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Influential Albums: 1283-1289
Thu., Nov. 16. 2023 9:58am EST
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the latest entries in the "albums that influenced me" series I started writing in May 2020.
Note: Just because an album appears on this list doesn't mean I give it a blanket endorsement. Many of the secular albums on this list are mainly there because they wound up being spoofed by ApologetiX.
1283. JB40 - 40th Anniversary Collection - James Brown
James Brown and I go way back. I think the first time I became aware of him was when I saw his name on a list of the artists with the most Top 40 hits. That was in the late '70s, and the publication where I read it may have been a Dynamite scholastic magazine. Back then, he had 43 of them, which was good enough for third place — behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles — at the time. Since then, he added one more Top 40 hit but has been passed by Drake, Elton John, Taylor Swift, Madonna, and Stevie Wonder. However, the last time I looked, he was still in the all-time Top 10. Anyway, next I saw him playing Reverend Cleophus James in The Blues Brothers Movie in the summer of 1980. Then I heard him and his famous 1965 film appearance on The TAMI Show name-checked in the Police song "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around" in the fall of '80. Later, in the spring of '82, I heard one of his hits on the Quadrophenia soundtrack album, but it was "Night Train" (#35 pop, #5 R&B), a song that was primarily instrumental. After that, I bought a various-artists R&B compilation that included "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." In the fall of '83, I saw Eddie Murphy imitating him on his Delirious HBO comedy special, which cracked us all up. Then in the spring of '84, I got to see The TAMI Show The Police had been referring to. In early '86, I saw him perform in Rocky IV and bought the single, "Livin' in America" (#4 pop, #10 R&B). Finally, in early '87, I heard "I Got You (I Feel Good)" in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam and ran out and bought the soundtrack. Many years later, in the early 2000s, I purchased JB40 - 40th Anniversary Collection. Released in 1996, it featured 40 hits on two CDs but only covered his career from 1958-79, so "Living in America" was nowhere to be found. However, his six other Top 10 pop hits were present and accounted for: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (#3 pop), "I Got the Feelin'" (#6 pop), "Cold Sweat (Part 1)" (#7 pop), "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" (#8 pop), "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" (#8 pop), and "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" (#10 pop). Each of those songs hit #1 on the R&B chart. He had 11 other singles that did that, and they're all on JB40 - 40th Anniversary Collection, too, including: "Try Me" (#48 pop), "Give It Up or Turnit A Loose" (#15 pop), "Mother Popcorn (You Got to Have a Mother for Me) Pt. 1" (#11 pop), "Super Bad (Part 1 & Part 2)" (#13 pop), "Hot Pants (She Got to Use What She Got to Get What She Wants (Pt. 1)" (#13 pop), "Make It Funky (Part 1)" (#22 pop), "Talking Loud and Saying Nothing" (Part I)" (#27 pop), "Get On the Good Foot - Part I) (#27 pop), "The Payback - Part I" (#28 pop), "My Thang" (#29 pop), and "Papa Don't Take No Mess (Part I)" (#31 pop). It also contained one of my favorite James Brown titles, "Funky President (People It's Bad)" (#44 pop, #4 R&B), although it's missing two others, "Let a Man Come in and Do the Popcorn" (Pt. 1)" (#21 pop, #2 R&B) and "Let a Man Come in and Do the Popcorn" (Pt. 2)" (#40 pop, #6 R&B). ApologetiX released a spoof of "I Got You (I Feel Good)" in 2013. For a complete track listing of JB40 - 40th Anniversary Collection, go to https://www.discogs.com/release/1816939-James-Brown-40th-Anniversary-Collection
1284. Gap Band V: Jammin' - The Gap Band
