Released in 1977, Expect No Mercy finds Nazareth leaning hard into their gritty, no-nonsense rock sound following the success of Hair of the Dog. The album delivers bursts of tough, driving energy and attitude, but it’s also weighed down at times by a few weaker, more pop-leaning tracks that interrupt the flow. That push and pull between hard rock punch and softer missteps makes it a bit of an uneven listen, but still one that shows the band’s raw edge and willingness to experiment.

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Mark: Nazareth Expect No Mercy was for me kind of a dark horse album from a kind of dark horse band. Dark horse in that they weren’t a huge name act but they were coming off success from Hair of the Dog album. That success moved me to buy Expect No Mercy. That and the brilliant Frank Frazetta art work. If ever there was a reason to buy an album for its cover this is the one! I had no preconceptions really for the music within, I assumed it would be heavy at times, and it was. Even though the cover screams heavy metal I was enlightened by the realization that these musicians are more than heavy riffs. They are other influential musical musings pulling and tugging at these fellows. At first this annoying musical wet Willie was enough to abandon this offering, I don’t think I listened to side two hardly at all. I was and still am soaking in warm temperate waters of side one. And I stayed in way too long getting all shriveled and squishy. Oh well. As I listen back, I came to appreciate the diversity of what I thought they were trying. That maybe we aren’t just a hard rock bluesy band. Maybe the success of Hair of the Dog album allows for more freedom stylistically. And why not? It’s not all about going down the same road. Maybe try a different path, put on that fresh musical sombrero you’ve bought in Mexico City back in the 60’s. I for one appreciate the effort. Make room in your heart for side two I say, make room…

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Grade: a revengeful B

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Jeff:  Listening to this CD again with Mark and Kip, I was struck by just how extreme the highs and lows are on this album. I originally bought it when it came out in 1977. Back then, I already knew “Hair of the Dog” and wanted more from the band that put out a track like that. My routine in those days was to come home from Budget’s with a stack of five to eight albums, listen through them a couple of times, then make a cassette compilation of what I thought were the best songs. After that, I rarely went back to the full albums unless I was putting together a mix for friends. This album definitely had some killer tracks that made it onto those that wanted a hard rock tape to blast as they were cruising.

   What surprised me now is how much I had forgotten about the weaker material. I could easily recall four standout songs off the top of my head, but I had completely blocked out just how poor some of the other tracks are. It makes for a very uneven listening experience. That said, the more I thought about it, most albums I bought back then were like this. Honestly, probably 90% of my collection consists of albums where I only really love a handful of songs rather than the whole record. Expect No Mercy is no exception. Still, I can imagine the disappointment of throwing this on, cranking up the title track while driving, and then getting hit with songs like “Shot Me Down” or “Place in Your Heart,” which, sorry, just don’t cut it. This could have been a truly great, hard-rocking album, but the quality is all over the place. When it’s good, though, it’s really good. The title track is a fantastic opener, driven by a tight rhythm section. The production is a bit thin, pretty typical for the time, but it still hits hard. Listening now, the lead guitar work might sound a little simple, but it has real feeling. I’ll take Manny Charlton’s straightforward, emotional playing over a lot of the flashy shred that came later in the ’80s. “Gone Dead Train” has that slightly poppy, Beatles-esque vibe that’s always worked for me, it’s just a feel-good track that puts a smile on your face. “Shot Me Down” is where things start to slip, and it marks the point where what could have been a great album begins to lose its way. Thankfully, it picks back up with “Revenge Is Sweet,” which really hit home for me at the time, I had just gone through a breakup, so songs like that and the title track were exactly what I wanted to be blasting and singing along to. “Gimme What’s Mine” closes out side one, and at that point, it feels like a strong run with one misfire. But revisiting it with Mark and Kip made me realize I barely knew side two. That’s because I never really liked it. “Kentucky Fried Blues,” “New York Broken Toy,” and “All the King’s Horses” aren’t my favorites, but they at least fit the overall vibe. “Busted” and “Place in Your Heart,” though, feel like a complete waste. I know the label rejected the album once, and honestly, they probably should have done it again and pushed for a couple of stronger replacements.

   One last thing, if you’re a fan of this album, you absolutely have to track down the 2005 Snapper Classics CD. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s one of the most impressive remasters I’ve ever heard. The original record sounds thin, but this version is a completely different experience. The bass is deep and driving, and the whole album just comes alive. If you can still find it, it’s night-and-day compared to the original and well worth picking up.

