Hair of the Dog is the sixth studio album by the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, released on 3 April 1975. The album was recorded at Escape Studios, Kent, with additional recording and mixing at AIR Studios, London, and is the group's best known and highest selling release, with over two million copies sold worldwide.[3]
| Hair of the Dog | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 April 1975[1] | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:34 | |||
| Label | Mooncrest | |||
| Producer | Manny Charlton | |||
| Nazareth chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Hair of the Dog | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Hair of the Dog" on YouTube | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Love Hurts" on YouTube | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
After three albums with Deep Purple's Roger Glover producing, Manny Charlton stepped into that position, one he filled for several subsequent albums.
Background
editHair of The Dog was Nazareth's first big hit album (aside from the minor success of Razamanaz), including classics such as the title track, a version of The Everly Brothers' "Love Hurts" (on the US version, but not the Canadian/European, it replaced the original "Guilty"), "Beggars Day" and "Please Don't Judas Me".
According to Nazareth frontman Dan McCafferty, the track on Hair of the Dog in which a dishonest young woman finally meets her match provided the original album title with its recognizable chorus of "now you're messing with a… a son of a bitch!" (an "heir of the dog"). Nazareth's record label wasn't about to let them name the project Son of a Bitch. Thus, Hair of the Dog was selected as a compromise, putting the finishing touches on a career-defining release.[4] The album title is often considered to be a shortened form of the phrase describing a folk hangover cure, "the hair of the dog that bit you".
The album was first reissued on CD in the USA in 1984; the disc was manufactured in Japan with the inserts printed in Japan. There are also remastered editions released since 1997 with different sets of bonus tracks. The name of the creature on the album cover is unknown.
The album cover art was designed by David Fairbrother-Roe.
Track listing
editAll songs written by Manny Charlton, Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, Darrell Sweet, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hair of the Dog" | 4:11 | |
| 2. | "Miss Misery" | 4:40 | |
| 3. | "Guilty" (International editions) | Randy Newman | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Changin' Times" | 6:03 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "a) Beggars Day" (Crazy Horse cover) "b) Rose in the Heather[a]" | a) Nils Lofgren | 6:31 |
| 6. | "Whiskey Drinkin' Woman" | 5:29 | |
| 7. | "Please Don't Judas Me" | 9:48 | |
| 8. | "Love Hurts" (The Everly Brothers cover; originally track 3 on US edition) | Boudleaux Bryant | 3:53 |
- ^ Title per original LP release; at least one later reissue lists this track as "Rose in Heather".
The remastered editions include both "Guilty" (track 3) and "Love Hurts" (track 8) plus the following bonus tracks:
1997 Castle Communications / Essential
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Down" (B-side to "Love Hurts" single) | 3:55 | |
| 10. | "Railroad Boy" (B-side to "Holy Roller" single) | Darrell Sweet, Manny Charlton, Pete Agnew | 4:07 |
| 11. | "Hair of the Dog" (single edit) | 3:21 |
2001 30th Anniversary Edition
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Down" (B-side to "Love Hurts" single) | 3:55 | |
| 10. | "Holy Roller" (single A-side) | 3:23 | |
| 11. | "Railroad Boy" (B-side to "Holy Roller" single) | Darrell Sweet, Manny Charlton, Pete Agnew | 4:07 |
| 12. | "Hair of the Dog" (single edit) | 3:21 | |
| 13. | "Holy Roller" (extended alternate mix) | 4:16 |
2010 Salvo Records Remaster
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "My White Bicycle" (Tomorrow cover; also available on the 30th anniversary edition of Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll album) | Ken Burgess, Keith Hopkins | 3:26 |
| 10. | "Holy Roller" (single) | 3:25 | |
| 11. | "Railroad Boy" (B-side of "Holy Roller") | 4:07 | |
| 12. | "Hair of the Dog" (BBC live recording) | 3:47 | |
| 13. | "Holy Roller" (BBC live recording) | 4:22 | |
| 14. | "Teenage Nervous Breakdown" (Little Feat cover; BBC live recording) | Lowell George | 4:22 |
| 15. | "This Flight Tonight" (Joni Mitchell cover; BBC live recording) | Joni Mitchell | 3:38 |
| 16. | "Road Ladies" (Frank Zappa cover; BBC live recording) | Frank Zappa | 7:03 |
- BBC live recordings recorded at Paris Theatre. First transmission date: 27 November 1975
- The song "Hair of the Dog" was also covered by Guns N' Roses on their album The Spaghetti Incident? in 1993, and by Britny Fox on their album Boys in Heat in 1989.
Personnel
editBand members
- Dan McCafferty – lead & backing vocals, talk box on "Hair of the Dog"
- Manny Charlton – electric guitar, synthesizer
- Pete Agnew – bass, backing vocals
- Darrell Sweet – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Max Middleton – piano on "Guilty"
- Simon Phillips – tabla on "Please Don't Judas Me"
- Vicki Brown, Liza Strike, Barry St. John – backing vocals on "Guilty"
- Vicky Silva – backing vocals on "Please Don't Judas Me"
Charts
edit| Chart (1975–1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[5] | 7 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[6] | 20 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[7] | 14 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 27 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[9] | 5 |
| US Billboard 200[10] | 17 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[11] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b Guarisco, Donald A. Nazareth: Hair of the Dog > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (30 April 2015). "Why Nazareth Had to Change the Name of Smash 'Hair of the Dog' LP". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ "Hair of the Dog by Nazareth | Classic Rock Review". 21 September 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (30 April 2015). "40 Years Ago: Nazareth Release Career-Defining 'Hair of the Dog'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Nazareth – Hair of the Dog" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6149a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nazareth – Hair of the Dog" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Nazareth – Hair of the Dog". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ "Nazareth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Nazareth – Hair of the Dog". Music Canada.
- ^ "American album certifications – Nazareth – Hair of the Dog". Recording Industry Association of America.
