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No Mean City is the tenth studio album by the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, released in 1979. The album title comes from the 1935 novel No Mean City and features artwork illustrated by Rodney Matthews. With this record the band's sound was heavier, considering the addition of guitarist Zal Cleminson of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. It sold very well at the time, with the main single "Star", preceded by "Whatever You Want Babe". The popularity of the album allowed the band to play with several big names such as Thin Lizzy, on their 1978/79 tour. It was their first album since their second release, Exercises in 1972, not to contain at least one cover version.
| No Mean City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 January 1979[1] | |||
| Studio | at Ballastowell Farm, Isle of Man | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 37:06 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Manny Charlton | |||
| Nazareth chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Smash Hits | 3/10[3] |
Track listings
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just to Get into It" | Manny Charlton, Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, Darrell Sweet | 4:24 |
| 2. | "May the Sunshine" | Charlton, McCafferty, Agnew, Sweet | 4:55 |
| 3. | "Simple Solution (Parts 1 & 2)" | Zal Cleminson | 4:59 |
| 4. | "Star" | Charlton, McCafferty | 4:55 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Claim to Fame" | Charlton | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Whatever You Want Babe" | Charlton | 3:42 |
| 7. | "What's in It for Me" | Charlton | 4:19 |
| 8. | "No Mean City (Parts 1 & 2)" | Agnew, Charlton, Cleminson, McCafferty, Sweet | 6:32 |
30th anniversary bonus tracks
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "May the Sunshine" (single edit) | Agnew, Charlton, Cleminson, McCafferty, Sweet | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Whatever You Want Babe" (single edit) | Manny Charlton | 2:59 |
| 11. | "Star" (US Version) | Charlton, McCafferty | 4:55 |
| 12. | "No Mean City" (alternate edit) | Agnew, Charlton, Cleminson, McCafferty, Sweet | 3:32 |
| 13. | "Simple Solution" (edit) | Zal Cleminson | 4:16 |
Earlier remasters included the song Greens as a bonus track. This is not available on the 30th Anniversary remaster of No Mean City, but is instead found on the same such remaster of Expect No Mercy.
2010 remaster bonus tracks
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "May the Sunshine" (Single Edit) | Agnew, Charlton, Cleminson, McCafferty, Sweet | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Snaefell" | Charlton, Zal Cleminson | 3:36 |
Personnel
editBand members
edit- Pete Agnew - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Dan McCafferty - lead vocals
- Manny Charlton - guitars
- Zal Cleminson - guitars
- Darrell Sweet - drums
Charts
edit| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[4] | 81 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[5] | 20 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[6] | 33 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[7] | 34 |
| US Billboard 200[8] | 88 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[9] | Gold | 50,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 577. ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (February 8–21, 1979): 25.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4522b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Nazareth – No Mean City". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Nazareth – No Mean City". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Nazareth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Nazareth – No Mean City". Music Canada.
