Nazareth - NAZARETH***

Witchdoctor Woman/Dear John/Empty Arms Empty Heart/I Had A Dream/Red Light Lady/Fat Man/Country Girl/ Morning Dew/King Is Dead

Eponymous debut album from the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth. They took their name from Nazareth in Pennsylvania, mentioned at the beginning of The Band's classic song The Weight.

“The real Nazareth are not here yet and this release shows that. The material is all over the place and honestly not very good with one exception, Morning Dew.”

“A great debut with many variations between hard rock, folk and psychedelic rock. Even to this day it is still stands strong, but it is very different from all the albums that came afterwards.”

“Nazareth had some pretty rocking singles during the mid-seventies but this predictably folky blues rock debut LP puts me to sleep.”

“Nazareth have put out some very average records in their time (and I'm being nice here), but this debut is a pretty safe bet. Plenty of hard rock, some boogie, ballads, country rock etc. Sure their biting off more than they can chew, but it's at least heading in the right direction.”

“This is their masterful debut album that has never got the recognition it deserves. None of their later albums can match the diversity and intrigue of this one. In short, it's a masterpiece. It has a little of everything - country, boogie rock, hard rock, beautiful ballads and orchestrated epics.”

“Their debut album, featuring very bluesy-hard rock. A seven minute excellent version of Morning Dew is a must for Nazareth fans. The whole album is strong and worth picking up.”

“Their songwriting was top notch right from the very beginning. I can't think of a single weak point. When a band starts off this strongly that usually means they will go on to have a successful career. That stands true for Nazareth.”

“Surprisingly strong for a debut, this is a very bluesy mix of hard rock and folk with a couple of covers thrown in for good measure. Included here of note is their punishing cover of Morning Dew, which is the best version of the song ever cut. The distorted bass sounds straight out of hell and it just drives the song. The rest of the album is pretty solid as well.”