38 Very Special – IOTW Report

38 Very Special

Remember when we did the “Best Rock Bands” cage matches, and pitted nominated bands against one another to try and whittle it down to the all-time best rock band?

It was very clear that our audience was partial to 70s and 80s rock… and a lot of it was rock with American southern roots.

A band that did very well in those cage matches was 38 Special.

Even in New York you couldn’t go into a club in the 80s without a deejay playing them. (Hold On Loosely, as well as a few others from their hit list, are still in heavy rotation on any classic rock station in the country.)

Where am I going with this?

Recently I read that, back in the day, the great Don Barnes (founder/singer/songwriter/guitarist/power of 38 Special) recorded a solo album, but the album got caught up in all sorts of corporate contractual mumbo jumbo and sadly ended up in limbo, left unreleased.

But eventually the cream rises to the top. Some things just can’t be contained.

After all these years, Ride the Storm has been officially released, and 38 Special/Don Barnes fans are saying this is his best work. Digitally remastered, it’s more power laden today than it was when it was recorded 28 years ago.

 

Where can you get the album?

Amazon

iTunes

Google Play

You can go to 38 Special.com to order and to listen to the single Ride the Storm

This album will be a blast for the 38 Special fans in your life, and proof that you can go home again.

(And I just read that 38 is STILL out there doing 100 cities a year. Unbelievable staying power. I’m thinking of dropping in to see them in Daytona this May.)

Enjoy.

 

 

45 Comments on 38 Very Special

  1. ‘Hold On Loosely’ … great song penned by Barnes
    still can’t remember if he sang it, or Donnie Van Zant (brother of Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd) did it … think it was Van Zant

    … could be wrong ……………. as usual 😉

  2. I’ve only purchased three albums solely based on the cover art without having a clue what the music sounded like. They were Dream Theater’s “Images And Words,” Pendragon’s “The World,” and Amon Amorth’s “Surtur Rising.” This would be the fourth album I’d purchase solely based on that spectacularly bitchin’ album cover alone. I forgot what a rich and full 38 Special has. A friend of mine asked me to play some of their old stuff on YouTube and they sounded killer. I’d go see them live!

  3. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

    You’re talking about two completely different time frames. Considering your previous post, where do the Outlaws fit in? Especially compared to 38 special.
    But the Allman Brothers were the best. No question.

  4. Ohhh wait a minute, now. I just realized who they were. I know a lot of the songs but I didn’t know they sang them. lol.
    mid to late 80’s!!! I was living overseas and they were played a lot where I lived.

  5. @Brad ~ unfortunately for the Outlaws they didn’t have a lot of AM success (at least as much as Skynyrd), except for a lot of FM play w/ ‘High Tide’ … Hughie Thomasson was such an underrated talent .. along w/ the tragic Billy Jones … those boys rocked!

  6. @joe6 ~ Duane Allman was a studio musician at Muscle Shoals before he founded the ABB. recorded w/ Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Boz Scaggs, King Curtis, Herbie Mann & many others at the Shoals

  7. Bad Brad, what the fuck are YOU going on about? The post is about .38 Special. Oh and you know what? I’m not a fan of the Skynyrd. Over played, cliche, and how many times are we going to have to listen to FREE BIRD? Until Yoko Ono finally kills it?! Oh and the Allman brothers. Which genius was fucking Cher, again? LOL.

    Good night.

  8. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

    Never lived in the South. I admire the people. But let me say in Northern California Skinards Simple Man was like a National Anthem for a lot of us back in the day. Weak as that may be. Sweet Melissa didn’t have the same impact here.

  9. Ah, the comforting familiar guitar styling from the 80’s! I’ve tried and tried to break out of my music rut- but I always go back to classic 80’s rock and pop (and punk). I’m happy to hear that 38 Special is still touring! 👍😊

  10. @Brad & MJA ~ there was a lot of drugs involved … jus’ sayin’

    “Back then, I did a lot of drugs & I married Cher … I don’t recommend either to anyone”

  11. OK, since someone brought it up, Foghat was OK, but a couple guys from Savoy Brown started Foghat, and Savoy Brown was a good band. Check out out Hellbound Train and Street Corner Talking.

  12. “We weren’t talking about Free Bird and Cher….MJA was. She broke the lamp and gave Bad Brad broken glass to play with….”

    Man I need to start using the same mushrooms as Willy. And MJA.

  13. 38 special was good, but not remotely in the same league of the Allman’s, Skynyrd or Marshall Tucker. For me, it’s a huge drop off from the Allman’s to any other southern rock band. Not even close.

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