Strength In Numbers
by 38 Special

Strength In Numbers by 38 Special
Year: 1986
Overall rank: 25,030th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
65/100 (from 14 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1986 (332nd)
Award Top albums of of the 1980s (3,144th)
Award Best albums of all time (25,030th)

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38 Special bestography

Strength In Numbers is ranked 4th best out of 18 albums by 38 Special on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by 38 Special is Wild-Eyed Southern Boys which is ranked number 11589 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 103.

38 Special album bestography « Higher ranked (23,525th)
Live At Sturgis
This album (25,030th)
Strength In Numbers
Lower ranked (25,764th) »
Tour De Force

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Strength In Numbers rankings

Strength In Numbers rankings summary
Overall rank: 25,030th | 1980s rank: 3,144th | 1986 rank: 332nd  Overall chart history
Calculated from aggregate positions across 60,000 charts (2 million album rankings).Help Click to see how the rankings are calculated (Last updated: 1 hour ago)

Strength In Numbers collection

Strength In Numbers ratings

Average Rating: 
65/100 (from 14 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 3 ratings for this album.  | Show all 14 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
65/100
 !
05/06/2026 11:02 classicjoe  Ratings distribution  50778/100
 
70/100
 !
09/06/2025 05:48 CaptainPain  Ratings distribution  3,41861/100
 
40/100
 !
07/19/2024 02:39 dhbarrett  Ratings distribution  8,85165/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 64.6/100, a mean average of 59.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 59.3/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.9.


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Strength In Numbers favourites

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Strength In Numbers forum mentions

This album has been referenced 6 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
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“LAST TIME written by DON BARNES, JEFF CARLISI & JIM VALLANCE From the album”
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Strength In Numbers comments

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Rating:  
70/100
From 01/27/2026 03:26 | #312827
The album remains an important part of 38 Special's discography and is often cited in reviews as an example of the band's "mature" sound in the mid‑1980s.
Some tracks (especially "Back Where You Belong") are still playing on rock radio and are included in the band's concert set lists.
Producer Rodney Loudon worked with a number of famous rock artists of the 1980s, which helped give the album a "radio‑friendly" sound.
The album cover is made in a restrained, concise style typical of A&M Records of that period. (Edited)
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Rating:  
60/100
From 12/05/2018 16:57 | #226260
Another collection of the typical two catchy southern pop rock songs surrounded by serviceable but middling cuts.
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