''No Mean City'' is the tenth studio album by the Scottish

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

, released in 1979. The album title comes from the 1935 novel ''

No Mean City ''No Mean City'' is a 1935 novel by H. Kingsley Long, a journalist, and Alexander McArthur, an unemployed worker. It is an account of life in the Gorbals, a run-down slum district of Glasgow (now mostly demolished, but re-built in a contemporar ...

'' and features artwork illustrated by

Rodney Matthews Rodney Matthews (born 6 July 1945) is a British illustrator and conceptual designer of fantasy and science-fiction. Career Trained at the West of England College of Art, Matthews worked in advertising for Plastic Dog Graphics before turning ...

. With this record the band's sound was heavier, considering the addition of guitarist Zal Cleminson of

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1972. Fronted by Alex Harvey accompanied by Zal Cleminson on guitar, bassist Chris Glen, keyboard player Hugh McKenna (1949–2019) and drummer Ted McKenna, their ...

. 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 Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic s ...

'' in 1972, not to contain at least one cover version.

Track listings

30th anniversary bonus tracks

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

Personnel

Band members

Pete Agnew Pete Agnew (born 14 September 1946) is a Scottish bassist and backing vocalist for the hard rock band Nazareth. Born in Dunfermline, he is the sole continuous member who still is performing with the band, which released its first album '' Nazar ...

- bass guitar, backing vocals *

Dan McCafferty William Daniel McCafferty (14 October 1946 – 8 November 2022) was a vocalist and songwriter best known as the lead singer for the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth from its founding in 1968 to his retirement from touring with the band in 2013. ...

- lead vocals *

Manny Charlton Manuel Charlton (25 July 1941 – 5 July 2022) was a Scottish musician, who was known as a founding member of the influential Scottish hard rock band Nazareth and was their lead guitarist from 1968 to 1990. He also produced a string of success ...

- guitars *

Zal Cleminson Alistair Macdonald "Zal" Cleminson (born 4 May 1949) is a Scottish guitarist, best known for his role in The Sensational Alex Harvey Band between 1972 and 1978. In 2017, he put together a new rock band - /sin'dogs/, which recorded and released ...

- guitars * Darrell Sweet - drums

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

Lyrics to songs from No Mean City
{{Authority control Nazareth (band) albums 1979 albums A&M Records albums Albums with cover art by Rodney Matthews