| Mercury | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by American Music Club | ||||
| Released | March 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, Slowcore | |||
| Length | 49:37 | |||
| Label | Reprise (released on Virgin Records in the U.K.) | |||
| Producer | Mitchell Froom | |||
| American Music Club chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [2] |
Mercury is the sixth album by San Francisco indie rock group American Music Club, released in early 1993. It was their major-label debut.
"Over and Done" and "Johnny Mathis' Feet" were released as singles on the 7", CD single and cassingle formats. The Johnny Mathis' Feet CD had a 10-track bonus live CD; it was recorded at Slim's in San Francisco on June 15, 1993, and is usually called Live at Slim's. "I've Been a Mess" has remained a staple of the band's concerts to the present day. The album's title comes from a beverage featured in the lyrics of "Challenger."
All lyrics were written by Mark Eitzel; all songs by Eitzel/ American Music Club.
A black-and-white 11-minute promotional VHS tape, generally referred to as "1992 press kit," was issued in advance of the album's release. This contained interviews with each band member, live performances, studio footage, clips of Eitzel riding his bike by the ocean, etc. The band members talk at length about the origins of AMC, with two of them commenting on how scary it is to be in the band.
Spin magazine voted Mercury the #14 best album of 1993.
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Franz Nicolay, of The Hold Steady, states that Mercury is one of his biggest musical influences.[3]