Lost Classic - Nazareth - Razamanaz

No, I’m not trying to turn the Ripple Effect into my own personal Nazareth tribute page, but my review of their awesome 1973 album Loud N Proud seemed a little lonely. And since Razamanaz, also from 1973, has been my #1 album the past few weeks I figured it would be a good companion piece. What was in the water (or weed) back in 1973? How did Nazareth come up with two killer albums the same year of Raw Power, Houses Of The Holy, Space Ritual, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Quadrophonia, Dark Side Of The Moon, Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Tres Hombres, etc?

Right off the bat, this album comes out swinging hard with the killer title track. “Razamanaz” is pure no bullshit kick ass ROCK - hard and fast with a killer groove and amazing drumming from Darrell Sweet. Singer Dan McCafferty says they were embarrassed to play this song for producer Roger Glover because it borrows so heavily from Deep Purple’s “Speed King.” Nazareth toured a lot with Deep Purple and they saw the effect of that song on the crowd and couldn’t resist. Roger didn’t mind and we’re all better off for it. This is one of the greatest songs of all time to blast in your car. It can turn even the most mundane trip to the grocery store into a boogie van ride to glory. The Meatmen used to do a scorching version of “Razamanaz” to open their live shows. Who says that Tesco Vee isn’t a class act?

The rest of the album is no slouch either. "Alcatraz," written by Leon Russell, is another stomper with a Native American influenced drum beat and killer guitar riffs from Manny Charlton. Blackfoot fans will no doubt love this one. Woody Guthrie’s “Vigilante Man” is given a slow blues treatment with some nice slide work and powerful vocals by Dan. The rhythm section of Sweet and bassist Pete Agnew get to shine on the Bo Diddley influenced “Night Woman.” Tasteful use of flange on all the instruments is a nice 70’s touch.

"Bad Bad Boy" was a hit single for them and was obviously a big influence on Guns N Roses. Dan’s balls out vocals make it easy to believe that he is indeed the bad boy that Axl Rose never was. “Sold My Soul” is a dark, moody song with tortured vocals. Nazareth was always more of a “hard” band then a “heavy” one, but this song is pretty damn heavy. "Too Bad Too Sad" balances it out with another uptempo jam and could have easily been a hit single. "Broken Down Angel" wraps up the album and points the way towards their giant hit of “Love Hurts.” It’s a little too fast to be considered a true ballad but it has a great chorus that is guaranteed to get you singing along every time it comes back around.

This is an album that deserves a home in every real rockers library. Every song is great and the arrangements are tight for maximum impact. The production is also top notch and does not sound 37 years old at all. And if the song “Razamanaz” doesn’t get you moving than that means you don’t deserve to boogie ever again.

--Woody

Buy here:  Razamanaz


http://www.nazarethdirect.co.uk/nazareth/

Protometal Report - Nazareth - Loud N Proud

Every now and then I try and convince myself that I like Guns N Roses. After about half a song I turn them off and reach for my copy of Loud N Proud by Nazareth. Axl Rose has never been shy about proclaiming his love for this great Scottish band and the influence on early Guns N Roses is unmistakable. Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton even produced some demos of songs that later wound up on Appetite for Destruction. But enough about them, this review is about NAZARETH!

Loud N Proud was the 4th album from the band and was released in 1973. The first two (Nazareth and Exercises) have some good songs but are a bit uneven. The band started to define their sound on their 3rd album Razamanaz (also released in 1973) with the help of Deep Purple’s Roger Glover as producer. Loud N Proud would take the hard hitting sound of its predecessor and expand on it. It’s hard to believe now, but back then most bands were required to put out 2 albums a year and tour the globe to support each of them. Good luck getting a band to do that now.

There are 8 songs on this album and there’s not a dud in the bunch. Throw this muther on at a party or road trip and you’ll just keep turning the volume up. Kicking off with 2 of their hardest hitting songs, “Go Down Fighting” and “Not Faking It” set the mood for drinking, fighting and fornicating. “Go Down Fighting” starts off with a huge stomping chorus that sounds like a skinhead anthem and alternates with quieter verses. Just when you think the song is gonna get all country rock on you, they fire up the big chorus and a guitar solo that make you shake your fist in the air. “Not Faking It” is a fast kick ass rocker that flat out smokes. Dan McCafferty’s vocals really soar on this one. His influence on not only Axl Rose, but AC/DC’s Brian Johnson is obvious. Roger Glover’s production really helps the band shine. The sound is hard, tight rock n roll. The rhythm section of Pete Agnew (bass) and Darrell Sweet (drums) rock hard in the pocket and let Manny’s guitar boogie on your face.

There’s a lot of variety on this album. The ballad “Child In The Sun” points the way to their future megahit “Love Hurts” but also has parts that sound like “Paradise City.” “Turn On Your Receiver” and “Free Wheeler” are hard rock but incorporate some California influences like The Doobie Brothers and Little Feat without sounding too mellow. They even cover Little Feat’s “Teenage Nervous Breakdown” turning it from a New Orleans shuffle into a Chuck Berry rocker.

The only way for most bands to put out 2 albums a year was to do some covers. In addition to the Little Feat cover there are renditions of Joni Mitchell’s “This Flight Tonight” and Bob Dylan’s “Ballad Of Hollis Brown.” Thankfully, I’ve never heard either of the originals but I bet Nazareth’s versions are drastic interpretations and “This Flight Tonight” was a hit for them in Europe. “Ballad Of Hollis Brown” is one of Loud N Proud’s standout moments – a 9 minute super heavy dirge that challenges Black Sabbath for early 70’s proto metal stoner doom madness.

Nazareth went on to make other great albums in the 1970’s like Hair Of the Dog (their biggest seller, especially on 8-track!), No Mean City and Expect No Mercy and continue to this very day with Dan and Pete as the only original members. Most rock fans have a best of Nazareth somewhere in their collection but none of their albums. Loud N Proud deserves a place in every hard rock fan’s stack right next to their favorite Deep Purple, Rose Tattoo and Johnny Winter albums. The CD is out of print in America (of course) but the import is pretty easy to find and comes with excellent remastered sound and a few radio edits as bonus tracks. 

--Woody

buy here: Loud 'N' Proud