Mercury (American Music Club album)

"Johnny Mathis' Feet" and "Keep Me Around" were released as singles from Mercury. 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.

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, and assorted clips, including of Mark Eitzel riding his bike by the ocean. The band members talk at length about the origins of American Music Club, with two of them commenting on how scary it is to be in the band.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	B−[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
NME	9/10[5]
The Philadelphia Inquirer	[6]
Q	[7]
Rolling Stone	[8]
Select	4/5[9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10[10]

Spin magazine ranked Mercury the 14th best album of 1993.[11] The same magazine called the album a "lushly arranged collision between indie rock and adult-alternative music".[12] Treble ranked the album among the "10 Essential Slowcore Albums".[13]

In a retrospective "On Second Thought" feature for Stylus Magazine, critic Todd Hutlock wrote that "the rock-solid ensemble musicianship and straightforward production... let in just enough light to let Eitzel's darkness contrast but not overwhelm things."[14]

Franz Nicolay of the Hold Steady has cited Mercury as one of his biggest musical influences.[15]

Production notes

• All songs recorded and mixed at Sunset Sound Factory, Hollywood, November–December 1992, and mastered at Gateway Mastering.