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Nazareth
From Wikipedia
Nazareth are a Scottish hard rock band formed in Dunfermline in 1968 that had many hit singles and albums in Canada, the United Kingdom, and a number of other European countries beginning in the early 1970s. The breadth of their popularity expanded internationally, including in the United States, with their 1975 album Hair of the Dog, which featured their hits "Hair of the Dog" and a cover of the ballad "Love Hurts". They have continued to record and tour internationally for more than 50 years.
Members
- Dan McCafferty
Discography & Previews
Browse through and click an album to open and play 30-second previews streamed from Apple Music.
Loud ’n’ Proud
1973 · 11 tracks
- 1 Go Down Fighting ↗ 3:07
- 2 Not Faking It ↗ 4:01
- 3 Turn On Your Receiver ↗ 3:20
- 4 Teenage Nervous Breakdown ↗ 3:44
- 5 Freewheeler ↗ 5:32
- 6 This Flight Tonight ↗ 3:24
- 7 Child In The Sun ↗ 4:52
- 8 The Ballad Of Hollis Brown ↗ 9:12
- 9 This Flight Tonight (US Version) ↗ 3:24
- 10 Go Down Fighting (US Version) ↗ 3:05
- 11 The Ballad Of Hollis Brown (Edit) ↗ 5:10
Rampant
1974 · 11 tracks
- 1 Silver Dollar Forger (Pts. 1 & 2) ↗ 5:37
- 2 Glad That You're Gone ↗ 4:17
- 3 Loved And Lost ↗ 5:13
- 4 Shanghaid In Shanghai ↗ 3:43
- 5 Jet Lag ↗ 6:43
- 6 Light My Way ↗ 4:09
- 7 Sunshine ↗ 4:16
- 8 Shapes Of Things / Space Safari ↗ 6:22
- 9 Shanghai'd In Shanghai (US Version) ↗ 3:42
- 10 Cat's Eye Apple Pie ↗ 3:02
- 11 Shapes Of Things (Single Edit) ↗ 3:20
Play ’n’ the Game
1976 · 10 tracks
Close Enough for Rock ’n’ Roll
1976 · 9 tracks
- 1 Telegram: On Your Way / So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star / Sound Check / Here We Are Again ↗ 7:47
- 2 Vicki ↗ 2:24
- 3 Homesick Again ↗ 4:31
- 4 Vancouver Shakedown ↗ 4:04
- 5 Born Under the Wrong Sign ↗ 3:56
- 6 Loretta ↗ 3:18
- 7 Carry Out Feelings ↗ 3:18
- 8 Lift the Lid ↗ 3:51
- 9 You're the Violin ↗ 4:43
The Catch
1984 · 11 tracks
Cinema
1986 · 16 tracks
- 1 Cinema ↗ 4:42
- 2 Juliet ↗ 4:09
- 3 Just Another Heartache ↗ 5:04
- 4 Other Side of You ↗ 3:45
- 5 Hit the Fan ↗ 3:36
- 6 One from the Heart ↗ 4:23
- 7 Salty Salty ↗ 3:48
- 8 White Boy ↗ 5:08
- 9 A Veterans Song ↗ 5:29
- 10 Beggars Day (BBC Friday Rock Show, 14/10/84) ↗ 4:12
- 11 Cocaine (BBC Friday Rock Show, 14/10/84) ↗ 3:55
- 12 Party Down (BBC Friday Rock Show, 14/10/84) ↗ 4:13
- 13 This Month’s Messiah (BBC Friday Rock Show, 14/10/84) ↗ 5:23
- 14 This Flight Tonight (BBC Friday Rock Show, 14/10/84) ↗ 4:03
- 15 Bad Bad Boy (BBC Friday Rock Show, 14/10/84) ↗ 4:45
- 16 Teenage Nervous Breakdown (BBC Friday Rock Show, 14/10/84) ↗ 4:18
Snakes ’n’ Ladders
1989 · 14 tracks
- 1 We Are Animals ↗ 4:02
- 2 Lady Luck ↗ 4:09
- 3 Hang On to a Dream ↗ 4:35
- 4 Piece of My Heart ↗ 4:26
- 5 Trouble ↗ 4:57
- 6 The Key ↗ 3:17
- 7 Back to School ↗ 4:52
- 8 Girls ↗ 3:41
