ALBUM OF THE WEEK #177 38 SPECIAL - ROCKIN' INTO THE NIGHT (1980)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Artist: 38 Special

Genre: Southern Rock

Country Of Origin: United States

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: No

Album: Rockin' Into The Night

Released: 1980

Producer: Rodney Mills

Best Songs: Rockin' Into The Night/Stone Cold Believer/The Love That I've Lost/You're The Captain/You Got The Deal/Turn It On

I Can't Believe It Wasn't A Hit: The Love That I've Lost

Disclaimer:  All "facts" come from Barnes & Noble.com unless otherwise noted.

Hope you like Southern Rock.  I have more of it for you this week.  It's 38 Specials third studio album, Rockin' Into The Night.  First, this is a vinyl rip.  So if you take the time to listen, you will hear a couple of skips, I believe mainly on track six, which was the first song on side two.  Listen to the needle drop at the beginning, it sounds great.  And so do the tunes.

This album contains the band's first big song, the title track, although it didn't make the Top 40.  The album went as high as number 57 on the Pop Album chart.  The band would strike big on the next album with Hold On Loosely.  But as far as this album goes, there's really not a bad song here.  I listed what I thought were the best songs above, and I really can't believe that The Love That I've Lost was never released as a single.  The title track was the only single released.  I toyed with adding Take Me Through The Night as a "best song", but didn't pull the trigger on it.  I guess that jury is still out for me.  

There is connection to last week's AOTW (Grey Ghost by the Henry Paul Band).  Both albums featured some piano work by Billy Powell of Lynyrd Skynyrd.  I guess he was the go to guy for southern rockers that needed somebody to tickle the ivory.  There was also a guest appearance on some backing vocals by Dale Krantz-Rossington.  She was the lead vocalist for the post-Skynyrd Rossington-Collins band (also the eventual wife of Gary Rossington).  

1. Rockin' Into The Night

2. Stone Cold Believer

3. Take Me Through The Night

4. Money Honey

5. The Love That I've Lost

6. You're The Captain

7. Robin Hood

8. You Got The Deal

9. Turn It On

[Scott]

Interesting note... Rockin into the Night is a Survivor cover...

[Jon]

...which was never released on a Survivor studio album?

[Scott]

True.. So written and recorded, but gifted to 38 Soecial versus covered... Better?

[Jon]

well, would be much better if you mentioned that 38 Special also covered it?

[RJhog (Admin)]

I can see you two have this covered.

[Jon]

Yes. Yes we do.

But you CAN get the Survivor version on the "Ultimate Survivor" disc. 

Now it's definitely covered. I think.

[Scott]

Im a fan...  You posted If I'd Been The One on fb the other.  Now thats easily the bext 38 Special record of all of them.  But this is a good, yet underrated, release as well.  It was the first one that featured their most popular "sound".  This sound was pervasive in the next two albums, but their better records came after Special Forces beginning with Tour de Force (IMO).  

I also would throw their debut in the mix.  Thats a real solid album and criminally overlooked.  You can hear fragments of that early sound in songs like Take Me Through The Night.  Cool stuff!

You mentioned the needle drop, which was near perfect on side 1, but it sounds like you had some issue with side 2, but it could be the scratches on that side as well.  Either way, I was always trying to achieve the perfect needle drop!

I would love this album remastered as I have it also on vinyl but not on any digital format.  Great post!

PS:  You got 7 and 8 backwards in this list

[Jon]

This is an ok album, nowhere near the excellence of "Special Forces" and anyone who thinks otherwise is just plain silly in my book.  

The only track I don't like much is "Take Me Through The Night" because it's not really too memorable. The one track I REALLY like is "Robin Hood:, even though it's "just" and instrumental. 

Good listen, it will just take them one more album to finally hit their stride with the perfect "Special Forces" and after that they started going downhill until "Drivetrain", of course.

Nice posting, please back me up on the non-collusion thing. It just happened, much to someone's disbelief.  

[Scott]

Tour deForce is the best! With their debut running a close second

[Jon]

Special Forces!