THESE albums marked a transition in the career of Nazareth as in many ways it was the end of one era and the start of a new one.

Snakes ‘n’ Ladders was released in 1989, but only in Europe and Japan; the record company decided against releasing it in the UK.

It’s a great album, from the opener – the country-rock tinged Animals through to a cover of Neil Young’s Helpless, but is a tad over-produced.

Lady Luck also has a country feel and with The Key, we get a bit of funk which is very un-Nazareth like.

Even with the full-on cover of Piece Of My heart, it’s a bit watered down and without punch – but bizarrely very listenable.

The vocals of Dan McCafferty however, hold it all together and prevents the album from sounding like traditional American AOR.

Apparently, it was the record company that insisted on the production, and the band were generally less than happy about the result.

McCafferty says, “As an album to listen to it’s not bad, but it isn’t really Nazareth.”

And this album was one of the reasons why guitarist and founder member Manny Charlton left the band soon after.

As a bonus, there are some live tracks added to this re-issue that prove that you can do what you like to the sound in the studio, but Nazareth live was a wild uncontrollable beast.

No Jive, their first album of the nineties, reintroduced Billy Rankin to the fold. He had previously been in the band from 1980 – 1983 when the band had experimented with a two-guitar sound.

The remit was to write songs that could be replicated live, and boy, do they deliver.

The album was a definite return to the Nazareth of old and the band showed a new confidence. Plus there was no way that this album was going to be over-produced as the band did it themselves.

From the out and out rock of Hire And Fire, Do You Wanna Play House and the aptly named Right Between The Eyes, the band also showed a softer side with Every Time It Rains (this track was also released as a single).

OK, so Cover Your Heart is a slice of AOR, and The Rowan Tree has some lovely acoustic guitar, but this is Nazareth with teeth again.

An interesting bonus track is a 1991 re-recording of the classic This Flight Tonight which is excellent.

Catalogue Details: Salvo / Union Square Music. SALVOMDCD 24.

Release Date: June 6th 2011.