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23 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 Rising STAR!Mar 21, 2003
By M. Best
"Zackariah"
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!
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 A Bass Player's Delight!Jan 30, 2003
By Ricky
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.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Great stuff especially for bass players..Oct 28, 2002
By R. Duarte
"rob_d5974"
Whether you're a fan of Gov't Mule or not, if you're a bass player you should definitely check out this DVD. Many of the 25 bass players featured in this documentary spend time talking about their approaches to playing, mostly from a philisophical stand point rather than a technical stand point. However, it's cool to hear how some of these great players approach their instrument. The performance footage is cool, which is pretty much just footage of the different players in their recording sessions with Warren and Matt. There is some archival stuff of old Allmans and Mule performances but they're mostly quick clips. It would've been nice to have these shown in their entirety, perhaps in the bonus DVD features or something. Even though it's a tribute to the late Allen Woody, the DVD isn't too heavy on biographical stuff on him. Rather than making the DVD a "Behind The Music" type thing on him, it simply goes over some basic stuff about him interspersed with footage and interviews with his family, friends, as well as his current and former bandmates. Anyhow, this is a must have for bass players, whether you like Gov't Mule or not. With so many players featured there's bound to be a few players that you respect and admire on here and to here them talking about their philisophical approaches to the instrument was a treat for me. It's also goes without saying that this is a must have if you're a fan of Gov't Mule.
16 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 high expectations ---> disappointmentOct 25, 2002
Far too much of Mr. Gordon's narration, analysis and "vision".
Not nearly enough footage of the actual guests sitting in with Warren and Matt. And why no full takes of the tunes?!?!?!? I'll stick to the cds, thank you very much . . . .
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Bass Players: Must See!Feb 03, 2003
By Randy Ryan
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!
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