38 Special Albums Ranked

38 Special (sometimes stylized as .38 Special) is an American rock band that was formed by neighborhood friends Don Barnes and Donnie Van Zant in 1974 in Jacksonville, Florida, United States.
The band’s first two albums had a strong Southern rock influence. By the early 1980s, 38 Special had shifted to a more accessible guitar-driven arena rock style without completely abandoning its Southern rock roots. This shift helped to usher in a string of successful albums and singles. Engineer Rodney Mills, who had worked with Atlanta Rhythm Section and others, assumed the producer’s reins from here on and Survivor co-founder Jim Peterik became a frequent songwriting collaborator of the band’s from 1979 on, which helped account for this change in sound and subsequent success. “Rockin’ into the Night”, the title track from the group’s third album (released in October 1979), which Peterik and his bandmates had originally written for Survivor, was instead given to 38 Special. Sung by 38’s guitarist Don Barnes (who would sing lead vocals on all of the band’s hits through 1987), the tune became their first song to receive national airplay, peaking at #43 on Billboard Hot 100 in early 1980. This paved the way for their platinum supercharged fourth record, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys (January 1981), and its bigger hit “Hold On Loosely” (which reached #27 in 1981). Here are all of 38 Special albums ranked.

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9. Rock & Roll Strategy (1988)

“First of all, I don’t know why people bash this album, calling it a “pop” album. Sure, it’s a little slower and less edgy than previous albums, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “pop” album. It features the hit single SECOND CHANCE, which is a pop song. The rest of the album features some pretty good rockers, such as LITTLE SHEBA, HOT’LANTA, and COMIN’ DOWN TONIGHT. Another cool but slower song is MIDNIGHT MAGIC. I was pleasantly surprised at the musicianship with these tunes; they’re not of “filler” caliber. What I really can’t believe is that this album came out 23 years ago. I can’t believe how fast time has flown by; I remember this album debuting like it was yesterday. One last comment: I think that Donnie Van Zant is easily the best vocalist in the Van Zant family, followed by Ronnie, then Johnny. Donnie was blessed with the best pipes.”

8. 38 Special (1977)

“”This is not your typical 38 special release. You really hear the southern roots on the debut album. Released in 77 and long before they became the platinum recording act. If you love real southern rock, Skynard, Allman Brothers etc you will love this one. If you are expecting it to sound like Wild Eyed Country Boy or Tour Deforce you might not. Personally I really enjoyed the disc and it is a great addition to the 38 special collection.””

7. Special Delivery (1978)

“There really isn’t a bad song on this album it’s that good. Thank God the band still has that classic southern rock sound thanks in part to Donnie Van Zant singing on virtually every track. Fans of the band’s more commercial albums starting with “Wild Eyed Southern Boys” may not appreciate this album because on later releases Don Barnes does all the singing and the songs are more commercial sounding. Sound quality wise this remastered version sounds much better than the 1987 cd release if “Special Delivery”. Fans if Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet and Blackfoot will enjoy this album.”

6. Tour De Force (1984)

“Besides the top 20 hits, I feel that “See Me in Your Eyes” and “One of the Lonely Ones” are fantastic. No bad songs on this album, just some are better than others. Should be part of your collection if you like this type of music. Love Don Barnes’ lead vocals”

5. Strength In Numbers (1986)

“When you listen to this album and you start thinking, Wow, there is not one bad song on this entire disc, you know it is a five star album. This CD never lets up. None of the tunes are absolute killer (like Back to Paradise), which may explain why a lot are not in their greatest hits collections but they are ALL very good and will have you bouncing, bobbing and rocking your head to smooth guitar melodies and vocals.”

4. Special Forces (1982)

“This is .38 Special’s magnum opus, there’s not one bad song on this disc. It’s a tight album that delivers the goods. Sure it’s slicker and more radio-friendly that big brother Skynyrd, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t rock, it does. In the summer of ’83 I’d say I probably wore out about 4 tape copies of this album. It never left the deck, and when it did it was just so Seger’s Night Moves could go on. To the best of my recollection those are the only two albums my friends and I played all Summer. It was quite a year, and this is quite an album.”

3. Live At Sturgis (1999)

“.38 Special Live At Sturgis (1999) features the southern rockers at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, where over 500,000 bikers meet annually for a week of motorcycle activities and biker fun. The music here is great stuff, something any .38 Special fan would want to own. It’s like a greatest hits done live set; Rockin’ Into The Night, Twentieth Century Fox, Back Where You Belong, If I’d Been The One, Fantasy Girl, Caught Up In You, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys and Hold On Loosely are all here and sound as good as ever (some even better than the studio versions).”

2. Wild-Eyed Southern Boys (1981)

“Aside from the killer classic “Hold On Loosely”, this album kicks some serious butt with “First Time Around”, “Hittin and Runnin” and Bring It On. These songs make me smile and tap my feet. Brings back great memories from my wilder days. Needs to played at high volume. Don Barnes’ lead vocals give me chills.”

1.Rockin’ Into The Night (1980)

“By its third album, .38 Special discovered how to fuse fun-lovin’ Southern rock with a formula that would bring the band commercial attention. Even though the album failed to put a single into the Top 40, the songs gather more steam than the group’s previous attempts and begin to show the talents of individual members, turning some of the attention away from the novelty of sporting two drummers. “Rockin’ into the Night” is a clean-shaven, built-for-radio tune, boosted by Don Barnes and Jeff Carlisi’s indiscrete guitar work, while “Stone Cold Believer” rocks a little harder with its gear-shifting guitar riff.”