Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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Nazareth are a Scottish hard rock band, founded in 1968, that had several hits in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s, and established an international audience with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog. Perhaps their best-known hit single was a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts", in 1975. The band continues to record and tour.

Nazareth formed in December 1968 in Dunfermline, Scotland, from the remaining members of semi-professional local group The Shadettes (formed in 1961) by vocalist Dan McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton (ex Mark V and The Red Hawks), bassist Pete Agnew, and drummer Darrell Sweet. They were inspired by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Nazareth took their name from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, which is cited in the first line of The Band's classic song "The Weight" ("I pulled into Nazareth / Was feelin' about half past dead…"). Nazareth's cover version of "Java Blues" by The Band's bassist/singer Rick Danko and Emmett Grogan is on their 1981 live album Snaz.

The band moved to London, England in 1970, and released their eponymous debut album in 1971. After getting some attention with their second album Exercises, released in 1972, Nazareth supported Deep Purple on tour, and issued the Roger Glover-produced Razamanaz, in early 1973. This collection spawned two UK Top Ten hits, "Broken Down Angel" and "Bad Bad Boy". This was followed by Loud 'N' Proud in late 1973, which contained another hit single with a cover of Joni Mitchell's song "This Flight Tonight". Then came another album Rampant, in 1974, that was equally successful although its only single, "Shanghai'd in Shanghai", narrowly missed the British Top 40.[3] A non-album song, again a cover version, this time of Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle", was a UK Top 20 entry in 1975.

Hair of the Dog was released in April 1975 and was produced by Manny Charlton, ending Roger Glover's association with the band. The title track of that album (popularly, though incorrectly, known as "Son of a Bitch" due to its hook lyric) became a staple of 1970s rock radio. The American version of the album included a song originally recorded by The Everly Brothers, the melodic Boudleaux Bryant-penned ballad "Love Hurts", that was released as a hit single in the UK and in the US, where it went platinum. The track became the band's only US Top Ten hit. and was also a top 10 hit in nine other countries, reaching number 1 in six of them. The song was on the Norwegian chart for 60 weeks.

In 1979, second guitarist Zal Cleminson was added to the line-up, remaining for two albums, No Mean City and Malice in Wonderland, and contributing numerous compositions. Malice in Wonderland contained the single "Holiday". In 1981, they contributed the song "Crazy (A Suitable Case for Treatment)" to the soundtrack to the film, Heavy Metal.

Various Nazareth line-ups continued to make studio albums and tour throughout the 1980s and 1990s, although their popularity had declined such that some albums no longer received either a UK or a US release. They remained popular in Europe, particularly Germany, where "Dream On" became a hit single. In 1991, Billy Rankin returned to replace Manny Charlton on the No Jive album, remaining with the band until 1994.

A tribute came in 1993 when Guns N' Roses covered Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" on "The Spaghetti Incident?", consolation after they turned down Axl Rose's request for the group to play at his wedding. Rankin departed again in 1994, but with Jimmy Murrison and keyboard player Ronnie Leahy, Nazareth maintained a live following in Europe and the US.

Nazareth continued touring after Rankin's departure, with Jimmy Murrison and keyboard player Ronnie Leahy. While on tour in 1999, original drummer Darrell Sweet died at age 51 of a heart attack. He was replaced by bassist Pete Agnew's son Lee for later editions of the band.

On 4 August 2006, John Locke, the former keyboardist of the band, died from cancer at the age of 62.

In February 2008, The Newz was released on the Hamburg-based label, Edel Entertainment. The release of the album coincided with Nazareth's fortieth anniversary tour, which started on 25 January in Sweden and visited most of Europe, finished on 4 November 2008 in Norway. A follow up album, Big Dogz, was released on 15 April 2011.

Nazareth announced McCafferty's retirement from the band due to ill health on 28 August 2013, leaving Pete Agnew as the sole remaining original member of the band. On 22 February 2014, it was announced that Scottish singer Linton Osborne was chosen as McCafferty's replacement, with the former singer's blessing. In December 2014, Nazareth announced the cancellation of several shows, and later postponement of their UK tour, due to Osborne contracting a virus that left him unable to perform. In a post on his Facebook page 16 January 2015, Osborne announced his departure from the band.

