Nazareth - Rock'n'Roll Telephone (Union Square)
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| Nazareth - Rock'n'Roll Telephone |
Release Date: 9th June 2014
I always thought it was a shame
that rock legends Nazareth never had a member called Jesus, much in the same
way that I always thought some festival promoter ought to put on a line up that
opens with A and closes with ZZ Top with all the acts in between performing in
alphabetical order. There is more room for humour in rock music than people
think but then again folk do take it all rather seriously so I should probably
shut up and get on with the review.
Dunfermline's finest kick off
with the surprisingly contemporary sounding 'Boom Bang Bang' before 'One Set Of
Bones' crunches in to life with some trademark guitars and a sound that purist Guns'n'Roses
fans will enjoy. 'Back 2b4' is a Summery, acoustic tune (I know, who knew
right?) which has elements of Rod Stewart in his hey-day and 'Winter Sunlight'
is a gentle rock ballad, the kind Ozzy might listen to on a crisp Sunday
afternoon. What's clear from the opening tracks on this album is that Nazareth
still know how to rock but they've developed a softer, more subtle side as
befits a band on album number 23. That said, it's back to the good ol'
fashioned rock on 'Rock'n'Roll Telephone', 'Punch A Hole In The Sky' and the
bangra-rhythmed 'Long Long Time'
On 'The Right Time' we get some mellow, gentle
guitars and wistful lyrics before 'Not Today' creeps in with sinister
atmospherics and then the metal guitars grind in to action to lay the path for
the rasping vocals of Linton Osborne. 'Speakeasy' is a sleazy, almost punk
rock-ish number but it's on 'Just A Ride' that the dark, chugging chops really
come out and Osborne's wail is reminiscent of his name-sake back in the day.
The album closes with the huge sounding 'God Of The Mountain' and the Def
Leppard-esque 'Wanna Feel Good' which is pure good time rock'n'roll with some
weird keyboard sounds thrown in for a laugh. Now, I wouldn't have classed
myself as a Nazareth fan at any time in my life and I'm not about to go out and
buy the back catalogue (I'd need a loan I think), but I have a sneaking
suspicion that Nazareth fans will really enjoy this latest chapter in the epic
story of Scottish rock.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/nazarethofficial?fref=ts
Live Dates:
13th June - Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic
20th June - Amfiteatr Vysoke Myto, Czech Republic
21st June - Valassky Spalicek Festiavl Valasske Mezirici
25th June - Cowichican Theatre, Duncan
26th June - The Side Williams Theatre, Courtenay
27th June - Vernon, British Columbia
28th June - The Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
30th June - Hinton, AB
1st July - The Occidental, Quesnal
4th July - Slave Lake Inn, Slave Lake
5th July - Deerfoot Inn & Casino, Calgary
8th July - O'Brians Event Centre, Saskatoon
10th July - Eagle River Casion, Whitecourt
11th July - Fort McMurray, AB
12th July - Peace River, AB
14th July - Winnipeg, MB
17th July - Gold Eagle Casino, North Battleford
18th July - Grande Prairie, AB
19th July - River Cree Resort and Casino, Box 179
26th July - Rock of Ages Festival, Seebron
31st July - Vallemagia Blues Festival, Cevio
15th August - Rathausbuhne Vadus Leichtenstein
16th August - Open Air Spalt, Germany
22nd August - Bucharest, Romania
23rd August - Fortress of Suceava, Romania
18th September - Porto Allegre, Brazil
19th September - Caxias do Sul, Brazil
20th September - Curitiba, Brazil
21st September - Sao Paulo, Brazil
25th October - Dark days Festival, Kristiansand