.38 Special (the music group)

[yoda313]

I know I'm gonna take heat for this too but I heard one of their classics "Second Chance" on the radio on the way home and really liked it. It had been awhile since I'd heard that one so I thought I'd check them out on Yahoo Music. I think I'm going to buy one of their greatest hits cds. Pretty good music






Ok now where are all the groans????

[Supreme2k]

I still really like "Hold On Loosely". Classic.

[garman]

I liked this band. Some good tunes back in the day. Don't forget "caught up in you"
BTW, had no idea that .38 special is gun.

Here's thier greatest hits album
-garman


The Very Best of the A&M Years (1977-1988) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

1. Rockin' Into The Night
2. Hold On Loosely
3. Wild-Eyed Southern Boys
4. Fantasy Girl
5. Caught Up In You
6. Chain Lightnin'
7. You Keep Runnin' Away
8. Rough-Housin'
9. Stone Cold Believer
10. Twentieth Century Fox
11. If I'd Been The One
12. Back Where You Belong
13. Teacher, Teacher
14. Somebody Like You
15. Like No Other Night
16. Back To Paradise
17. Second Chance
18. Take Me Back

[ZAPPER]

Not really a bad band, but you do have to be careful about who you tell that you like it.

Funny that this came up when it did. A kid at work the other day was talking about them. Apparently he found his moms stash of cassettes from yesteryears and has been listening to them. So he comes in each day now and asks if I or any of the other oldmen know of this band or the other. Apparently the band Boston, left a big impression on him too, because he brought their tapes in and played them all day over and over. It was kind of cool the first, and part of the second time around, but about the third time or so I was ready for something else!

[thecoalman]

Apparently the band Boston, left a big impression on him too, !

Their original self titled album rocks... think I wore a casette or two out myself listening to it. Maybe you'll luck out and he'll find some Scopions... "the Zoo" was one of my favorites, especiall the live version.

Time to see who the "heads" in the house are... anyone remember the one hit wonder "Children of the Sun"

[smearbrick1]

I remember going through a whole Boston phase about 10 years ago. I bought a turntable and found a ton of older albums. I think I may have listened to the first Boston album maybe 30 times. I eventually bought it on CD but was so sick of it by this time that I can't stand listening to it much at all.

.38 Special is, to me, like a poor man's version of Lynard Skynard (their lead singers are brothers). I liked alot of their stuff, but could never get really into it. It claims to be southern rock, but sounds awful poppy to me. When I think southern rock, I'm thinking about bands like:

Ram Jam
Molly Hatchet
Black Foot
Mountain
Lynard Skynard

.38 Special is just a bit too sappy for me. Just take a listen to tunes like "If I'd Been The One" or "Rockin' Into The Night" the latter of the two is unquestionably more of a rock song, but nontheless, a bit sappy.

One band that I never get sick of:

The James Gang

Great stuff.

[ZAPPER]

Apparently the band Boston, left a big impression on him too, !

Their original self titled album rocks... think I wore a casette or two out myself listening to it. Maybe you'll luck out and he'll find some Scopions... "the Zoo" was one of my favorites, especiall the live version.

Time to see who the "heads" in the house are... anyone remember the one hit wonder "Children of the Sun"

I saw the Scorpians here in Atl at a little club called the Masqurade (?) It has a little outdoors ampitheater (?) outback and like three stages inside. Wild night, from what I can remember

Billy Thorpe(?) for Childern of the sun. And from failing memory, Boston only did three albums. Ah, the good ole days of the screaming guitar and music with some drive!


How about Rush? 2112 comes to mind. Duuuuude Cheap Trick fits into that time frame too.

Why does the music of our youth seem so much better? Was it the music, the times, the development of our minds, the drugs, hormones or is it flawed thinking by senile minds?


Oh well, Rock on!

[ZAPPER]

Funny thing about 38 special, is that they have always had an image problem of kind of being a girly band. I don't remember exactly why either. I think that a love song at the wrong time has effected more than one bands image with the hardcore rockers. REO Speedwagon is another example kind of. Riding the storm out was a pretty good tune, but Heard it from a freind is not a tune that you tell your buddies about without risking a beating.

[smearbrick1]

Funny thing about 38 special, is that they have always had an image problem of kind of being a girly band. I don't remember exactly why either. I think that a love song at the wrong time has effected more than one bands image with the hardcore rockers. REO Speedwagon is another example kind of. Riding the storm out was a pretty good tune, but Heard it from a freind is not a tune that you tell your buddies about without risking a beating.

Yes, between "Take It On The Run", "Keep On Loving You", and "Here With Me" definately destroyed any credibility the REO had. Same thing happened with Journey and Styx. After "Open Arms" Journey was never quite the same. Anything written by Deyoung from Styx was pretty lame also.

[thecoalman]

After "Open Arms" Journey was never quite the same.

Yea, they got rich. :P I saw one of those VH1 specials and believe it or not that song rocketed them into the superband category. They almost didn't make that song as many of the members hated it for the same reason you're pointing out.... it eseentailly changed the direction of the music. but it made them a lot of dough.