On 13 February 2015, the band announced that Carl Sentance, formerly of Persian Risk, Geezer Butler Band, and Krokus, was their new lead vocalist

~ wiki

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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This 1971 self-titled debut may stun fans who are accustomed to the hard-driving rock and gritty power ballads that characterize Nazareth's more popular work. Nazareth is a diverse collection of songs that points the way towards the pop leanings that would dominate the group's later output. Although it lacks the consistency of later albums like Hair of the Dog and Expect No Mercy, fans of 1970s rock will find plenty to enjoy on this surprisingly adventurous disc. The overall sound is softer than the hard rock the group is best known for, but that doesn't mean the album isn't lacking in good old-fashioned rock & roll. "Witchdoctor Woman" is a moody rocker built on a slow, spooky fuzz guitar riff, and the group's sinister cover of "Morning Dew" transforms this folk classic into a hard rock epic that provides a powerful showcase for Manny Charlton's powerful but imaginative guitar work. A lot of time is also devoted to country-styled ballads like "I Had a Dream" and "Country Girl," which set dreamy melodies against a gentle backdrop of keyboards and steel guitar. The most surprising thing about Nazareth is the experimental, effects-laden approach used to bring the songs to life; the best example is the use of a voice box guitar for the much of the vocal on "Fat Man," which enhances the loneliness of the lyrics. There are also touches of orchestration, the most interesting use appearing on "Red Light Lady," a song that starts off as a steamy, guitar-heavy rocker but transforms midway through into a stately ballad driven by a powerful string arrangement. All in all, Nazareth tries out too many different styles to ever cohere, but it does effectively show off the chops and songwriting skills of this oft-underrated band. It is a necessary listen for the group's fans and may even win over '70s rock fans who wouldn't normally go for the Nazareth sound.

by Donald A. Guarisco, AMG

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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Listening to Exercises by '70s Scottish hard rockers Nazareth just one time will make you wonder how this could possibly be the same band that went on to record such hard rock classics as "Hair of the Dog," "Bad, Bad, Boy," and "Love Hurts." Exercises, the band's sophomore effort, is a collection of mostly acoustic tracks with lush harmonies and little sign of the driving in-your-face rock that they showcased on their debut Nazareth. The album has a few good moments but it certainly is a document of a band that has made a temporary mistake in deciding their musical direction. The band was known for being a pure powerful hard rock band in concert and on later releases, but on this album they decided to abandon the riff-heavy guitar assault they showcased as a live act. On tracks like "Madelaine" and "In My Time," the band comes across more like laid-back English pop balladeers Badfinger than their real contemporaries like Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy. The role of acoustic folkies does not suit Nazareth well. There are a few strong moments on the album. "Woke Up This Morning" is a strong track that provides a bluesy vocal performance by Dan McCafferty, driving rhythm, and some great slide guitar work by Manny Charlton. "Called Her Name" is another song where the listener will find the band hitting full stride and sounding much more comfortable. Unfortunately, moments like these are too far and few between on this album. Fortunately with the help of Deep Purple bassist/producer Roger Glover, the band managed to return to their hard rock style and finally captured their live sound on their follow-up album, 1973's Razamanaz, which cemented their reputation as an upper-echelon hard rock act of the '70s.

by Paul Tinelli, AMG

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After putting themselves on the hard rock map with Razamanaz, Nazareth took their new, forceful style even further the next year on Loud & Proud. With Roger Glover once again at the controls, the group added even higher levels of distortion and energy to create one of the hardest rocking items in their catalog: "Go Down Fighting" starts the album with a sonic boom thanks to its blend of furious riffing with a breathless tempo, and the group's cover of "Teenage Nervous Breakdown" transforms this Little Feat into a runaway locomotive of hard rock riffing. However, the album's definitive moment of heaviness is their extended reworking of Bob Dylan's "The Ballad of Hollis Brown," which drenches the tune in ungodly levels of feedback to create an ominous, horror movie-style feel. Loud & Proud also produced another hit single for the group with a cover of Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight," which transforms the wistful original into a throbbing rock song. The end result of this ultra-heavy approach is that the album lacks the accessibility and high level of experimentation that characterized Razamanaz. That said, the album does retain a few stylistic curve balls to keep listeners on their toes: "Turn on Your Receiver" is a mid-tempo slice of country rock (complete with an exaggerated Southern accent in the vocal) and "Child in the Sun," a stately ballad dominated by acoustic guitars. In the end, Loud & Proud lacks the crossover appeal of Razamanaz but remains a bracing collection of rockers that will entertain Nazareth fans and anyone else with a yen for 1970s hard rock.