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Grade: B

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Kip: Full disclosure: I have given more thought to the write up for this album than for anything we've done on this venture. I'm also sure that I'm going to write a fairly negative review for an album for which I have much affection. Jeff often speaks nostalgically about going into record stores and selecting unknown band's albums entirely based on the cover art. I, conversely, very rarely went to the record store without a specific band and/or title in mind. This album was the exception. When visiting my grandmother in the small South Dakota town of Platte, she would take me out to lunch, then tell me I could pick out a toy after. In my pre-teen years, feeling that I had outgrown toys, I would venture into the local hardware store, which, oddly, had a fairly extensive vinyl record section. While perusing the offerings with no clear target in mind, I came across Nazareth's Expect No Mercy. The album was intriguing for several reasons. Jeff chuckles every time I bring up Nazareth, as he was somewhat familiar with my mom because of her being a college teacher of his wife. My mom was tiny, buttoned up and a big fan of easy listening 70's music. When “Love Hurts” became a huge hit for the band, my mom heard and loved the song. So much so that she selected the album as one of her Columbia Record choices. Imagine her surprise when she dropped the needle on “Hair of the Dog!” NOT surprisingly, I inherited that album in short order and it quickly became a favorite of mine, because what 14-year-old moron doesn't revel in singing “....a son of a bitch” at full volume, but more so because as a completely novice aspiring guitarist, I could play along with just about every song on the album, which were filled with mid-tempo power chords. I figured Expect No Mercy would be similar, especially with the consistent tempo and sound of almost every song on Hair of the Dog. That was misconception number one. The second reason I bought the album was the Frank Frazetta cover. My older brother was a massive Frazetta fan, so I had seen the cover painting previously in a collection of the artist's work. The cover screamed aggression, distortion and volume. Outside of the title track, I was completely misled in that belief as well. It's also a very atypical hard rock 70's album in terms of production. As heavy as the title track is, the guitars are very thin, the drums have almost no dynamics and the driving bass line is so dry that it always reminds me of the sound my hands make when playing along with a song on my jeans. The distortion in the song is created almost entirely from singer Dan McCafferty's throat shredding vocals, the super aggressive, masculine lyrics and the occasional guitar fills, but NOT the actual busy guitar riff of the song. I love the song, but was unprepared for what would follow. The jangly, borderline country vibe of “Gone Dead Train” was jarring for someone waiting for “Miss Misery” to be the follow up. Having a brother in the music business, I had a very negative view of record companies and regarded them as being run by failed musicians. But in hearing the initial album the band handed the record company, with songs that sounded VERY country, even I agreed with the executive's orders that the band go back in the studio and re-record them. This was especially a correct call when considering the initial album didn't include the title track. (The Salvo reissue of the album, which includes the original tracks is all sorts of interesting and worth buying.) While “Revenge is Sweet,” “Gimme What's Mine” and “Kentucky Fried Blues” eventually ended up sounding much more indicative of earlier albums and the cover art, “Shot Me Down,” “Busted” and “Place in your Heart” were absolutely baffling to my young ears and gave the album almost a schizo feel. “All the King's Horses” IS a classic 70's album closer, I must say. (“Busted” always felt like a comic lark in the vein of Deep Purple's “Anyone's Daughter.”) The track choices are interesting when listening to the bonus tracks on the expanded edition. They had a couple quality songs that could have replaced a couple of the weaker pieces on this album.

   Having fallen so far down the rabbit hole on this one, I have concluded that I have great affection for this album and appreciate it much more at 60 then I did at 14. I also understand why it didn't fair well commercially, as it not only didn't have a hit like “Love Hurts,” it also had such a lack of cohesion that word of mouth among fans had to be quite negative. I have gone years at a time not listening to it, but will also play it on repeat in my car for a few days when I return to it. A truly enigmatic album.

 

P.S. Just for your amusement.

 

   I was in an aspiring (and awful) band around this time and we made the brilliant decision to play “Hair of the Dog” as our selection for a local talent show that was judged by several blue haired ladies. Shockingly, we didn't win. I do have to give our drummer creative kudos for remedying his lack of a cowbell by sawing an old Louisville Slugger baseball bat in half and having his girlfriend sit on the floor next to his drum set and keep time. Sadly, she was the most talented of all of us.

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Grade: C+

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