I could see, why they are called Southern Rock indeed. At first, back in the old days (aka 90's for me), I mistaked this guys for an 80's band. Most of their great songs came out in the 80's I believe. So, these guys can't be southern rock. But that doesn't matter, cause they still kick it.

Caught Up In You, is quite a good song, due to the guitar solo. It's practically that 80's "Dream song" since it's so perfect in every manner. You know how the band Autograph had their perfect song called "Turn Up the Radio"? Well, Caught Up in You, is just as perfect, or more perfect. I can picture many things when that guitar solo goes off... It's quite astounding what music can do to the brain.

Somebody Like You- When this song first started, I thought it sounded a little like Billy Idol's debut. This isn't a waste of time ballad, like some bands right. This is happy feeling, yet sad due to the "broken" heart. Any broken hearted person could listen to this and feel great. This song makes alot of sense, which helps you come to your senses. (good line huh?) The Soli (minor guitar solo) is very good.

Like No Other Night- Very very 80's. I could see someone rocking out to this song. I heard the song "Straight to Your Heart" inside that song, by Bad English. Except, it's well written. I could imagine John Waite singing this. Over all it's a great song.

I reviewed only 3 songs, because they touch me the most on the inside. They're fantastic. I love .38 Special. Where would the music world be without them. This cd (off itunes) blew me away, listening to the whole thing. I listened to this cd many times last night, and I didn't get to bed until atleast 3 am! haha!

On my ipod, I only have hair metal and classic rock, aka like Journey, Boston, Eric Clapton, etc. I got sick of rap and R&B, so I took it all off. Sound crazy? Well, I've only been listening to classic rock and hair metal for a few years, since I was born in 1990. KEEP CLASSIC ROCK AND HAIR METAL ALIVE.

If you looked up 38 Special on the internet or in a book, you would probably see these two words: southern rock. Widely considered southern rock, I think they have a more Foriegner-type pop/rock sound and feeling. This album is a rather nice compilation. It has all the major and minor hits and fan favorites. You get 18 songs on one disc and it's rather inexpensive. Not a bad deal. If you like 80s pop/rock like Foriegner or REO Speedwagon buy this superb collection of radio friendly rock godliness.

I love this CD. I never take it out of the CD player in my car. Unfortunately, it was in my car when Hurricane Katrina hit. My car, husband's truck and everything in our house (including the house) is gone. I am from Ocean Springs Mississippi. Thank you. Lisa Waybright, Hurricane Katrina Victim.

Had Lynyrd Skynyrd not lost its vital members in that 1977 plane crash, there's little doubt 38 Special would've made it to prominence today. Indeed, 38 Special lead singer Donnie van Zandt was the brother of Ronnie van Zandt, who perished aboard that plane. This Southern band from Jacksonville, FL maintained a pure rock sound amid the synths and heavier sounds of the 80's. That classic rock sound was made possible with the double guitars of Don Barnes and Jeff Carlisi, as well as the steady drumming of Steve Brookins and Jack Grondin.

The combination of power chords and catchy hooks without compromising their rocking style is due to songwriter Jim Peterik, to gain better fame in Survivor. He helped them through Wild Eyed Southern Boys and Special Forces, their fourth and fifth albums. Among the songs he helped them with was the "Jean Genie" meets Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love" stomp of "Rockin' Into The Night," which was a sample of what they would turn out over the late 70's and 80's.

Of their early work, nothing beats the tried and true classics "Hold On Loosely," which became their first Top 40 hit, and that familiar rhythm guitar that opens the energetic "Caught Up In You," which scraped the Top Ten, and all due to Peterik's songcrafting and those harmony vocals.

The #38 "You Keep Runnin' Away," from Special Forces, sounds like something Rick Springfield would do, only with more teeth. The idealized fantasy of "Fantasy Girl" has the same Bad Company crunch, about a "vision of true lovin' and how it should be." One of my favourites, as it's something I relate to.

