« Back to Top Level | Nazareth

Nazareth - Hair Of The Dog (1975)

Track listing:
  1. Hair Of The Dog 4:10
  2. Miss Misery 4:42
  3. Guilty 3:39
  4. Changin' Times 5:59
  5. Beggars Day 3:46
  6. Rose In The Heather 2:44
  7. Whiskey Drinkin' Woman 5:29
  8. Please Don't Judas Me 9:52
  9. Love Hurts 3:53
  10. Down 3:55
  11. Holy Roller 3:26
  12. Railroad Boy 4:08
  13. Hair Of The Dog 3:22
  14. Holy Roller 4:21

Notes

Size: 127 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Source: Japan 24-Bit Remaster

Hair of the Dog was the sixth studio album by the Scottish rock band Nazareth, released in 1975, on A&M Records. The album was recorded at Escape Studios, in Kent, United Kingdom, and is the band's biggest selling album, having sold two million copies worldwide.

After three albums with Deep Purple's Roger Glover producing, Manny Charlton stepped into that position, one he filled for several subsequent albums.

It was Nazareth's first big hit album (aside from the minor success of Razamanaz), including classics such as "Love Hurts" (on the US version, but not the Canadian/European, it replaced the original "Guilty"), "Hair of the Dog", "Beggar's Day" and "Please Don't Judas Me".

The album title is often considered to be a shortened form of the phrase describing a folk hangover cure, "the hair of the dog that bit you". However, according to Dan McCafferty, the title is a play on "heir of the dog", ie. a "son of a bitch". This was the title the band had intended for the album, but the label did not approve. The title track is sometimes mistakenly called "Son of a Bitch" because of its chorus ("now you're messin' with a son of a bitch").

After slowly but surely building a fanbase around the world with albums like Razamanaz and Loud 'N' Proud, Nazareth finally hit the big time in 1975 with Hair of the Dog. The title track sets the mood for this stark album of hard rock with its combination of relentless guitar riffs, a throbbing, cowbell-driven beat, and an angry vocal from Dan McCafferty that denounces a "heart-breaker, soul-shaker." The end result is a memorably ferocious rocker that has become a staple of hard rock radio stations. The remainder of the album divides its time between similarly pulverizing hard rock fare and some intriguing experiments with the group's sound. In the rocker category, notable tracks include "Miss Misery," a bad romance lament driven by a doomy riff worthy of Black Sabbath, and "Changin' Times," a throbbing hard rock tune driven by a hypnotic, circular-sounding guitar riff.

In the experimental category, the big highlight is "Please Don't Judas Me," an epic tune about paranoia that trades heavy metal riffs for a spooky, synthesizer-dominated atmosphere that is further enhanced by some light, Pink Floyd-styled slide guitar work. The American edition of this album also included a surprise hit for the group with their power ballad reinterpretation of the Everly Brothers classic "Love Hurts." However, the album's surprise highlight is a song that bridges the gap between the straight hard rock and experimental songs, "Beggars Day/Rose in Heather"; it starts out as a stomping rocker but smoothly transforms itself midway through into a gentle and spacey instrumental where soaring synthesizer lines support some moody guitar work. All in all, Hair of the Dog is the finest album in the Nazareth catalog. It is a necessity for both the group's fans and anyone who loves 1970s hard rock.

01. Hair of the Dog 4:10
02. Miss Misery 4:41
03. Guilty 3:52
04. Changin' Times 6:03
05. Beggars Day 3:55
06. Rose in the Heather 2:35
07. Whiskey Drinkin' Woman 5:30
08. Please Don't Judas Me 9:50
+ Bonus Tracks