Mercy Mercy Mercy: A Collection
These clean-cut Chicagoans were unrepentantly commercial popsters whose wholesomely catchy, horn-laced '60s hits retain their bubblegum charm three decades after the fact. The 18 trackMercy, Mercy, Mercyis an exemplary best-of disc, collecting all of the group's major hits, i.e. "Kind of A Drag," "Don't You Care," "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)," and "Susan." Meanwhile, less familiar numbers like covers of Lloyd Price's "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," the Beatles' "I Call Your Name," and a vocal interpretation of the Cannonball Adderley jazz tune that provides the collection's title suggest that there was more substance to the band than its squeaky-clean hits let on.--Scott Schinder