The most recent song that the band played was "This Month's Messiah," from 1984's The Catch, and it was one of the best ones in the set. Most of the essential Nazareth tracks are also here, including "Razamanaz," "Hair Of The Dog," and "Love Hurts," but one of the most interesting performances of the night was the funky take on JJ Cale's "Cocaine." Pete Agnew hammers out some deft runs on acoustic bass, while Darrell Sweet accompanies him on congas and tambourine, and Manny Charlton seals the deal with some cool jazzy guitar riffs.
The set list also includes a cover of the Yardbird's "Ain't Got You," but you only get all of 30 seconds before it gets cut off and the credits start to roll. Too bad, I hadn't heard that song since I used to rock out to it on Aerosmith's Live Bootleg album as a teenager.
The overall production quality is not bad considering the age and quality of the source material. The picture is a little grainy and some of the colors are washed out, but it looks pretty fair overall. Dolby Digital Stereo is your only audio option, but it sounded decent through my AV amplifier when using Dolby Prologic II for simulated surround, or just plain old stereo. Other than a preview of some other Cherry Red DVD releases, there were no special features included.
This same video had been previously released in 2002 under the title Razamanaz. Not sure if that version is now out of print, but this new Hair Of The Dog - Live In London version gives fans another chance to catch up on some '80s Nazareth. Hard core fans should enjoy this one, but it is not likely to win over any new converts for the band.
Setlist
01. Telegram
02. Razamanaz
03. I Want To Do Everything For You
04. Boys In The Band
05. Beggars Day
06. Dream On
07. Cocaine
08. This Month's Messiah
09. This Flight Tonight
10. Love Hurts
11. Hair Of The Dog
12. Teenage Nervous Breakdown
13. Ain't Got You
Ratings:
Performance 6/10
Production 5/10
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