Nazareth -

Nazareth are a Scottish hard-rock band from Dunfermline, formed in 1968 with Dan McCafferty, Manny Charlton, Pete Agnew, and Darrell Sweet. On their first two albums, Nazareth and Exercises, they established a four-piece attack built on blunt riffs, hard backbeats, and McCafferty’s rasp.

Roger Glover produced the run from Razamanaz through Rampant and locked in their mix of fast stompers, midtempo grinders, and longer, darker set-pieces. Their key singles split between punchy rockers (“Broken Down Angel,” “Bad Bad Boy,” “This Flight Tonight,” “My White Bicycle”) and slow-burn ballads driven by McCafferty’s sustained climb (“Love Hurts”).

Hair of the Dog and Expect No Mercy tightened the riff focus and pushed Charlton’s slide and talk-box colors to the front. No Mean City added Zal Cleminson and thickened the guitar front line, yet kept room for acoustic shuffles and power-ballads (“Star”).

In the early 1980s, Nazareth entered the video age with the MTV staples “Holiday” and “Love Leads to Madness.” John Locke and Billy Rankin broadened their scope on 2XS, pairing harder cuts with synth-and-machine passages and rhythmic detours. Across the decade, their catalog alternated riff-first rockers, country/folk turns, and softer numbers, with occasional funk and reggae accents.

Members: Pete Agnew (bass, vocals), Dan McCafferty (vocals, 1968-2013), Darrell Sweet (drums, percussion, vocals, 1968-99), Manny Charlton (guitar, banjo, synthesizer, vocals, 1968-90), Zal Cleminson (guitar, synthesizer, 1978-80), Billy Rankin (guitar, keyboards, 1980-83, 1990-94), John Locke (keyboards, 1980-82)

Background

Nazareth formed in December 1968 from the remnants of Dunfermline beatsters The Shadettes, which included vocalist Dan McCafferty (b. William Daniel McCafferty; October 14, 1946), guitarist Manny Charlton (b. July 25, 1941; La Línea, Spain), bassist Pete Agnew (b. September 14, 1946), and drummer Darrell Sweet (b. May 16th, 1947; Bournemouth).

Their name originates from the Pennsylvanian city mentioned in “The Weight,” a Robbie Robertson/Band song covered recently by Spooky Tooth. In 1970, Nazareth moved to London and linked with Pegasus, a just-launched progressive subsidiary of B & C Records.

Nazareth

Nazareth released their self-titled debut album in November 1971 on Pegasus.

The album contains eight group-composed originals, including “The King is Dead,” “Empty Arms, Empty Heart,” and “Red Light Lady.” The album’s one cover is a seven-minute version of the Tim Rose–Bonnie Dobson composition “Morning Dew,” released as a single with the non-album flip “Spinning Top.” Nazareth features several guest musicians, including Arzachel/Egg keyboardist Dave Stewart (“Red Light Lady”), Cochise slide-guitarist B.J. Cole, and Keef Hartley Band pianist Pete Wingfield (“Country Girl”).

Nazareth opens with “Witchdoctor Woman” on a blunt midtempo stomp: thick, bright guitar crunch rides over thumping drums and a pulsing bass line, with Dan McCafferty moving between coarse low lines and higher cries. “Dear John” shifts to barroom piano boogie with a fast, rolling pulse, while “Empty Arms, Empty Heart” keeps weight in the low end and breaks pace with tempo turns around the riff. “Red Light Lady” runs as a two-part suite: Part 1 starts from a seedy, exposed bass figure and locks into a strutting rock drive where McCafferty leans into a raspier edge; Part 2 slows for an atmospheric organ rise, then pushes into a bigger, uplifted peak with strings under the final lift.

“Fat Man” hits as another riff-heavy bruiser, but voice effects and novelty phrasing undercut the heft. “Morning Dew” stretches into a long, spaced-out performance built on thrumming bass, sustained reverb on the guitars, and a slow-burn tension arc. The album closes its softer side with “I Had a Dream” as a plain ballad, “Country Girl” as a calmer, country-tinged slow track, and “The King Is Dead” as an orchestral ballad with a folk-leaning, romantic frame and string weight.

A1. “Witchdoctor Woman” (4:06)
A2. “Dear John” (3:45)
A3. “Empty Arms, Empty Heart” (3:17)
A4. “I Had a Dream” (3:22)
A5. “Red Light Lady (Part 1 & 2)” (5:56)

B1. “Fat Man” (3:23)
B2. “Country Girl” (4:03)
B3. “Morning Dew” (7:05)
B4. “King Is Dead” (5:42)

Nazareth recorded the album at Trident Studios with David Hitchcock, a soundman on 1970/71 albums by Aardvark, Walrus, Satisfaction, Jan Dukes de Grey, and East of Eden. This was an early credit for Roy Thomas Baker, who engineered Nazareth amid work on albums by Osibisa, T. Rex, John Kongos, and John Entwistle.

Nazareth sports a xeroxed medium upshot of the band by Jim Wilson, a photographer also credited on sleeves by fellow Scotsmen the Sensational Alex Harvey Band and comedian (and former Humblebum) Billy Connolly. The Nazareth sleeve design and plunged-baseline logo is credited to CCS Advertising Associates Ltd., the firm behind visuals to 1970–71 albums by Audience (Friend’s Friend’s Friend), Bob Marley & The Wailers, Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Tarkus), Free (Highway), IF (If 2), Jethro Tull (Aqualung), King Crimson (Lizard), Procol Harum, Tír na nÓg, and Van der Graaf Generator (The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other).

In January 1972, Pegasus lifted “Dear John” as the first Nazareth single, backed with the non-album “Friends.” In July, “Morning Dew” became the album’s second single, backed with another rarity, “Spinning Top.” In December (after their second album), “Dear John” reappeared with a third exclusive b-side, “Occasional Failure.”

B. “Friends”
B. “Spinning Top”
B. “Occasional Failure”

Nazareth was the tenth of fourteen Pegasus LP titles (PEG 10), slotted between label releases by Steeleye Span (Ten Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again, PEG 9) and Steeleye guitarist Martin Carthy (Shearwater, PEG 12). The label shortened its name to PEG for another short run. Abroad, Nazareth appeared on Philips (Europe) and Vertigo (New Zealand). Spanish copies have a red logo. In 1972, Warner Bros. issued the album in the US. Later CD pressings contain the non-album rarity “Friends.”

Exercises

Nazareth released their second album, Exercises, in July 1972 on Peg.

The album features ten group-written numbers, bookended by the epic tracks “I Will Not Be Led” and “1692 (Glencoe Massacre),” which both (along with “Sad Song”) feature string arrangements by Colin Frechter. This was their only pre-1979 album with no cover songs.