Don't be confused by the title; Gap Band V: Jammin' wasn't the group's fifth LP. It was actually their seventh, but they were indeed jammin' on that album. It was released on August 23, 1983, just as I was returning to IUP for my sophomore year. Three friends from my dorm freshman year had invited me to share an apartment, and one of them was Kevin "Kebo" Johnson, who made sure we all became quite familiar with this cassette. He was also responsible for several earlier entries on this list. I was already aware of The Gap Band because of their hit from the previous year, "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" (#31 pop, #2 R&B). It became a party anthem on campus, even though the group's previous single, "Early in the Morning" (#24 pop, #1 R&B), was technically the bigger hit (and a cool tune in its own right). None of the singles on Gap Band V: Jammin' even hit the Hot 100, but two of them in particular got massive airplay at 615 University Towers in Indiana PA — "Party Train" (#103 pop, #3 R&B) and "Jam the Motha" (#16 R&B). Three other tracks were also released as singles: "I'm Ready (If You're Ready)" (#74 R&B, #87 U.K.); "Someday" (#17 U.K. only), featuring Stevie Wonder of harmonica; and "Jammin' in America" (#64 U.K. only). The Gap Band only had two U.S. Top 40 hits (both of which I've already mentioned), but they had seven in the U.K., if you count "Oops Upside Your Head (I Don't Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance)" (#102 U.S. pop, #4 R&B) twice, because it went to #6 in the 1980 and #16 in 2004. Their biggest U.K. hit was "Big Fun" (#8 R&B, #4 U.K.). Here in the States, the group had four #1 hits on the R&B chart: "Burn Rubber on Me (Why Wanna Hurt Me)," "Early in the Morning," "Outstanding," and "All of My Love." Three others peaked at #2: "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Beep a Freak," and "Going in Circles." The heart of The Gap Band was the Wilson brothers (Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert), and the group's name came from three streets (Greenwood, Archer, and Pine) in their hometown of Tulsa OK. Gap Band V: Jammin' peaked at #28 on the Billboard 200 and sold half a million copies.
1285. 25 #1 Hits from 25 Years - Various Artists
This two-record Motown collection came out in 1983 in celebration of the label's 25th anniversary. I bought it a couple years later. Technically, two of the songs didn't go to #1 on the pop chart — "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye (#2 pop) and "Give It to Me Baby" by Rick James (#40 pop) — but they both went to #1 on the R&B chart. Also, not all 25 years are represented ... the oldest song was the first Motown #1 hit, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes from 1961, and the newest one is "Endless Love" by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie from 1981. But it's an impressive roster nonetheless, with four hits by Marvin Gaye; three hits each by The Temptations and The Jackson 5; two hits each by The Supremes, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and The Commodores; and one apiece by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Eddie Kendricks, and Thelma Houston. ApologetiX spoofed one of the songs, Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" in 2006. For a complete track listing, go to
https://www.discogs.com/master/212738-Various-25-1-Hits-From-25-Years
1286. Disco Super Hits - Various Artists
This collection came out in February 1998, and I bought my copy in '99, because I wanted to write a spoof of "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry (#1 pop), which we recorded and released in 2000. Disco Super Hits had selections from 1973-84, including extended versions of "Love Train" by The O'Jays (#1 pop) and "The Groove Line" by Heat Wave (#7 pop), clocking in at 6:14 and 7:26, respectively. I'd long loved both of those tunes, but I didn't love them long; it wound up being too much of a good thing for me. Maybe if I'd been on the dance floor at the time, I would have felt differently ... or maybe that would have made them seem even longer. The next-highest charting cuts on Disco Super Hits were "Dazz" by Brick (#3 pop, #1 R&B) and "Lovergirl" by Teena Marie (#4 pop), which entered the Top 10 on March 16 1985, two weeks after "Loverboy" by Billy Ocean (#2 pop) exited the Top 10. Interestingly, "Loverboy" and "Lovergirl" spent seven weeks together in the Top 40 in the first part of '85. In case you're wondering, the Canadian rock group Loverboy also hit the Top 10 that year, but not until later .. their only Top 40 hit of 1985, "Lovin' Every Minute of It," peaked at #9 in early November. Neither Loverboy nor "Loverboy" was on Disco Super Hits, but one of Billy Ocean's earlier singles, "Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down)" (#103 pop, #7 R&B) was. This album also included "Love Is the Message" by MFSB featuring The Three Degrees (#85 pop, #42 R&B), the forgotten follow-up to their famous #1 hit "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)." It sounds a little like a combination of "TSOP" and Meco's version of the "Star Wars" theme. The one song that seems out of place to me is the hard-rockin' "Black Betty" by Ram Jam (#18 pop), but we still wound up spoofing it in 2022. For a complete Disco Super Hits track listing, go to https://www.discogs.com/master/1476330-Various-Disco-Super-Hits