The songs from Tour De Force found them moving more to the mainstream, as seen in the longing and reflective rocker "If I'd Been The One" and "Back Where You Belong," both of which reached the Top 20. Their song for the Nick Nolte comedy Teachers yielded the #25 rocker "Teacher, Teacher," of a student questioning an instructor whether he will learn what he needs to survive in the jungle that's the world.

I first heard of them with their two singles from 1986's Strength In Numbers, the #14 hit "Like No Other Night" and the #48 "Somebody Like You." It is the latter song's inclusion here that made me choose this over their other compilation, Flashback. Speaking of which, "Back To Paradise," penned by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, was for Revenge of the Nerds II-Nerds In Paradise, and was one of the more energetic and rocking numbers, which narrowly missed the Top 40. This was definitely Top Five material.

They charted their highest scoring song with the radio-friendly ballad "Second Chance" sung by Max Carls. This #6 was so unlike any of their previous oeuvre that my eyebrows rose slightly upon hearing the DJ mention that this was 38 Special. I still like it, but I was a bit taken aback.

The sound remains undiminished, yet there are enough catchy hooks, hard-driving rock guitar and strong vocals by Don Barnes and Donnie van Zandt. A much better compilation than Flashback containing all their vital hits, from a group that showed one can still rock hard without going the metal route.

Look thses guys might not be the best, but at least Donnie Van Zant didnt go snatch his older brothers band after he was klled in an airplane accident. .38 Special has thier own style, they didnt just copy Skynyrd or the Allman Brothers like many other southern rock bands did. So maybe you should buy this album if you want something more original.

I Say "Southern Rock" what do you say, "Lynrd Skynrd", "Allman Brothers"???? When You think of 38 Special, you automatically think "Oh, that band that has Ronnie Van Zant's Little Brother in it" But Given this band has still survived and continue to make music to this point, give them their due!!! and just in case you have been living in a cave somewhere, and want to find out what this band is about, this is the CD to get. All their hits is represented here. This gets the nod over "Flashback" due to the power ballad "Second Chance". also has the ballad "Take Me Back", which you cant help but think of Donnie's love for his departed brother Ronnie. To sum up this is the cd for the novice fan or if you are looking just for the hits, its affordable and just one disk so you won't have to be skipping through unwanted songs or shuffling disks to find your favorite. If your a hardcore fan, "Anthology" is the CD for you.

This most recent "best of" set is a vast improvement to what was already a good compilation ("Flashback") which was released in 1987. The beauty here is that this release is remastered, sounds GREAT, and it generously expands the song selection by 4, including the must have "Second Chance," which was their last and biggest single period. The CD has great liner notes that are self-effacing rather than the usual self-congratulatory junk that makes you never want to read them again.

I don't need to say too much here because people tend to either really like this group or see it as a watered down version of true "Southern Rock." The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd received much acclaim, while .38 Special continued doing their thing no matter what the critics said. I love this band and some of their best songs (Hold On Loosely, Caught Up In You, Somebody Like You, Like No Other Night, just to name a few) take me to times in my life where they served as the soundtrack for what was happening at the time. I also enjoy the other acts mentioned, and there may be merit to what some of .38 Special detractors have said, but since this is my review to you Amazoners out there (especially those who remember them well), I can assure you that this release easily earns 5 stars on the strength of its killer singles.

this is definitly the best combination of
songs from 38 special,I have this record and
I listen to it a lot,this is the one that you need to
buy if you are a big fan like me.

