Following up on the April 1975 release of their international breakthrough album ‘Hair Of The Dog’ and its massive hit single “Love Hurts” Scottish rock band Nazareth issued four long players and associated singles in a span of three years 1976 to 1979.

Cherry Red Records has compiled all four albums, one also presented in its original unreleased version, along with twenty five bonus tracks, seventy one total, in a new five disc box set issued on its HNE Recordings imprint.

Disc one begins with the tracks comprising ‘Close Enough for Rock ‘n’ Roll’ which hit record shops in March 1976. Album opener “Telegraph (Parts 1-4)” is a rocking medley showcasing the lead guitar work of Manny Charlton, which includes a short section quoting The Byrds’ classic tune “So You Wanna Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” and became a staple of Nazareth’s live repertoire. “Vicki’ is an acoustic guitar and dobro driven instrumental while “Homesick Again” is a mid-tempo number with a “Midnight Rider” vibe. “Vancouver Shakedown” features Charlton’s slide guitar while the box set title track resembles Albert King’s “Born Under A Bad Sign” and The Eagles’ “Life In The Fast Lane” with Pete Agnew’s booming bass and Charlton’s wah wah aided guitar on display. “Loretta” finds Charlton’s snarling guitar accompanying the insistent riff supplied by Agnew and drummer Darrell Sweet. Joe Walsh’s influence is apparent on the melodic reggae-esque “Carry Out Feelings” while “Lift The Lid” is a vehicle for Charlton’s guitar prowess reminiscent of Walsh, Carlos Santana and Tommy Bolin. The hot rocking album closer “You’re The Violin” features a calypso/reggae groove and Charlton’s smoking guitar. The disc contains seven bonus tracks beginning with Nazareth’s arguably definitive, five and a half minute, cover of “My White Bicycle” with Charlton’s guitar again featured. The single edit of You’re The Violin” is followed by the alternate single version of “Loretta,’ the US single edit of “Carry Out Feelings” and the alternate single version of “Lift The Lid.” The disc closes with the original version of “My White Bicycle” and the edited single version of “Telegram (Parts 1-3).”

Disc two centers around November 1976’s ‘Play ‘n’ The Game.’ The echoed lead guitar on “Somebody To Roll” has shades of The Eagles’ “Life In The Fast Lane” whereas the menacing riff of “Down Home Girl” has a Deep Purple meets The Eagles feeling along with slide guitar reminiscent of Foghat. The mellow, heavily echoed “Flying” sounds much like a slower take on “My White Bicycle” while “Waiting For The Man” features a funky bass and guitar intro bringing The Eagles again to mind. The uptempo guitar on “Born To Love” conjures simultaneous visions of Terry Kath and Golden Earring whereas Charlton’s exquisite solo in Joe Tex’s “I Want To Do Everything For You” is in the vein of “Rocky Mountain Way.” The band’s take on Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler’s “I Don’t Want To Go On Without You” harkens back to their hit cover of Bordleaux Bryant’s “Love Hurts”and sharing commercial appeal with the vocal harmonies and melodic, gliding slide guitar of “Wild Honey.” Album closer “L.A. Girls” features slide guitar and booming bass in a funky shuffle riff. The bonus material begins with Charlton’s scorching slide work highlighting non-album b-side “Good Love.” Alternate single edits of “I Don’t Want To Go On Without You” and “Waiting For The Man” are followed by the single edits of “Somebody To Roll” and “Born To Love.”