Manny Charlton plays steel, electric, and 6- and 12-string acoustic guitar on Exercises, which features ARP synthesizer by engineer David Hentschel on “Love, Now You’re Gone” and “Woke Up This Morning.” Two tracks, “Fool About You” and “Cat’s Eye, Apple Pie,” feature Liverpool harmonica player Judd Lander, who also plays bagpipes on “1692.”

Exercises opens “I Will Not Be Led” under dramatic strings, then drops into a light, downhome sway on “Cat’s Eye, Apple Pie,” where the playing leans on acoustic textures and flashes of slide guitar. “In My Time,” “Called Her Name,” and “Fool About You” keep the volume low and the pulse relaxed; “Called Her Name” pairs careful acoustic picking with a fat bottom end, then cuts the band to a roomy gap where group harmonies hang in open air before the instruments re-enter. “Madelaine” stretches into a slow six-minute lullaby built around Manny Charlton’s acoustic and clean electric lines, with an emotional solo and a repeating electric figure that snaps upward at the end of phrases.

“Sad Song” continues the orchestral ballad weight, while “Love Now You’re Gone” adds a cheesy but persistent bass-synth thread that turns the refrains into a soft, swelling peak. “Woke Up This Morning” breaks the spell with a bluesy riff and sharper attack, guitar solos pushing the track forward. The closer “1692 (Glen Coe Massacre)” sets martial snare patterns against pipes and strings, shaping the album’s most overtly Scottish scene with a slow, ceremonial rise.

A1. “I Will Not Be Led” (3:03)
A2. “Cat’s Eye, Apple Pie” (3:10)
A3. “In My Time” (3:30)
A4. “Woke Up This Morning” (3:14)
A5. “Called Her Name” (4:22)

B1. “Fool About You” (2:47)
B2. “Love, Now You’re Gone” (2:25)
B3. “Madelaine” (5:56)
B4. “Sad Song” (2:12)
B5. “1692 (Glen Coe Massacre)” (3:56)

Sessions occurred at Trident with Roy Thomas Baker, who earned his second production credit on Exercises after Fire and Water, the 1970 Free release. Baker rose to premium status with his next client, Queen.

Hentschel partook amid engineering work on 1972 albums by Al Stewart, Atomic Rooster, Audience, Home, Jackson Heights, and Mott the Hoople. He also played ARP on concurrent songs by Byzantium (“Something You Said”), Elton John (“Rocket Man”), and Colin Scot. Frechter’s strings grace period titles by Caravan, Nite People, and ex-Goliath singer Linda Rothwell.

The cover of Exercises was designed by CCS Associates, which also did the visuals for 1972 albums by Free (Heartbreaker), Roxy Music (Roxy Music), and Nick Drake (Pink Moon).

“If You See My Baby”

On September 22, 1972, Nazareth issued a standalone single: “If You See My Baby,” a self-produced original backed with “Hard Living,” a Baker-sessions outtake.

A. “If You See My Baby” (2:57)
B. “Hard Living”

After this final Peg release, Nazareth signed with Mooncrest Records, a newly established Charisma offshoot whose inaugural release, Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings, was an international bestseller for Swedish keyboardist Bo Hansson.

On October 30, Nazareth cut their first sessions for BBC Radio One DJ John Peel, whose 11/2 broadcast included renditions of “Red Light Lady,” “Fool About You,” and covers of Dion (“Ruby Baby”) and the Allman Brothers (“Black-Hearted Woman”).

Meanwhile, Nazareth linked with Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, who’d recently ventured into production work on albums by Rupert Hine and American hard-rockers Elf. Glover produced the next three Nazareth albums.

On April 2, 1973, Nazareth taped their second Peel session for the DJ’s 4/5 broadcast, which featured rough-takes of four upcoming album tracks: “Alcatraz,” “Broken Down Angel,” “Razamanaz,” and “Bad Bad Boy Broken Down Angel.”

Razamanaz

Nazareth released their third album, Razamanaz, in May 1973 on Mooncrest (UK), Philips (Europe, Oceania), and A&M (North America).

The album contains seven group-written originals, including “Too Bad, Too Sad,” “Night Woman,” a re-recorded “Woke Up This Morning,” and the much-covered title-track. Razamanaz also includes covers of Leon Russell (“Alcatraz”) and Woody Guthrie (“Vigilante Man”). “Bad Bad Boy” and “Broken Down Angel” both appeared as singles. Manny Charlton plays multiple guitars (acoustic, electric, slide) and banjo on the album.

Razamanaz hits fast with “Razamanaz,” a charged riff sprint with staggered guitar accents and Dan McCafferty pushing into high, rasped yelps over a tight, forward drum-and-bass drive. “Alcatraz” keeps the attack blunt but adds a tribal pulse—toms pushed up, the band riding a strutting pattern that snaps hard on the downbeats. “Vigilante Man” slows the pace and builds patiently, Manny Charlton laying pedal-steel color over an unhurried rise and occasional falsetto harmony flashes. “Woke Up This Morning” returns with a sharper, meatier re-cut, its momentum carried by slide guitar and a steadier, harder backbeat.

On side two, “Night Woman” pivots to a Diddley-stomp foundation with wah and droning, slightly psychedelic guitar noise, while the rhythm section threads in more “tribal” drum figures. “Bad, Bad Boy” runs on a boogie chassis, but the slide “shoots” through the gaps and does most of the lifting; “Sold My Soul” stretches longer and turns darker, saving its biggest moment for a late-arriving, heavier riff. “Too Bad, Too Sad” keeps the same compact rocker frame with a sardonic edge, and “Broken Down Angel” eases into a country-leaning closer with a simpler, smoother gait.

A1. “Razamanaz” (3:49)
A2. “Alcatraz” (4:20)
A3. “Vigilante Man” (5:23)
A4. “Woke Up This Morning” (3:50)

B1. “Night Woman” (3:26)
B2. “Bad, Bad Boy” (3:55)
B3. “Sold My Soul” (4:48)
B4. “Too Bad, Too Sad” (2:53)
B5. “Broken Down Angel” (3:45)

Roger Glover produced this album with the Pye Mobile Recording Unit at the Ganghut, an unspecified band location in Jamestown, Scotland.

Razamanaz features cover art by Ginhouse illustrator Dave Field, whose visuals also appear on 1973 albums by Hanson, Spiteri, Strider, and fellow Scots the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.

“Broken Down Angel” in late March as an advance single, backed with “Witchdoctor Woman” from the first album.

Nazareth mimed “Broken Down Angel” for the May 11 broadcast of the BBC music program Top of the Pops, which twice-aired the now-lost segment amid spring in-studio numbers by Medicine Head (“One and One Is One”), Sweet (Hell Raiser”), Stealers Wheel (“Stuck In the Middle With You”), Wizzard (“See My Baby Jive”), and Paul McCartney & Wings (“My Love”). “Broken Down Angel” reached No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart.