I picked this up very shortly before the anthology came out (grumble) but I have to say this selection of hits flows very well, and these guys just do not let up until the very end, with 2 slow songs. on from the end of their career and one when they were a Lynyrd skynyrd clone. Still, it is definitely a fantastic hits colleciton for the price. If youre willing to spend more though, the anthology that was recently released is an even better collection and with a better recor ding quality.

there have been alot of bands that have come down the road in every catetagry but none are in this tape of class that they have i really think after you have listened to them you never get sick of them and i have been a fan for a long time. there are alot of southern rock bands that have there own sound but these guys have that you know its them right off the bat.
and a class all by them selfs.donnie and don are the glue and it shows how much they really like what they are doing and the rest of the band feeds of them. they are really good vocalally and extremly tight and it shows .
if i had to give a rateing for this i really cant because there isnt one.for a band that used to play in a old warehouse and the police used to come and they had to crull out a small window and this was the place they had to pratice and i know first hand on band praticeing because my mother played music for about 30 years and she used to pratice in the liveing room and while we where sleeping. i got into playing drums out of it i think that is dedication and this shows through the music on this cd.
i can really understand why they are one the biggest grossing concert bands.and why thet are sold out when they play.so my reveiw of this cd is if you are a real 38 special fan its a must have.

Southern rockers .38 Special enjoyed huge success from the late '70s through the entire decade of the '80s. Although the big hits have stopped, the band still continues to record and tour. Although there have already been three compilations of .38 Special's hits released prior to this one, "The Very Best of The A&M Years" is probably the most essential. 18 of the band's biggest hits and key album tracks are included here including the classics "Hold On Loosely", "Caught Up In You", "Rockin' Into the Night" and "If I'd Been The One". Also included are the soundtrack hits "Teacher Teacher" from the 1984 film "Teachers" and "Back To Paradise" from the 1987 sequel to "Revenge of The Nerds", "Nerds In Paradise". Although the inclusion of their 1988 hit "Second Chance" seems a bit out of place here, it is great that it's included because it was one of their biggest hits of their A&M years. It's the only track on this compilation that doesn't feature the original line-up but it's still a great song that showcases Max Carl's vocals during his brief time with the band.
"The Very Best of The A&M Years" is .38 Special's ultimate compilation. Everything hit that you've ever heard from the band between 1977 and 1988 is more than likely included on this CD. This classic arena-rock at its finest. Music just doesn't sound quite like this anymore. Check it out and relive some great memories. You'll be smiling in no time. :-)

...and yes, this is yet another 38 Special compilation after Anthology, the Millenium Series, and Flashback.... but this IS definately the best single disc package you can buy.

Like Anthology the sound quality is stunning. Almost every major chart single and FM/in-concert staple is here except for "One Time For Old Times" from the Tour de Force album (1983). Casual fans of 80's music will love tunes like "Hold On Loosely," "Caught Up In You," "If I'd Been The One," "Like No Other Night," and "Second Chance." My favorites include "Fantasy Girl," "You Keep Runnin' Away," "Chain Lightning," and "Someboby Like You."

My only gripes are the same ones I had with Anthology (just now on a smaller scale). Chronological format is always the best route with compilations, yet this disc comes very close to maintaing that format except in 2 spots. WHY?? It just makes no sense. Track # 9 "Stone Cold Believer" should be after song # 1 "Rockin' Into The Night" as they are both from the album of that same title (1979). Also, the last song is actually the oldest coming from their 2nd album Special Delivery (1977) and should be the lead-off song.

I'm not all that happy with the inclusion of "Second Chance," but can understand why it needs to be here as it was their highest charting single (#6) from this time period (1977-1988). However, "Take Me Back" was not a single or an FM staple and is only included here so they could say they covered the entire A&M years. My complaint is that both of these songs sound so out of place with the other great material on this disc. You do not have to be a die-hard fan to recognize this difference. Maybe this is why both songs are placed at the end of the disc?

I would've liked to seen "One Time For Old Times" and "Long Distance Affair" included instead, as they sound more in line with the remaining songs presented here and could easily be considered "The Very Best Of".

No one will ever be totally happy with the set list of these types of discs. This is a solid 5 star album for those looking to avoid the cost & length of Anthology, and choose to focus on the best years 38 Special had.