review
1) Your 45 minute rule
2) Its Haynes not Hayes
I am glad to enjoyed your first Mule experience, you have to get out and see em live, guranteed you will have an awesome time
Posted By: MuleHead4life (Guest) on November 04, 2009 at 06:21 PM
When I first heard the pre-release of "Broke Down on the Brazos" on Sirius, I couldn't help but make the obvious comparison to ZZ Top (it's my understanding that Billy Gibbons plays on this track). After downloading BY A THREAD, I could hear many influences--Hendrix, Stevie Ray, Bad Company, The Allman Brother, Clapton--however, there is also something distinctly unique and Mule about every song.
Frankly, I wouldn't mind if the album were three hours long. I typically take my time listening to an album, more interested in the sum of the parts than the whole. Being a guitarist, I recognize that Warren Haynes is a rare gem...he puts so much feel into his playing. You can tell that his hands can play lightly, or really rip into the strings, and are driven from within. Couple that with his soulful voice, and songs that match lyrically and melodically, and you have some tastefully prepared music that proves that someone still cares about Rock and Roll.
The rest of the band kicks butt too. The keyboard embellishments are classic...it's too bad keys like this have slipped out of the musical mainstream.
This album is well crafted, right down to the cover art. Sorry Scott, but I could listen to this all day.
Posted By: Kevin in Vegas (Guest) on November 12, 2009 at 03:46 PM
For some one that qualifies themselves as a music fan I believe that before listening to By A Thread I had never knowingly listened to a Gov’t Mule song and that surprised me. I knew that the band was formed by guitarist Warren Hayes as a sideshow to his gig at second guitarist (or more accurately Duane Allmans’ replacement) in the Allman Brothers band. I also knew that Gov’t Mule was a favorite of blues lovers and even one James Hetfield form Metallica professed to be being a big fan. 
