38 Special - Very Best of the A&M Years 1977-1988
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Music CD Cover
Artist: 38 SpecialEdition: Music CD
Format: Original recording remastered
CD Release Date: 2003-04-29
Music Label: Interscope Records
Soundtracks:
- Rockin' Into The Night
- Hold On Loosely
- Wild-Eyed Southern Boys
- Fantasy Girl
- Caught Up In You
- Chain Lightnin'
- You Keep Runnin' Away
- Rough-Housin'
- Stone Cold Believer
- Twentieth Century Fox
- If I'd Been The One
- Back Where You Belong
- Teacher, Teacher
- Somebody Like You
- Like No Other Night
- Back To Paradise
- Second Chance
- Take Me Back
Free Music Notes for Very Best of the A&M Years 1977-1988
Free Music Review: Very best from those wild-eyed southern dudes
Hit: 5 Stars
Had Lynyrd Skynyrd not lost its vital members in that 1977 plane crash, there's little doubt 38 Special would've made it to prominence today. Indeed, 38 Special lead singer Donnie van Zandt was the brother of Ronnie van Zandt, who perished aboard that plane. This Southern band from Jacksonville, FL maintained a pure rock sound amid the synths and heavier sounds of the 80's. That classic rock sound was made possible with the double guitars of Don Barnes and Jeff Carlisi, as well as the steady drumming of Steve Brookins and Jack Grondin.
The combination of power chords and catchy hooks without compromising their rocking style is due to songwriter Jim Peterik, to gain better fame in Survivor. He helped them through Wild Eyed Southern Boys and Special Forces, their fourth and fifth albums. Among the songs he helped them with was the "Jean Genie" meets Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" stomp of "Rockin' Into The Night," which was a sample of what they would turn out over the late 70's and 80's.
Of their early work, nothing beats the tried and true classics "Hold On Loosely," which became their first Top 40 hit, and that familiar rhythm guitar that opens the energetic "Caught Up In You," which scraped the Top Ten, and all due to Peterik's songcrafting and those harmony vocals.
The #38 "You Keep Runnin' Away," from Special Forces, sounds like something Rick Springfield would do, only with more teeth. The idealized fantasy of "Fantasy Girl" has the same Bad Company crunch, about a "vision of true lovin' and how it should be." One of my favourites, as it's something I relate to.
The songs from Tour De Force found them moving more to the mainstream, as seen in the longing and reflective rocker "If I'd Been The One" and "Back Where You Belong," both of which reached the Top 20. Their song for the Nick Nolte comedy Teachers yielded the #25 rocker "Teacher, Teacher," of a student questioning an instructor whether he will learn what he needs to survive in the jungle that's the world.
I first heard of them with their two singles from 1986's Strength In Numbers, the #14 hit "Like No Other Night" and the #48 "Somebody Like You." It is the latter song's inclusion here that made me choose this over their other compilation, Flashback. Speaking of which, "Back To Paradise," penned by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, was for Revenge of the Nerds II-Nerds In Paradise, and was one of the more energetic and rocking numbers, which narrowly missed the Top 40. This was definitely Top Five material.
They charted their highest scoring song with the radio-friendly ballad "Second Chance" sung by Max Carls. This #6 was so unlike any of their previous oeuvre that my eyebrows rose slightly upon hearing the DJ mention that this was 38 Special. I still like it, but I was a bit taken aback.
The sound remains undiminished, yet there are enough catchy hooks, hard-driving rock guitar and strong vocals by Don Barnes and Donnie van Zandt. A much better compilation than Flashback containing all their vital hits, from a group that showed one can still rock hard without going the metal route.
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