The Buckinghams - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (partial)

[sporefreak105]

Great zawinul piece... Not a huge fan of these guys though...

[JORGEPSOUSA911]

Certain parts of this song sound a lot like "The Game Of Love." The purpose of a woman is to love a man. The purpose of a man is to love a woman."

[jackdj6172]

Went to see the Buckinghams last night at the Hampton Beach Casino in Hampton, NH. The lead singers talked about this appearance on the Smothers Brothers show. They said that when they arrived they couldn't believe the set was decorated in British flags. Producers thought they were a Britsh band! To top it off, the pre-show backstage meal that the producers provided was fish & chips. They said they would have much prefered pizza, as they are Itialian kids from Chicago.

[geigenmusi]

luv the höfner-bass !!!!!!!!!

[shangechi11]

love this song! played this in a band and never knew who did it. thanks

[derrickfphillips]

@shangechi11 This is written by Joe Zawinul. He was Pianist for Cannonball Adderly. Cannonball recorded it as an instrumental. It fact it was written as an instrumental, someone else later added the word as I understand. May have been the Buckinghams. peace, dp

[dowdy057]

This version stinks!  Larry Williams & Johnny Watson's version is so much better!

[NotEvenClosex3]

@dowdy057 which version is the original?

[NickRipmeester]

@NotEvenClosex3 The original is performed by Cannonball Adderley, written by Joe Zawinul

[BistouflyTheGreat]

@dowdy057 I wouldn't say it stinks, it's quite good actually but I agree that Larry Williams & Johnny Watson's version is GREAT!!

[chriskutscher]

what a british face, damn it

[yonopuedo90]

The band's playing along with an audio track. Drummer is horrible. Disappointed...

[hojoslugger301]

these guys can't groove like jaco.

[jeromekerngarcia]

@hojoslugger301 That's funny. Do you know anybody who grooves like Jaco?

[LLcoolDawe]

Listen to Cannonball Adderley’s and Joe Zawinul elsewhere on youtube. In the intro talks Adderly about adversity and how we are not always prepared for it all you can say is mercy mercy mercy. This song does not need vapid lyrics about hugging and kissing. Nothing against the Buckingham’s, but where were they when John Lennon and the boys where laying down the tracks Strawberry Fields Forever in '66? Pop music was moving beyond hugging and kissing.

[dralger]

It's a rape of Zawinul's composition.

[berrypossum]

@dralger no shit. I mean everything that says soul-jazz-groove is way far gone. Nice haircuts, tho...

[thebigleone]

The British flags are very funny for a band from Chicago. The "British Invasion" was at it's peak....I guess.

[joreis88]

@thebigleone

I'm not sure if this clip is from the Ed Sullivan show, but in an interview, the Buckinghams said that when they saw the set for their Ed Sullivan performance, they were surprised to see the stage filled with British flags. Because of their name, someone mistakenly thought they were British instead of a bunch of guys from Chicago!

[joreis88]

@thebigleone

Sorry, I meant the Smothers Brothers Show, not the Ed Sullivan Show.

[awsnap300]

They just put words to joe zawinuls song. And why do they have two singers?

[lukeandloganINC]

they r trying to be the beatles

[CiaranOD67]

@lukeandloganINC Everyone looked like that in the 60's.

[tpmjones1]

Buckinghams, Grass Roots, Turtles, Mark Lindsey from Paul Revere and the Raiders all touring together.... The Happy Together Tour.  May 30th at DTE Music Theatre, Clarkston MI

[jtomsic69]

@tpmjones1 Just saw them this past weekend at the Cleveland Memorial Day Rib Cook off. Excellent performance! All 5 groups can still get the crowd involved and singing! Always great to see the 60Ts groups still going strong! Glad I grew up during that period. All deserve Rock & Roll consideration. Wake up Cleveland!

[viniwis]

The Buckinghams & Jay And The Americans are playing Friday July 23 at LaPorte County Fair LaPorte Indiana.

[ChrislovesKrystal]

Notice all the British flags? That's because the producers of the Smothers Brothers show thought the group was from England! Turned out they were from Chicago!

[Getrealpeeps]

I remember hearing this song, once or twice in my life time

:)

[butchanddonna2]

So soulful guys love it

[memmies]

wow! A right handed Hofner bass, he he

[memmies]

wow, a right handed hofner LOL

[djbot]

this is shit

[ampie4]

since this is shit, what award winning stuff do you listen to, djbot?

