50 years together. 20 million records sold. More than 15 albums of guitar-driven southern rock stacked high with hits like "Hold On Loosely," "Caught Up In You," "If I'd Been the One," "Back Where You Belong," and "Second Chance." 38 Special is proof that there's strength in numbers. Milestone marks 38 Special's first studio record in more than 20 years, and it showcases the group's platinum-selling blend of muscle and melody, snarling guitars, anthemic hooks, and the desire to break new ground. There are co-writes with Jim Peterik (Survivor) and Randy Bachman (Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Guess Who), duets with vocalist Pat Monahan (Train), and performances from a group of resilient road warriors who still play 100 shows annually. Written between tour dates and recorded during a series of live-in-the-studio performances, Milestone is a snapshot of a band in motion, flying the flag for an enduring form of classic rock & roll that never dies.
Released in 1982, Special Forces contains .38 Special's best song in "Caught Up in You," a hook-filled, smoothly sung radio rock gem that gets its energy from the grace and power of its chorus. But the hooks and the well-proportioned rhythms don't stop there…
The complete oeuvre runs to 38 CDs, which will now be packaged in seven boxes. Some may mistrust any classical project that describes itself with the word "marathon," but the endless variety of Scarlatti's sonatas compels the skeptic to make an exception; a complete set turns up any number of deliciously bizarre pieces like the Sonata in A minor, K. 3, from the Essercizi per gravicembalo (CD 1, track 3), with its cascades of five-note runs meandering out into strange chromatic lines.