Nazareth Album: “Homecoming: The Greatest Hits Live in Glasgow [DVD]”

As always, Nazareth rocks. Its the hidden, not so well known tunes that they make into treasures, that makes them a class act.

Charles

This was a good value, the DVD and CD combination. I thought the DVD was well shot, and I've listened to the CD quite a bit. Although I was never a Die-hard Nazareth fan, I remember really liking the RAZAMANAZ album. The Lead singer Dan McCafferty hasn't lost much voice, it may have gotten a little raspier. Pete Agnew, the Bass player has his Son playing Drums in the Band, and the kid does play well. I may have liked Manny Charleton's style a little better than the guitar player they have now, but this guy holds his own, and does a good job.

Honestly as a teen in the 70's, Hair of the Dog was the only Nazareth record I owned, and partly because of the very cool slip cover art that was used. But the more I listened to it, the more I liked this band, and then I saw them in concert in 78' and was disappointed because they didn't have long hair like all of my other favorite bands at the time. Well they still don't have long hair, but the powerful voice is as strong as ever and while I can't say they have exactly aged well from a physical standpoint (like Paul Rodgers for instance), they certainly know how to put on a show and make it look easy. I highly recommend this selection to other children of the 70's who enjoy time travel now and again.

brilliant.great songs,great band.loved that there was a CD included.was great to watch in front of a scottish crowd.WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY...NOTHING

The Good

Homecoming

Nazareth kicks off their set with the mid-tempo song "When the Lights Come Down". They chose a small, intimate club setting for this homecoming performance. The group breaks into "Razamanaz" to get the crowd moving. McCafferty does his best Brian Johnson (AC/DC) impression vocally. "Miss Misery" brings the tempo down a bit, but it accented by a great repetitive guitar lick. A poor little rich kid is the subject of the ironic song "Holiday". The riff is pure classic rock. The seventies where a big time for songs about bicycles apparently, Queen comes to mind, and Nazareth chime in with "My White Bicycle".

"Heart's Grown Cold" has a beautiful piano introduction that's capped off with an emotional vocal performance. McCafferty dedicates "Whiskey Drinking Woman" to all the mothers in the world. The familiar simple riff of "Hair of the Dog" will grab your attention. Its funny how a melody so simple, is so effective when delivered. For the funky, robotic-like section, McCafferty breaks out a set of bagpipes with a vocal tube attached (a la Peter Frampton, Bon Jovi). Who knew the bagpipes could do that? The band closes out the set with their biggest hit "Love Hurts".

Extras

An interview with the band is the only bonus feature. All the members of Nazareth are interviewed about various topics. Among the topics discussed are how the band got together, what they did before hand, where the name came from, back story on their Joni Mitchell remake, line-up changes, influences, and more. Between the interview segments is rehearsal footage for the big live performance.

The Bad

McCafferty has a hard time hitting the notes on "Love Hurts", but that's expected after all these years.

The Verdict

I didn't realize how mid-tempo and mellow the majority of Nazareth songs are. Where the group lacks in energetic songs, they make up for with their musical delivery and strong performance. After all the years past, Nazareth still put on a good rock show. The DVD extras are skimpy, but you get a live CD out of it. You can't beat that!