- 9 Donna - Get Off That Crack ↗ 4:21
- 10 See You See Me ↗ 5:00
- 11 Helpless ↗ 4:50
- 12 Winner on the Night ↗ 4:11
- 13 Woke Up This Morning (Live In Germany) ↗ 5:36
- 14 Bad Bad Boy (Live in Germany) ↗ 4:35
No Jive
1991 · 12 tracks
- 1 Hire and Fire ↗ 5:11
- 2 Do You Wanna Play House ↗ 4:59
- 3 Right Between the Eyes ↗ 3:07
- 4 Every Time It Rains ↗ 4:12
- 5 Keeping Our Love Alive ↗ 3:12
- 6 Thinkin' Man's Nightmare ↗ 4:02
- 7 Cover Your Heart ↗ 4:28
- 8 Lap of Luxury ↗ 3:56
- 9 The Rowan Tree / Tell Me That You Love Me ↗ 4:36
- 10 Cry Wolf ↗ 4:14
- 11 This Flight Tonight (1991 Version) ↗ 3:37
- 12 Tell Me That You Love Me (Edited Single Version) ↗ 3:22
Move Me
1994 · 16 tracks
- 1 Let Me Be Your Dog ↗ 4:37
- 2 Can't Shake Those Shakes ↗ 3:22
- 3 Crack Me Up ↗ 3:42
- 4 Move Me ↗ 3:45
- 5 Steamroller ↗ 4:29
- 6 Stand By Your Beds ↗ 4:13
- 7 Rip It Up ↗ 3:34
- 8 Demon Alcohol ↗ 2:59
- 9 You Had It Comin' ↗ 5:00
- 10 Bring It On Home Mama ↗ 4:01
- 11 Burning Down ↗ 4:40
- 12 Love Hurts (Rock Orchestra Version) ↗ 4:07
- 13 Razamanaz (Unplugged) ↗ 4:36
- 14 My White Bicycle (Unplugged) ↗ 2:57
- 15 This Flight Tonight (Unplugged) ↗ 4:02
- 16 Love Hurts (Instrumental Orchestra Version) ↗ 4:08
Rock ’n’ Roll Telephone
2014 · 18 tracks
- 1 Boom Bang Bang ↗ 3:15
- 2 One Set of Bones ↗ 3:26
- 3 Back 2B4 ↗ 4:50
- 4 Winter Sunlight ↗ 3:27
- 5 Rock 'n' Roll Telephone ↗ 5:43
- 6 Punch a Hole in the Sky ↗ 3:48
- 7 Long Long Time ↗ 4:16
- 8 The Right Time ↗ 4:48
- 9 Not Today ↗ 3:25
- 10 Speakeasy ↗ 3:16
- 11 God of the Mountain ↗ 3:40
- 12 Just a Ride ↗ 2:47
- 13 Wanna Feel Good? ↗ 3:46
- 14 Big Boy (Live in Somerset, 2008) ↗ 5:36
- 15 Kentucky Fried Blues (Live in Milton Keynes, 2006) ↗ 4:29
- 16 Sunshine (Live in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, 2000) ↗ 3:39
- 17 Expect No Mercy (Live in Somerset, 2008) ↗ 5:04
- 18 God Save the South (Live in Barrie, Ontario, Canada 2000) ↗ 6:57
Tattooed on My Brain
2018 · 13 tracks
- 1 Never Dance with the Devil ↗ 3:00
- 2 Tattooed On My Brain ↗ 2:50
- 3 State of Emergency ↗ 3:42
- 4 Rubik's Romance ↗ 4:06
- 5 Pole to Pole ↗ 4:19
- 6 Push ↗ 3:49
- 7 The Secret Is Out ↗ 5:31
- 8 Don't Throw Your Love Away ↗ 3:37
- 9 Crazy Molly ↗ 3:03
- 10 Silent Symphony ↗ 3:48
- 11 What Goes Around ↗ 4:01
- 12 Change ↗ 3:56
- 13 You Call Me ↗ 6:10
Surviving the Law
2022 · 14 tracks
- 1 Strange Days ↗ 3:22
- 2 You Gotta Pass It Around ↗ 3:21
- 3 Runaway ↗ 3:34
- 4 Better Leave It Out ↗ 3:33
- 5 Mind Bomb ↗ 3:31
- 6 Sweet Kiss ↗ 3:34
- 7 Falling In Love ↗ 3:52
- 8 Waiting for the World to End ↗ 2:47
- 9 Let the Whiskey Flow ↗ 3:06
- 10 Sinner ↗ 2:02
- 11 Ciggies & Booze ↗ 3:29
- 12 Psycho Skies ↗ 3:32
- 13 Love Breaks ↗ 3:12
- 14 You Made Me ↗ 5:14
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Loud ’n’ ProudNazareth197311 tracks -
RazamanazNazareth19739 tracks -
RampantNazareth197411 tracks -
