No Mean City

It took about a decade for NAZARETH to unchain themselves from the endless wheel of touring and recording to take a break and reassess the band's approach to their chore of choice. What became clear was that, when many of the band's contemporaries had been written off as obsolete, it would make sense to pander to the fans' expectations, especially if it meant getting heavier rather than lightweight, and that the twin guitar attack would be a real gain. Cue Zal Cleminson, a former Alex Harvey axeman and the Dunfermline lads' old friend. Tracklist-wise, his contribution are meagre - a previously unreleased gentle instrumental "Snaefell" showcasing the new six-string unit work, and the stomper "Simple Solution", hung on the adorable "Hair Of The Dog" riff - but the freedom this approach brought to the playing is palpable.
The lead-up to "Just To Get Into It", with a hint of "Flight Of The Bumblebee", makes the opener buzz with excitement and catch no less than three solos on its rock 'n' roll spine, while "Claim To Fame" adds a good dose of menace to this, one of the sharpest NAZ collection. But it's in the easygoing "Whatever You Want Me" where the Scots' collective heart booms wild, spurned by the song's galloping golden motif; the same warm joy spills from the acoustic cowboy ride of "May The Sunshine" painted over with bold, yet exquisite, electric strokes. Then, "Star" flows in as its silvery, night-time counterpart featuring Dan McCafferty at his most reflective but sounding dangerously close to the Rod Stewart-fronted THIN LIZZY, whereas "What's In It For Me" employs too much Americana sliding to be as fiery as it tries to be. Still, the title track drives it all to a pounding finale to show that NAZARETH, for all the irony of Rodney Matthews cover, the sitar inflections on the Celtic march and the band's secret laughter, really mean it.