''Hair of the Dog'' is the sixth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

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 ha ...

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 on 3 April 1975. The album was recorded at Escape Studios,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, with additional recording and mixing at

AIR Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

, London, and is the group’s best known and highest selling release, with over two million copies sold worldwide. After three albums with

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...

Roger Glover Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and R ...

producing,

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 succe ...

stepped into that position, one he filled for several subsequent albums.

Background

''Hair of The Dog'' was Nazareth's first big

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

album (aside from the minor success of ''Razamanaz''), including classics such as the

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

, a version of

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

' "

Love Hurts "Love Hurts" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Boudleaux Bryant. First recorded by the Everly Brothers in July 1960, the song is most well known from the 1974 international hit version by Scottish hard rock band Nazare ...

" (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 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. ...

, 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. The album title is often considered to be a shortened form of the phrase describing a folk

hangover A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than 24 hours. Typical sympto ...

cure, “''the

hair of the dog "Hair of the dog", short for "hair of the dog that bit you", is a colloquial expression in the English language predominantly used to refer to alcohol that is consumed with the aim of lessening the effects of a hangover. Many other languages have ...

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

All songs written by

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 ''Nazareth' ...

, Darrell Sweet, except where noted. The remastered editions include both "Guilty" (track 3) and "Love Hurts" (track 8) plus the following bonus tracks:

1997 Castle Communications / Essential

2001 30th Anniversary Edition

2010 Salvo Records Remaster

* 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 Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

on their album '' The Spaghetti Incident?'' in 1993, and by

Britny Fox Britny Fox is an American glam metal band from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, initially active from 1985 to 1992 then subsequently reforming from 2000 to 2003, again in 2006 to 2008 and final time reforming in 2015 to 2016. They are best k ...

on their album ''

Boys in Heat ''Boys in Heat'' is the second album by the American glam metal band Britny Fox, released in 1989. After this album, singer "Dizzy" Dean Davidson left the group and formed the band "Blackeyed Susan". He was replaced by singer Tommy Paris. The al ...

'' in 1989.

Personnel

Band members *

– lead vocals and backing vocals, talk box on "

Hair of the Dog "Hair of the dog", short for "hair of the dog that bit you", is a colloquial expression in the English language predominantly used to refer to alcohol that is consumed with the aim of lessening the effects of a hangover. Many other languages have ...

" *

– electric guitar and synthesizer *

– bass and backing vocals * Darrell Sweet – drums, tambourine and backing vocals Additional musicians *

Max Middleton David Maxwell Middleton (born 4 August 1946) is an English composer and keyboardist who was originally a docker on the London docks. Middleton is known for his work on the Fender Rhodes Electric piano, the Minimoog synthesiser and his percussiv ...

– 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

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Nazareth (band) albums 1975 albums Vertigo Records albums A&M Records albums Mooncrest Records albums Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis