After debuting with 1973's excellent but neglected (later reissued as ), switched from to and hit big with this self-titled gem. Upon first hearing gutsy, -influenced like and the instrumental (a number one hit), many fans were shocked to learn that not only were the bandmembers white -- they were whites from Scotland. Like five years later, embraced and with so much conviction that it was clear this was anything but an "average" white band. This album is full of treasures that weren't big hits but should have been -- including the addictive the ominous and a gutsy remake of ' [When reissued on CD in 1995, an edited live version of recorded at the 1977 was added. (The full-length version had been included on 's 1994 reissue of .)] ~ Alex Henderson