It is December 29 and I’ve already
spent all my Christmas money on clothes and music. Yeehaw!
Since this isn’t a fashion blog I’ll
stick to the music. I purchased some sea chanteys, a bunch of rap (Killer Mike,
Edan), an old Okkervil River album, an even older Sleater-Kinney album and a relatively
new Dwight Yoakam album.
However of all the albums the one
I am most excited about is Courtney Barnett’s “Sometimes I Sit and Think and
Sometimes I Just Sit” which is one of the best albums from 2015. Check her out.
Anyway, this next album is none of
those (I prefer reviewing albums randomly, folks) but it is one I heartily
recommend all the same.
Disc 816 is….Hair of the Dog
Artist: Nazareth
Year of Release: 1975
What’s up with the Cover? Nazareth usually has awesome
album art and this is no exception. Three devil dogs growl and look menacing.
At least one of them seems to be equipped with wings. I’m sure these dogs have
an owner that tells everyone “O don’t worry, they are totally harmless.” To
which I would only say, “dear God man – look at the bones!
How I Came To Know It: I’ve known Nazareth since I was a
little kid. Their 1975 Greatest Hits album was the second record I ever bought.
When I was in university I bought “Hair of the Dog” on cassette and now I have
it on CD.
How It Stacks Up: I have four Nazareth albums. “Hair of the Dog”
comes in at number two overall. It is close to being number one, but couldn’t
quite beat out…another album I’ll talk about when I roll it. That’s a teaser.
Ratings: 4 stars
After a painful encounter with Radiohead in my last
review, “Hair of the Dog” was a welcome tonic. This is music that is direct and
powerful and stirs something primal when you listen to it.
Scottish rockers Nazareth were heavy to begin with,
but they are never heavier than on “Hair of the Dog.” This album churns the
depths of guitar and blues rock like few others I’ve heard. “Miss Misery” pounds like a North Sea
storm, turning the simplest of riffs into an anthem heralding the metal gods
that would be born just a few years later.
“Changing
Times” is as thick and crunchy as anything Led Zeppelin was doing at the
time. Lead singer Dan McCafferty doesn’t have the vocal chops of Robert Plant,
but he knows how to use what he does have to full effect. McCafferty’s voice is
smooth as 40 grit sandpaper and is what nails on a chalkboard would sound like
if that sound was awesome. On “Hair of the Dog” the band is clearly ready to
fully embrace being as heavy and gritty as they can and the decision works
perfectly with their skill set.
With an undercurrent of blues, it is critical that
the band be on point in terms of timing, and these guys nail it. You can’t fake
perfect timing in blues music, and Nazareth has it, with just the right amount
of dirty around the edges to keep it organic.
The title track has every tool rock and roll excess
offered at the time: someone bangs a cowbell relentlessly, a guitar squawks
through a synthesizer, and McCafferty sings “now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch!” at the top of his
lungs. This is the song for every small skinny guy who decided to go full crazy
on his tormentors. It is full of a grimy desperate, dangerous energy. And if
you’re a teenager, it is devilish good fun to sing along to because – swears!
When the album isn’t pounding you into sonic
submission, it is exploring the band’s bluesy roots. “Guilty” is a slow moving ballad that captures the feeling of being down
on your luck. “Please Don’t Judas Me”
is a ten-minute monster that builds with the power and patience of a glacier;
inexorable, ice-cold and undeniable.
The subject matter of the record is fitting for its
gritty approach. These are songs about the angry, the down-and-out and the
troubled. “Guilty” is about a man
showing up on a woman’s doorstep drunk and stoned, knowing that’s exactly how
she doesn’t want to see him. His only
excuse is:
“That's how it is with me darlin'
You know I just can't stand
myself
But it takes a whole lot of
medicine darlin'
For me to pretend that I'm
somebody else.”
Nazareth are equal opportunity purveyors of sin,
however. “Miss Misery” and “Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman” are both songs where
it’s the woman showing up drunk on the doorstep and “Beggar’s Day” takes heartbreak to such a dark place you’re sure it’ll
cause some kind of riot or fire before it’s worked itself out.
Before “Beggar’s
Day” ends it morphs into a beautiful guitar solo called “Rose in the Heather” as if the band
wanted to remind me that they can still smooth it out and sound pretty if they
want to. I’m not sure if “Rose in the
Heather” is inspired by the fiddle jig of the same name, but it has the
same timeless quality and easy grace.
This album is 40 minutes long and despite some long
tracks never feels stretched out or bloated. This is a tight little album that
is grimy and dirty and rough in all the right ways. If you like hard rock
music, it is a must have for your collection.
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