In July, Mooncrest lifted “Bad Bad Boy” as the second Razamanaz single, backed with the earlier non-album b-sides “Hard Living” and “Spinning Top.” Plugged with a second twice-aired TotP appearance, the single reached No. 10 in the UK.

Loud ‘n’ Proud

Nazareth released their fourth album, Loud ‘n’ Proud, on November 9, 1973, on Mooncrest, Vertigo (Europe, Oceania), and A&M (US, Canada).

Five of the album’s eight songs are group originals, including “Not Faking It,” “Go Down Fighting,” and “Free Wheeler.” Loud ‘n’ Proud also includes covers of Little Feat (“Teenage Nervous Breakdown”), Joni Mitchell (“This Flight Tonight”), and a lengthy rendition of Bob Dylan’s “The Ballad of Hollis Brown,” which features Pete Agnew on fuzz bass.

Loud ’n’ Proud runs on fast, compact rockers where the rhythm section stays tight and forward and Manny Charlton drops short, biting lead breaks between vocal lines. “Go Down Fighting” and “Not Faking It” push straight through on charged riff churn and a hard backbeat, while “Turn On Your Receiver” keeps the same framework but lightens the weight into a simpler, dance-ready pulse. “Freewheeler” sits lower and wider at midtempo, locking into a steady, repeating pattern that lets Charlton stack licks and longer solos across an extended tail.

The covers carry the sharpest contrasts: “Teenage Nervous Breakdown” snaps into a faster, near-punk sprint with thrashing drums, and “This Flight Tonight” rides a triplet-based drive with pulsing rhythm and a high, sustained vocal climb. “Child in the Sun” opens the space for a slower, rootsy ballad shape where the guitar work turns more intricate and “trick” oriented across the form. The closer, “The Ballad of Hollis Brown,” stretches past nine minutes as a bleak, repetitive bass figure under sparse, booming drums; feedback, phasing, and droning guitar layers thicken the air as the vocals rise from hoarse narration into harsher screams, and the closing section pivots to longer, darker soloing.

A1. “Go Down Fighting” (3:05)
A2. “Not Faking It” (3:43)
A3. “Turn On Your Receiver” (3:18)
A4. “Teenage Nervous Breakdown” (4:00)
A5. “Freewheeler” (5:31)

B1. “This Flight Tonight” (3:32)
B2. “Child In the Sun” (4:48)
B3. “The Ballad of Hollis Brown” (9:10)

Roger Glover produced the album at Ganghut with additional work in London at Apple Studios, where late-period Beatles soundman Geoff Emerick engineered Loud ‘n’ Proud in sequence with titles by Cockney Rebel (The Human Menagerie), Matthew Fisher (Journey’s End), Shoot, and the watershed Wings release Band On the Run. By now, Glover left Purple to work on a rock opera based on a 19th-century children’s poem.

The peacock illustration was the second piece that Nazareth commissioned from Dave Field, who did subsequent cover art for Status Quo (Quo), Thin Lizzy (Nightlife), and Uriah Heep (Return to Fantasy).

“This Flight Tonight” first appeared in late September as an advance single, backed with the Exercises cut “Called Her Name.” Nazareth twice mimed the song on TotP amid autumn hits by Bryan Ferry (“A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall”) and Lynsey De Paul (“Won’t Somebody Dance With Me”). “This Flight Tonight” reached No. 1 in Germany and No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart.

Loud ‘n’ Proud went to No. 1 in Austria, where the album appeared on Vertigo’s “spaceship” label. The album peaked at No. 3 in Finland, No. 8 in Germany, No. 9 in Norway, and No. 10 in the UK. In North America, the album placed modestly on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 17 in Canada, where “This Flight Tonight” became a Top 30 hit.

Rampant

Nazareth released their fifth album, Rampant, on April 26, 1974, on Mooncrest, Vertigo, and A&M.

Rampant starts with the buzzing fan-favorite “Silver Dollar Forger (Parts 1 & 2)” and proceeds through seven group originals, including “Loved and Lost,” “Glad When You’re Gone,” and “Shanghai’d in Shanghai,” the last two with piano by Jon Lord and backing vocals by Barry St. John, Liza Strike (both Dark Side of the Moon sessionists), and Vicky Brown (Strike’s cohort on two recent Manfred Mann Earth Band albums).

The only cover is the Yardbirds freakbeat classic “Shapes of Things,” affixed to the album-closing “Space Safari.” Rampant is the third and final Nazareth album produced by Roger Glover.

Rampant opens “Silver Dollar Forger (Parts 1 & 2)” at full crank, Darrell Sweet driving a brisk beat under Pete Agnew’s big, springy bass and Manny Charlton’s tightly shaped riff, then the song stacks rapid-fire lead bursts into a punchy close. “Glad When You’re Gone” keeps the tempo up but shifts into a retro boogie chassis, with harmonized vocals riding a simple, repeating frame. “Shanghai’d in Shanghai” leans into a looser, novelty-tinged strut—barroom piano and backing vocals sit high in the mix, and the band drops a fuzzed “Satisfaction” figure as a quick, bright jab before returning to the main riff.

“Jet Lag” relaxes into an easygoing sway, with a short wah statement and blues phrasing doing most of the color work. The album’s slower center turns on “Loved and Lost,” which holds a somber pace until Charlton injects harsher, more psychedelic guitar tone and expands the solo space toward the end, and “Sunshine,” which starts gentle on acoustic guitar and opens into a rambling electric solo. “Light My Way” sits low and thick, built around a slow blues line that gets smeared by phasing and distortion—effects hit both guitars and vocal, giving the track a stoned haze without changing the basic pulse. The closer “Shapes of Things / Space Safari” stretches the 1966 Yardbirds song into a longer, more “cosmic” finale, where the band breaks the song’s shape for extended, spaced-out noise and improvisatory lead passages.

A1. “Silver Dollar Forger Parts 1 & 2” (5:37)
A2. “Glad When You’re Gone” (4:07)
A3. “Loved and Lost” (5:10)
A4. “Shanghai’d In Shanghai” (3:33)

B1. “Jet Lag” (6:39)
B2. “Light My Way” (4:08)
B3. “Sunshine” (4:13)
B4. “Shapes of Thing / Space Safari” (6:16)

“Shanghai’d in Shanghai” first appeared in early March as an advance single, backed with the Exercises track “Love, Now You’re Gone.” The single reached No. 4 in Switzerland, No. 7 in Austria, and No. 14 in Germany.

Rampant sessions took place in Montreux, near the site of the 1971 casino fire immortalized in Deep Purple’s 1972 classic “Smoke On the Water.” Glover produced the album on the Rolling Stones‘ Mobile Unit with engineer Lou Austin, a soundman on 1974 albums by Be-Bop Deluxe (Axe Victim), Jack Bruce (Out of the Storm), Leo Sayer (Just a Boy), and Glover’s rock opera, The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper’s Feast.

