Nazareth Greatest Hits CD

All tracks have been digitally remastered.
This is part of A&M Records' Backlot series.
Audio Remasterer: Dave Collins .
Liner Note Author: Sam Graham.
Photographer: Stuart Watson .
The Scottish band Nazareth, which took its name from a line in the Band's "The Weight," occupies an unusual place in hard rock because it alternates between unlikely cover songs and rugged-and-ragged originals. Vocalist Dan McCafferty is capable of singing relatively smoothly, but his sandpaper voice is usually rough enough to make Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, and AC/DC's Brian Johnson sound like silky hotel lounge crooners. The CD version of 1996's outstanding Greatest Hits captures 18 choice songs from Nazareth's 1973-1982 prime on A&M. For most of these years, the band consisted of McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton, bass guitarist Pete Agnew, and drummer Darrell Sweet. Critics hated Nazareth, especially since the band first gained attention -- and probably horrified territorial folk purists -- with a hard-driving interpretation of Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight." Nazareth's two musical sides are best illustrated by 1975's Hair of the Dog. The title track, which casual fans might mistakenly think is actually titled for its relentless "Now you're messin' with a son of a bitch" chorus, is a dangerous, fiery winner, while the sensitive cover of the Boudleaux Bryant-penned "Love Hurts" was a major hit single and a power ballad prototype. Both are included here, of course. The seven-minute take on the Bonnie Dobson/Tim Rose-penned folk-rock standard "(Walk Me Out in the) Morning Dew" from 1981 showed a willingness to experiment that one would've expected from a progressive rock band during the previous decade, while 1982's sleek, infectious "Love Leads to Madness" demonstrates the direction hard rock was moving at the time. The jangly "Broken Down Angel" is similar to Rolling Stones-style country-rock. Nazareth is, ultimately, a hard rock band, and the other songs here that reinforce this are "Razamanaz," "Shanghai'd in Shanghai," and "Go Down Fighting." Greatest Hits won't cause a critical re-examination of Nazareth but, in all fairness, it should. ~ Bret Adams
Not to be confused with the 1975 release of the same name, Nazareth's GREATEST HITS collection from 1996 expands the original's meager 12 tracks to a meaty 18 cuts clocking in at more than 72 minutes. The Scottish band's bluesy heavy metal made them one of the '70s top hard rock acts, and all their major rockers and power ballads can be found here.
Among these are the roaring rocker "Hair of the Dog" (a song that Guns N' Roses would cover on their 1993 all covers album, THE SPAGHETTI INCIDENT), "Expect No Mercy," "Razamanaz," "Broken Down Angel," "Shanghai'd in Shanghai," and of course, the proto-power ballad "Love Hurts." GREATEST HITS covers all the bases, making it an essential purchase for Nazareth fans everywhere.
The Scottish band Nazareth, which took its name from a line in the Band's "The Weight," occupies an unusual place in hard rock because it alternates between unlikely cover songs and rugged-and-ragged originals. Vocalist Dan McCafferty is capable of singing relatively smoothly, but his sandpaper voice is usually rough enough to make Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, and AC/DC's Brian Johnson sound like silky hotel lounge crooners. The CD version of 1996's outstanding Greatest Hits captures 18 choice songs from Nazareth's 1973-1982 prime on A&M. For most of these years, the band consisted of McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton, bass guitarist Pete Agnew, and drummer Darrell Sweet. Critics hated Nazareth, especially since the band first gained attention -- and probably horrified territorial folk purists -- with a hard-driving interpretation of Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight." Nazareth's two musical sides are best illustrated by 1975's Hair of the Dog. The title track, which casual fans might mistakenly think is actually titled for its relentless "Now you'