[djbot]

@ampie4 mercy mercy mercy by joe zawinul; theme from black orpheus by paul desmond; donna lee by charlie parker

[mgigkgeg]

this song isnt meant to have lyrics, this is pretty crap compared to the cannonball adderly original

[djbot]

@mgigkgeg joe zawinul original

[mgigkgeg]

@djbot I know that, joe Zawinul was the pianist for cannon ball adderly at the time he wrote it and he recorded it with cannonball adderly'sQuintet on the album Mercy Mercy Mercy.

[didleybopp]

seriously - this is not good! it's so hilarious and stiff and just kinda bad that it's got camp value, but what i really want to know is more about the back story of heroin addiction and disputed publishing rights to the lyrics...

[faroutlindsey]

WHITE SOUL AT ITS BEST!

[omgibu]

@faroutlindsey white soul? oxymoron. bwahaha. i kid, i kid.

[knowledgeiswhatsup]

@faroutlindsey: I am not sure about soul, but this is certainly not 'white soul' at it's best. Whites in general do not have a soul.

[berrypossum]

@knowledgeiswhatsup I take issue with that. I'm white, have a soul and the blues. So take that.

[faroutlindsey]

@knowledgeiswhatsup AW MAN COME ON AS THE LATE GREAT MARVIN GAYE WROTE"ONLY LOVE CAN CONQUOR HATE" WE ALL GOT A SOUL MAN...SOME JUST AIN'T GOT "SOUL" THERE IS A DIFFERENCE...PEACE!!

[joreis88]

@faroutlindsey

Yes, and no one group or race was given exclusive rights to "SOUL" either.

[delora33]

@knowledgeiswhatsup OUCH!! Now that hurt.  I'm whiter than a shade of pale and I KNOW I got soul, thank you very much.

[StevenCharlesJazz]

Love this version of the tune! They were all over the radio back in my high school days, local band does good!

[7chill777]

I get a kick out of how this Chicago Band played on the British theme so well. Probably had something to do with money and a manager.

[AllBobsAllTheTime]

Named after Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park.

[Daveming3]

Joe Zawinul did not take heroin. And the lyrics to this song have nothing to with the feeling and intent of his composition. Maybe the Buckinghams should have gotten off their asses and written their own songs

[evensteve284]

Daveming:The Buckinghams had a great run of hits. They also innovated the whole "horn rock" thing along w/ the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, before Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears came along. After that came more great horn bands like Ten Wheel Drive and Cold Blood. As far as Joe Zawinul goes, hes a true Jazz great and a giant of his field. Loved him with Cannonball! What great band the Cannonball Aderly Sextet was! Ive had a copy of Nippon Soul since I was 14 yrs old and Im still diggin it.

[AllBobsAllTheTime]

The lyrics, I believe, were written by Johnny Watson and Larry Williams.

[cablonde320]

Great song...takes me way back !!

[thedps1998]

Seriously competing with the Box Tops on this one.

[chuckwagen]

Moe Howard or George Goober Lindsay influence, no doubt

[blueblazer68]

"Got that kind of loven, kissen and a huggen, show is better, glad that I'm a fella" priceless and a rare clip of kids that are grandparents now. "knocks me off my feet."

[ndhudecz]

Great band

[mrslopez39]

Have mercy on me!

[Awdrey2002]

Carl is on the right front, on guitar. Marty Grebbs is singing with Dennis.I was there.

[gimmemusiccc]

Thank you for posting this, don't care if it does have a glitch...it's good to see Carl& Dennis have fun singing this together... Hey, isn't that what music is about???

[Anglynn74]

I have the complete clip on VHS but have no way to transfer it onto the computer. I have both their performances from the show. I am assuming Cannonball Adderly's version was first?

[radioman66]

It sounds like the record because they are playing to the backing track, however Dennis & Carl are singing it live, you can tell.

[yassya12345]

terryfying bass guitar.

zawinul wouldn't be in good mood if he would hear it

[markcruiser64]

the lead singer looks like Bruce Johnston of The Beach Boys.

[wickedlondonlover]

thank god buddy rich got to this song

[Euskamara]

Horrible!

