Before the Skids and then Big Country the biggest band to have come out of Dunfermline were Nazareth.
They were a soft hard rock band (if that makes sense) and similar to the likes of Bad Company and Free. A hard rock band who could also trouble the singles chart. Indeed in 1973 their first three singles Broken Down Angel, Bad Bad Boy and This Flight Tonight reached numbers 9,10 and 11 respectively. My White Bicycle reached number 14 in 1975 but this about as high as they got. Their first three albums also reached similar heights
Sadly Dan McCafferty the band's charismatic lead singer has died at the age of 76. He appeared on all Nazareth albums up to 2014 and toured with them for 45 years.
A couple of my hairier friends (then not now) saw him play live in Irvine and Dundee and said that the band put on a terrific show. As well as hairy guys Dan was popular with the ladies given his Bolanesque good looks.
Rest easy Dan
Sorry to hear the sad news. He was a good man, Dan.
ReplyDeleteAs opposed to a Bad Bad Boy!
DeleteI wish I could claim I had deliberately set it up for your response but I'm not that clever.
DeleteWalter is hopping and bobbing his/her head to This Flight Tonight
ReplyDeleteWe need a series of songs that pass the pigeon test
DeleteThe Jethro Tull tribute album I am playing is doing nothing fot him
DeleteHe clearly has taste
DeleteA Pigeon Post will appear in a few days for Walter
ReplyDeletehoot
DeleteSad news. Nazareth were TOTP staples in the days when I used to sit on the floor in front of the TV every Thursday evening, holding the microphone of my portable cassette player in one hand while shushing my parents with the other.
ReplyDeleteDunfermline have a fine rock tradition. Although I loved that triumvirate of songs from 73/74 you mentioned I never investigated them further. As for Love Hurts, I struggle with that even from the Everlys so any cover is never going to win me over. i
ReplyDeleteBefore I was rudely interrupted by a fat finger premature 'Send' I was going to say I've always thought fondly of Dan and Nazareth in the intervening 50 or so years.
ReplyDelete