One Of The Greatest Debut Albums Of All Time
Josh H. | Toledo, Oh (USA) | 04/20/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Nazareth are my favorite band in the world. It's unfortunate that they are so underrated. Of course, people only know them from "Hair Of The Dog" and "Love Hurts", but their early stuff was SO MUCH better. Their first five albums, which are their best, are not available in America. I can't explain in words how much this upsets me.
Anyway, this, their debut album, is one of the many forgotten treasures of rock. Song for song, it's their best album ever. "Witch Doctor Woman", a hard rock masterpiece, opens the album with a bang. Obviously, these guys had been listening to what Sabbath, Purple and Heep did the previous year. Anyway, the song has a great riff and introduces the world to the raw, fiery vocals of Dan McCafferty. You gotta love the way that he sings along with the guitar lines perfectly! But the solo in the middle is the best part, as Manny Charlton plays some blistering licks while Pete Agnew's MONSTROUS bass keeps pounding away like a mastodon, all held together by the drumming of Darrell Sweet. Hard rock at it's best. Then comes the awesome funky rocker "Dear John", resplendent with some great piano playing. This is just an irresistible tune that instantly gets your feet stomping and puts a smile on your face. Kick-a** tune. "Empty Arms, Empty Heart" has one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time, and makes me wonder even more why these guys were so underrated. But then they change gears with the beautiful ballad "I Had A Dream", with an absolutely angelic vocal from McCafferty, introducing us to his softer, smoother voice. Let me just say that this guy was easily one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time. I don't think I've ever heard anyone else who can sing in so many COMPLETELY DIFFERENT voices like him. Anyway, everything about the song is Heavenly - the harmonium, the vocal melody, everything. Then we have an unusual epic called "Red Light Lady". Possibly the most intriguing and unique song the band ever recorded, mostly due to the orchestration at the end. "Fat Man" is lots of fun, with Dan singing through some sort of vocal encoder that distorts his voice, and the chorus is awesome. "Country Girl" is another lovely ballad, and Dan's performance here is equally moving as "I Had A Dream". Fabulous slide guitar from Manny, too. But "Morning Dew" is the real masterpiece on here, and quite possibly the best song the band ever recorded. It begins with Agnew's thunderous bass, which practically sounds like an earthquake. Then Manny slowly delivers some increasingly intense guitar lines. Then Dan begins the vocals. They play it slowly and quietly for about the first four minutes until it finally explodes and turns into a furious rocker. Absolutely brilliant. This even blows away Jeff Beck's version of the song. The album closer, "The King Is Dead", is a spellbinding tale of anarchy. More orchestration, and when Dan softly sings "I have not come...", I swear it will send chills up your spine! Easily his most haunting vocal performance ever. So there you have it, one of the most underrated rock albums in history from one of the most underrated rock bands in history. Such a shame that it's out-of-print in America. Damn the record companies!"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1