The UK graphics firm Hipgnosis designed the Rampant cover, which features an illustration by American artist Joe Petagno, whose work appears on mid-Seventies albums by Renaissance (Turn of the Cards), Captain Beyond (Sufficiently Breathless), Baker Gurvitz Army (Baker Gurvitz Army, Elysian Encounter), Man (Welsh-Connection), The Graeme Edge Band (Kick Off Your Muddy Boots), Roy Harper (Valentine), Clifford T. Ward (Escalator), and The Kinks (Soap Opera).

Rampant became their second straight No. 1 album in Austria. The album peaked at No. 3 in Finland and Norway and No. 11 in Germany. Back home, Rampant reached No. 13 on the UK Albums Chart.

“Love Hurts”

On November 24, 1974, Nazareth issued a non-album cover: “Love Hurts,” a 1960 Everly Brothers album track backed with “Down,” an exclusive group original. Manny Charlton produced both sides.

A. “Love Hurts” (3:49) originated as a 1960 Everly Brothers deep cut; written by Nashville songwriter Boudleaux Bryant and covered in 1961 by Roy Orbison.
B. “Down” (3:52)

“Love Hurts” first charted in Europe, where the song reached No. 1 in Belgium, Norway, and the Netherlands. In Norway, the song spent 14 weeks atop the VG-Lista during a 61-week run.

Abroad, “Love Hurts” reached No. 1 in Canada and South Africa and went Top 10 in Argentina (No. 3), New Zealand (No. 4), Sweden (No. 6), and Australia (No. 8). However, Nazareth stalled at No. 41 with “Love Hurts” in the UK, where a subsequent version by ex-Traffic drummer Jim Capaldi reached No. 4 in late 1975.

Hair of the Dog

Nazareth released their sixth album, Hair of the Dog, on April 3, 1975, on Mooncrest, Vertigo, and A&M.

The original UK version contains six group-credited originals, including “Rose in the Heather,” “Changin’ Times,” and “Please Don’t Judas Me,” an epic with Chopyn drummer Simon Phillips on tabla. Hair of the Dog includes covers of Nils Lofgrens’ Grin (“Beggars Day”) and Randy Newman (“Guilty”). The latter features Hummingbird pianist Max Middleton and the “Shanghai’d” backing singers. Manny Charlton produced the album with added synthesizer parts.

Hair of the Dog opens with “Hair of the Dog” on a pulsing, bottom-heavy strut where cowbell locks the beat and Charlton’s riff circles tightly; a talk-box tint and a brief kazoo coda add rough humor around McCafferty’s throat-shredded refrain. “Miss Misery” slows to a heavier trudge, guitars sitting thick and blunt under McCafferty’s rasp, then the track drops into a short, quiet tail of echoey picking. “Changin’ Times” runs a chugging stop/start pattern and rolling riffs, then flips mid-song into a faster gear that clears space for longer, easygoing soloing. “Guilty” pulls the tempo down into a lonesome, slide-accented blues ballad, while “Love Hurts” (on editions that include it) stretches a slow arc around McCafferty’s sustained wail and a restrained, economical lead break.

“Beggar’s Day / Rose in the Heather” starts as a thumping rocker with biting vocal attack, then dissolves into “Rose in the Heather” as a gentler, dreamy instrumental where guitar effects and synthesised-string color lift the ending into a higher register. “Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman” rides a stomping blues frame with Charlton saving its best moment for the solo. “Please Don’t Judas Me” closes as a long, slow-build epic: ambient electronic buzz and dark slide layers gather over a martial drum pattern until backing voices swell and the final solo arrives as a sustained, cinematic peak.

A1. “Hair of the Dog” (4:10)
A2. “Miss Misery” (4:41)
A3. “Guilty” (3:38)
A4. “Changin’ Times” (6:03)

B1. “Beggars Day” (3:33)
B2. “Rose In the Heather” (2:35)
B3. “Whisky Drinkin’ Woman” (5:30)
B4. “Please Don’t Judas Me” (9:50)

Sessions occurred in London at AIR Studios, where Chopyn and Hummingbird soundman John Punter engineered Hair of the Dog amid work on titles by Caravan, Curved Air, Mr. Big, and SAHB. Additional work took place at Escape Studios, a recently opened Egerton facility used for 1973–75 albums by Horslips (The Tain), Planxty, String Driven Thing, and Zzebra. Manny Charlton produced Hair and the four subsequent Nazareth albums.

Hair of the Dog features cover art was illustrated by David Fairbrother-Roe, whose distinct fantasy imagery appears on subsequent albums by Jon Anderson (Olias of Sunhillow) and Popol Ace (Stolen From Time).

“Hair of the Dog” preceded its parent album as a March 1975 single, backed with the Razamanaz track “Too Bad, Too Sad.” The album itself reached No. 5 in Norway, No. 7 in Austria, and No. 14 in Finland.

On US copies, A&M replaced “Guilty” with “Love Hurts,” a huge non-album hit in other nations. Released as a 1975 US a-side (b/w “Hair of the Dog”), “Love Hurts” entered the Billboard Hot 100 in late November and peaked at No. 8 for the week of March 3, 1976. Hair of the Dog reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and No. 20 in Canada.

“My White Bicycle”

On April 25, 1975, Nazareth released a non-album cover of the Tomorrow psych classic “My White Bicycle,” backed with the Hair of the Dog track “Miss Misery.” Charlton produced both singles and the subsequent Nazareth album.

A. “My White Bicycle” (3:25) originated as the 1967 debut a-side by Tomorrow; written by singer Keith West and non-performing partner Ken Burgess.

Nazareth mimed “My White Bicycle” for the June 5 and 19 broadcasts of TotP, which thrice aired the song amid spring hits by 10cc (“I’m Not In Love”), David Essex (“Rolling Stone”), Retta Young (“Sending Out an S.O.S.”), and Roy Wood (“Oh What a Shame”). “My White Bicycle” reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart.

“Holy Roller”

On October 10, 1975, Nazareth released their third UK/European standalone single: “Holy Roller” backed with “Railroad Boy,” both group-credited originals.

A. “Holy Roller” (3:22)
B. “Railroad Boy” (4:05)

“Holy Roller” entered the UK and German Top 40’s and functioned as the new track on Greatest Hits, a Vertigo/A&M Nazareth compilation released in late 1975 with twelve songs from the Mooncrest era.

In November 1975, Dan McCafferty debuted as a solo artist with a self-titled album on Mountain. It features his raspy take on songs by the Rolling Stones (“Out of Time”), Little Feat (“Trouble”), Bob Dylan (“Boots of Spanish Leather”), Sam & Dave (“You Got Me Hummin”’), Doris Troy (“Watcha Gonna Do About It”), Neil Young (“Cinnamon Girl”), George Jones (“The Honky Tonk Downstairs”), The Platters (“The Great Pretender”), Ketty Lester (“You Can’t Lie to a Liar”), and the 1966 Lorraine Ellison belter “Stay With Me Baby.”

