Customer Rating: 
Summary: Bargain!
Comment: A very good option to enjoy the music of one of the best groups ever.Don't miss it!
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you love 38 Special...
Comment: If you love 38 Special, then this is THE CD for you. It has so many great songs. My husband is a huge fan (we fight over the CD); even my daughter likes a lot of the songs, and she's only 8.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Album
Comment: If you like .38 Special you will love this album. It contains all of the well known hits and some great hits that aren't as famous...
A total Compilation of .38 Special...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Comprehensive introduction to 38 Special
Comment: THE BAND: Don Barnes (vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica), Donnie VanZant (vocals), Jeff Carlisi (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), Jack Grodin (drums), Steve Brookins (drums)... and assorted players joining on later albums. The members listed here were the key contributors during the band's hay-day in the late 70's and early 80's.
THE DISC(S): (2001) 2 discs clocking in at just under 150 total minutes (Disc-1 76:50 minutes, Disc-2 72:55 minutes). 24-bit digitally remastered sound. Included with the 2 discs is a 14-page booklet containing band pictures, song titles & credits, thank you's, and what songs came from which albums. The first 9 pages features interviews with frontmen Van Zant and Barnes... discussing tough beginnings, Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crash, and member changes and musical direction. Label - Hip-O/Universal Music.
ALBUM REPRESENTATION: 38 Special (1), Special Delivery (1), Rockin' Into The Night (3), Wild-Eyed Southern Boys (4), Special Forces (4), Tour De Force (5), Strength In Numbers (2), Flashback (1), "Teachers" Soundtrack (1), Rock & Roll Strategy (2), Bone Against Steel (3), Resolutions (4), Live At Sturgis (2), B-Side unreleased (1).
COMMENTS: This compilation features 38 Special from their underrated debut in 1977 through their "Resolutions" album in 1997. Where the Allman Bros and Lynyrd Skynyrd were very 'Southern', I always felt 38 Special was in the same catagory, but leaned toward rock & pop more than the others did. For me, 38 Special had some great songs, but on the 'Southern Rock' wave, they were just a tad behind the major players. The Allman Brothers had been established since 1969, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Marshall Tucker since 1973, and the Outlaws in 1975. Molly Hatchet's first two albums in 1978/79 had a deeper impact then 38 Special at the time... but 38 Special's time was coming. 1979 saw a bit of a resurgance in Southern Rock... and 38 Special was there with their first big hit... "Rockin' Into The Night" (from album #3). This was their first break... as their first two albums were vastly different than their 3rd. 1980-83 featured 38 Special at the top of their game - releasing perhaps their biggest and best albums - "Wild-Eyed Southern Boys", "Special Forces", and "Tour De Force" in succession. After these 3 albums, the band had only hit and miss success. There are several 38 Special compilations out there... and this "Anthology" is the most comprehensive one. "Flashback" is good, but short at 14 songs (drawbacks being 4 live tracks and nothing from after '87). "Millenium Collection" is average, but also short at 12 songs. If you want a one disc collection, I recommend 38 Special's "Very Best Of The A&M Years" from 2003 (18 tracks - all their big hits). I was a bit more than a casual fan back in the 80's and dare I say there are some songs here on "Anthology" that I did not recognize right off the bat. "Anthology" features one live track (a good thing because I prefer the studio versions). The sound is crisp and the remastering definitely helps here. The song order is not truly chronological - it starts with "Rockin' Into The Night" and then reverts back to the first 2 albums, then proceeds album to album. Disc 2 is mainly their later era material. One of the only things I don't understand about the band is the two drummers playing at the same time (maybe not totally so in the studio, but they definitely did in concert... the Outlaws did it, as did the Grateful Dead... but never understood why). This is a great collection of tunes from the band - Comprehensive with many a deep album cut. If you're looking for one disc with strictly hits, go with the "A&M Years" disc mentioned above. "Anthology" would be the last one you'd ever need though (4.5 stars).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Sing-a-Long
Comment: I'm 52 years old and grew up on .38 Special and their contemporaries. I appreciate their music now more than I did "back in the day". I bought an IPOD and this is one of the first CDs I loaded. I hate going grocery shopping and when I go I just put in the ear buds and crank up these tunes. I get a few odd looks because I usually end up singing aloud and dancing a little in the aisles as I look for my items. But guess what! I don't care. I no longer hate grocery shopping nearly as bad as I did. At least I can get out of the store without wanting to kill someone. This music makes me happy. It's alive and vibrant just as it was years ago.
|
