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Mercurotones

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Mercurotones
Studio album by
the Buck Pets
Released1990
GenreHard rock
LabelIsland
ProducerMichael Beinhorn, Dust Brothers
The Buck Pets chronology
The Buck Pets
(1989) 		Mercurotones
(1990) 		To the Quick
(1993)

Mercurotones is the second album by the American band the Buck Pets, released in 1990.[1][2] They supported it by opening for Jane's Addiction and then Neil Young on North American tours.[3][4] "Libertine" peaked at No. 25 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.[5] The album sold around 35,000 copies in its first six months of release, which led Island Records to not renew the band's option.[6]

Production

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The album was produced by Michael Beinhorn, who worked with the band to keep an unpolished sound.[7][8] Its songs were written by frontmen Andy Thompson and Chris Savage.[8] The Buck Pets were influenced primarily by the Replacements; Thompson briefly attended school with Tommy Stinson.[9][10] The lyrics to most of the songs were of a personal nature, as the band wanted to be direct and relatable to their listeners.[9] Jack Irons played drums on the majority of the tracks, as Island Records was not happy with the ability of the band's drummer, Tony Alba.[11] They used a horn section on "Libertine", which was produced by the Dust Brothers.[12][13]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Calgary HeraldB+[15]
Chicago Tribune[16]
The Daily Illini[13]
The Daily Tar Heel[17]
The Tampa Tribune[18]

The Washington Post called the album "semi-raw, semi-catchy hard rock that reveals itself on 'Ave' F Blues', the Mercurotune that most wants to be a Replacements song (and almost makes it)."[19] The Los Angeles Times noted the "bone-crunching riffs, tunes that are actually tunes and not-a-boy-but-not-a-man lyrics that largely manage to avoid cliches", and stated that "the band relies on songs as much as sonics".[20] The Chicago Tribune said that the album "has its share of gonzo rock: big slabs of guitar that roar and fade, bodacious drumming and lunging bass riffs", while praising the Buck Pets' decision to take musical chances on some tracks.[16]

The Calgary Herald labeled Mercurotones "12 bloozy numbers—with a great ballad thrown in—stripped to their metalesque essentials that flounce, swagger and cajole you into believing the American garage is the quintessential birthplace of rock."[15] The New York Times said that "the Buck Pets have honed their songs with pop concision, even when they defy pop formula."[21]

In 2009, Spin included the Buck Pets on its list "Unsung: The 100 Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard", and said that Mercurotones was "ruggedly catchy" and "just a little slick".[22]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Moon Goddess (R. T. Cocaine Blues)" 
2."Pearls" 
3."PM – Sick of It All" 
4."Some Hesitation" 
5."Five O'Clock or Thursday – Up to You" 
6."Ave F Blues – Down Through the Avenue" 
7."Libertine" 
8."Ready to Break – I'm So Tired" 
9."Shameless" 
10."Brother – Take These Dreams" 
11."Guilty – Where's My Head" 
12."Hey Sunshine" 

References

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  1. ^ Koster, Rick (2000). Texas Music. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 138.
  2. ^ Morris, Craig (May 22, 1993). "Flag Waving". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 21. p. 89.
  3. ^ Potter, Mitch (November 26, 1990). "When intelligent rock rolls". Toronto Star. p. B5.
  4. ^ "Buck Pets". Cue Magazine. The Chapel Hill Newspaper. March 14, 1991. p. 39.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's Rock Tracks: Mainstream Rock 1981–2002: Modern Rock, 1988–2002. Record Research. p. 190.
  6. ^ Magocsi, Alex (April 26, 1991). "Pets lose their leash with Island Records". Star Time. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 12.
  7. ^ Richardson, Darren (January 18, 1991). "Buck Pets stand poised for big time". Kentucky New Era. p. 8A.
  8. ^ a b Hickman, Breuse (March 1, 1991). "Buck Pets too busy playing to worry about the future". TGIF. Florida Today. p. 6.
  9. ^ a b Muretich, James (March 24, 1991). "The Buck Pets". Calgary Herald. p. D3.
  10. ^ Potter, Mitch (March 15, 1991). "Buck Pets roar back". Toronto Star. p. D15.
  11. ^ Liles, Jeff (February 20, 2009). "Echoes and Reverberations: The Bad Sleep Good or Not At All". Music. Dallas Observer.
  12. ^ "Buck Pets". Trouser Press. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Rev. B (November 2, 1990). "Buck Pets Mercurotones". Directory. The Daily Illini. p. 7.
  14. ^ "Mercurotones Review by Stewart Mason". AllMusic. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Wagamese, Richard (February 24, 1991). "Recent releases". Calgary Herald. p. F5.
  16. ^ a b Kot, Greg (January 24, 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 9.
  17. ^ Long, Mike (November 15, 1990). "They're growing up—but still keeping it simple". Music. The Daily Tar Heel. p. 4.
  18. ^ Perez, Steven (February 22, 1991). "The Buck Pets, Mercurotones". Tampa Bay Times. The Tampa Tribune. p. 21.
  19. ^ Jenkins, Mark (November 16, 1990). "New Metal-Punks Rock Eclectically". Weekend. The Washington Post. p. 18.
  20. ^ Hochman, Steve (December 14, 1990). "Texas Bone-Crunching with the Buck Pets". Los Angeles Times. p. F19.
  21. ^ Pareles, Jon (March 20, 1991). "Two Shows: Buck Pets and Replacements". The New York Times. p. C12.
  22. ^ Kandell, Steve (August 2009). "Unsung: The 100 Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard". Spin. Vol. 25, no. 8. p. 69.
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