Ranking the Albums: 38 Special w/Tim Durling 

Ride The Storm is the Barnes solo album Tim references...Face The Storm is the best track on the 87 Myles Goodwyn solo album..A&M inexplicably chose Little Sheba + Rock N Roll Strategy as singles.38 should've dropped them,not vice versa.2 of their worst songs,and that's out of 120 !! Off course the label redeemed itself with 2nd Chance,,,Midnight Magic and Coming Down Tonight should've been the other tracks peddled to radio and MTV though.

How cool is that! haha

Your rankings the same as Tim’s? Lol. After watching his ranking I honestly thought nobody else in the world would agree with it. Grants was way closer to mine and but each to his own. I’ll say one thing in favour of Tim. Tour De Force is better than WESBoys

@@JCStorm76 Yeah they match up exactly, on which day you ask Special Forces might be my #1 but other than that everything is spot on.

Somebody Like You,Hearts On Fire,Like No Other Night...It actually compares well to the 4 previous albums..I think of those 5 as good yet not great due to the inevitable filler/duds which Van Zandt usually sang.

@@ericrobertson2024 How about Against The Night? It’s a hidden gem. Glad you like the album too

@@JCStorm76 Yes ,on the 80s albums i usually skip the songs with Van Zandt on vocals but Long Time Gone, I've Been A Mover,Turn It On were good earlier songs.I guess Barnes got the better material they hoped/knew would be hits.

Love this album Keith Olsen got some great performances from the band on this album especially on heart's on fire, just a little love and the last time my only gripe with this album is the ballads once in a lifetime and one in a million it's a little to cheesey for my tastes

@@georgemathie8123 Agree about One In a million it’s my least favourite on the album. Every other track I like but good to see others who love the album too. Drivetrain is their worst album. Boring

That is an excellent ranking! Love it!

Imagine feeding songs to Jamison and Barnes to sing,that's like guaranteed $.It was mutually positive for sure.

Yep starting with Ides Of March ("Vehicle" hit it big) all the way back in '64 (he was 14)! Survivor of course is an all time classic AOR band. Others that cashed in on his songwriting: Cheap Trick, The Doobies, Sammy Hagar, Beach Boys...Was also in the very good Henry Paul Band - Grey Ghost is a great record - as well as in the late 60's/mid 70's jazz-rock band Chase (Ennea & Pure Music are really good albums, good examples of that period's strong horn rock a la early BS&T)

Good ranking. All of these could change in my ranking

@@GrantsRockWarehaus Thanks Grant both you and Tim were really great in this episode. I agreed a lot with what you guys were saying, Don Barnes is for me 38 special and like Tim said he should be more known.

Could be a big part of why I don't like anything post 80's from them but it's also the material

@@wolf1977 Long Time Gone and Second Chance are about as different as any band could be and those are barely a decade apart.Barnes voice and friendship with the Survivor guy virtually saved this band, because those initial 2 albums aren't exactly competitive with Hatchet,ZZ Top,Thorogood, Blackfoot,etc.

I bring this up during the episode

​@@ericrobertson2024 "Long Time Gone" (from the debut) is OK but not my fave track from that album ("Play A Simple Song", "Just Hang On", "I Just Wanna Rock & Roll"). Really dislike "Second Chance" (it's not!), a good example of what I dislike about this band. WAY too pop with no memorable hooks - doesn't even sound like an SR track. Lame video too...Kinda fitting that it's included on their last 80's album (Rock & Roll Strategy - 1988) because again for me the band nosedives (except for Resolution) after this... I don't have an issue with 4 of their first 5 albums (no Special Delivery for me) - starting with Strength In Numbers (should've been better - strong on paper with Porcaro plus Jim Vallance = Bryan Adams/BTO/Prism on board) the quality declines pretty rapidly though. To your point Barnes hit the road after that one... Not a big Blackfoot fan (I like their couple of hits plus a few deep tracks off No Reservations - that's about it) personally, Hatchet had a few more good tunes (especially from their '78 s/t album). ZZ Top is in a different category (to me) - in fact I have 'em categorized as just 'plain' rock. Obviously they're from the South & feature some SR-type vibes, but more of a blues/Southern boogie band than those others. Guess it depends on how (Hold On) Loosely (see what I did there?) you define SR... TBH there are a number of 70's SR bands (besides the 'Big 5' & their offshoots) that I find more interesting than 38 Special. Hydra's a great one, Barefoot Jerry, Beaverteeth, Grinderswitch, Mose Jones, Point Blank, Raisin Kane (a shame they only put out one album = It's About Time in '78), Tennessee River Crooks (STRONG '76 s/t). Over on SoT Pete did a 70's Southern Rock series a while back that made me take a closer look. Some lesser-known 70's SR bands that to me deserve attention: Afton/First Days Of Summer - 1977, excellent vocals, kinda like CDB (but 'smoother') Crossroads/Southern Strutter - 1979 with ties to The Grass Roots/Arthur Lee, solid guitars The Eddie Boy Band - s/t from '75. Just got this - REALLY solid! John T. Leach Band/Good Life - 1976 (jazzy), maybe a more jazz/SR version of the J Teal Band Les Dudek - some great solo albums from 1974-78 Missouri Dirt/It's For You - 1977 Ned - s/t from '73. With Tommy Talton (Cowboy) Randle Chowning Band/Heart On Fire - 1978. Ozark Mountain Daredevils founder Rich Mountain Tower - s/t from '71 Roadmap/Roll It Tight - from 1978, not sure how this wasn't bigger (funky) Southern Comfort/Frog City - 1971. Ties to the great Matthews’ Southern Comfort & Harsh Reality (late 60's psyche) Thunderhead/Thunderhead '75 Tree Fox/Rough Road - 1979, this was it from them Two Guns/Balls Out - tremendous from '79, another one-and-done band. Smokin' guitars! The Winters Brothers Band/Coast To Coast - 1979, ties to the Allman Joys. Charlie Daniels & Toy Caldwell guest 6680 Lexington's s/t from 1971 is another great record (ties to Richie Furay, Wackers & the 60's band Big Foot)...Man I love good 70's Southern Rock!

and I've got some of them 👍🏻

Teacher Teacher, Same Old Feeling, Fortunate Son all great tracks!