McCafferty’s version of “Out of Time” (a 1966 hit for Chris Farlowe) peaked just outside the UK Top 40.

Close Enough for Rock ‘n’ Roll

Nazareth released their seventh album, Close Enough for Rock ‘n’ Roll, in March 1976 on Mountain (UK), Vertigo, and A&M.

The album contains eight originals, including “Loretta,” “Lift the Lid,” and “Born Under the Wrong Sign,” which features the talk box, an effects unit recently popularized by Peter Frampton. The opener “Telegram” is a four-part epic with three original sections about life as a touring rock band, interpolated with the topical Byrds chestnut “So You Wanna Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.”

The closing track is a cover of “You’re the Violin,” a 1974 song by soul singer Rosey Grier. Its writer, Jeff Barry, was part of the Sixties Brill Building partnership Barry–Greenfield, the team behind hits by Manfred Mann (“Do Wah Diddy Diddy”), The Shangri-Las (“Leader of the Pack”), and numerous Phil Spector productions, including “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Then He Kissed Me,” “Be My Baby,” “Chapel of Love,” and the Ike & Tina Turner classic “River Deep – Mountain High.”

Close Enough for Rock ’n’ Roll opens with “Telegram,” a multi-part road-suite that starts from a repetitive piano-and-chug bed and builds in layers—bass and kick thicken the pulse, a brief “This Flight Tonight” snippet arrives like an FM radio bleed, then the track snaps through a short Byrds quotation and a brighter “soundcheck” burst with a pointed lead break before it drifts back into lighter, singalong cadence. The pace drops immediately for “Vicki,” a short, slow acoustic instrumental built on clean picking and open space, then “Homesick Again” keeps the acoustic drive but adds booming drums and larger, portentous vocal emphasis.

“Vancouver Shakedown” provides the most straight-ahead party rush, tight and loud, while “Born Under the Wrong Sign” turns darker and more rhythmic, with talk-box guitar and fuzzed, processed tones adding a “hi-tech” sheen over a funk-leaning tread and climactic chorus lift. “Loretta” stays slow and plain, “Lift the Lid” runs faster on a rumbling blues frame, and “Carry Out Feelings” veers into a reggae experiment built around an insistent cowbell pulse. The closer “You’re the Violin” finishes strongest: hard riffage under a passionate vocal, then a “heavenly” solo arrives and fades out quickly, leaving the ending suspended.

A1. “Telegram: On Our Way / So You Want to Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star / Sound Check / Here We Are Again” (7:11)
A2. “Vicki” (2:24)
A3. “Homesick Again” (4:30)
A4. “Vancouver Shakedown” (4:09)

B1. “Born Under the Wrong Sign” (3:56)
B2. “Loretta” (3:20)
B3. “Carry Out Feelings” (3:18)
B4. “Lift the Lid” (3:52)
B5. “You’re the Violin” (4:45)

Sessions took place at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Québec, where Punter co-engineered Close Enough with Canadian Nick Blagona, a soundman on 1975–76 albums by Aut’Chose, Lewis Furey, Lougarou, Pilot, and the Bee Gees (Children of the World). Punter engineered concurrent titles by A Raincoat, Doctors of Madness (Late Night Movies, All Night Brainstorms), Bryan Ferry, and Krazy Kat.

Hipgnosis designed the album’s grayscale gatefold cover, which presents an inside view of an empty limo swarmed by concert attendees. The inner-gate shows Nazareth huddled inside the limo, weary of the swarm.

Close Enough for Rock ‘n’ Roll reached the Dutch and Swedish Top 10 and peaked at No. 12 in Canada.

Play ‘n’ the Game

Nazareth released their eighth album, Play ‘n’ the Game, on November 13, 1976, on Mountain.

The album contains five originals, including the side-openers “Somebody to Roll” and “Born to Love,” plus “Flying” and “Waiting for the Man.” Play ‘n’ the Game also features covers of Alvin Robinson (“Down Home Girl”), Joe Tex (“I Want to (Do Everything for You)”), The Drifters (“I Don’t Want to Go On Without You”), and the Beach Boys (“Wild Honey”).

Play ’n’ the Game leans on tight, midtempo stompers and bass-forward cuts, with the rhythm section kept loud and firm. “Somebody to Roll” opens on a chugging pulse where layered guitar parts circle the riff, and “Down Home Girl” keeps the pace steady but adds pedal-wah color and a sly, tongue-in-cheek swing in the vocal. “Waiting for the Man” pivots hardest into a funkier frame: a thick, pulsing bass line anchors the track while modulated, phased guitar effects flicker around the edges and the rhythm snaps in a tight, syncopated pattern.

“Born to Love” pushes faster and heavier with a more urgent bass drive and long, forceful soloing from Charlton, then “I Want to (Do Everything for You)” rides a straightforward blues bounce with McCafferty leaning into a confident, full-voice delivery. “Flying” drops into a sparse, dreamy interlude built from slide guitar and echo-treated vocal, with cymbal-only drumming and a jet-like phasing effect that sells the takeoff/landing illusion at the end. “I Don’t Want to Go on Without You” runs as a dreamy, cyclic doo-wop ballad, while “L.A. Girls” closes the harder material with an amped-up solo that aims for an “underwater” swirl. “Wild Honey” lumbers at a slower gait with odd effects and corny metaphor weight, functioning more as a left-field detour than a payoff.

A1. “Somebody to Roll” (3:50)
A2. “Down Home Girl” (5:01)
A3. “Flying” (4:25)
A4. “Waiting for the Man” (4:52)

B1. “Born to Love” (3:55)
B2. “I Want to Do Everything for You” (4:14)
B3. “I Don’t Want to Go On Without You” (3:47)
B4. “Wild Honey” (3:19)
B5. “L.A. Girls” (3:40)

Blagona engineered Play ‘n’ the Game at Le Studio ahead of projects with Cat Stevens, Ian Hunter, and Starcastle (Fountains of Light).

Play ‘n’ the Game is housed in a single sleeve that shows Nazareth slumped over a dim-lit barroom card table with dour expressions (front) and tossing cards with laughter and smiles (back). It reinstates the plunged-bassline logo of their first four albums and initiates the practice and center-aligning the title between the N and H in the band’s nameplate. The cover design is by Laura Vallis, who later worked with Magnum.

Expect No Mercy

Nazareth released their ninth album, Expect No Mercy, on November 25, 1977, on Mountain.

The album contains four group-written songs, including “Gimme What’s Mine,” “New York Broken Toy,” and the title-track. Charlton submitted three sole-writes (“Shot Me Down,” “Revenge Is Sweet,” “Place in Your Heart”) and collaborated with McCafferty on the closing track, “All the King’s Horses.” Expect No Mercy also contains covers of songs popularized by Ray Charles (“Busted”) and Randy Newman (“Gone Dead Train”).

