SoundAdvice

Gov't Mule: Mulennium

(Evil Teen)

There are certain bands that you simply must see live to truly appreciate.

Gov't Mule, the great Southern rock jam band, is one such band.

Led by guitarist Warren Haynes, the rock trio has released a few well-received studio albums, but the band has really made a name for itself via its marathon live performances.

"Mulennium," the latest release from The Mule, documents the band's December 31, 1999, performance at Atlanta's Fox Theater.

While the world was welcoming in a new millennium, Gov't Mule was treating a few thousand fans to three sets of great blues and rock music.

In addition to plenty of early original Gov't Mule songs, this three-CD set includes covers of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man," The Who's "We're Not Gonna Take It" and Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused."

There is also a special surprise during the second set where blues legend Little Milton, one of Haynes' biggest musical influences, joins the band on stage.

Best of all, this triple album is priced like a single CD, meaning even the most frugal Gov't Mule fan has no excuse to pass on this.

Key Tracks: "Lay Your Burden Down," "Blues is Alright," "Sometimes Salvation"

John Wesley Satterfield

(Independent)

To say that musician John Wesley Satterfield's life up until now has been exciting is putting it mildly.

While he has been playing guitar since he was 12, Satterfield chose to join the Coast Guard after high school rather than immediately pursue a career in the music business.

Eventually settling in North Carolina after getting out of the service, Satterfield's musical career began to take off while he was a member of the bluegrass band Woodwork Roadshow, which opened for such acts as Kenny Chesney, Nickel Creek and Robert Earl Keen.

Now Satterfield has entered a new phase in his musical journey, and his new self-titled five-song EP finds the artist sounding more like Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp than anything remotely bluegrass.

With a band that includes guitarist Herbie Jeffcoat, bassist Reggie Sullivan and drummer Jeremy Roberson, as well as former dB and Continental Drifter Peter Holsapple on one track, this EP shows Satterfield is serious.

The tracks are produced by former Jump, Little Children front man Jay Clifford and Hootie & The Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan.

Definitely worth a listen if your taste runs along the lines of good old blue-collar rock and roll.

Key Tracks: "Come Down," "Without the Rain," "Sinking In"

Squeeze: Spot The Difference

(XOXO)

For nearly 40 years, the English band Squeeze has been gracing us with some of the catchiest as well as some of the most under-appreciated, songs in rock.

Tunes such as "Tempted," "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)," "Black Coffee in Bed," and "Hourglass" demonstrate why over the years the Squeeze songwriting team of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook has been compared to Lennon and McCartney.

Unfortunately, as is often the case in the music biz, the band signed away many of the rights to its own music, meaning that Squeeze has not really benefited from the sale of greatest hits packages such as "Singles 45's and Under" and the like.

Possibly to skirt the copyright laws, and perhaps as a personal challenge, the remaining members of Squeeze convened in a studio with the idea of re-recording some of their best-known songs, and making them sound as close to the originals as possible.

The result is "Spot the Difference" -- aside from the fact that the singers' voices sound a bit older.

Paul Carrack shows up to lend vocals to "Tempted," but the music is almost indistinguishable from the original tunes.

Interesting concept, but this curiosity is essentially for hardcore Squeeze fans.

Key Tracks: "Tempted," "Black Coffee in Bed," "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)"

Korn III: Remember Who You Are

(Roadrunner)

It has been three years since the metal band Korn released its last studio album.

While 25 years ago that might have simply meant a long and well-deserved break for a rock band, apparently these days it means it is time for a band to "reinvent" itself.

I don't know if that was Korn's aim on "Korn III: Remember Who You Are," but much of the material here smacks of desperation.

With its members pushing 40, maybe they are realizing that it is no longer the early '90s and that nu-metal died out years ago.

Maybe it is the fact that the band's best musician, Brian "Head" Welch, left the band five years ago and things have never quite been the same.

Whatever the case, there will obviously be a few hardcore Korn fans who buy this CD out of sheer curiosity.

To those folks, I'll go ahead and issue a caution. This isn't Korn you remember. If you're looking for "Freak on a Leash" or "Got the Life," then you're going to be disappointed.

There are a few moments where the old Korn tries to break through, most notably on "Are You Ready to Live," which ends with lead singer Jonathan Davis crying.

I felt the same way after listening to this CD.

Key Tracks: "Are You Ready to Live," "Pop a Pill," "The Past"