Have Mercy – The Mooney Suzuki

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The Mooney Suzuki aren’t just 60’s revivalists or garage rockers, they’re the real deal. It’s not hard to imagine songs like, “First Comes Love” and “Rock and Roller Girl” competing with the songs of The Stones, The Beatles and The Zombies for chart dominance in 1963. In fact, their sound is so representative of that period that you feel like you have grown up with these songs or heard them over and over on a classic rock station. Somehow, I found myself singing along to several songs on the album the first time I went through it. The only moments that pull you back into the modern era are hilarious lines like, “But you will never be older than dinosaur bones/ and you’ll never be as old as the Rolling Stones”, from the lovely “Rock and Roller Girl”. Otherwise, stay safe in blissful 60’s pop heaven.

Luckily this album saw the light of day since The Mooney Suzuki were signed to V2 records and were supposed to release this album in January before the label went belly up. Suddenly there was a great band with an amazing record and no way to deliver it to our ears. Luckily, Elixia Records stepped in. With this new record, The Mooney Suzuki, have charged way ahead of garage rock groups like Danko Jones, White Stripes, The Hives and every one else of merit. No band could rock this hard but simultaneously remain true to the roots of 60’s rock/pop. These aren’t quickly thrown together three chord attacks, these are well constructed rock songs with miles and miles of hooks. This is the primer of how great, pure and outstanding rock and roll can be. If it sounds like a classic, looks like a classic, then guess what you have? An instant classic.