Expect No Mercy opens with “Expect No Mercy” on a pounding, dance-leaning pulse that still carries hard-edged guitar bite; McCafferty rides the beat with savage, near-cracking intensity as camp backing voices snap behind him. “Revenge Is Sweet” keeps the momentum tight and brisk, a short rush built around snarled vocal attack and compact riff repetition, while “Gimme What’s Mine” digs into a funk-tilted bottom end where Sweet and Agnew lock a spiralling rhythm and Charlton threads effects and clipped leads across the groove.

“Kentucky Fried Blues” turns mechanically hypnotic, a three-minute stomp with booming drums, a fat, Hendrix-sized riff, and a vocal that pushes syllables into pure force, then “New York Broken Toy” follows the same template with less shape and fewer standout turns. The pacing drops for “Gone Dead Train,” which plays smooth but ragged, and “Shot Me Down,” a simple three-chord folk-rocker carried by McCafferty’s full-throated phrasing and a romantic solo lift. “Busted” sits as slow blues with a massive bass foundation and a smouldering vocal, “Place in Your Heart” runs a slightly faster cousin to “Shot Me Down” with a brisk, country-leaning gait, and “All the King’s Horses” closes at mid-pace with settled riff work and cooler lead lines.

A1. “Expect No Mercy” (3:23)
A2. “Gone Dead Train” (3:40)
A3. “Shot Me Down” (3:30)
A4. “Revenge Is Sweet” (3:01)
A5. “Gimme What’s Mine” (3:42)

B1. “Kentucky Fried Blues” (3:11)
B2. “New York Broken Toy” (3:37)
B3. “Busted” (3:43)
B4. “Place In Your Heart” (2:59)
B5. “All the King’s Horses” (4:24)

Expect No Mercy is the last of three Nazareth albums recorded at Le Studio, where Blagona engineered the album ahead of titles by April Wine, Crack the Sky, Chicago, and Streetheart.

American fantasy painter Frank Frazetta did the cover art. It depicts two sword-wielding gargoyles facing off before a brain-like dome structure. Frazetta illustrated the 1972 Dust album Hard Attack and more recent releases by Molly Hatchet.

Expect No Mercy spawned three singles: “Gone Dead Train,” “Shot Me Down,” and “Place in Your Heart.” The last of those reached No. 3 in South Africa.

No Mean City

Nazareth released their tenth album, No Mean City, in January 1979 on Mountain. This is their first of two studio albums with guitarist Zal Cleminson (Tear Gas, Sensational Alex Harvey Band) as a fifth member.

The album contains two songs by the four core members (“Just to Get into It,” “May the Sunshine”), one contribution by Cleminson (“Simple Solution (Parts 1 & 2)”), one Charlton–McCafferty number (“Star”), three Charlton sole-writes (“Claim to Fame,” “Whatever You Want Babe,” “What’s in It for Me”), and an epic title-suite by all five members. This is the first Nazareth album since Exercises with no cover material.

No Mean City leans on a twin-guitar attack that keeps the riffs thick and the lead breaks frequent, with McCafferty pushed high in the mix and sounding meaner and more forceful across the set. “Just to Get Into It” opens fast and raucous on an unrelenting pulse, then “May the Sunshine” shifts to an acoustic-based shuffle where pretty lead lines ride over a folkish sway and a grungier, feedback-drenched riff cuts in from the sides. “Simple Solution (Parts 1 & 2)” loops a “Day Tripper”-tinged figure into a headbanger’s circle, then “Claim to Fame” slows the pace into a heavier grind, built on a big, plodding riff and capped by a phase-shifting solo that smears the sustain across the bar lines.

“Star” drops into a tender power-ballad frame with a soft acoustic opening and an emotional solo peak, while “Whatever You Want Babe” turns breezy and country-leaning with ringing guitars and a brighter gait that tightens near the end as the vocal intensity spikes. “What’s in It for Me” starts with a forceful slide-guitar barrage and a tom-tom pattern that keeps the rhythm rolling under constant blues licks, and “No Mean City (Parts 1 & 2)” closes at midtempo with a gritty, paranoid crawl—tension rises in small increments, then the refrain releases in a rough, nasty surge before the track settles back into the barroom beat.

A1. “Just to Get Into It” (4:15)
A2. “May the Sunshine” (4:48)
A3. “Simple Solution (Parts 1 & 2)” (4:52)
A4. “Star” (4:47)

B1. “Claim to Fame” (4:18)
B2. “Whatever You Want Babe” (3:41)
B3. “What’s In It for Me” (4:06)
B4. “No Mean City (Parts 1 & 2)” (6:12)

Sessions took place in the autumn of 1978 at Ballastowell Farm on the Isle of Man. Tony Taverner engineered No Mean City with mixing assistant Martin Pearson, a soundman on recent albums by Bryan Ferry and Queen. Taverner worked on earlier albums by Burlesque, Fruupp, Jonesy, String Driven Thing, and Zzebra. No Mean City is the last of five straight Charlton-produced Nazareth albums.

No Mean City features cover art by fantasy illustrator Rodney Matthews. It depicts a spike-helmetted, knife-wielding gargoyle Grim Reaper (front) on a desolate path lined with skulls and rodents (back) before a dark castle. Matthews did prior album art for Amon Düül II, Dave Carlsen, Dave Evans, Ian A. Anderson, the 20th Century Steel Band, Thin Lizzy, and the 1977 reissue of Music Inspired By Lord of the Rings by Bo Hansson. His artwork appears on subsequent albums by Eloy, Diamond Head, Magnum, Praying Mantis, Scorpions, and Tygers of Pan Tang.

As a single, “May the Sunshine” (b/w “Expect No Mercy”) peaked just outside the UK Top 20. In April, “Whatever You Want Babe” became the second single, backed with the Close Enough for Rock ‘n’ Roll track “Telegram.” The third single, “Star,” appeared in July, backed with the Play ‘n’ the Game cut “Born to Love.”

No Mean City reached the No. 20 in Norway and went Top 35 in the UK and Sweden.

Malice in Wonderland

Nazareth released their eleventh album, Malice in Wonderland, on February 8, 1980, on Mountain.

The album opens with “Holiday,” an early MTV staple with a singalong hook (“Mama, mama please, no more husbands”). This is their second of two albums with Zal Cleminson, who contributed three songs (“Showdown at the Border,” “Heart’s Grown Cold,” “Big Boy”) and co-wrote “Talkin’ to One of the Boys” with McCafferty and Agnew.

Malice in Wonderland contains four group-written numbers (“Holiday,” “Fast Cars,” “Fallen Angel,” “Turning a New Leaf”) and one Charlton lone-write (“Ship of Dreams”). This is the first of two Nazareth albums produced by erstwhile Doobie Brothers guitarist Jeff Baxter, a sixth contributor on the band original “Talkin’ ‘Bout Love.”

