Nazareth built their reputation on grit, volume, and a refusal to stay in one lane. ‘Born Under The Wrong Sign (1976-1979)’, a 5CD box set arriving June 26, covers four albums from one of the most restless stretches of their catalog, and adds 27 bonus tracks including single versions, outtakes, and an alternate version of ‘Expect No Mercy’ that’s never been properly heard.
The collection opens with ‘Close Enough For Rock ‘n’ Roll’, recorded at Le Studio in Montreal and featuring “Telegram,” the four-part rock opera that opened their live shows throughout the era. ‘Play ‘n’ The Game’ follows, with Manny Charlton producing and the band pushing into arena rock and AOR territory with Southern rock and psychedelic touches woven through. It’s a period that often gets overlooked in favor of the ‘Hair Of The Dog’ era, and this box makes the case for a serious reassessment.
‘Expect No Mercy’ brings the heaviness back, with Dan McCafferty’s gravelly vocals front and center over gritty guitar riffs, and Frank Frazetta’s iconic cover art giving the album a visual identity that’s held up for nearly five decades. The original alternate version, spread across disc four, adds a completely different sequence and includes tracks that didn’t make the final cut. It’s the kind of deep archival inclusion that makes a box set worth owning rather than just admiring.
‘No Mean City’ closes the collection, marking the addition of Zal Cleminson on second guitar and a heavier twin-guitar sound that pointed toward where hard rock was heading into the 1980s. Rodney Matthews, who also designed covers for Thin Lizzy and Diamond Head, handled the artwork.
‘Born Under The Wrong Sign (1976-1979)’ arrives June 26.
Track Listing:
Disc One
Close Enough For Rock´N´Roll (1976)
1. Telegram (Parts 1 – 4)
2. Vicki
3. Homesick Again
4. Vancouver Shakedown
5. Born Under The Wrong Sign
6. Loretta
7. Carry Out Feelings
8. Lift The Lid
9. You’re The Violin
Bonus Tracks
10. My White Bicycle (Single)
11. You’re The Violin (Edited A-Side)
12. Loretta (Alternate Single Version)
13. Carry Out Feelings (US Single Edit)
14. Lift The Lid (Alternate Single Version)
15. My White Bicycle (Original Version)
16. Telegram (Edited Version)
17. On Your Way
18. So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star
Disc Two
Play ´N´ The Game (1976)
1. Somebody To Roll
2. Down Home Girl
3. Flying
4. Waiting For The Man
5. Born To Love
6. I Want To Do Everything For You
7. I Don’t Want To Go On Without You
8. Wild Honey
9. L.A. Girls
Bonus Tracks
10. Good Love (B-Side)
11. I Don’t Want To Go On Without You (Alternate Edit)
12. Waiting For The Man (Alternate Edit)
13. Somebody To Roll (Edit)
14. Born To Love (Edited Version)
Disc Three
Expect No Mercy (1977)
1. Expect No Mercy
2. Gone Dead Train
3. Shot Me Down
4. Revenge Is Sweet
5. Gimme What’s Mine
6. Kentucky Fried Blues
7. New York Broken Toy
8. Busted
9. Place In Your Heart
10. All The King’s Horses
Bonus Tracks
11. Greens (B-Side)
12. Desolation Road (B-Side)
13. Gone Dead Train (Edited Version)
14. Expect No Mercy (Alternate Version)
15. Place In Your Heart (Alternate Edited Version)
16. Kentucky Fried Blues (Edited Version)
17. Expect No Mercy (Live)
Disc Four
Expect No Mercy (Original Version)
1. Kentucky Fried Blues
2. Gone Dead Train
3. Shot Me Down
4. Greens
5. Life Of A Dog
6. New York Broken Toy
7. Revenge Is Sweet
8. Desolation Road
9. Can’t Keep A Good Man Down
10. Moonlight Eyes
Disc Five
No Mean City (1979)
1. Just To Get Into It
2. May The Sunshine
3. Simple Solution (Parts 1 & 2)
4. Star
5. Claim To Fame
6. Whatever You Want Babe
7. What’s In It For Me
8. No Mean City (Parts 1 & 2)
Bonus Tracks
9. Snaefell (No Mean City Outtake, 1979, Instrumental)
10. May The Sunshine (Single Edit)
11. Whatever You Want Babe (Single Edit)
12. Star (US Version)
13. No Mean City (Alternate Edit)
14. Simple Solution (Edit)