Close Enough for Rock 'N Roll

Close Enough for Rock 'N' Roll came one year after Nazareth made a worldwide name for themselves with Hair of the Dog, which yielded their biggest hit, "Love Hurts," first recorded by the Everly Brothers but given an unforgettably hard-rocking makeover by Nazareth in 1975. The other song for which they are famous, "Hair of the Dog" is a '70s classic of its own. With Close Enough …, the Scottish group stretches their sound far beyond the parameters of hard rock, incorporating funk, '60s psychedelia, and elements of folk rock. They continue on their tack of choosing great covers (the name of the band itself refers to the first line in the Band's "The  Weight" – "I pulled into Nazareth/Was feeling about half past dead …") by hitting on the Byrds "So You Wanna Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star" in the middle of a highly progressive eight-minute opening medley. Decidedly less rock than the group is known for amid the experimentations, but "Homesick Again" has a great chorus and "Loretta," with perfectly recorded guitars and the cowbell that defined "Hair of the Dog," could easily be a Man Who Sold the World-era Bowie song.