by Donald A. Guarisco, AMG

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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After pursuing a Rolling Stones-styled blend of rock and country elements on their first two albums, Nazareth segued into a harder rocking style with 1973's Razamanaz. The resulting album has a lot of energy and drive and much of this can be credited to Roger Glover's production, which tempers the group's tendency to experiment with different musical styles by imposing an overall sound that play's up the group's hard rock edge. The end result is an album that rocks consistently throughout but works in intriguing musical elements to keep things interesting. For instance, "Alcatraz" and "Night Woman" work a glam-styled tribal drum rhythm into the group's sound, and "Vigilante Man" starts out as a straight blues tune but soon mutates into a stomping slice of heavy metal. The most successful experiments come when the group works a country element into their rock attack: "Broken Down Angel" sounds like an early 1970s Rolling Stones track with heavier guitars, and "Bad Bad Boy" sounds like an old rockabilly tune as played by a 1970s hard rock band. Both tunes cleverly mix some effective pop hooks into their stew of hard rock and country elements and became hit singles in England as a result. Other Razamanaz highlights include the title track, a furious rocker that became a permanent part of the band's live set list, and "Woke Up This Morning," a heavy blues tune with darkly comic lyrics about a man with terminally bad luck. To sum up, Razamanaz is one of the finest albums in the Nazareth catalog and a gem of 1970s hard rock in general.

by Donald A. Guarisco, AMG

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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Nazareth's second album of 1974 finds the group tempering the four-on-the-floor hard rock attack they developed on Loud and Proud by working a surprising and effective Southern rock edge into the songs. The end result is an album that sounds like a crossbreeding of early AC/DC and Lynyrd Skynyrd at their hardest rocking. Some of the country-tinged highlights include "Glad When You're Gone," a funny kissoff to an unwanted lover that pairs hillbilly-styled singing with wah-wah-drenched guitar riffs, and "Jet Lag," a tongue-in-cheek look at life as a touring rock & roller that is driven by some. However, the finest song in this vein is the powerful opener "Silver Dollar Forger"; this hard rocking tale of an outlaw racing home with the cops on his tail has a suprisingly elaborate arrangement and plenty of driving guitar riffs. It feels like the theme song to the great 1970s car chase movie that never was. Rampant also spawned a hit single and radio favorite with "Shanghai'd in Shanghai," a pile-driving rocker that works an effective stomping beat into its shout-along chorus. The downside of this album is that it lacks the experimental edge of Razamanaz; there is little variation in the style or musical elements from song to song. That said, Rampant is a consistently energetic and engaging collection of Southern-tinged hard rock that will please Nazareth's fanbase and may even win over fans of groups like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet with its effective grasp of Southern boogie.

by Donald A. Guarisco, AMG

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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After cornering the hard rock market in 1975 with the international success of Hair of the Dog, Nazareth surprised fans and listeners alike the next year when they traded that style for a softer, more AOR approach on Close Enough for Rock & Roll. The resulting album isn't as successful as their previous one, but is a tuneful affair that offers plenty of highlights for the Nazareth fan. This time out, they go for an across-the-board experimental approach that covers everything from their traditional hard rock to country-rock and even straight pop tunes. The ultimate example of this experimentation is "Telegram," a four-part rock opera about life on tour for a rock band that starts as a frenzied rocker and ends a piano-led sing-along. Other strong tracks include "You're the Violin," a hard rocking love song that includes plenty of inventive guitar work to bring its music as love metaphors to life, and "Carry Out Feelings," a poppy love lament that successfully incorporates a reggae groove into the band's sound. Although hard rock is downplayed in general on this album, Close Enough for Rock & Roll does sport a few sharp rockers: "Born Under the Wrong Side" uses driving voice box guitar riffs to create a menacing atmosphere, and "Lift the Lid" is an effective slice of boogie rock. All in all, Close Enough for Rock & Roll is too unfocused to fully succeed as an album but offers solid tunes and the quality musicianship necessary to back them up. Casual fans may want to pick up the album's radio hits on a compilation, but this album is a worthwhile listen for the hardcore Nazareth addict.

