Customer Reviews

No Mean City

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No Mean City is a record that never has stopped to move me. This really is Nazareth at the Climax of their career. Rocking, swinging, chanting and dragging you into their rythmes. It is just pure magic.

Why this album usually gets lower reviews from Naz fans is beyond me. I think this is one of their finest, and the one I enjoy just as much as "Hair of the Dog". I have been an ardent Naz fan since I heard "Love Hurts" when it came out. My favorites on this album are "Simple Solution" "Claim to Fame" "Just to get into it" and "Whatever you want, babe" I would think Naz fans would LOVE this album like I do!

The first track I do not like. The rest of them make this my favourite album. and i have them all.

By far their heaviest studio album - the cover art shows it already ;-) - and sure one of the best. Not exactly Heavy Metal, but something quite close, with more "radio-friendly" material strewed in for diversity.

"Just To Get Into It" and "Claim To Fame" are classic, loud and simple Rock 'n Roll at its best; the former features some wonderful, swirling guitar playing, on the latter Dan McCafferty's voice sounds almost frightening... But his vocals are stunning throughout! --- "Simple Solution" (God, what a song!) and "No Mean City" (another incredible, chilling performance by the singer) add some dynamics and complexity; --- "What's In It For Me", based on an archetypal Bluesrock riff, uses some slide guitar in a rather heavy context, which really isn't something you hear every day. --- "May The Sunshine", "What's In It For Me" and "Star" (the obvious singles) are the tunes that a person who doesn't know Nazareth very well would usually associate with the group - closer to 70s pop nostalgia than to Hardrock, but not boring at all; and what's more: They obviously haven't only been included to attract a different kind of audience or get into the charts, but they're part of the concept. "Star" in particular - a semi-ballad - is one of the absolute classics of the genre; a bit more elaborate than "Love Hurts" or "Dream On" and by no means a soundtrack to teenage dreams - something you can still listen to when you're over 30 ;-)

For my taste, the album is perfectly paced - with a heavy track usually being followed by a lighter one. This may put off people who can't get enough of the "hard stuff", but if you like more than one kind of music, the sequencing works extremely well; in fact this contrast is one of the reasons for the record being more entertaining than anything else I ever heard by the group. The melodies tend to sound a bit similar towards the end, but that's something you don't even notice - due to the clever construction of the tracks and the album as a whole, and of course due to McCafferty's voice which gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

In short, this album is quite unique in the group's recording legacy - a criminally underrated gem and really addicting!

Recommended to everyone who wants to hear where Axl Rose found his main inspirations; to those who want to explore the roots of the "New Wave of British Heavy Metal"; hell, to everyone who loves classic Hardrock! Maybe even to some people who usually hate Nazareth...

By the way: Visit www.amazon.de if you want to listen to the songs!!! At the time that I'm writing this, the exact URL is http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000007P0C/qid=983740123/sr=1-1/302-4951025-7612858

Unfortunately, this is the last true hard rock album of a hard rock supergroup. I was a hard-rock virgin until that fateful day when my soon to be brother-in-law inserted an 8-track of "Hair of the Dog" into his 65 mustang. Nazereth changed my views on music forever. I now have all their albums in one form or another,except some of the ones released in the 90's as they just don't grab me the the way the old stuff does. Sure, there were signs of life after "No Mean City", but they were few and far between. This is the last great album by this band.(With 'Snaz being a glaring exception)This album has anthems, ballads, and heavy sounds, but it's all pure rock-n-roll. If you don't have this album in your collection, my friend, then you are not a rock-n-roller.

CD came in just as it was described, its music from my youth and I have looked high and low for this CD and could not find it anywhere and thanks to Amazon I was able to get a copy.

There is so much more to Nazareth than most people know. Every true music lover has a copy of their "Greatest Hits" CD at least. They have put out more than 20 albums over the years, and largely these are the unheard albums. Thus, unfortunately, many of their gems have been overlooked. No-one (and I mean no-one) can sing a ballad or a rock anthem the way Naz can. These guys rock hard! I have seen them in concert many times and they have more pzazz than so called rockers half their age. It's a shame that they are not more recognized for the rock legends they truly are. Every time I listen to this godly album I wonder why people like Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake are more famous that these guys. I guess it just shows what is wrong with music these days.
Anyhow, do yourself a favour - pour a strong drink, light a candle and put on some tunes from these masters. They will remind you why you love Rock n' Roll.
Thanks Boys, and Rock on!

I own all of Nazareth's albums, and would rank this one in the top 3 or 4. The harder rocking songs aren't up to the level of the ones on albums like Expect No Mercy and Hair Of The Dog would be my main criticism. They are rather plodding, repetitive, and uninspired. I also find the ballad "Star" to be one of the bands poorer efforts, and no hard rock band does ballads better than Nazareth. So why 5 stars? Simply because this album has 2 of the bands best songs to this date. "May The Sunshine", and "Whatever You Want Babe", are songs I never get tired of hearing, very melodic songs with infectious guitar throughout - with just enough hard edge to get your blood up. They both have a sound indicative of the bands Scottish heritage, you almost expect to hear bagpipes breaking out at any second! If you are familiar with and enjoy the band's "Demon Alcohol" track, or AC/DC's "Long Way To The Top", you will really love these two songs. Also, the final title track "No Mean City" is good in it's own right, eerie in the vein of Ozzy's "Diary Of A Madman", it features some of Dan's spookiest and grittiest vocals.

The great Art work was what made me buy my first Nazareth album, but it was almost my last after I listened to the entire thing!While many fans thought it was great that Zal Cleminson had joined the band, I had mixed feelings. "Expect No Mercy" was great and this follow up is lacking.

"May The Sunshine" and "Star" (which inspired Human League's "Don't You Want Me Baby" snythesizer hit)are excellent. But the hard rocking stuff is second rate. The opening tune is poor, a bad sign, and while Dan does what he can with his vocals to keep things interesting it is tough to listen to the entire CD, the best riff being recycled from "Hair of the Dog".

I was exposed to Nazareth while sneaking in the back door of a venue at the age of 9. I was hooked from that day forward. They were unbelievable. When tattooalley.com (my company) punched out the best tunes to date list, this CD was there. The whole concept of this release is, at the very least, captivating. I recommend it to anyone who likes good hard rock.