Hair of the DogNazareth19758 tracks -
Play ’n’ the GameNazareth197610 tracks -
Close Enough for Rock ’n’ RollNazareth19769 tracks -
Expect No MercyNazareth197710 tracks -
Malice in WonderlandNazareth198010 tracks -
The Fool CircleNazareth198010 tracks -
Sound ElixirNazareth198310 tracks -
The CatchNazareth198411 tracks -
CinemaNazareth198616 tracks -
Snakes ’n’ LaddersNazareth198914 tracks -
No JiveNazareth199112 tracks -
Move MeNazareth199416 tracks -
BoogalooNazareth199811 tracks -
Big DogzNazareth201111 tracks -
Rock ’n’ Roll TelephoneNazareth201418 tracks -
Tattooed on My BrainNazareth201813 tracks -
Surviving the LawNazareth202214 tracks
Deep Dive
Overview
Nazareth are a Scottish hard rock band that emerged from Dunfermline in 1968 and built a durable international career spanning more than five decades. While their profile remained strongest in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe throughout their early years, the 1975 release of Hair of the Dog expanded their reach into the American market and established them as enduring fixtures on the hard rock circuit. Their combination of straightforward rock energy, accessible songwriting, and willingness to record cover material—most notably their version of the ballad “Love Hurts”—gave them a broader appeal than many of their harder-edged peers.
Formation Story
Nazareth took shape in Dunfermline, a town in central Scotland with a modest musical heritage. The band coalesced in 1968 during a period when British rock was fragmenting into multiple directions—psychedelia, progressive rock, and blues-based hard rock all competed for space on the radio. Dunfermline’s distance from London meant the band developed outside the capital’s spotlight, building their craft through local gigging and incremental record releases before breaking through to wider recognition. This regional foundation would distinguish their sound from the metropolitan polish of many English contemporaries, lending their music a rougher, more workmanlike character.
Breakthrough Moment
Nazareth’s early studio output—beginning with their self-titled debut in 1971, followed by Exercises in 1972—established a hard rock template but did not yet deliver mainstream success. The albums Loud ‘n’ Proud and Razamanaz, both released in 1973, signaled growing ambition and tighter songwriting, but it was Hair of the Dog in 1975 that fundamentally altered their trajectory. The album’s title track became an international hit, and the inclusion of their cover of “Love Hurts,” a ballad that allowed vocalist Dan McCafferty to showcase emotional range alongside raw power, proved that the band could command attention across multiple rock formats. Hair of the Dog’s success in North America particularly marked a watershed moment, opening American radio and touring circuits that had previously remained largely closed to them.
