About that time, Al Kooper and James William Guercio were asked to produce a then known just-got-famous band just "bought over" from USA Records and their first and only number 1 hit "Kind If A Drag" in January 1967. All Kooper started Blood Sweat and Tears in 1967, and Mr. Guercio tackled the Buckinghams and Blood Sweat and Tears before he hit REALLY big with Chicago in 1969.

You can hear the Producers brass influence immediately with their second hit "Don't You Care". It was followed by the crossover hit "Mercy Mercy Mercy" (also successfully done earlier that year by Cannonball Adderly).

That was there last top ten hit. They did hit top 15 twice in succession with the well known "Hey Baby(They're Playing Our Song)" and the much more progressive "Suzanne". "Back In Love Again" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" Rounds out the top thirty stay.

Whats amazing is that all there top 15 hits occurred in rapid succession in the January 1967 - December 1967 time frame.

This collection is one of the best out today, with all their hits plus some, many cuts for a CD this cheap, and from a distinctively unique sounding group who were one of my favorites and hopefully yours. In their short time frame, they produced excellent and well crafted Pop, remembered today and instantly identifiable.

This is a great CD at a great price, and a superb addition to any 60's library. Very "MOR" sounding, and worth listening too. Highly recommended. Good Listening!


Have Mercy! The Best of the Buckinghams   January 30, 2000
 30 out of 32 found this review helpful

For one brief moment--1967--the Buckinghams were as popular as any band on the planet. Their first chart success, "Kind of a Drag," spent two weeks at No. 1. It was followed quickly by "Don't You Care," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)" and "Susan."

Producer James Guercio (who would go on to produce Chicago) gave the band a brass-rock sound and powerful lead vocals by Dennis Tufano defined the group's sound.

In addition to the hits, this collection includes the band's first three USA singles(all of them covers): James Brown's "Ill Go Crazy," the Beatles' "I Call Your Name" and the Hollies' "I've Been Wrong Before." While these songs did well locally in Chicago, it took "Kind of a Drag" to break the group nationally.

After "Susan," their fifth hit, went to No. 11; the follow-up, "Back in Love Again," was a disappointing No. 57. Their next album had an eerily prophetic title: In One Ear and Gone Tomorrow. There would be no more hits.

This album gives you the hits, the misses, key album tracks and one previoulsy unreleased song: the Dennis Tufano original "You." While the band continues on the oldies circuit, this CD stands as a testament of the high-energy rock 'n' roll they unleashed. RECOMMENDED


The best possible Buckinghams package!   December 17, 2000
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

The stereo mixing aside, this is the ideal "Best of" Buckinghams package, featuring an amazing combination of early tracks, the group's biggest Columbia-label hits, and several later contract-running-out singles of considerable merit. These are, in my possibly lone opinion, the best pop records ever made.

Which brings me to my only quibble: Since all of these were originally issued as 45-rpm monaural singles, why in the world were they not reissued in that same sound format? This is a singles collection, and not an album reissue or a collection of album tracks--so what gives? No doubt CD buyers demand stereo mixes wherever possible, but here we lose a lot in the reprocess--the killer singles "Difference of Opinion" and the brilliantly Beatlesque "Where Did You Come From" are reduced to highly pleasant but aurally mushy diversions, for example. Sound engineers exercise an awesome responsibility, and I wish more thought would go into these matters.

But my five stars are for the music and the performances. Elaborately produced as they may have been, these guys were musicians of talent and taste. Buy this one!


Why do they have to re-record great songs?   February 26, 2006
 11 out of 13 found this review helpful

The Buckinghams was a great band from the sixties. This CD has all the best songs too. Unfortunatly, half those great songs are not the originals. Luckily the best two (Mercy, Mercy, Mercy & Don't You Care) are the original versions. The other three great songs from the Buckinghams (Hey Baby, Kind Of A Drag & Susan) are re-recordings. Eventhough they did a pretty good job, I would of liked the original arrangement much better. It is upsetting to buy a cd thinking you are getting the original versions of the songs, then find out differently when it comes.


awesome single CD compilation   April 21, 2008
 10 out of 11 found this review helpful

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: A Collection is a very strong single CD compilation by The Buckinghams; they were a famous group with a lot of hits in the 1960s. The sound quality is excellent and I love that artwork!

"Kind Of A Drag" is definitely one of the best rock and roll torch songs of the golden era of rock and roll. The Buckinghams harmonize very well and the music that goes with their singing fits in perfectly! "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" is a catchy cover of Lloyd Price's tune that belies the seriousness of the lyrics; you'll be dancing in the aisles over this one! The harmonica works well for this number and the brass is used to great advantage while The Buckinghams again harmonize wonderfully.

"I'll Go Crazy" has complicated tempo changes but the group handles these seemingly effortlessly. Of course, we know it really wasn't all that easy; but The Buckinghams were so talented they made it look as easy as breathing! "Makin' Up And Breakin' Up" gets a snazzy interpretation from The Buckinghams who deliver this way beyond perfection! "Makin' Up And Breakin' Up" is a major highlight of this album. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," the title track of this album, sounds new and fresh whenever I hear it! I love every minute of it; these guys sure could sing!

"Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)" is one of the greatest hits ever for The Buckinghams; the melody is very pretty and the keyboard work enhances the natural beauty of this ballad. This torch song rocks and The Buckinghams bat this one straight out of the ballpark! In addition, there's also "Back In Love Again." "Back In Love Again" is a poignant ballad and they really rock hard on this magnificent tune. I'm very impressed.

"Where Did You Come From" is a beautiful song that tugs at my heartstrings whenever I hear The Buckinghams sing it; the musical arrangement is particularly lush and it all works wonders for this tune. "It's a Beautiful Day (For Lovin')" features The Buckinghams squarely front and center--and that's right where this group belongs! They sing and play "It's A Beautiful day (For Lovin')" so well that I play this a second time on my CD player when I get a chance to hear it.

"I Got A Feelin'" shines like silver and gold when The Buckinghams perform it so well; and the album also ends well with The Buckinghams performing "You." "You" is a strong ballad to end this album and that works great!

The Buckinghams were truly a great group and this CD shows you why! I highly recommend this for fans of rock and roll from the 1960s.