Musically, Malice in Wonderland runs on cleaner, more polished textures, with guitars often kept bright and low-distortion while extra colors—female choruses, synth touches, and stray percussion ideas—push the songs into constant left turns. “Holiday” starts as a brisk, riff-led rocker, then flips into a Cars-like synth-rock pulse and toggles between the two feels. “Talkin’ to One of the Boys” opens on twin-guitar interplay in two clean tones that braid together without a big climax, and “Talkin’ ’Bout Love” channels Charlton’s energy into a moody, overproduced funk-rocker whose chorus tips toward disco cadence.

“Turning a New Leaf” leans on cold, robotic pulsation, “Fast Cars” rides a looping bass figure under vibraphone-like mallet tones and an FM-smooth chorus, and “Big Boy” swerves mid-track into a synth-reggae chorus before breaking out a huge saxophone solo. “Fallen Angel” begins as humble country rock, then expands into a sweep of strings, while “Heart’s Grown Cold” holds a sappy, gospel-leaning power-ballad frame. “Showdown at the Border” keeps things simplest as a straightforward fast tune, and the remaining midtempo cuts (“Ship of Dreams,” “Talkin’ About Love,” “Turning a New Leaf”) sit in the same glossy pocket, built more on pulse and arrangement tricks than on heavy attack.

A1. “Holiday” (3:35)
A2. “Showdown at the Border” (4:10)
A3. “Talkin’ to One of the Boys” (4:12)
A4. “Heart’s Grown Cold” (4:14)
A5. “Fast Cars” (4:37)

B1. “Big Boy” (3:38)
B2. “Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” (3:55)
B3. “Fallen Angel” (4:42)
B4. “Ship of Dreams” (4:06
B5. “Turning a New Leaf” (3:54)

Sessions took place in late 1979 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, where staffer Benjamin Armbrister engineered Malice in Wonderland in succession with Compass recordings by the Average White Band, The B-52’s, Burning Spear, Robert Palmer (Secrets), Talking Heads (More Songs About Buildings and Food), and Third World.

Baxter plays synthesizer and supplemental guitar on Malice in Wonderland, which he produced between the 1978–80 Doobies albums Minute By Minute and One Step Closer. His recent session credits included titles by Donna Summer, Dusty Springfield, Jakob Magnússon, Leo Sayer, Stanley Clarke, and Bliss Band, a Steely-esque outfit whose 1978 debut Dinner With Raoul is Baxter’s earliest production.

Musical guests on Malice in Wonderland include Wrecking Crew vibraphonist Alan Estes (“Fast Cars”), percussionist Paulinho Da Costa (“Turning a New Leaf,” “Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”). Singers Paulette Brown, Sherlie Matthews, and Venetta Fields provide backing vocals on “Heart’s Grown Cold.” Arranger Greg Mathieson conducts strings on “Fallen Angel.” The backing vocals on “Big Boy” are credited to Terri & The Semiconductors.

Designer Amy Nagasawa and photographer Bernard Faucon did the Malice in Wonderland cover imagery. It depicts thirties-era children at a picnic with a nearby fire. Rock photographer Fin Costello (Budgie, Japan, Tempest, Uriah Heep) took the grayscale inner-sleeve group shot, which shows Cleminson (quiffed hair) with an uncharacteristic mustache. Nagasawa also designed 1979–80 covers for Head East, Joan Armatrading, The Reds, and Yellow Magic Orchestra.

UK and North American copies of Malice in Wonderland have the band name written in slanted red brush strokes. European copies use the plunged-baseline Nazareth logo on a gradient panel (upper-left).

“Holiday” became their first single of the new decade (backed with “Ship of Dreams”). The video intersperses bar-performance footage with silly moments and scenes of McCafferty in a video arcade. On August 1, 1981, “Holiday” became the 140th video aired by MTV on the US cable music channel’s first day of broadcast, slotted between clips by PhD (“I Won’t Let You Down”) and The Who (“You Better You Bet,” a first-hour clip aired five times that day). MTV kept “Holiday” in medium rotation throughout the channel’s first twelve months.

Malice in Wonderland reached No. 9 in Norway, No. 19 in Canada, and No. 41 on the US Billboard 200.

The Fool Circle

Nazareth released their twelfth album, The Fool Circle, on February 14, 1981, on NEMS.

The Fool Circle contains three Agnew–McCafferty numbers (“Dressed to Kill,” “Pop the Silo,” “We Are the People”), three Charlton cuts (“Another Year”, “Let Me Be Your Leader,” “Little Part of You”), two Sweet contributions (“Every Young Man’s Dream,” “Victoria”), and McCafferty’s “Moonlight Eyes.”

Nazareth return to their original four-man lineup on The Fool Circle, though keyboardist John Locke appears here as a sessionist and joined for the two subsequent albums. Side two contains a live version of the 1977 Eric Clapton hit “Cocaine,” a JJ Cale song that Nazareth performed with Zal on May 25, 1980, at the Wendler Arena in Saginaw, Michigan.

The Fool Circle keeps the guitars cleaner and the pulse tighter, with Baxter’s production pushing piano, synth burble, and light rhythmic pivots ahead of heavy attack. “Dressed to Kill” opens on an accelerated honky-tonk bounce where guitar, bass, and piano interlock in a brisk, upbeat churn, then “Another Year” shifts structure—sparse, bass-focused verses give way to an urgent double-time chorus. “Moonlight Eyes” slows into an elegant piano ballad, Darrell Sweet staying restrained and supportive while McCafferty sings with softer weight, and “Pop the Silo” brings the hardest vocal of the set over a chiming acoustic riff and burbling synths, keeping the track’s tension in the arrangement rather than in distortion.

Reggae colors run through “Let Me Be Your Leader,” where offbeat verses slide into a moodier piano-rock chorus, and “We Are the People” leans into a slicker, dance-tilted cadence with sharper turns in the chorus line. “Little Part of You” moves fast and bright as light pop-rock, “Every Young Man’s Dream” sits as a simpler singalong rocker, and “Victoria” closes in the same lane, built for chantable refrains and tight band interplay rather than climactic solo payoff.

A1. “Dressed to Kill” (3:31)
A2. “Another Year” (3:29)
A3. “Moonlight Eyes” (3:34)
A4. “Pop the Silo” (3:18)
A5. “Let Me Be Your Leader” (3:49)

B1. “We Are the People” (3:34)
B2. “Every Young Man’s Dream” (3:18)
B3. “Little Part of You” (3:28)
B4. “Cocaine “Live Version” (4:34)
B5. “Victoria” (3:20)

Sessions took place in late 1980 at AIR Studios in Montserrat, where Baxter produced The Fool Circle ahead of projects with Billy & The Beaters, David Essex, Keith Forsey, Lisa Dal Bello, and Rod Stewart. Beatles soundman Geoff Emerick engineered the album in succession with projects by Gentle Giant, Little River Band, Robin Trower, Trevor Rabin, UFO, and UK (Danger Money).