[lrd9999]

C'mon; it's not THAT bad. But I don't really think of it as one of their songs; "Kind of a Drag" was more their cup of tea. Even Jay Leno referred to this as the "lame-o white-guy version", though I'm not really crazy about Cannonball Adderley's original either. People who were might have been a little offended by the way they transformed it from a sermon into a song of lust. But they could all agree that the singer on the right probably shared a barber with Moe, of the 3 stooges.

[shatchett0]

I dig those suits, man!

[blueblazer68]

I was about their age also, and I remember this performance. An original song and nothing ever came close to copying the song and arrangement. The British Invasion, and they were great. Thank you for posting and the memories.

[trollzone]

???The British Invasion????

They are a Chicago Band.

[ShtotaKoya]

your kidding right? its a jazz tune by joe zawinall and this version sucks in all mesurments, they sings like drunk dushes in a kareokee bar.

[Bitsy431]

Does anybody know how old Dennis {lead sinder] was in this clip ? HE'S DAMN HOT !!!!

[rorydedman55]

Dennis was born 9-11-1946 and this song came out in1968, I think, so he was 22

[Bitsy431]

Thanks rorydedman55 !

[joss885]

Mercy mercy, please shoot me. Its like they're shitting on my flag

[SlandyMcSlanderson]

haha amen... Joe Zawinul probably started shooting heroin because of this bullshiat.

[evensteve284]

I don't know about that SlandyMc. But if what you say is true, the Buckinghams version sure made him a lot of money to buy that heroin with.

[KitionaDuran]

HAHAAA

[MusicDude86]

Carl Giammarese on guitar, Nick Fortuna on bass.

[wintergreen88]

His name is Carl Giammarese. He is one half of the 70's duo Tufano and Giammarese. Tufano is The Buckingham's lead singer Dennis Tufano. Yeah, Carl is cute too.

[shinydrums]

i prefer this song without lyrics

[jache77]

great group! i grew up with this music!

[sixlegged]

Loved the Cannonball Original, but this works really well.

[zeppelin264]

Lovin the early model Hofner Bass! Paul style!

[stuckin1979]

Who care if they're lipscynk? The lead singer is smokin hot!

[wintergreen88]

Yeah! Smokin' hot!!! He's a good singer too.

[wouldntyoulike2know]

He is SO HOT!!! :D

[druminaway]

Fake lip syncing. Not much fun watching fake playing and singing. I need "live" version to enjoy a video. Great song, but the lip syncing has gotta go.

[wintergreen88]

How do you know they're lip synching? Because this performance sounds just like the recorded version?

[circusguy]

Great cross over song penned by Joe Zawinul from the Cannonball Adderley's band. Loved this song in 2nd grade! Chicago boys made good produced by James William Guercio. Thanks for posting!

[buddy34]

"According to the Buckinghams in Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, what will everybody in the neighborhood testify to?"

"Her good looks."

[888blues]

love them  mercy mercy mercy

[tacako1930]

Great song !!

[fvilledutchman]

I didn't realize that Giammarese and Fortuna were British names !!!!!Have seen The Buckinghams several times. Very good.

[sexmoron]

Well, I came from the NW suburbs, so I was never under the illusion that these guys were british. Their cover of Lawdy Miss Clawdy is fantastic, as well as this. I wish they stuck to the Motown-like material. They were great at that. I remember some people thought they lost their identity with the move to Hollywood, but this has got to be the greatest thing they recorded.

[AngelaRed]

These men from chicago were some of the smartest men of their time. During an era When something had the word Brit on it turned to Gold or Platniam, they chose the name Buckingham. This "I thought they were from england" is nothing new. this has been going on since day one.

[stuckin1979]

I think it was a bit of overkill though to have all those British flags up.

[GarfieldGoose]

These are Italian-ancestry guys from Norwood Park Township.

These Union Jacks are a laff riot.

Nothing is real in showbiz.

[TaraTownsend]

Well, you're right. For a moment I thought they were Brits but as far as the Union flag, the 60's was an age of anything goes so it wouldn't surprise me to see the flag manipulated into any sort of design back then.

[GarfieldGoose]

Thanks for your input.

You should check out "Oh, Tara" album cut) by the Knack (Get the Knack, Capitol, 1979)if you have not already.

One of the most underrated albums of all time.

[chevyyyyyyy]

Their teeth are British, still, they are Gumbas, my people.

