It's been 34 years since Nazareth came out. Can we read this? Thirty Four Years! Many bands don't even achieve playing 'till their members are 34 years old and this legendary band still spreads tons of adrenaline with every new CD or DVD release or live gig. Yes, it's retro and I like it! Yes, they're around their sixties (talkin'' 'bout the duet, of course...) but they still kick ass. Yes, it's 2005 but this band plays 2-hour shows when our contemporaries are done after 80-90 minutes onstage. Want more? You better not... Just say you don't like this kinda stuff, it's the only excuse.
Scottish heroes Nazareth perform real Hard Rock music for 35 years now. Two out of the four original members are still 'in' the band - Pete Agnew and Dan McCafferty - and I wonder why I'm trying to write a bio, as if Nazareth are 'rookies' trying to obtain your interest or something. Hey! Let aside the Love Hurts party ballad - anyway, an excellent Everly Brothers cover - and taste the power of Razamanaz (1973), Loud 'n' Proud (1973), Hair Of The Dog (1975) or should I write down their entire discography? Nazareth is not (and never was) the kind of band to preserve their reputation through the Press' gossip articles. Music - the older ones remember - once upon a time told no lies. Album, tour, rest, album, tour, rest and the story carries on. That's why Dan McCafferty's voice has been and still is a symbol for countless of singers around the globe all these years and, even more, Nazareth's music still accompanies your cold beer at your local Rock Bar/Pub.
A brief review of the DVD release: In terms of performance, there's no comment. If you do a live recording session and there's no fans around then you seem bored. Notice this: 'you seem', not 'you are'... It's a little bit weird to come up with this kind of footage but the scope is to 'promote' the consistency of the quartet. And this is obvious... Jimmy Murrison's magic is apparent while Lee Agnew's master control guides the whole band with sufficient energy. I had once again the chance to applause Dan McCafferty; too much to say for a living idol [notice the resemblance of his face to Overkill's frontman Bobby 'Blitz' (!!!), a singer clearly influenced by McCafferty]. Still, the silent force of Pete Agnew (it's not that usual for father and son to be in the same band!) is what impressed me the most. His bass playing is dominant, yet gentle, and in tunes like Kentucky Fried Blues or Hair Of The Dog you can easily bow before his 'unspoken' dignity.
Accompanying this remarkable release, Classic Pictures has added two bonus features: On the road with Nazareth includes exclusive footage and member interviews while on tour - didn't get anything because of the accent - while Nazareth Germany 2005 is a short film showing excerpts of the band touring Germany (at the hotel, on the road, before-during-after a gig, meet & greet etc).
Nazareth fans are already after Live From Classic T Stage, that's for sure. For the rest, if you can overcome the band performing a live session 'in the raw', you'll definitely enjoy this. Why 'in the raw'? Simply because all you'll see is four men and their instruments. Too 'empty'? Yeap, it's only music! If you dare...