Unknown Soldier

The power button is turned right up, we have heavy bliss!

Overview
After the release of the Razamanaz album from the previous year, Nazareth were now very much part of the second tier on the UK popularity echelon. Meaning that they were an extremely popular band on the same level as the likes of Uriah Heep, Humble Pie and UFO etc but not quite attaining the heights of the big three Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple as worldwide giants. Roger Glover had given the band want they needed with his production skills, something he could now even dedicate more time to since leaving Deep Pupple. Nazareth would quickly and intelligently build on the success of the Razamanaz album by releasing two more albums throughout 1974. These albums were Lound ‘n’ Proud (some sources suggest it was released at the end of 1973 but for convenience purposes I’ve put it in as 1974) and Rampant. Now Loud ‘n’ Proud does exactly what it says on the tin and along with their biggest ever album 1975’s Hair of the Dog, it probably stands as the band’s best ever achievement and I’d say it was actually their best. Rampant on the other hand the second part of this double–header review, was a patchier album and certainly the lesser of the two albums in this review. The band were also known for sticking touches of variety into their sound and this could involve touches of blues and country, glam rock and some of their material even showed a southern rock slant, a then burgeoning movement in the US at the time. But most surprisingly it was their use of covers which often raised eyebrows and these were often hit and miss in their execution and ranged to folky icons such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Woody Guthrie. Both Loud ‘n’Proud and Rampant were graced with two great albums covers and the band really had a knack of getting some interesting album artwork full of bright colours and interesting images. The band never went down the avenue of either overblown progressive rock covers, neither the more serious and minimalistic covers from some of the biggest bands of the day, or the lewd and provocative covers that the genre would embrace as time went by. In fact Loud ‘n’ Proud is one of my favourite album covers from the decade and the album’s not half bad either!

Dan McCafferty- Vocals
Manny Charlton- Guitar
Pete Agnew- Bass
Darrell Sweet- Drums

Production- Roger Glover

Album
Go Down Fighting- An energetic opening song with some great riffing and sets the tone for the rest of the album. Not Faking It- A pounding number that actually sounds like something that a NWOBHM band could’ve put out and a very tight track. Turn on Your Receiver- A more mid-tempo tune here, with a country flavour and overall a very competent track with a real light edge about it. Teenage Nervous Breakdown- A pounding cover of the Little Feat song and the band really do stamp their authority on this cover track, this is a stunner of a cover song! Free Wheeler- A tight sounding rocky track and again this sounds like an album track with some nice guitar and percussion touches. On further listens though, this song becomes more than just another album track and it becomes clear that this is the song of an accomplished band. This Flight Tonight- A rocked up version of a Joni Mitchell song, nothing special but does the job and probably the weakest of the three covers on the album. Child in the Sun- The nearest thing to a ballad on the album and the chorus always reminds me a bit of a Neil Young track! The Ballad of Hollis Brown- Like most Bob Dylan songs, imo they always sound so much better when sung by somebody else and this cover version is no different in that respect. This cover version is so good that even today I'd say that this cover song is the finest ever recording that Nazareth ever put out!

Verdict
Released just six months after Razamanaz, Loud ‘n’ Proud sees the band continuing with the heavy theme that was very much evident on Razamanaz and Roger Glover was on production duties once again. The difference between the two albums, is that Loud ‘n’ Proud is basically just a consolidation album to build on the success of Razamanaz and therefore the tracks tend to be more predictable than Razamanaz before it! Despite that predictability Loud ‘n’ Proud is an even more solid album than its predecessor. Firstly there is the noticeable difference early on between the two albums, in that Loud ‘n’ Proud has a greater use of distortion overall, to create a louder sounding album in general. Secondly, the choice of covers on Loud ‘n’ Proud are a better choice of covers overall in general for the band and the pounding covers of the Lowell George (Little Feat) penned "Teenage Nervous Breakdown" along with the Bob Dylan cover "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" might be the best two cover songs the band ever put out! Finally Some of the tracks on Loud ‘n’ Proud, sound like really early metal classics and have stood the test of time, and none sound any better on this album than “Not Faking It” which sounds like an authentic NWOBHM track, almost several years before that movement would take shape! In many ways on “Not Faking It” Nazareth are touching on future Judas Priest territory here and I’m guessing Judas Priest would’ve been listening to Nazareth around this time anyway. Then there is the accomplished “Free Wheeler” which shows just how comfortable the band were, with rocking out for five and a half minutes! Also the band were at ease on the heavy ballad sound of "Child in the Sun" then there is the album closer, the cover of the Bob Dylan song "The Ballad of Hollis Brown" which may rank as the album's defining heavy metal moment! Overall Loud ‘n’ Proud is Razamanaz's heavier brother and an accomplished album in every way. This album is a fan favourite and a lot of this admiration comes from the fact of how heavy it is. Finally anybody listening to these Nazareth albums, will surely be able to hear the influence that they had on the future Guns N’ Roses and just how honest the band sounded on these as well.

