Published on Jan 11, 2001
In 1980, the fates were beginning to smile upon Donnie Van Zant
and .38 Special. Their third album,
Rockin’ Into The Night, had brought them their first hit in
the form of the title track. If they thought that life was starting
to get good, then their follow-up,
Wild-Eyed Southern Boys, would blow the doors off for
them.
Looking back at it today, this record is notable for three
songs, not the least of which is “Hold On Loosely”. There’s a
reason this track became a hit for the band, and that this song
sounds as good today as it did 21 years ago. It was well-written
and well-performed – and these are the things which can help a song
transcend time.
Long-time followers of the band will also recognize two other
hits in the form of “Fantasy Girl” and the title track, both of
which are just as enjoyable as the hit single. Van Zant and
guitarist/vocalist Don Barnes work some absolute magic on these
tracks, making sure they would have lasting power far beyond
someone’s car stereo or their home component system. If there’s any
doubt to their power, compare these versions to the ones on
Live At Sturgis, and try to pick which versions are more
powerful. You can’t do it… more signs of a damn good song.
Of course,
Wild-Eyed Southern Boys is more than just these three songs
– and while the bulk of the material on this album is superb, there
are occasional signs of filler. Tracks like “First Time Around,”
“Back Alley Sally” and “Hittin’ And Runnin'” are all killer
material, making me wonder why they weren’t considered as having
singles potential.
But there are one or two weaker moments on this disc – not that
the songs are bad, but that they don’t live up to the higher
standards the majority of the album set. Songs like “Honky Tonk
Dancer” and “Bring It On” (the latter having little to do with the
Lynyrd Skynyrd song on their album
Twenty) have their moments, but they just don’t deliver the
payload like you would expect them to. As a result, they end up
falling a bit flat.
Of course, .38 Special was still developing as a band, and were
just getting used to the tastes of success.
Wild-Eyed Southern Boys made sure they got a big drink from
that well – and it rightfully deserved all the success it earned.
Last time I checked All-Music Guide, this is the earliest of .38
Special’s albums that are still in print – and it’s most definitely
worth searching out.