Special Forces is the fifth studio album by American rock band 38 Special, released in 1982 by A&M Records. The band embarked on the Special Forces Tour to support the album.
Special Forces peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200, making it the band's highest-charting studio album in the United States. Three of the four charted singles from the album were co-written with Survivor's Jim Peterik, including "Caught Up in You", the band's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
A remastered CD, with three live bonus tracks, was reissued by Rock Candy Records in September 2023.
Track listing
- "Caught Up in You" (Don Barnes, Jeff Carlisi, Jim Peterik) - 4:37
- "Back Door Stranger" (Carlisi, Larry Steele, Donnie Van Zant) - 4:38
- "Back on the Track" (Carlisi, Steele, Van Zant) - 4:45
- "Chain Lightnin'" (Barnes, Peterik, Van Zant) - 5:01
- "Rough-Housin'" (Barnes, Steele, Van Zant) - 4:08
- "You Keep Runnin' Away" (Barnes, Carlisi, Peterik) - 3:56
- "Breakin' Loose" (Carlisi, Jack Grondin, Steele, Van Zant) - 3:32
- "Take 'Em Out" (Barnes, Carlisi, Steele, Van Zant) - 4:07
- "Firestarter" (Barnes, Steele, Van Zant) - 5:01
Personnel
- Donnie Van Zant - lead vocals (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9), backing vocals
- Don Barnes - guitar; lead vocals on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 8; backing vocals
- Jeff Carlisi - guitar, steel guitar
- Larry Junstrom - bass guitar
- Steve Brookins - drums
- Jack Grondin - drums
Additional personnel
- Terry Emery - percussion, piano
- Steve McRay - keyboards
- Jimmy Barnes - harmonica, harp
- Carol Bristow - vocals, backing vocals
- Lu Moss - vocals, backing vocals
Production
- Producers: Don Barnes, Jeff Carlisi, Rodney Mills
- Engineers: Rodney Mills, Greg Quesnel
- Art direction: Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff
- Design: Philip Gips
- Cover art concept: Philip Gips
- Cover art painting: Larry Gerber
- Mastering: Bob Ludwig
Charts
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! Chart (1982)
! Peak<br />position
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