Peak Era
The years from 1975 through 1978 represented Nazareth’s commercial and creative zenith. Following Hair of the Dog’s impact, the band released Play ‘n’ the Game and Close Enough for Rock ‘n’ Roll in 1976, maintaining momentum through consistent touring and radio presence. The 1977 album Expect No Mercy and 1978’s No Mean City continued their output during this fertile stretch, a period when they achieved regular chart placement in multiple territories and could sustain substantial international tours. During these years, Nazareth evolved from a regional act into one of hard rock’s reliable mid-tier attractions, capable of filling medium-sized venues and commanding festival slots across Europe and North America.
Musical Style
Nazareth’s sound rested on a foundation of heavy blues-rock riffing married to a straightforward approach to song structure and melody. Rather than embrace the progressive excesses of some 1970s rock acts or the technical virtuosity that was beginning to define metal, they favored directness—driving rhythms, thick guitar tones, and clear vocal lines. Dan McCafferty’s voice proved crucial to their identity; his ability to shift between raw, shouted delivery on uptempo rockers and more nuanced phrasing on slower material gave the band versatility without compromising their hard rock credentials. The band’s willingness to record cover songs, demonstrated most memorably with “Love Hurts,” reflected a pragmatism about rock and roll as a popular form rather than a sacred art. As their career progressed, their sound remained relatively consistent—hard rock with blues roots, refining rather than fundamentally altering their approach across their extensive discography.
Major Albums
Hair of the Dog (1975)
The album that broke Nazareth internationally, featuring the hit title track and their acclaimed cover of “Love Hurts,” demonstrating the band’s range and commercial appeal.
Loud ‘n’ Proud (1973)
Released alongside Razamanaz in a particularly productive year, this album helped solidify the band’s hard rock credentials during their ascent toward mainstream recognition.
Razamanaz (1973)
A dynamic entry in the band’s discography from their most prolific early period, showcasing their evolving songwriting and studio confidence.
Play ‘n’ the Game (1976)
Released in the wake of Hair of the Dog’s success, this album sustained their momentum and touring appeal across multiple territories.
No Mean City (1978)
A late-seventies release that kept the band active during their peak touring years and international visibility.
Signature Songs
- “Hair of the Dog” — The title track of their breakthrough 1975 album, a driving rock song that became their most enduring international hit.
- “Love Hurts” — Their cover of the ballad demonstrated emotional depth alongside rock credentials and became a staple of their live set.
- “Razamanaz” — The title track from their 1973 album, exemplifying their hard rock approach during their early ascent.
Influence on Rock
While Nazareth did not pioneer new subgenres or fundamentally reshape hard rock’s direction, they occupied an important middle ground in the 1970s rock landscape. They proved that regionally based, unpretentious hard rock bands could sustain long careers through consistent touring and recorded output without compromising their core sound for trends. Their success in European and North American markets ahead of MTV’s rise demonstrated that hard rock appeal transcended the visual spectacle some bands began emphasizing as the decade progressed. Subsequent generations of straightforward hard rock acts working outside the metal mainstream could look to Nazareth as evidence that durability and accessibility need not be mutually exclusive.
Legacy
Nazareth’s most significant legacy lies in their longevity and refusal to retire the brand they established in 1968. The band has continued recording and touring internationally for more than fifty years, releasing albums as recently as 2022 with Surviving the Law. While they did not achieve the iconic status of rock’s highest tier—they remain absent from most major hall-of-fame institutions—their sustained presence on festival lineups and their catalog’s consistent availability through streaming and physical formats keeps their music in circulation. Hair of the Dog in particular maintains cultural footprint as a touchstone of mid-seventies hard rock, regularly sampled and referenced across media.
Fun Facts
- Nazareth recorded their breakthrough album Hair of the Dog during a period of intense international touring, balancing studio work with non-stop live performance schedules across three continents.
- The band’s choice to cover “Love Hurts,” originally a pop ballad from the 1960s, defied hard rock convention and became one of their most recognizable songs.
- Nazareth’s Dunfermline origin placed them outside the London-centric music industry apparatus, forcing them to build their following through consistent touring rather than concentrated media attention.