Rob riffs on the fifth studio album by 38 Special from May of 1982 (Caught Up in You / You Keep Runnin' Away / Back Door Stranger / Chain Lightnin'). ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: "Ain't Got No Home" by Clarence "Frogman" Henry (from the motion picture “Diner”) STAFF PICKS: “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)" by Van Halen — Bruce. “Did It in a Minute” by Hall & Oates — Brian. “Find Another Fool” by Quarterflash — Wayne. “More Than This" by Roxy Music — Rob. COMEDY TRACK: "Piss On the Wall" by the J. Geils Band. **(NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.)
We've covered a number of underrated bands and albums, but perhaps the most underrated band of the 80's is 38 Special. Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1974 by Donnie Van Zandt and Don Barnes, 38 Special had a string of hits in the late 70's through the 80's including "Hold On Loosely," "Rockin' Into the Night," and "If I'd Been the One." Special Forces is their fifth and most successful studio album, hitting number 10 on the Billboard 200.
In addition to Van Zandt and Barnes, 38 Special's lineup for this album included Jeff Carlisi on guitar, Larry Junstrom on bass, Steve Brookins on drums, and Jack Grondin on drums. A number of songs on this album were co-written by Jim Peterik, singer-songwriter and founder of the group Survivor.
Given the connection to Lynyrd Skynyrd (Donnie was the brother of original Skynyrd lead singer, Ronnie Van Zandt, and Junstrom was one of the founding members of Lynyrd Skynyrd), it is not surprising that their sound has its roots in Southern Rock. However, 38 Special tended towards a more mainstream hard rock sound.
The name of the group comes from an incident where the police were called on the band during a late night practice session. The door was padlocked, and the police broke the lock by shooting it out ... with a 38 Special.
Caught Up In You
This is the first single and the big hit from the album, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Mainstream Rock charts. Don Barnes sings lead on this track. The lyrics are self-explanatory, extolling a girl with whom the singer is completely entranced.
You Keep Runnin' Away
Barnes has the lead duties from this song again. The lyrics describe a girl who has been burned in past relationships and has decided never to trust another man. The singer encourages her to not give up, that "someday, someway, somewhere love is gonna find you."
Back Door Stranger
A deeper cut from the album, the lyrics describe a serial rapist sneaking around, and what will happen to him if the singer catches up with him. "Take my chances, rather go to jail than see the eyes of a coward runnin' loose and well." The guitar has a great wah-wah sound, and Donnie Van Zandt takes his turn on lead vocals for this track.
Chain Lightnin'
The thunder sound is striking as both the intro and the outro for this iconic song. There's a little bit of a Pink Floyd echo to add to the mystery. "And it's hotter than hell in the heavens tonight." "And it's so tough when the satisfaction is greater than the risk."
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Ain't Got No Home by Clarence “Frogman” Henry (from the motion picture “Diner”)
This novelty song was featured in the comedy-drama starring Steve Guttenberg and Kevin Bacon.
STAFF PICKS:
Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now) by Van Halen
Bruce begins the staff picks with a deeper cut off the Diver Down album. This cover was originally recorded in 1924, and came to the band's attention when David Lee Roth recorded it off a late night AM radio station. Jan Van Halen, Eddie and Alex's father, is featured in this song playing clarinet.
Did It in a Minute by Hall & Oates
Brian features a hit off the "Private Eyes" album from duo Darryl Hall and John Oates. It was the third single from the album. The upbeat song is about finding love almost instantaneously. Hall wrote this with his girlfriend Sara Allen and her sister Janna, who came up with the chorus.
Find Another Fool by Quarterflash
Wayne gets a second chance to feature Portland's own Quarterflash. This rocking minor-key song peaked at number 16 on the charts, and is a break-up song after the girl has had it with her ex-boyfriend's cheating ways. The name comes from an Australian slang phrase, "a quarter flash, three parts foolish." Quarterflash is the husband and wife team of Rindy and Marv Ross
More Than This by Roxy Music
Rob's staff pick is the first single off Roxy Music's last album, "Avalon." Bryan Ferry began writing the songs for Avalon while on the west coast of Ireland, and the music reflects the melancholy feel of the location. The song has an unusually long synth-driven outro.
COMEDY TRACK:
Piss On the Wall by the J. Geils Band
Sometimes you just must be going. However, we do recommend that you find a toilet first!