by Donald A. Guarisco, AMG

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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Play 'N' the Game found Nazareth continuing in the AOR direction they established with Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll. Like that album, it trades the driving rock that made the group famous for an experimental sound that toys with several different musical genres. For instance, "Down Home Girl" is a stab at Southern rock, and the group's cover of the Beach Boys classic "Wild Honey" slows down that song's tempo to create an effects-laden psychedelic atmosphere. Elsewhere, the group covers the hard rock bases with "Someone to Roll" and "Born to Love," a pair of energetic, guitar-driven rockers that would have fit in fine on Razamanaz or Loud & Proud. They also cross-breed the energy of these tracks with pop hooks on "L.A. Girls," a nimble bit of pop/rock fusion where speedy guitar riffs duke it out a with handclap-driven pop song beat. However, the undeniable highlights of Play 'N' the Game are its ballads: "I Want to Do Everything for You" is a promise of eternal love built on a swinging and pleasingly earthy bass groove and "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" is a moody tale of lost love that shows off Manny Charlton's ability to craft the soft but powerful guitar riffs necessary for a good power ballad. This album benefits from a more consistent overall sound than Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll, but its shifts in tone are too abrupt for their own good, making the proceedings come off as a loose collection of songs instead of a fully conceived album. Despite this problem, Play 'N' the Game is an effective slice of AOR that will please the Nazareth fan base.

by Donald A. Guarisco, AMG

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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On this 1977 album, Nazareth makes a full-blooded return to the hard rock sound they had neglected since their success with Hair of the Dog. The result is a potent, driving slab of hard rock that will please Nazareth fans and devotees of 1970s hard rock alike. The album sets its frenzied tone right off the bat with its title track, a blistering rocker that features Dan McCafferty spitting out a sharp-edged vocal about life's cruelty over a series of fast and relentless guitar riffs. The remainder of the album prominently features a similarly brutal string of rockers: standouts include "Revenge Is Sweet," a paean to getting even that combines chugging guitar riffs with a stomping beat, and "Gimme What's Mine," a fierce declaration of dominance that layers Southern rock-styled riffs over a churning bassline. Despite this preponderance of hard rocking tunes, Expect No Mercy isn't just a guitar-fest. It also takes time to explore country-rock (there is an excellent, rocked-up cover of the country standard "Busted" as well as a honky tonk-style original called "Place in Your Heart") and even a little bit of funk (a hard-grooving slice of funk-rock fusion called "New York Broken Toy"). The album never takes the daring stylistic chance within the hard rock formula that distinguished Razamanaz or Hair of the Dog, but this is minor quibble in light of the album's high levels of consistency and quality. In short, Expect No Mercy is a treat for Nazareth fans and a solid listen for any hard rock fan who wants a good indication of the group's style.

by Donald A. Guarisco, AMG

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Nazareth: 9 Albums Collection (1971-1978) [2006, Air Mail Archive, Japan]

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This 1978 album found Nazareth continuing to mine the combination of stripped-down hard rock and roots rock sounds explored on 1977's Expect No Mercy. No Mean City is also notable because the veteran Scottish rock outfit expanded its lineup for the first time with addition of guitarist Zal Cleminson, formerly of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. He helped the band create a gutsy twin-guitar attack that stamps its authority all over the album: prime example of the group's new firepower include "Just to Get Into It," a blinding speed rocker that provides the album with a fitting opener, and "Simple Solution," a hard-driving slab of boogie rock that sets cynical lyrics against the backdrop of a gritty, hypnotic guitar riff. Another major highlight is "May the Sunshine," which starts as a Celtic-inflected acoustic tune, but soon adds electric guitars and rumbling bassline to become a stomping folk metal tune in the style of Led Zeppelin. However, the album's secret gem is "Star," a power ballad about a love affair broken up by the music biz that is driven by a sweetly harmonized guitar riff almost as heart-tugging as the song's lyrics. The problems with No Mean City is that while all of its rockers are sturdy, some of them pale in comparison to these highlights: an example is "Claim to Fame," a rocker that relies upon endless repetition of its central riff but is saved by a ferocious vocal from Dan McCafferty. Also, the emphasis on heavy twin-guitar means there is less of the experimentation that distinguishes the best Nazareth album. That said, No Mean City remains a bracing and electric set of hard rock tunes that is well worth a listen for both Nazareth fans and anyone addicted to 1970s hard rock.

by Donald A. Guarisco, AMG