GOV'T MULE - STONED SIDE OF THE MULE VOL 1 AND 2

It's been a fruitful period for fans of the Mule. Hot on the heels of their Pink Floyd offerings (Dark Side Of The Mule) comes the second part of Stoned Side Of The Mule, the other half of their Rolling Stones covers (naturally) from the 2009 Philadelphia Halloween show. Paired with Vol 1, which was originally released on Record Store Day 2014, this collection is again a vinyl only pressing. Already well-established as a blistering live act, Gov't Mule embody the Stones completely, and drummer Matt Abts even contributes an uncanny Jagger-esque vocal over the outro to Monkey Man. The slower numbers Angie and Wild Horses (strangely not retitled Wild Mules) are pleasant and true to the originals, but are overshadowed by the rousing full sound of B***h and Can't You Hear Me Knocking. The Mule's take on Shattered was a rather arbitrary way to close Vol 1, despite being arguably more robust than the Stones' original. With the tracklisting now extended, it concludes with a rousing rendition of Brown Sugar, with a surprise false ending and Steve Elson on sax. Now the picture is complete, it doesn't get much better than this.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Robert Penney)