"Close enough for Rock N' Roll" is album number seven from
Nazareth released in March 1976.
The album is a bit mellower compared to the predecessors, but it's a varied album with splendid songwriting as the key element. Even though the individuals are great musicians they never show off and all
Nazareth albums sound like a band effort. "Close Enough For Rock N' Roll" might be the best example of what a strong unit Dan McCafferty, Darrel Sweet, Pete Agnew and Manny Charlton is when the individuals group as
Nazareth.
The album opens with the 8-minute epic
Telegram, which is divided in 4 parts and certainly a
Nazareth classic.
Telegram is a bit different compared to their other songs but still a song only
Nazareth could have written.
The albums closes with another extended track; the haunting
You're The Violin, which clocks in at 9 minutes.
You're the Violin takes you through several emotions -
Nazareth manages to touch the listener with the splendid arrangement and Dan McCafferty's expressive vocals.
The commercial
Carry Out feelings is slick
FM friendly rock made to be played on the North American radio stations.
Nazareth's focus was on the American market and they toured immensely in North America. In Canada they headlined arenas and the song
Vancouver Shakedown is a about a touring experience.
"Close enough for Rock N' Roll" isn't as intense and direct as the previous "Hair of the Dog", but the album showed more sides of
Nazareth and more ambitious musically.
"Play N' the Game" is fascinating because it was written in the studio. At the time
Nazareth was a well-oiled recording machine.
Nazareth toured 6 months in support of "Close Enough to Rock Roll" and had no time to write tunes before the record company demanded another album. Quality-wise "Play N' the Game" is not as consistent the previous albums and this was the first sign of
Nazareth on auto pilot. Songs like
Somebody to Roll and
Born to Love still sounds good, but earlier
Nazareth had already showed the world their big potential and therefore the masses had great expectations for the album.
"Play N' the Game" was a quick album and commissioned work to keep the interest going but the album is not among their best work. The album contains 9 songs - among them 4 cover songs, which sadly suspect that this is a rush-job and the outcome an average release.
"Play N' the Game" was released in November 1976 only 8 months after "Close enough for Rock N'Roll" and this was
Nazareth's eight LP in only 5 years.
The reissue comes with extensive booklet, great packaging and 2 albums on 1 disc for the price of one. Another great deal from Salvo!
Ratings:Close Enough for Rock N' Roll: 7/10
Play N' the Game: 6/10
Written by
Michael Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Show all reviews by MichaelRatingsMichael: 6.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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