.38 Special - Strength In Numbers

[66 mustang]

1. Somebody Like You 4:06 2. Like No Other Night 3:58 3. Last Time 3:26 4. Once in a Lifetime 3:38 5. Just a Little Love 3:34 6. Has There Ever Been a Good Goodbye 3:54 7. One in a Million 3:48 8. Heart's On Fire 4:14 9. Against the Night 3:34 10. Never Give an Inch 4:58 Total Running Time: 39:10

 

 

To start off I will say that this tour was my first rock concert experience so this holds a special place in my heart. it really was this tour that introduced me to the band and the concert experience. This was probably the 2nd 38 Special album I owned. I remember buying Tour de Force a few days after the concert as it was the only cassette I could find at the time. This is also the last album with dual drummers for the band. The album also marked the end of an era for the band, one more single after this album (Back To Paradise) and Don would leave the band and they would also be down to a single drummer as Steve Brookings left. It was also the album that was the most pure AOR album they have. Maybe a little safe or maybe just the minimal presence of the Van Zant vocals on this really made the album feel a little more soft and safe. The album also contained the first ever cd single of a pop/rock song. This is an album that I still really like, even though I played it to death.

1. Somebody Like You - big single and video. typical 38 Special single. great song. it is one of those songs I don't have to say much about.

2. Like No Other Night - according to an interview with the band the record company approached them with the idea that they would release this song as the first ever CD single of a pop song. It is a good song. again typical 38 Special kind of single but maybe a touch softer.

3.Last Time - I can remember the top down cruizing with this song playing. again, it is a little softer / more polished that previous album tracks. a good song and one that I enjoy

4. Once In A Lifetime - along the lines of Last Time, not as bold and loud as previous albums but still a nice song. good love song

5. Just A Little Love - First song since the opening track that tries to beef up the sound a bit. the vibe of the song tells me that on previous albums this would have been a Van Zant track but the band wasn't going in that direction. do like the song though

6. Has There Ever Been A Good Good-bye - one of the best tracks on the album. has the heart of earlier songs like If I'd Been The One and Fantasy Girl just not the bombastic delivery. it is again a bit more lite / polished. I've asked this question so many times in my life.

7. One In A Million - what can I say. great song or great because of the memories it brings back. You know your first girlfriend, your first kiss, your first date.....all that stuff is in this song. this was the first "our song" that I had. yeah, i know but when your 16, got your car and feel independent for the first time (that is till your dad comes out at midnight to tell you to get your butt home) it is a great memory. Yep, this is my first "our song" song and I wouldn't change it. still love this song.

8. Hearts On Fire - this one tries to be a bit of a heavier harder hittiing song. this feels like it should have been a Van Zant song too. look at this, 8 songs into the album and not Van Zant songs. not to take away from this song because it is a good song but I think without the Van Zant tracks the album lost an edge the others had

9. Against The Night - A Van Zant tune finally, although be it a bit AOR for his style. I always liked this song.

10. Never Give An Inch - Zan Zant closes out the album in fine style. again this is Van Zant being put into an AOR situation.

 

Not one hard hitting song on this album. A bunch of nice AOR styled songs and all southern rock is pretty much wiped away by this point. The band would do Back To Paradise for Revenge Of The Nerds 2 and Don would leave. stories get told that Paradise was pretty much a Don Barnes solo song as the band wasn't really speaking. other stories was that the song was offered by Bryan Adams because he could do it due to other commitments and the band went in and put their signature sound to it and it kept the band relavent between albums. An interview I heard with the band pretty much said Don thought the band should go in one direction and the band didn't agree with him. they split with no hard feelings (hard to fully believe that) and the band would retool and come back with a mix of pop and southern rock songs next time around. Don would make a solo album that never gets released.

 

 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t03vcmUYp-U

[Grey]

I was wondering when you'd get to this one.It's the only .38 Special CD I have. Also still have the vinyl that I bought when I was 16. It would be another year before I got my first CD player.

 

I'm not a big .38 Special fan, but this one has one of my all-time favorite songs on it - "Hearts on Fire". It's one of those tunes that sounds better the louder you play it. I love cranking that one up with the headphones on.

 

"Somebody Like You" is excellent too. I never paid much attention to the rest of the album.

[66 mustang]

I was trying to kind of go in order of release dates then I went and threw Bone Against Steel in there out of order.