Have Mercy

Mooney Suzuki | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 19, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Elixia
• ASIN: B000PSJCYW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,610 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. 99%

2. This Broke Heart Of Mine

3. Adam And Eve

4. Ashes

5. Rock 'N' Roller Girl

6. First Comes Love

7. Mercy Me

8. Good Ol' Alcohol

9. The Prime Of Life

10. Down But Not Out

11. Leap Of Faith

12. You Never Really Wanted To Rock 'N' Roll

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing. . ., January 17, 2008

By 

Duotonex (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Have Mercy (Audio CD)

People Get Ready and Electric Sweat were great examples of a great roots-rock sound that was familiar yet still was original in its own right. This record is cheesy; plain and simple. For those of you who enjoy it, I invite you to listen to the aforementioned albums afterwards to truly understand why this band WAS truly something special.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have Mercy, August 10, 2007

By 

T. Snyder "TS" (AZ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Have Mercy (Audio CD)

I was a big fan of the Mooney Suzuki's main release "Electric Sweat" a few years ago. That got a lot of heavy rotation in my cd player. So I was excited to see a new Mooney Suzuki album! But I was also sad that I hadn't heard anything promoting it because this album definitely deserves some good press.

"Have Mercy" really shows growth from the band compared to "Electric Sweat". The songs seem fuller in terms of musicianship and songwriting. It's still energetic and fun, but maybe not as frantic and crazy as Electric Sweat.

Again, this album still sounds like it could have been recorded in 1965 by an obscure band and it's just be re-released/remastered 40+ years later today. I actually think my blues/classic rock-loving dad would actually like this album, but he's never heard of "The Mooney Suzuki".

This album also made me think, what if Jimi Hendrix were still alive today and making CD's instead of LP's? It also makes me think of The Black Keys (who I want to like, but really can't) but if they wrote better, catchier songs.

There's a lot of 60's garage band rock, a lot of white-boy soul, and a bunch of good-times-rock-and-roll in it. It all adds up to a really good, solid, timeless album. Needless to say, I highly recommend this album.

5.0 out of 5 stars Have Mercy, December 25, 2011

By 

Zach Johnson "ZJ" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Have Mercy (Audio CD)

Growing older definitely has it's downsides. Fading looks, health issues, decrease in energy, hair growing in odd places, and the general feeling that with each passing year, you are getting one step closer to meeting your maker and one step further away from the days of your youth.

Yes, getting old may suck, but with age also comes wisdom, and an ever growing appreciation for the days of your youth that you used to take for granted.

These thoughts seemed to be weighing heavily on the mind of guitarist and vocalist Sammie Davis Jr. on what turned out to the Mooney Suzuki's last album: Have Mercy. For a band that was primarily known for their raucous garage-rock/Rolling Stones-esq sound, Have Mercy is surprisingly quite reflective and endearing in tone compared to their prior releases.

The change in sound can largely be attributed to the band going through some difficult times during the recording of the album. Their guitar player's father died and their bass player and drummer dropped out of the band for a short-time, leaving Sammie Davis Jr alone to write the majority of the album. Eventually, their original guitar player and drummer rejoined the band in time to record the album, and the result is the sound of a rejuvinated, reborn band, boasting a fuller, more mature sound.

The album kicks-off with the righteous "99%" which is triumphant and celebratory in vibe, definitely starting off the album on the right foot. The Mooney Suzuki cook up an infectious blend of rock & roll with a whole lotta soul on this opening track, which is always a great combination. "This Broke Heart of Mine" follows, sporting a down-home quality that sets the tone for the rest of the album. An endearing tale of a bitter-sweet breakup, this track has a heart of gold that ends on an optimistic note: "once we were best of friends, maybe we'll be again, pair of rocking chairs, in the shade".

The next track "Adam & Eve" continues the endearing vibe of the prior track, but with a more yearning vibe. Sammie's singing takes on a somewhat resigned tone, longing to find a love like "adam & eve" but resigned to the reality that a perfect true love is certainly hard to find. "Ashes to Ashes" continues that vibe, another great song about the heartbreak of breakups, set to the metaphor of the changing of the seasons.

All of these songs are catchy as hell, with great sing-along choruses and rock-solid structure, all the while managing to still sound fresh and authentic. They definitely have an accessable, pop-rock quality to them, but they also have intregrity and soul, cancelling out any negatives associated with their poppy nature.

Perhaps the most poppy song on the album is "Rock n' Roller Girl", but again, because of it's reflective tone, it comes across as sweet and endearing. The next track, "First Comes Love" continues the reflective tone, telling the timeless tale of two young lovers and the cycle of love and complication that befalls all young couples. Sammie sings these songs with fondness and affection, adding to their endearing qualities.

After the soulful and rocking title track, the listener is treated to one of the best songs about drinking ever recorded: "Good Ol' Alcohol". Ranking right up there with any of George Thurogood's classics, "Good Ol Alcohol" is a hilarious, blue-grassed flavored salute to that tried and true drug of choice for so many people: booze. It's certainly an entertaining and fun song.

After that festive number, the Mooney Suzuki save their 2 best songs on the album for last, with "Prime of Life" and "Down But Not Out". "Prime of Life" takes the endearing and reflective vibe that permeates most of Have Mercy to it's emotional summit. Beautiful, wise, sweet, somber and philisophical in tone, the song means a lot to me personally, and has a borderline magical quality to it. It's got an all-encompassing, classic quality to it, and is definitely of the most sublime songs on the album.

"Down But Not Out" closes out the album with the Mooney Suzuki's classic, down-home, heart-of-gold charm. A somewhat somber song with an optimistic message, it's a great way to finish a very heart-felt, endearing album.

Have Mercy has a special, mature, coming-of-age quality to it that probably caught a lot of their fanbase off guard. This album was largely dismissed or ignored in the indie-rock community, as by the time 2007 had come around, the whole garage-rock rivival thing was old news and the Mooney Suzuki were part of a dying breed.

But that's probably what makes this album so good. The trend was dead, so these boys just got together and made a genuine and endearing rock & roll album about coming of age and celebrating the glory years of bygone days. It's a great album with a heart of gold, and one that is certainly cemented in my eyes as one of the best of the 2000s.