1287. All That You Can't Leave Behind - U2
Released October 30, 2000, U2's 10th studio LP, All That You Can't Leave Behind, brought back some of the classic sound the group had seemingly left behind on previous releases Zooropa (1993) and Pop (1997). Consequently, it sold 12 million copies worldwide — as many as those two albums combined. The first four songs on All That You Can't Leave Behind were released as singles, and I relate to them a lot better than most of U2's mid-'90s stuff. Only one of them made the U.S. Top 40, but all of them reached the U.K. Top 5 and the U.S. alternative Top 10: "Beautiful Day" (#21 pop, #14 mainstream, #5 alternative, #1 U.K.), "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" (#52 pop, #35 mainstream, #35 alternative, #2 U.K.), "Elevation" (#116 pop, #19 mainstream, #8 alternative, #3 U.K.), and "Walk On" (118 pop, #19 mainstream, #10 alternative, #5 U.K.). I like all four of them a lot, and they were probably the best choices for singles among the 12 tracks, but the other eight are all strong, too. Of those, I was particularly impressed by "Peace on Earth," "When I Look at the World," "Wild Honey," "New York," and "Grace." The U.S. version of the video for "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of," featuring legendary NFL coach-turned-broadcaster John Madden was quite clever and highly entertaining. For a while there, it always seemed to be on in the background on TV sets when I'd go out to restaurants and stores. If you've never seen it or would like to watch it again, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggGD9wMlIdk
1288. Billboard Hot Soul Hits 1970 - Various Artists
Released in July 1995, Billboard Hot Soul Hits comprised five volumes — one per year from 1970-75 — each with 10 tracks. Like the Soul Train 30th-anniverary series that came out five years later, it was put together by Rhino Records. I know I talked about the Soul Train stuff earlier on this list, but I also got two of the volumes in this series afterward. Billboard Hot Soul Hits 1970 has a good bit of overlap with Soul Train 1970, which I also owned, so I'll focus on the tracks that were different: "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)" by Sly & The Family Stone (#1 pop, #1 R&B), "The Thrill Is Gone" by B.B. King (#15 pop, #3 R&B), "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) by The Delfonics (#10 pop, #3 R&B), "Patches" by Clarence Carter (#4 pop, #2 R&B), and "Call Me" by Aretha Franklin (#11 pop, #1 R&B). I'll always have a soft spot for "Patches," because I had the 45 as a kid; my older sisters left it behind in the basement when they went to college. We loved to imitate Clarence's spoken intro, particularly the way he said, "'Cause he'd done all he couuuld." It's one of the great story songs of the early '70s, a wonderful era for that sort of thing. For a complete track listing, go to https://www.discogs.com/release/3841702-Various-Billboard-Hot-Soul-Hits-1970
1289. Billboard Hot Soul Hits 1973 - Various Artists
Billboard Hot Soul Hits 1973 was the other volume I owned in that series. A couple of the songs also appear on Soul Train 1973, but eight of them don't, so I'll focus on those. My favorites were "One of Kind Love Affair" by The Spinners (#11 pop, #1 R&B) and "Space Race" by Billy Preston (#4 pop, #1 R&B). Two others I like are "The Love I Lost (Part 1)" by Melvin Howard & The Bluenotes (#7 pop, #1 R&B) with Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals and "That Lady (Part 1)," by Isley Brothers (#6 pop, #2 R&B). But every song was a legit soul hit, including "I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)" by Johnnie Taylor (#11 pop, #1 R&B), "Stoned Out of My Mind" by The Chi-Lites (#30 pop, #2 R&B), "Angel" by Aretha Franklin (#20 pop, #1 R&B), and "Love Jones" by The Brighter Side of Darkness (#16 pop, #3 R&B). That last one was famously spoofed by Cheech and Chong as "Basketball Jones," which actually charted at #15, one notch higher on the Hot 100. That may explain why I knew it better. In fact, I didn't find out "Basketball Jones" was a parody until years later. Many ApologetiX fans tell me their kids have the same experience with our songs. For a complete Billboard Hot Soul Hits 1973 track listing, go to https://www.discogs.com/release/4070440-Various-Billboard-Hot-Soul-Hits-1973
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