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The place of Nazareth, the band, in the rock and roll pantheon has long been assured, and they’re continuing to add to their catalog with a brand-new studio album coming out June 3.
The Scottish group’s influence on heavy, bluesy hard-rock bands through the decades can’t be denied, of course. Witness the hit cover by Guns N’ Roses of Hair of the Dog‘s title track. But long before that, that classic 1975 Nazareth LP appeared in the collections of countless rock fans. Just about everyone I knew when I was a teenager, anyway.
And of course, it’s hard to imagine Nazareth’s titanic version of “Love Hurts” ever getting old. Dan McCafferty’s vocals in such ballads and rockers alike have been a key to the band’s long-running success. It’s no accident that so many of the greatest classic-rock bands had singers who concentrated mostly on singing, rather than also playing an instrument – Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, AC/DC, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses. Nazareth had, and still has, Dan McCafferty, whose unmistakeable high-pitched screams and soulful wails etched themselves forever into the spirits of a generation on both sides of the Atlantic.
Health issues may prevent McCafferty from singing with the band in the future, so the new album may be the last statement from Nazareth with the unparalleled lead singer who has fronted the group since it formed in 1968.
June 3, 2014 will see the release of Nazareth’s 23rd studio album, groovily titled Rock ‘n’ Roll Telephone. A Deluxe digipack edition will have a second disc with additional studio recordings and live tracks. And since all the hip new bands are doing it, there’ll be vinyl too – a double-LP gatefold version, which will also include the extra material.
Pre-order online here.
