The Quality of Mercy is the sixth and final studio album by English rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, which was released by Gott Discs on 3 October 2005.

[5][6][7] In August 2004, Harley commented in an online diary entry that he was still writing new material and that the upcoming album would include "A Friend for Life" and "The Last Feast".

[9][10] In a diary entry from that month, Harley commented of the week-long recording session, "We are all pretty high, to be honest.

The band have played with spirit and shown an understanding of my new songs that comes best from musicians you've got close to over hundreds of touring concerts.

"[15]"Journey's End (A Father's Promise)" was written when Harley's son, Kerr Nice, left his parents' home.

Harley described the song as "dancey, romantic (even saucy, dear)" in a diary entry and added, "Sounds extremely radio-friendly to my old ears at this stage, and so I will probably (shamefully) gear it deliberately in that direction.

The song recalls Harley's near-fatal contraction of childhood polio and was written in a couple of days at Algarve in Portugal.

The song debuted at Harley's concert at Blackheath Halls in October 2000, and live versions played between then and 2005 fluctuated between having 8 and 10 verses.

[11] In an October 2008 interview on songwriting and poetry for The Argotist Online, Harley spoke of the structure of "The Coast of Amalfi", saying, "I have written several songs with no middle-eight, no discernable bridge, and even no chorus, per se.

"[17] In 2008, the Belgian musical actor Hans Peter Janssens recorded a version of the song in Italian ("La Costa Di Amalfi").

[21] During the summer of 2005, British photographer Mick Rock visited London to feature on an episode of Harley's BBC Radio 2 show Sounds of the 70s.

After recording the show, the pair then went outside Broadcasting House for an impromptu photo session for The Quality of Mercy cover.

[22] The Quality of Mercy was released on CD in the UK on 3 October 2005 by Gott Discs, with Pinnacle Records handling the distribution.

[23] The album was released to coincide with the band's upcoming UK and European tour, Harley's largest since the 1970s, which was made up of over 50 dates between late September and early December.

[24] In his effort to complete the album on time, the mixing was undertaken in six days at Harley's home with the assistance of engineer Matt Butler.

[28] On its release, The Sunday Express commented, "A genuine Seventies pop maverick, Harley has evolved into a highly-literate and intimate balladeer.

"[34] Nick Dalton of Record Collector said, "Harley's first Cockney Rebel album in 26 years may owe more to his softer, recent solo work, but it's sublime.

"[29] Steve Best of Cross Rhythms described the album as "a fine piece of work" and added, "It is beautifully written and performed with a very British folk-pop sound.

"[30] Nick Hasted of Uncut wrote, "The acerbic swagger of Harley's real Rebel years is absent on this set.

Harley's concerns now are adult: fathers and sons, nostalgia and ennui, presented with the self-importance of an adolescent, minus the energy.

'A Friend for Life' retains some brutal Cockney bite about married stasis, and 'The Coast of Amalfi's dope reverie is artful.