[thecoalman]

Little more on Journey... the album with Open Arms on it is holding some pretty lofty company in the 9 million+ category. This data appears to be a little old...

http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_sold_albums.html

The Boston album is off the charts with only a few very notable albums ahead of it. more current but doesn't have the Journey album listed :

www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0151020.html

29 Million
Eagles: Their Greatest Hits, 1971–1975, Eagles (Elektra)

27 Million
Thriller, Michael Jackson (Epic)

23 Million
Led Zeppelin IV, Led Zeppelin (Swan Song)
The Wall, Pink Floyd (Columbia)

21 Million
Greatest Hits, Volumes I & II, Billy Joel (Columbia)
Back in Black, AC/DC (Elektra)

20 Million
Double Live, Garth Brooks (Capitol Nashville)
Come On Over, Shania Twain (Mercury Nashville)

19 Million
The Beatles, The Beatles (Capitol)
Rumours, Fleetwood Mac (Warner Bros.)

17 Million
The Bodyguard (soundtrack), Whitney Houston (Arista)
Boston, Boston (Epic)
)

[AlecWest]

.38 Special is doing a show at a nearby county fair this August:

http://www.clarkcofair.com/schedule.htm

I won't be seeing them, though. Instead, I'll see Alice Cooper 2 days later.

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

I like the group, specially "second chance", I heard it for the first time like 10 years ago. (If not more)

[ZAPPER]

I am kind of out of the loop, but I think the stadium days are over. 38 special at the county fair? Kind of funny, but not really, that is some of the best shows (sound and up close wise) that I have seen, have been at little venues. Like the Masquerade (?) in Atl. for the Scorpians. Alice Cooper, Molly Hatchet, Foghat and a few others at a not too little place in Merriville IN. called the Star plazza. Ted Nugent at the Harley birthday bike show at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Who at the Lakewood ampatheator (?) Tull at Chastain park. The list goes on.

I heard on the radio today that there may be another Pink Floyd type show in the works (only three members again though, why can't everybody kiss and make up?)

[LSchafroth]

They just played in a small joint in Des MOines, Iowa.

They still put on a great show! It was cool. Maybe 1000 people there at best. Small place, but it was loud and they performed over 2 hours.

LS

[hech54]

The best "sounding" live concert I ever heard was 38 Special. Back in their heyday....their sound guys held seminars on their techniques. Many other bands who heard them also wanted to sound "that good" live....so 38 Special's sound crew went into business when the band was not touring.
And for what it's worth....Jeff Carlisi and Don Barnes are two GREAT guitarists. Carlisi left 38 Special right after the album with "Second Chance"....which also did not have Donnie Van Zant singing.

Don Barnes sang most of the radio play "hits" by the way.

This is what the classic era of 38 Special looked and sounded like LIVE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6POHZo6n10
This is the instrumental song called Robin Hood...VERY nice stuff.


Skynyrd "light" maybe...but for me....if I hear Free Bird one more time
I'll puke.

[smearbrick1]

Skynyrd "light" maybe...but for me....if I hear Free Bird one more time
I'll puke.

And if I hear it one more time, I'll join you.

As for Journey: They had such a great thing going (direction wise) with the "Wheel In The Sky" and "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" sound. I blame Johnathan Cain! Well, actually, I blame Johnathan Cain for writing "Open Arms" (which Coalman pointed out, made them alot of cash with the sale of the "Escape" album) and Steve Perry for encouraging him. It's amazing how a band can change from keyboardist to the other. I mean, listen to the Ross Valory stuff and then listen to the Johnathan Cain stuff. The Ross Valory era was alot more bluesy and less cheese. I can't say too much about them though. I'm a closet Journey fan and I believe that Steve Perry may have one of the best voices of the eighties.

[ZAPPER]

I never did any research on it myself, but in high school my gov't/econ teacher told me that record sales are most influenced by girls from like 13-18 years old (keep in mind that this was at the end of the 70s early 80s when I heard this) Now tie that possible statistic to the time frame of bands going to their love songs and it looks to fit about right. It is the commercial formula, keep it simple, appeal to your market, greed of money is the driving force in the world. (this has actually been going on for long before this, but it fits here nicely)

Now for the kick in the pants. The air time that a song gets is a big factor for developing a taste or liking of the tune. You will never like a tune that you never heard and often times the deep cuts are the more artistic/quality tunes but they are less aired. And even if you own the album, sometimes by the time that you get to the deep cuts, you are a little burned out on the band.

Almost any band is good live, but live sound is an animal all of its own. Sometimes you just have to be happy with the volume and the party atmosphere, because the range and quality of the sound is terrible. While most of the concerts I have seen were good there always seems to be at least one tune that the sound guy just totally botched.

Aerosmith, 20 years ago, was a waste of my money as far as the sound went. Major feedback and loose wires, it sounded like static from hell. But the warm up band had killer sound (Shut up and drive, I think was the band)

I'll give .38 Special a solid "B" Not a bad band, not the first band that pops to mind when I think of "Rock" either. And even the love songs have a place if they put your date in the mood.