‎Hair of the Dog Album by Nazareth

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• Ways Nile Rodgers Made “Original Sin” One of INXS’ Most Enduring Hits
• Post Malone is Fully in His ’90s Country Era, Brings Out Brad Paisley and More at Stagecoach Set
• Nazareth
• Genius is the world’s biggest collection of song lyrics and musical knowledge
• Other versions
• More From: Behind The Song
• Other albums released in March 1979

Nazareth’s “Hair of the Dog” was about a woman who had taken advantage of men—until she met her match. Originally, the band wanted to use “Son of a Bitch” as the album title but their label pushed back on it. In response, they thought up “Heir of the Dog,” to reference the manipulative woman in the song, before compromising on “Hair of the Dog.” In the song, McCafferty made it clear that he won’t be used. Hair Of The Dog is the sound of a stadium rock band in full flight. The prodigious use of Darrell Sweet’s cowbell wasn’t all that rendered its title track so memorable. Originally written by Boudleaux Bryant, “Love Hurts” features exquisite, Phil Spector-like production with tremendous space provided for each instrument, especially Charlton’s flanged guitar pattern and Sweet’s echo-drenched drums and percussion.

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The group then supported Deep Purple on tour and caught the ear of bassist and producer Roger Glover, who would go on to produce Nazareth’s next three albums, Razamanaz and Loud n’ Proud in 1973, and Rampant in 1974, each of which built on the group’s growing success. The best way to follow-up the drippy power ballad is with an even more powerful, the riff-driven rocker, “Changin’ Times”. The song proper is like Led Zeppelin on steroids, with different variations on the main riff alternating between the fire-one, high-register a capella vocals. However, what makes this side one closer a classic is the building, closing jam which adds several overdubbed guitars to the unrelenting, throbbing beat, making this a true highlight of the album.

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Stone Rider covered the song for their 2008 studio album, Three Legs of Trouble. Following the success of Hair of the Dog, Nazareth continued to have moderate commercial success, releasing nine more studio albums and a popular live album over the next decade, giving the band a respectable measure of longevity and a healthy catalog. The guitar riff on Changin’ Times doesn’t sound like Black Dog, but the overall feel of the song reminded me of the Zeppelin track and Whiskey Drinking Woman reminds me of Joe Walsh. I wonder if Walsh thought so - his 80s classic The Confessor is rather reminiscent of Please Don’t Judas Me. Red-hot mama, velvet charmer / Time’s come to pay your dues.

Nazareth

The album rocks along just fine, though I probably don’t like it as much as I did 30 years ago. The riffs are okay, the songs are okay, but nothing really jumps out at me as a “must play.” I guess I’ve just found loads of other albums, especially from the 70s, that I like better, which is probably the biggest reason it has stayed in its case for so long. Completely relentless in its attack, the opening track gives us a floor stomping drum intro with that embedded cow bell for extra punch, and it's off to the races from there. After the title track comes Miss Misery, another masterful rocker with some of the rawest vocals of Dan's career. The band had intended it to have a far fruitier moniker, based on its infamously belligerent refrain of, ‘Now you’re messin’ with a son of a bitch’, but couldn’t get it past the censors. It has also been covered by Paul Di'Anno, The Michael Schenker Group and Warrant.

Nazareth, Guns N' Roses, Girls Aloud, and the song that made the record company flip - Louder

Nazareth, Guns N' Roses, Girls Aloud, and the song that made the record company flip.

Posted: Mon, 23 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The middle eastern melodies and mood are interesting, but 10 minutes is a bit too much. Rose in the Heather just resolves Beggars Day so perfectly that both songs should just be one long song. And then Changing Times comes back in right after the ballad and gets the party going again.

Other versions

In Nazareth’s 1975 hit “Hair of the Dog,” Dan McCafferty wasn’t singing about a morning-after drink to help cure a hangover. The phrase “hair of the dog” was even mentioned in the song. Classic Rock is the online home of the world's best rock'n'roll magazine. Our expert writers bring you the very best on established and emerging bands plus everything you need to know about the mightiest new music releases. There is of course that one not-so-secret weapon, Dan McAfferty's voice. From signature hard rock rasp to tender emotion he was/ is quite extraordinary.

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

Other albums released in March 1979

I don't remember the original having this level of power and clarity ( I might have been a fan of it did). The live tracks on that version (alongside the banter) are well worth a listen as well. This album bursts that misconception as they deliver a mixture of high energy rock, blues and ok 'that' ballad.

You've gotta love these 'end of the line' success stories, and that's exactly what this album was/is. The power-ballad treatment of another cover song, Boudleaux Bryant’s Love Hurts (left off the European edition until becoming an ‘extra track’ in Eagle Records’ 2001 catalogue revamp) propelled the album’s worldwide sales to two million. You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music.

The guitar centred outro just makes me wanna get out on the highway. Stand out tracks are Hair Of The Dog, Changing Times, and Beggars Day. Guilty does nothing for me and Judas doesn't justify its length but the other tracks are more than filler. I had the impression that they were a bar-room boogie band that occasionally did ballads. Even the band are unsure what Dave Roe was trying to achieve with the sleeve art of a bat-like creature with vicious teeth.

“He was recommended to us by Storm Thorgerson [of Hipgnosis] but he wouldn’t let us see it ’til it was finished,” bassist Pete Agnew Agnew says. All songs written by Manny Charlton, Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, Darrell Sweet, except where noted. The album cover art was designed by David Fairbrother-Roe.

From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Maybe the reason music like this doesn't find a bigger audience these days is because it's not as obvious as much of today's rock. When it quietens down it really quietens down and doesn't just pretend to by slowing the tempo. That allows the different textures of Whiskey Drinking Woman and Please Don't Judas Me to really stand out from the chest-beating warp and weft woven elsewhere.