Recording Dates: 5th June 1972 / 17th May 1973 The Paris Theatre.
Many groups have been tagged "the hardest working band in the business" but during their Seventies heyday Nazareth had a better claim to the title than most They launched their career with an 18-month tour of their Scottish homeland and moved on to conquer England, Europe and the States in similar fashion. Their brand of aggressive, unadulterated heavy rock was heard at its best in live performance and during years of incessant touring Nazareth deservedly developed a huge worldwide following.
The long haul to the top began in Dunfermline, Scotland in the mid-Sixties, when vocalist Dan McCafferty, bassist Pete Agnew and drummer Darrell Sweet played in local group the Shadettes. In 1969 they joined with lead guitarist Manny Charlton to form Nazareth, taking their name from the classic Band song 'The Weight ' A year and a half on the road secured a solid Scottish audience but in 1971 the group moved to London in search of a record deal and wider commercial success. They signed to B&C Records and were introduced to the music press at a Soho stripclub, an occasion of memorable showbiz excess.
The hype took some living down and neither their debut album 'Nazareth9 nor the single release 'Morning Dew' made the charts. Their second album 'Exercises/ released in 1972, fared no better. But while record sales were disappointing, Nazareth throughout this period were gigging all over England and acquiring a reputation - especially on the college circuit - as a dynamic live act.
Their reward finally came in 1973, a year when several other Scottish acts (the Average White Band, Glencoe, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band) also struck lucky in England. A tour supporting Deep Purple introduced Nazareth to Purple bassist Roger Glover, who saw the group's potential and offered to produce their next album. 'Razamanaz9 proved their breakthrough release, climbing to No. 11 on the U.K. album charts and spawning two Top Ten singles, 'Broken Down Angel' and 'Bad Bad Boy.' Another Glover-produced album, 'Loud 9n9 Proud/ followed later the same year and established the band in Europe, reaching No. 1 in Sweden, Switzerland and Finland and No.2 in Germany. It also featured another hit single, and unusual hard-rock version of Joni Mitchell's 'This Flight Tonight' Guitarist Manny Charlton took over as producer for the next album, 'Hair Of The Dog9 (1975), which gave the group their biggest American album success, reaching No. 17 on the Billboard charts. The flow of hit singles continued with another unexpected cover version, Dan McCafferty exchanging his customary growl for an arresting high-pitched delivery on 'My White Bicycle, ' originally recorded in the Sixties by the psychedelic group Tomorrow. The Everly Brothers' oldie 'Love Hurts' was next to receive the Nazareth treatment and became the group's only LJ.S. Top Ten hit.
By this time the group's extensive touring had enabled them to break into several international markets and the album 'Rampant/ released in 1975, was certified gold in Canada prior to release. With Manny charlton again producing, the album featured Jon Lord of Deep Purple guesting on keyboards. The same year saw the release of a Dan McCafferty solo album. More albums followed in 1976 and 1977 - 'Close Enough For Rock 9n9 roll/ 'Play The Game9 and 'Expect No Mercy9 - but while the first of these made the U.S. charts this was generally a leaner period commercially for the band. An upturn in their fortunes came with the addition to the group of guitarist Zal Cleminson co-wrote many of the tracks on the album 'No Mean City9 (1979), which became Nazareth's most successful British album for almost five years and produced a Top Thirty single, 'May The Sun Shine.'
The Eighties brought further personnel changes. Cleminson left in 1980 and in 1981 keyboardist John Locke (formerly of Spirit) and guitarist Billy Rankin were added to the line-up. The band continued releasing albums (including 'Snaz/ a double live set recorded in Canada in 1981) but their days as a major chart act were over. Their live performances continued to pack in the crowds, however, and the reissue in the late Eighties of much of their early material bears witness to their enduring appeal.
On this album, culled from two BBC 'In Concert' appearances in 1972 and 1973, Nazareth are captured in stunning form, performing to an enthusiastic live audience with characteristic energy and aggression. Crank up the volume and prepare yourself for an undiluted dose of classic rock at its hardest.
ALAN GARDINER. Recording Dates: 5th June 1972/ 17th May 1973, The Paris Theatre.