[kefoley]

At 9 years old, I thought the Buckinghams were British as well. Well to my delight it was great to find out these guys were "U.S Midwestern" artists, and just as talented as the Mersey invasion bands! Go Chicago!...Being from NYC, I love the music that came out of Chicago at this time. There was so much talent in that one area it was amazing!

[Treaty4]

I really enjoy the drummer. He looks so comfortable and at home playing the drums. Rock on!

[Treaty4]

Sing to me baby!!

[mjhaag]

And the Beau Brummels were from San Francisco and Sir Douglas Quintet was from Texas. A lot of American bands at the time wanted to be associated with the British.

[StanBennet]

What actually happened here was the producers thought the Buckinghams were British. That's why the stage was designed in the matter it was. The Buckinghams laughed at it at the time.

[canso67]

Never mind the Brittish flag, these guys are from Chicago!

[georgiegirl1]

This band holds a special place in my heart. For one thing they sang Susan, which is my name. But more importantly they were around during a significant time in my life. I love the sound, the voices. Saw them in Cleveland years ago.

[Ermengarde11]

Hey, there, georgie girl, there's another song title I must look up! I too enjoyed this band as well as Spiral Staircase and so many from that era! I'm a Georgia girl now but grew up listening to this in Calif. and later lived in Ariz.

[mpmikemp]

This should be for Wanda and Janice who had to leave Chicago just before the Buckinghams broke through onto the national charts.

[rtsryder]

Always liked this version of the classic tune, "Mercy Mercy, Mercy". Great to see this video....never got to see the group live before....lots of fun. Those days were special....the clothes the band is wearing definately makes this video a "period piece".

[Ermengarde11]

rtsryder: I always thought they were English! Must have been the clothes. Ah, I remember those days growing up -- the psychedelic band logos, the music, the hair, the fashions, my mom saying how ridiculous we looked!! What great days.

[TDKIII]

I wish these bands depended more on their own playing and less horns...especially considering this is a Johnny Guitar Watson/Larry Williams song

[Ermengarde11]

TDK: Great piece of trivia! I can see that now, never knew that. But hey if you can't make a cover song different, why bother?! Peace out.

[poprocket17]

Dennis and Marty sang on this song in the 60s..not taking anything away from Dennis' voice in the 60s but if you haven't heard them live, today, Carl and Nick sing all the songs fantastically. Few singers can hit the old songs in the 'original' key...these guys can still hit the mark. This song was a great Cannonball Adderly tune, too. thanks for posting! an old rocker

[faroutlindsey]

white soul at its best!

[hollygugl]

don't hear this song enough---- great tune...

cccccoooooolllllll --

love it

[ChgoChef]

Thanks for posting this video it brings back memories. We use to live several doors down from Carl. I was a little girl when they got famous. The entire block was so proud of them making it big.

LadyDemocrat

[beeb1421]

remember when super cfl in chicago played this.

clark weber and dick biondi love this band!

[jimfocus69]

Uh, wasn't Weber WLS?

[wjv4me]

Great upload - really dig this song and all of their songs. Thanks so much for this upload!

Clark Weber, Dick Biondi and Larry LuJack were all WLS (AM) at one time weren't they...

[xAMERICALOVESHEROS]

Weber was a fixture at WLS in the Sixties, rising to Program Director. Biondi was at WLS until '63, when he was fired, returned to Chicago on CFL in late 60's and early 70's--Lujack bounced back and forth between WLS and CFL, until settling in at 89 for the long haul.

[xAMERICALOVESHEROS]

Weber worked for awhile at CFL, in the '70's.

[billgbg]

Where's Bob Monaco is all this?

[tonypanzarella]

The Smothers' producers thought the Buckinghams were from England, hence the Union Jacks on the set. They didn't realize that they were from CHICAGO [Illinois, USA] and took their name from the park in that city that contains the famous fountains.

[jimfocus69]

No, the Fountain is the Buckingham--and the English look was part of the Buckingham's marketing, to look like mods--and it killed them when psychedelia took hold.

[rsmuskie]

I wish Dennis would do more solo tours. He can hold his old, with or without the group. I'd go see him sing at the opening of an envelope. Nobody can belt out this song like Tufano, although Queen Latifah on the Tonight Show almost gave him a run for his money.

[hangover71]

sherloc holmes ???

[loverofgoodmusic23]

Thanx so for sharing this video-edited or not!

The Buckinghams will always be on the top of my list.

I wish Dennis would rejoin the group. I won't see them live unless he does!