38 Special has released a new studio album since Drivetrain in 2004, but that’s about to change. The veteran Southern rock group is set to release Milestone, a collection of nine new original tunes, on September 19.
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The album, which celebrates 38 Special’s 50-year history, features a guest vocal appearance by Train’s Pat Monahan songwriting contributions from longtime collaborator Jim Peterik, co-founder of Survivor and The Ides of March, and Randy Bachman of The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive fame.
[RELATED: What Were the 5 Biggest US Hits by 38 Special?]
38 Special frontman Don Barnes co-produced Milestone with Peterik and the duo co-wrote wrote six of the album’s tracks together. Among those tunes is the heartfelt, melodic rock ballad “All I Haven’t Said,” the album’s lead single.
“All I Haven’t Said” is available now via digital formats. You also can check out a companion music video at 38 Special’s YouTube channel.
“That’s my throwback to the ’60s, inspired by bands like The Searchers,” Barnes said in a statement. “I’ve always loved that jangling guitar sound and what’s old is new again. We just inject more power guitars to it.” Barnes’ wife, Christine, came up with the song’s title and also crafted some of the lyrics and the storyline.
Milestone can be pre-ordered now. It will be available on CD, as a colored-vinyl LP, and via digital formats.
More About Milestone
Speaking about what the band hoped to achieve with Milestone, Barnes noted, “After all this time, we wanted to create a more modern 38 Special album. This is a fresh, updated approach to the sound we’ve been making together for so long. Why not make a big statement after all these years? When you’re reintroducing yourself to the world, ‘good enough’ doesn’t work anymore. If you’re gonna do it, you might as well go big.”
Monahan shares lead vocals with Barnes on a tune called “Slightly Controversial.” Don said he invited Pat to record a song with the band after hearing the Train frontman’s cover of the 38 Special hit “Hold On Loosely.”
“He brought a great vibe to [‘Slightly Controversial’] and we plan on co-writing in the future,” Barnes revealed.
Barnes teamed up with Bachman to write the socially conscious tune “Long Long Train.”
About 38 Special’s Collaborative History with Peterik
Peterik began collaborating 38 Special around 1980, after “Rockin’ into the Night,” a song he and his Survivor bandmates Frankie Sullivan and Gary Smith co-wrote, became the Southern rock group’s first charting single.
Peterik went on to co-write some of 38 Special’s biggest hits, including “Hold On Loosely,” “Caught Up in You,” and “You Keep Runnin’ Away.”
As Barnes began working on the songs wound up on Milestone, he sought out Peterik again to help revisit and revitalize 38 Special’s classic sound. Don would fly to Chicago and visit Jim at his home. There, Peterik would help Barnes finish the songs that he’d started.
“Jim is such a brilliant musician,” Barnes says. “He [co-wrote] ‘Eye of the Tiger,’ ‘Heavy Metal’ for Sammy Hagar, and all of the Survivor hits. He literally wrote the book on songwriting; it’s called Songwriting for Dummies. He’s been my co-writer brother for decades and is a lifelong friend.”
In addition to the songs co-written with Barnes, Peterik also composed the last track on Milestone, “The Look,” himself.
38 Special’s Tour Plans
38 Special is on tour in the U.S. now. The band has more than 30 concerts lined up in 2025, plotted out through a November 15 show in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The band’s itinerary includes nine dates supporting Kansas, as well as headlining shows, festival gigs, and state and county fair performances. Visit 38Special.com for the band’s full tour schedule.
Milestone Track List:
- “So Much So Right”
- “Slightly Controversial”
- “All I Haven’t Said”
- “The Main Thing”
- “Long Long Train”
- “Looking for My Life”
- “Making Up for Lost Time”
- “Windows of Memories”
- “The Look”
(Photo by Nick Spanos)
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