More heaviness but this time with a southern slant!

Album
Silver Dollar Forger, Pts.1 & 2- A fast and uptempo album opener about an outlaw on the run from the cops. The song has a superb riff throughout and one of the best cuts on the album. Just when the song seems to maintain that vibe throughout the rest of the song, we move into the second part of the song and the song gains an even deeper resonance. Glad When You’re Gone- A vibrant and humorous song with wah-wah guitar and again has that country feel to proceedings. Loved and Lost-The feel of the album really comes down here and this is the nearest thing we get to a ballad on the album and Dan McCafferty gives a solid vocal performance here, without ever giving way too much to his whisky rasp. Shanghai’d in Shanghai- A pile-driving rocker that AC/DC would go onto to master in future years. The song was a hit single in the UK at the time. Jet Lag- Crunchy and heavy and with a mid-tempo speed and again we see Manny Charlton’s tight guitar playing used to great effect. Light My Way- A plodding 4 minute song whose rhythm would be used the following year for the far better known song “Love Hurts” the song also uses subdued elements of the Mountain classic “Nantucket Sleighride” several years earlier, but “Light My Way” falls well below the quality of these two songs. Sunshine- With an acoustic intro the song gradually beefs up with the strong vocals of Dan McCafferty. Shape of Things/Space Safari- The longest track on the album and without doubt the best track on the album with the band putting out one of their best ever cohesive efforts ever.

Verdict
Rampant would be Nazareth’s most southern tinged album to date, this was a style that they had always hinted at on previous releases and now these Scottish rockers were taking the hard edged southern rock direction, from the authentic likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Oak Arkansas. Rampant also ranks as one of the heaviest releases in the whole Nazareth discography and it’s an album that often divides Nazareth fans, it should be noted that most of the southern rock feel is more noticeable on the a-side of the album. When I say heavy though, it does have quite a few softer moments but the overall feel of the album is that of a solid rocker overall. The album content can also be seen as being southern rock tinged as well. The album opener the driving “Silver Dollar Forger, Pts.1 & 2” is about an outlaw racing home with the cops on his tail and is an example of these southern influences. As is the second track “Glad When You’re Gone” with its light-hearted approach throughout and the same could be said about one of the better known tracks on the album “Shanghai’d in Shanghai” which gives a fair amount of references to southern rock subject fare in general, the song even features briefly the main riff from the Rolling Stone’s “Satisfaction”. The album’s real highlights include the slow burning “Loved and Lost” where the band move into territory that had been the favourite stomping gound of bands like Free and Trapeze. The album closer though, the musically diverse “Shape of Things/Space Safari” is actually the stand-out track not just from the album, but one of the best from the band’s discography as a whole! Overall the Rampant album is a set of solid rocking songs that form a pivotal part of the Nazareth discography from this period, but the album is certainly not special in any way and certainly lags behind the other albums quality wise, that the band released between the 1973 to 1975 period. Interestingly the album was recorded at Montreux, the site of the famous Deep Purple Machine Head recording a few years earlier, I’m guessing this was a decision by producer Roger Glover in respect of this.

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