Bone Against Steel

Bone Against Steel
Studio album by 38 Special
Released	July 1991
Recorded	1990
Genre	AOR, pop rock, soft rock, Southern rock
Length	63:48
Label	Charisma
Producer	Rodney Mills
38 Special chronology
Rock & Roll Strategy (1988) Bone Against Steel (1991) Resolution (1997)

The Sound of Your Voice cover

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Bone Against Steel is the ninth studio album by the southern rock band 38 Special, released in 1991. It was their last album until their 1997 comeback and the last album to feature the vocalist and keyboard player Max Carl. It would also be their last album with long time guitarist and founding member Jeff Carlisi and drummer Jack Grondin.

The album itself was a modest commercial success and only reached #170 on the Billboard 200 album chart. However, the single "The Sound of Your Voice" (also known as "Sound of Your Voice"), was a major hit, and one of three songs co-written by Survivor's Jim Peterik for the album. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 (their last Top 40 hit and last appearance on that chart to date), while the second of the three Peterik songs, "Rebel to Rebel", only reached #30 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.^[2]

Track listing

1. "The Sound of Your Voice" (Max Carl, Jeff Carlisi, Danny Chauncey, Jim Peterik) – 4:58
2. "Signs of Love" (Carl) – 4:49
3. "Last Thing I Ever Do" (Carlisi, Chauncey, Robert White Johnson, Michael Lunn, Donnie Van Zant) – 5:22
4. "You Definitely Got Me" (Carl, Carlisi, Chauncey) – 5:12
5. "Rebel to Rebel" (Carlisi, Peterik, Van Zant) – 5:33
6. "Bone Against Steel" (Carl) – 5:24
7. "You Be the Dam, I'll Be the Water" (Carl, Johnson, Van Stephenson, Van Zant) – 4:26
8. "Jimmy Gillum" (Carl, Carlisi, Chauncey, Van Zant) – 5:07
9. "Tear It Up" (Carl, Carlisi, Chauncey) – 4:39
10. "Don't Wanna Get It Dirty" (Johnson, Lunn, Van Zant) – 4:36
11. "Burning Bridges" (Carl, Carlisi, Chauncey) – 4:45
12. "Can't Shake It" (Johnson, Lunn, Van Zant) – 3:29
13. "Treasure" (Carl, Carlisi, Peterik) – 5:40

Personnel

.38 Special

• Max Carl – keyboards, vocals
• Jeff Carlisi – guitars
• Danny Chauncey – guitars
• Larry Junstrom – bass
• Jack Grondin – drums
• Donnie Van Zant – vocals

Guest musicians

• Scott Meeder – drum programming, percussion, cymbals
• Michael Hoskin – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
• Larry Jackson – tenor saxophone
• Gordon Vernick – trumpet
• The Six Groomers (the band) – backing vocals
• Robert White Johnson – backing vocals
• Jack Blades – backing vocals (9)
• Brian Howe – backing vocals (9)

Production

• Rodney Mills – producer, recording, mixing
• Tag George – recording assistant, mix assistant
• Edd Miller – recording assistant
• Phil Tan – recording assistant
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Masterdisk (New York City, New York) – mastering location
• Mark Rogers – tape operation
• Norman Moore – art direction, design
• John Halpern – band photography
• Peter Miller – cover photography

Critical reception

In a review of Bone Against Steel, Alex Henderson of AllMusic regarded "The Sound of Your Voice" as one of the "Tame, run-of-the-mill corporate rock tunes" which he commented "sound like third-rate Journey, and don't hold a candle to some of Special's earlier efforts."^[3]

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States) RPM Magazine (Canada)

Year	Chart	Position
1991	The Billboard 200	170
1991	The RPM 100 [4]	58

Singles – Billboard (United States)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1991	"Rebel to Rebel"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	30
1991	"The Sound of Your Voice"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	2
1991	"The Sound of Your Voice"	The Billboard Hot 100	33

For The Sound of Your Voice:

Chart (1991)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[5]	133
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[6]	43
US Billboard Hot 100[7]	33
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[8]	2

References

1. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r175117/review
2. "Bone Against Steel - .38 Special | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
3. https://www.allmusic.com/album/r175117/review
4. "RPM Top 100 Albums - September 21, 1991" (PDF).
5. "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing September 23, 1991". Retrieved September 24, 2024.
6. "RPM: Week of August 31, 1991". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
7. "Billboard Hot 100: Week of September 14, 1991". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
8. "Mainstream Rock Airplay: Week of July 27, 1991". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2024.