Strength in Numbers

.38 Special

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: 1986
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A&M Super Budget
• ASIN: B000002GH3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #23,320 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 38 Specials Best, December 21, 2002

By	"bojangle12" (APO, AE United States) - See all my reviews

This was also my first 38 Special CD (actually it was an album), and everytime I play it, it ends too soon. Not a bad cut on this CD. There may have been stronger individual songs on their earlier stuff, but there was a big drop off in effort after that one or two songs, where the rest of the CD was not up to the same quality. Don Barnes had a hand in writing seven of the ten cuts here, and he is usually involved in their better songs. Rarely does he write one alone, but even on Flashback (a greatest hits CD), he was involved in eight of the fourteen cuts there. Not trying to put down the others in the band, but I personally enjoy his stuff the most. The song "Like No Other Night" is my personal favorite, but from beginning to end if you are looking for 38 Special's best that is not on a Greatest Hits package, this is the one you want to start with. The only drawback to buying this one first is that you will never be as pleased with any of the others from beginning to end. I have all but their live CD, and have never regreted having any of them.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Rock and Roll Album from 38 Special!!, April 10, 2004

By	Louie Bourland (Garden Grove CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Strength in Numbers" is the 1986 album release from Southern Arena rockers 38 Special. At the time, the band was at the peak of a winning streak crafting albums of upbeat melodic pop-rock with a slight Country tinge. This album is no exception. It's a fantastic album from beginning to finish and displays the band's tight musicality and hook-filled songwriting at its best.
Guitarist Don Barnes is mostly up front on lead vocals here while main lead singer Donnie Van Zant takes a step back from the microphone until the very end of the album bringing it to a dynamic finish on its final two tracks.
Tracks such as the hits "Somebody Like You" and "Like No Other Night" were all over the airwaves when this album was released. Other standouts such as "Last Time", "Just A Little Love", "Hearts On Fire" and "Against The Night" are impossible to dislike and contain enough hooks to have you humming in no time. The slower tracks ("Once In A Lifetime" and "Has There Ever Been A Good Goodbye") are equally enjoyable and shows the band tackling ballads as effortless as their trademark rock numbers.
With all this said, "Strength In Numbers" is a great album and a wonderful trip down memory lane. The album also marked the end of an era for 38 Special. Two years later, the band regrouped with a new line-up without guitarist/singer Don Barnes. Barnes did return to the band a decade later bringing back its signature sound.
If you can find a copy of "Strength In Numbers" (as I was fortunate enough to find), pick it up. It's worth it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don Barnes' Swansong...., October 21, 2001

By	Kavorka (North Port, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This 1986 release would be the last album in the 80's for 38 Special with vocalist/guitarist Don Barnes (and also drummer Steve Brookins). After recording the song "Back to Paradise" in 1987 for the soundtrack to the motion picture Revenge of the Nerds II, both would quit the group. Barnes would eventually return in the 90's for the Resolution album, but things would never be the same for this southern rock group. On Strength in Numbers the band would record what most would consider to be their most "pop" sounding album to date. And that's not necessarily bad. You can't blame the group for keeping with the times and let's face it, everyone was doing it. Huey Lewis with Fore!, Genesis with Invisible Touch, Foreigner with Agent Provacateur.....and the list goes on and on.

Stength in Numbers is polished more so than earlier 38 Special albums, but it still rocks. "Somebody Like You," "Heart's on Fire," & "Last Time" have an edge to them with a great driving backbone. The smash hit "Like No Other Night" and the semi-mellow tracks "Has There Ever Been a Good Goodbye" & "Once in a Lifetime" are also standout songs here. Make no mistake, this is 80's music at its best. These songs are your typical 80's pop/rock, sing-a-long tunes with great melodies and smokin' riffs.

All-in-all this is a great sounding album that takes their 5th album Tour de Force to the next logical level for that time period. It's too bad that things would never be the same for this southern rock band after this album. Combined with the Anthology collection you could "burn" and awesome party disc of your own.