Disc three opens with November 1977’s ‘Expect No Mercy.’ The title track is commercially accessible with a fiery lead line and solo bringing to mind Billy Gibbons and ZZ Top. “Gone Dead Train” is a restrained rocker in the vein of “Jumping Jack Flash” while the loping bass line and restrained Charlton solo on “Shot Me Down” evokes images of Tom Petty. The snarling “Revenge Is Sweet” is a harbinger of new wave in the vein of The Cars and the insistent riff of “Gimme What’s Mine” again conjures ZZ Top before the slower, heavier, bluesier “Kentucky Fried Blues” returns to a new wave vibe. The stripped down sound complemented by swirling, wah wah aided guitar from Charlton gives “New York Broken Toy” a Jerry Reed vibe while the heavy groove and slide guitar on a cover of “Busted” results in a sound reminiscent of The Rolling Stones ‘Exile On Mainstreet’ era. The breezy, country influenced “Place In Your Heart” belies a CCR influence while its melody has a Stones’ “Dead Flower” air about it. The album closes with its longest and heaviest track “All The King’s Horses” a mid-tempo number featuring slashing guitar, thundering bass and crashing drums. Bonus tracks begin with b-side “Greens” and its riff mixing elements of ZZ Top’s “Tush” and The James Gang’s “Must Be Love.” Non-album b-side “Desolation Road” showcases Charlton’s slide guitar. Edited versions of “Gone Dead Train,” “Expect No Mercy,” “Place In Your Heart” and “Kentucky Fried Blues” follow, before the disc closes with a live take on “Expect No Mercy.”

Disc four contains the original version of “Expect No Mercy” which was rejected by the band’s label and went unreleased for some thirty years, with five of ten tracks revisited and re-recorded for the released long player. “Kentucky Fried Blues” is a slow burn blues with thundering bass and guitar riff. “Gone Dead Train” is melodic with a Black Oak Arkansas vibe and Charlton emulating banjo and closing the tune with a solo played at breakneck speed while “Shot Me Down” is a ballad with Charlton supplying a countryfied solo. The prospective album version of “Greens” is a ZZ Top influenced boogie blues number while “Life Of A Dog” has an acoustic intro a la Led Zeppelin before entering country rock territory whereas “New York Broken Toy” blends acoustic and electric guitar and Charlton contributing a restrained lead line and soaring solo. The uptempo “Revenge Is Sweet” has hints of AC/DC and The Cars complimenting a gorgeous melody. The deep groove of Zeppelinesque blues rocker “Desolation Road” features Charlton on slide. Likewise Charlton’s slashing slide guitar and extended solo mesh with an insistent riff, heavily echoed Don McCafferty vocal and a shuffle beat resulting in “Can’t Keep A Good Man Down” yielding another Zeppelin like vibe. The album closer “Midnight Eyes” is a vocal ballad with acoustic guitar and piano accompaniment.

Disc five has January 1979’s ‘No Mean City,’ Nazareth’s first album with guitarist Zal Cleminson making the band a quintet and marking a return to hard rock form. “Just To Get Into It” is a guitar driven boogie tune with Canned Heat style riff and solo. “May The Sunshine” moves from an acoustic intro to electric slide guitar a la Jimmy Page, with McCafferty adding countryish vocals. “Simple Solution (Parts 1 & 2)” is a return to Nazareth’s ‘Hair Of The Dog’ sound with Agnew and Sweet supplying a deep groove and Cleminson a soaring solo reminiscent of Boston. “Star” is a mid-tempo ballad blending acoustic and electric guitar with country rock vocals. “Claim To Fame” is a hard-edged rocker with snarling vocals. The breezy melodic rocking “Whatever You Want Babe” has a CCR aura and is commercially accessible. Distorted, feedback laden and slide guitar dominate “What’s In It For Me” which includes a memorable guitar solo. The blues rocking album closer “No Mean City (Parts 1 & 2)” features hot slide guitar and gorgeous interplay between Cleminson and Charlton. Bonus material begins with LP outtake “Snaefell,” a gorgeous instrumental in the vein of Spirit, with gentle interplay between the two guitarists. Single edits of “May The Sunshine” and “Whatever You Want Babe” are followed by the US version of “Star,” an alternate single edit of “No Mean City” and the disc and box set closing single edit of “Simple Solution.”

‘Born Under The Wrong Sign’ comes in a clamshell box with each of its five discs housed in their own cardboard mini-LP replica sleeves. The set includes a lavishly illustrated full color thirty-two page booklet with full track listings, band photos and an extensive essay by Rich Davenport. The box set sounds incredible thanks to the mastering job of Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham. This highly recommended collection will appeal to fans of hard rock, 1970s rock and classic rock in general.

Kevin Rathert

Nazareth – ‘Born Under The Wrong Sign 1976-1979’ (Cherry Red Records, 2026)