The Fool Circle sports cover art by Yorkshire illustrator Chris Moore. It depicts a jockey in a skull cap and jodhpurs on the back of an equine-whale hybrid in a moonlight dive off the coastal chalk cliffs of Sussex. Moore’s artwork also appears on album sleeves for CMU, Lindisfarne, Pat Travers, Racing Cars (Weekend Rendezvous), and Rick Wakeman.

NEMS lifted “Dressed to Kill” as a single (b.w “Pop the Silo”). The Fool Circle reached Top 35 placements in Norway, Sweden, and Canada.

‘Snaz

In September 1981, Nazareth released the live double-album ‘Snaz, recorded on May 23 at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, Canada. It contains eighteen concert numbers and two new studio recordings: “Morning Dew,” their second version of the Rose–Dobson chestnut; and “Juicy Lucy,” a group-written original.

On this and the subsequent studio album, Nazareth are a six-piece band comprised of the original four (McCafferty, Charlton, Agnew, Sweet) plus Locke and guitarist Billy Rankin (b. 1959, Lennoxtown), a member of Cleminson’s Zal Band.

The album is technically titled It’Snaz (one word) but the first two characters appear on the back gate, hence the colloquial monosyllabic title used in most media.

2XS

Nazareth released their thirteenth studio album, 2XS, in May 1982 on Vertigo, A&M, and NEMS International. It features eleven originals, including “Mexico,” “You Love Another,” “Preservation,” “Back to the Trenches,” and “Dream On.” This is their first album with each composition credited collectively to Nazareth. The lead-off track, “Love Leads to Madness,” received medium-rotation on MTV’s second year of broadcast.

2XS balances three lanes: smooth, chorus-driven cuts built on bright guitar and thick bass; harder, faster rockers with funkier attack; and a handful of synth-and-machine experiments. “Love Leads to Madness” sits in the first lane, glossy but still gritty at the vocal edge, and “Games” runs the same kind of intimate guitar focus over a drum-machine pulse with a sincere, close-mic vocal. “Dream On” stretches into a simple, slow ballad arc where McCafferty carries the climb with sustained force, while “Lonely in the Light” shakes the palette with faster percussion—bongos in the mix—and new-wave synth accents.

The harder material hits in “Back to the Trenches,” which drives on a furiously funky riff and tighter rhythmic snap, and “Boys in the Band,” which plays frantic and twitchy, pitched between straight rock drive and more jagged, nervous phrasing. “Gatecrash” and “Take the Rap” stick to uncomplicated barroom motion, John Locke’s piano pushing the churn. On the experiment side, “You Love Another” lays a creepier vocal over an electronic beat and post-punkish guitar texture, “Preservation” rides a hypnotic disco-leaning pattern with big keyboards and piano, and “Mexico” closes the mood pieces as a haunted swirl of synths and guitar.

A1. “Love Leads to Madness” (4:05)
A2. “Boys In the Band” (3:05)
A3. “You Love Another” (3:58)
A4. “Gatecrash” (3:14)
A5. “Games” (4:47)

B1. “Back to the Trenches” (3:59)
B2. “Dream On” (3:26)
B3. “Lonely In the Light” (4:21)
B4. “Preservation” (4:01)
B5. “Take the Rap” (2:41)
B6. “Mexico” (2:51)

2XS is the second Nazareth studio album recorded at AIR Studios in Montserrat, where sessions took place in January 1982 with producer–engineer John Punter, fresh from his work on Japan’s swan song Tin Drum. Assistant engineer Nigel Barker also worked on 1981–82 titles by Adam & the Ants and Elton John.

Graphic artist Mick Haggerty designed the 2XS, which shows the title characters aflame (front) and singed (back). The title refers to something overdone, manic, or dangerous. Haggerty’s visual credits include earlier titles by Electric Light Orchestra (Face the Music), Gary Wright, Phoebe Snow, Styx, Supertramp (Breakfast In America), and recent albums by Gamma, Hall & Oates, The Police (Ghost In the Machine), and Split Enz (True Colours), many in partnership with 2XS photographer Aaron Rapoport.

In August 1982, NEMS lifted “Love Leads to Madness” as a UK single (b/w “Take the Rap”), followed in January 1983 by “Games” (b/w “You Love Another”). Meanwhile, “Dream On” became an autumn 1982 US single. Nazareth enjoyed brief MTV rotation with their clip for “Love Leads to Madness,” which opens with a slow-motion upshot of McCafferty removing gloves and intercuts off-angled pool-room and bar-stage footage.

Sound Elixir

Nazareth released their fourteenth album, Sound Elixir, in June 1983 on Marimba (UK), Vertigo (Europe, Japan), and A&M (North America). It features ten group-written originals, including “All Nite Radio,” “Rain On the Window,” “Why Don’t You Read the Book?” and “Where Are You Now.” Nazareth trim to a five piece here with the original group plus Billy Rankin.

Sound Elixir is the first Nazareth album since No Mean City produced by Manny Charlton. Sessions took place at Castlesound Studios, an Edinburgh facility owned by ex-Headboys keyboardist Calum Malcolm, who engineered Sound Elixir in succession with studio bookings by The Happy Family, Holocaust, Josef K, Orange Juice, Ossian, Runrig, and numerous other Scotish acts. The assistant engineer, Mike “Nanook” Fraser, worked on multiple 1981–82 titles by acts from his native Canada (Chilliwack, Loverboy, Payola$, Strange Advance).

Sound Elixir sports a cover designed by Matthew Curtis (@ Graffix) with photography by one Arthur Ward. It presents ‘Sound ELIXIR’ as a brand of bottled whiskey by distillers ‘Nazareth.’

“Where Are You Now” became a July 1983 single, backed with the non-album “On the Run.”

The Catch

Nazareth released their fifteenth album, The Catch, in September 1984 on Vertigo and A&M. It features seven group written original, including “Last Exit Brooklyn,” “This Month’s Messiah,” and “You Don’t Believe in Us.” The album also contains covers of the Rolling Stones classic “Ruby Tuesday” and the 1966 Goffin–King song “Road to Nowhere,” first recorded by Carole King and covered by multiple singers (Judy Henske, Lesley Duncan).

On this and the subsequent two albums, Nazareth are down to the classic four-piece lineup of Charlton, McCafferty, Agnew, and Sweet.

Sessions took place at Castlesound with producer John Eden, a soundman on 1983–84 recordings by Andy Fraser, Grand Prix, and Status Quo. The Catch shows a man’s baseball-mitted hand on a woman’s red-leather-skirted rear. The sporting theme continues on the back cover with pics of Charlton, McCafferty, and Sweet in mitts and Agnew holding a baseball bat.

In Germany and Spain, Vertigo lifted “Party Down” as a single, backed with the non-album original “Do You Think About It.”