Play 'n' the Game

• Artist: Nazareth
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1976
• Genre: Rock

Review

Play 'N' the Game found Nazareth continuing in the AOR direction they established with Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll. Like that album, it trades the driving rock that made the group famous for an experimental sound that toys with several different musical genres. For instance, "Down Home Girl" is a stab at Southern rock, and the group's cover of the Beach Boys classic "Wild Honey" slows down that song's tempo to create an effects-laden psychedelic atmosphere. Elsewhere, the group covers the hard rock bases with "Someone to Roll" and "Born to Love," a pair of energetic, guitar-driven rockers that would have fit in fine on Razamanaz or Loud & Proud. They also cross-breed the energy of these tracks with pop hooks on "L.A. Girls," a nimble bit of pop/rock fusion where speedy guitar riffs duke it out a with handclap-driven pop song beat. However, the undeniable highlights of Play 'N' the Game are its ballads: "I Want to Do Everything for You" is a promise of eternal love built on a swinging and pleasingly earthy bass groove and "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" is a moody tale of lost love that shows off Manny Charlton's ability to craft the soft but powerful guitar riffs necessary for a good power ballad. This album benefits from a more consistent overall sound than Close Enough for Rock 'n' Roll, but its shifts in tone are too abrupt for their own good, making the proceedings come off as a loose collection of songs instead of a fully conceived album. Despite this problem, Play 'N' the Game is an effective slice of AOR that will please the Nazareth fan base. ~ Donald A. Guarisco, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Somebody to Roll	Darrell Sweet, Pete Agnew, Manny Charlton, Dan McCafferty	Nazareth	(3:55)
Down Home Girl (Lyrics)	Arthur Butler, Jerry Leiber	Nazareth	(5:04)
Flying	Pete Agnew, Manny Charlton, Dan McCafferty, Darrell Sweet	Nazareth	(4:20)
Waiting for the Man	Pete Agnew, Manny Charlton, Dan McCafferty, Darrell Sweet	Nazareth	(4:53)
Born to Love	Darrell Sweet, Manny Charlton, Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew	Nazareth	(3:58)
I Want To (Do Everything for You)	Joe Tex	Nazareth	(4:18)
I Don't Want to Go on Without You (Lyrics)	Bert Berns, Jerry Wexler	Nazareth	(3:46)
Wild Honey	Brian Wilson, Mike Love	Nazareth	(3:04)
L.A. Girls	Pete Agnew, Dan McCafferty, Darrell Sweet, Manny Charlton	Nazareth	(3:52)
Good Love [B-Side][*]	Manny Charlton, Darrell Sweet, Pete Agnew, Dan McCafferty	Nazareth	(3:51)
I Don't Want to Go on Without You [Edit][Alternate Take][*]	Jerry Wexler, Bert Berns	Nazareth	(3:23)
Waiting for the Man [Alternate Edit - Promo Only 12"][Alternate Take][*	Pete Agnew, Dan McCafferty, Manny Charlton, Darrell Sweet	Nazareth	(6:12)
Somebody to Roll [Edit][*]	Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, Manny Charlton, Darrell Sweet	Nazareth	(3:30)

Credits

Darrell Sweet (Drums), Manny Charlton (Guitar), Robert M. Corich (Remastering), Mike Brown (Remastering), Pete Agnew (Vocals (Background)), Darrell Sweet (Vocals (Background)), Dan McCafferty (Vocals), Pete Agnew (Guitar), Pete Agnew (Bass), Laura Vallis (Design), Robert M. Corich (Liner Notes), Darrell Sweet (Percussion), Pete Agnew (Guitar (Bass)), Nick Blagona (Engineer)

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