So here are Gov’t Mule, going back to the vaults for their
next release, a set of recordings dating from 1994, it’s title derived from the
Florida studio where they laid the tracks down.
Right from the opening track, ‘Blind Man In The Dark’, the
post-Hendrix, post-Cream vibe is apparent, with lots of syncopation and
counterpoint going on between the trio, and an occasional air of free jazz that
brings to mind the comment Jack Bruce was wont to make about Cream, “It became almost like an Ornette Coleman
band, with Eric not knowing he was Ornette Coleman, Ginger and me not telling
him.” The following ‘Rocking Horse’
continues in the same vein, while also drawing in Southern rock stylings that reflect Mule's connection to the Allman Brothers Band.
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| Gov't Mule - "Where's the rest of the gear?" |
Two other
things stand out immediately though – the quality of the production, and Warren
Haynes’ vocals. For all that these were
ostensibly demo recordings, the clarity and separation in the sound is
startling, for which credit is presumably due to the sound engineer Bud
Snyder. Whether it’s Haynes’ fuzzy
riffing, the twanging bass of Allen Woody, or Matt Abts’ circling of his drum
kit to fill in the gaps, everything has the space to be heard. Haynes’ voice, meanwhile, strongly evokes the
late Jimmy Dewar with its rich, soulful quality, and that's a hell of a recommendation.
They ease off
on the jazzy pyrotechnics after these openers, and get into some bluesier terrain, to especially good effect
on a cover of Free’s ‘Mr Big’, on which they demonstrate an earthy
quality. It’s a song choice tailor-made
for Haynes’ voice, and just one instance of the marvelous rubber band textures
of Woody’s bass. Similar qualities are
evident a couple of tracks later on the slow blues of ‘Mother Earth’, where
keep it simple as they work around a sturdy riff, with Haynes injecting some
tasty but disciplined lead guitar.
A straightforward
reading of ZZ Top’s ‘Just Got Paid’ seems a bit redundant, enjoyable though it
may be, especially when Haynes kicks in some nifty slide guitar, but ‘Left
Coast Groovies’ takes a more interesting route with its twisted rock-funk
groove, Woody’s bass big and dirty and to the fore.
The
aforementioned Jimmy Dewar carried out vocal duties for Robin Trower back in
the day, of course – another neo-Jimi guitar practitioner. And there are some echoes of Trower in the
closing ‘World Of Difference’, the dreamy, spacey ambience of its opening recalling ‘Bridge Of
Sighs’. (In actual fact the album closes
with two different versions of ‘World Of Difference’.)
All in all
The Tel-Star Sessions is more than just a treat for the completists, even if it
has been dug out from the back of the archives.
It stands up well on its own account, and if its heart is deeply wedded
to the late 60s it still manages to sound fresh and contemporary. Well worth a whirl.
The Tel-Star Sessions is released
by Provogue/Mascot on 5 August.
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