Alive & Amplified

Alive & Amplified is The Mooney Suzuki's third studio album, and their second under Columbia Records. Released on August 24, 2004, it came two years after their third album, Electric Sweat. It was recorded in various locations, including Paramount Studios, Ameraycan Studios, and Decoy Studios, all located in Los Angeles, California. Of its content, the band said it is "dense, kaleidoscopic, and that you could spend hours uncovering little nuggets of goodness." Many of the songs assume sexual innuendos, such as "Primitive Condition", "Alive & Amplified", "Shake That Bush Again", "Loose 'n' Juicy", "Messin' in the Dressin' Room", and "Naked Lady". Of the song "New York Girls", Sammy James, Jr. said "I love the song California Girls, and the women of New York didn't get a fair shake in California Girls, and he thought the New York Girls needed their fair shake, so we gave that to them."

Alive & Amplified
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 24, 2004
RecordedSpring 2004
GenreGarage rock
Length40:58
LabelColumbia
ProducerThe Matrix
The Mooney Suzuki chronology
Electric Sweat
(2002)
Alive & Amplified
(2004)
Have Mercy
(2007)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic51/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [2]
Pitchfork Media(5.0/10)[3]
SpinB+[4]
Billboard[5]
NME(7/10)[6]
Alternative Press[7]
The A.V. Club[8]

The title song, "Alive & Amplified", became popular after it was featured in a commercial for the Suzuki Grand Vitara, then in a 2004 episode One Tree Hill, then in the 2005 film Fun with Dick and Jane, and later in video games Madden NFL 2005,[9] ATV Offroad Fury 3, and Shaun White Snowboarding, and the 2006 films Bachelor Party Vegas and Grandma's Boy. In 2016, it was the theme tune to Channel 4's TV series The Aliens. "Shake That Bush Again" was featured in Burnout 3: Takedown.

Track listing

All songs written by Sammy James Jr. and Graham Tyler except where noted

  1. "Primitive Condition" – 4:18
  2. "Alive & Amplified" (James Jr., Tyler, Graham Edwards, Scott Spock, and Lauren Christy) – 3:04
  3. "Legal High" (James Jr., Tyler, Edwards, Spock, and Christy) – 2:50
  4. "New York Girls" (James Jr., Tyler, Edwards, Spock, and Christy) – 3:55
  5. "Shake That Bush Again" – 3:38
  6. "Sometimes Somethin'" – 4:39
  7. "Loose 'n' Juicy" – 3:11
  8. "Hot Sugar" – 3:22
  9. "Messin' in the Dressin' Room" – 3:47
  10. "Naked Lady" – 8:05

Hidden track

Find "Love Bus" by fast-forwarding after "Naked Lady". The song starts at 5:13 (approx.) "Love Bus" uses a similar riff to "Legal High."

Artwork

The CD liner notes when opened, reveal a full print of the painting Nativity by Mati Klarwein, which depicts a naked woman sitting in a field of psychedelia. On the reverse side, the lyrics and song-specific artwork as well as album credits are present.

The album has an alternative cover, which features the band standing on a beach looking toward the camera as well as using a different design for the album title.

Personnel

  • Sammy James Jr. – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Percussion
  • Graham Tyler – Lead Guitar, Vocals, Percussion
  • Augie Wilson – Drum Kit, Percussion, Vocals
  • Michael Miles – Bass Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
  • Mike Finnegan Clavinet on "New York Girls", Hammond Organ on "Sometimes Somethin'" and "Naked Lady"
  • Lynn Davis – Vocals on "Alive & Amplified", "Loose 'n' Juicy", and "Naked Lady"
  • The Matrix – Additional Vocals on "Alive & Amplified"
  • Victor Indrizzo – Additional Percussion

References

  1. "Alive & Amplified by Mooney Suzuki". Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  2. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r704147
  3. "The Mooney Suzuki: Alive & Amplified Album Review - Pitchfork". Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  4. LLC, SPIN Media (October 1, 2016). "SPIN". SPIN Media LLC. Retrieved October 1, 2016 via Google Books.
  5. "THE MOONEY SUZUKI, "Alive and Amplified"". August 14, 2004. Archived from the original on August 14, 2004. Retrieved October 1, 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  6. NME Magazine, 28 Aug 2004, p.57
  7. Alternative Press, Sep 2004, p.136
  8. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". October 13, 2004. Archived from the original on October 13, 2004. Retrieved October 1, 2016.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  9. "Madden NFL 2005: Soundtrack Revealed - Xbox". TeamXbox. July 1, 2004. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  • The Mooney Suzuki Official Website
  • The Mooney Suzuki's Myspace
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