The Christmas album is solid festive fun.

yep

Me bad...I think I was confusing it with Rough-Housin'.

They played it in 1989 and 91.

Richard Betts passed away..Dickie Betts...His son is Duane Betts.

@@ericrobertson2024 Oops corrected thx - I meant Dickey obviously

Trivia lol the woman from the Back Where You Belong video was Finn Carter,who was later in Tremors... Supposedly she stole a vehicle and some credit cards ,landed in jail post fame.

When it comes to Southern bands of that era, I tend to enjoy them all but I'd say that 38 Special would be in second place for me, a hair's breadth behind The Outlaws. They'd both be in my all-time top ten rock bands list though.

@@carlwmpylu they are 2nd only to Hatchet for me... Blackfoot also had a good streak going but it was only 1979-83(4 albums)..

Our pleasure!

I don't agree that they were destined to fail... you throw out these albums and hope they stick. 38 Special figured it out by the 3rd album though.

@@GrantsRockWarehaus Pardo claiming Southern Rock was faltering in those years was just odd...Charlie Daniels/Hatchet/Nugent/ZZ Top/Blackfoot/Thorogood all had Platinum success in those years.

Best song of the year,Hill St.Blues parody,Finn Carter before she became a hardened criminal lol....It's like a conglomeration of everything Gold...Perfection on MTV of all possible places.

Max Carl,Carol Bristow,Donnie Van Zandt and Bobby Capps can all sing but Barnes has THAT voice like a Ben Orr,Patty Smyth or Dave Gilmour that's just custom geared for radio...They did have some chart success with 4 Carl songs yet 0 with Van Zandt singing ever charted..Barnes solo album has 2 great tracks that should've been hits.

Agreed. But If I’d Been The One is just as good if not better. It could actually be my very favourite 38 Special track

@@JCStorm76 I think Back Where You Belong is my 4th favorite song of the 80s....Beat Of A Heart(Patty Smyth)/Screaming For Vengeance(Priest) and I Found Love(Lone Justice) have always been my favorites....If I'd Been The One and most of Tour De Force is good,but that last track(Undercover Lover) keeps it from being a perfect album for me, same as all 5 of those LPs from 1981-86,each has one track I disliked.

The Monkey in the video is reading Billboard magazine but that's yet another song Donnie sings which failed to chart.

Lots of people seem to like Strength In Numbers, it's my 3rd favorite...With few exceptions,I seemed to like every song Barnes sang on the 1979-87 albums and one track on each with VanZandt on vocals... Several good albums,yet nothing I would give a 9/10..

Nice to Strength in Numbers in #1. I just listened to it again today and I probably would rate it higher today

@@GrantsRockWarehaus The 80s shine definitely worked for 38 ala Heart/April Wine/Blackfoot/On Walsh's Confessor as well.... Somebody Like You/Same Old Feeling/2nd Chance perhaps sound dated,but they sound good !

me bad

Chauncey basically replaced Barnes from 1988-95 and replaced Carlisi from 1996-2018...It's not been mentioned in these comments how vital Barnes guitar work is to those early LPs and the 5 classics.

You didn't like Special Delivery like Tim. Your top 4 are good to go! Love your ranking!!

Similar to my rankings.Everything from 79-86 was 4/5 to me.Some of the weak tracks usually sung by Van Zandt kept those from being 5/5 for me..So 5 stellar LPs,,6 decent and Drivetrain i just don't like... Interesting that Tour De Force/No Guts,No Glory/Eliminator/Siogo were all 1983.The local Roanoke + Greensboro stations basically had those on rotation.

@@GrantsRockWarehaus Tim uses the terminology Skynyrd Light,I label the early stuff Skynyrd Jr lol .I liked those far more than him though.They aren't bad but they don't have that biscuits and grits feel of Strikes or Molly Hatchet's initial 2 LMAO my redneck side is jumping out !

@@GrantsRockWarehaus Cheers! Think Special Delivery's a good album. I just prefer ten of their others. 🙂

@@carlwmpylu Each of those early albums has a few standout tracks.First 2 on the debut./I've Been A Mover + Who's Been Messin' , idk why DVZ didn't do that aggressive type singing more often,it works for sure.Against The Night is a later example.

Excellent Eric... I will check it out

Why do I feel like I'm going to spend more money... haha

Don's voice was made for FM rock radio 👍🏻

@@GrantsRockWarehaus Carl's was perhaps ideal for AM pop radio...Looks like about a dozen DVZ songs were pushed with 0 charting...I've Been A Mover,Turn It On, Against The Night could've been hits I think.

tru dat

Steve Brookins and Jack Grondin... I couldn't remember their names! So good!

Barnes,Chauncey and Riggs are pretty handy with a guitar as well.... I'd say Barnes was the Hlubek/Collins fierce role on those earlier live concerts while Carlisi was more along the Roland/Rossington melodic style...Both were proficient.

@@ericrobertson2024 yes Danny Chauncey is fantastic and don Barnes is really good to and definitely a good comparison you got there to