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 second studio 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."
The CDliner 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.
Critical reception
Alive & Amplified was met with "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 51 based on 13 reviews.[1]
↑Gone is the rock'n'roll grit reminiscent of '70s Detroit rock, and in its place is a stylishly tailored sound more akin to '60s California pop. [Sep 2004, p.136]
↑This is rock theater of the most uninspired kind. [Aug 2004, p.136]
↑Unfortunately, the Mooneys' concept of mass appeal... includes embarrassing homages to the glory of rock (and groupies) and a Bic-lighter ballad that's pure Hootie. [20/27 Aug 2004, p.126]
↑Some kind of Californian 5th Dimension/Phil Spector hybrid. All apologies, guys, but it comes off about as genuine as Phil Spector's current legal defense. [#11, p.94]
↑Like the enraged hormones of Iggy Pop slugging it out with the grandiose pomp of Queen. [28 Aug 2004, p.57]
↑They're a bit like '80s vintage Judas Priest but not quite as good. Or indeed as gay. [Sep 2004, p.99]
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