Tell Us About You. Help us pick new songs to parody and cities to tour in by telling us about you. At least your zipcode and date of birth. (We won't tell anyone.) Tell us about you >>
Photos from the Road We try to take as many pictures of our concerts and fans as possible, and we have a bunch from our concert in Gahanna, OH on Sat., Nov 12.
See the photos from
Gahanna, OH and other concerts.
Come to the Show
Versailles, OH
Sep. 1, 2024 at 9:30 pm
Immortal Fest Part II
BMI Event Center
791 E. Main St
Versailles, OH 45380
Info: 937.526.9544
info, tix, directions >> |
Were You There? Fans love to look up the photos on our website, and email them around. These are the ten most recent concerts that we have no photos from. Pick any concert you have photos for and please upload them.
Upcoming Fan Birthdays
Happy birthday to all our fans and friends who are celebrating a birthday in the coming week including these 212 fans: | 01.26 | John J. - FL |
| 01.26 | Trey S. - MS |
| 01.26 | Kristie T. - TX |
| 01.26 | Roesner J. - OH |
| 01.26 | Margaret Ann S. - NY |
| 01.26 | Michael W. - New Zealand |
| 01.26 | Robert R. - NY |
| 01.26 | Judy M. - NY |
| 01.26 | Dave B. - IL |
| 01.26 | Lee W. - VA |
| 01.26 | Shelly G. |
| 01.26 | Julie V. - IN |
| 01.26 | Joel B. - LA |
| 01.26 | Sterling G. - NE |
| 01.26 | Scott M. - WI |
| 01.26 | Sharon N. - NY |
| 01.26 | Danielle H. - MO |
| 01.26 | Joel B. - LA |
| 01.26 | Patrick H. |
| 01.26 | Darcie A. - FL |
| 01.26 | Wade P. - LA |
| 01.26 | Adreanne T. - AR |
| 01.26 | Joanna A. - Philippines |
| 01.26 | David S. - NC |
| 01.26 | Alyssa D. - MI |
| 01.26 | Gwen B. - IA |
| 01.27 | Robert S. - MI |
| 01.27 | Juan P. - MEX |
| 01.27 | Marc O. |
| 01.27 | Rob C. - CT |
| 01.27 | Andrew H. - IN |
| 01.27 | Joseph S. - NJ |
| 01.27 | Edy G. - AZ |
| 01.27 | Tyler T. - KY |
| 01.27 | Joan P. - TX |
| 01.27 | Jean D. - KY |
| 01.27 | Wes B. - TX |
| 01.27 | Angela A. - WI |
| 01.27 | Ross M. - United Kingdom |
| 01.27 | Moe C. - NH |
| 01.27 | Robert F. - PA |
| 01.27 | Mike B. - NC |
| 01.27 | Janine E. - VA |
| 01.27 | Russell B. - FL |
| 01.27 | Jonathan D. - NC |
| 01.27 | Robert H. - AR |
| 01.27 | Michael A. - MO |
| 01.27 | Matthew K. - MO |
| 01.27 | Tom S. - MI |
| 01.27 | Franz S. - IL |
| 01.27 | Audrey T. - MI |
| 01.27 | Rev Kevin M. - AZ |
| 01.27 | Daniel R. - PA |
| 01.27 | Joe S. - NJ |
| 01.27 | Byron W. - Canada |
| 01.27 | Jesse G. - TX |
| 01.27 | Thomas H. - OR |
| 01.28 | Cameron F. - KS |
| 01.28 | Amanda W. - KY |
| 01.28 | James B. - AR |
| 01.28 | Caleb C. - TX |
| 01.28 | Ben B. - IL |
| 01.28 | Jonathan H. - MS |
| 01.28 | Jim R. - OH |
| 01.28 | Kaitlin B. - ND |
| 01.28 | Mark H. - NC |
| 01.28 | David N. - FL |
| 01.28 | David S. - FL |
| 01.28 | George W W. - AL |
| 01.28 | Frullet W. - Australia |
| 01.28 | Tammy E. - TN |
| 01.28 | Sandra S. - KS |
| 01.28 | Dede K. - TX |
| 01.28 | Danielle S. - NC |
| 01.28 | Ben S. - CO |
| 01.28 | Donald H. - OK |
| 01.28 | Courtney M. - IN |
| 01.28 | William D. - MO |
| 01.28 | Kevin C. - TN |
| 01.28 | Matthew P. |
| 01.28 | Josh G. - WV |
| 01.28 | Josh J. - WI |
| 01.28 | Cole S. - MO |
| 01.28 | Gary B. - CO |
| 01.28 | Sam L. - Canada |
| 01.28 | Clayton S. - NE |
| 01.28 | Tom B. - WI |
| 01.28 | Ydy H. - NV |
| 01.28 | Wes W. - AL |
| 01.28 | Cheryle G. - IA |
| 01.28 | Mike R. - OH |
| 01.29 | Terri A S. - LA |
| 01.29 | David & Sandra H. - GA |
| 01.29 | Jared H. - OK |
| 01.29 | Kathy C. - PA |
| 01.29 | Joe W. - AZ |
| 01.29 | Tony O. - KS |
| 01.29 | Paula S. - FL |
| 01.29 | Brandi G. - PA |
| 01.29 | Jim A. - AZ |
| 01.29 | Brent B. - FL |
| 01.29 | Jenny K. - SC |
| 01.29 | Robert R. - OR |
| 01.29 | Mark B. - MI |
| 01.29 | Neil A. - MD |
| 01.29 | Charles W. - PA |
| 01.29 | Susan L. - MI |
| 01.29 | Tony O. - KS |
| 01.29 | Gabriel M. - Indonesia |
| 01.29 | Tim L. - DE |
| 01.29 | Edmond M. - West Midlands |
| 01.29 | Linda Marie H. - FL |
| 01.29 | Frank G. - PA |
| 01.29 | Joshua H. - IL |
| 01.29 | Matt B. - GA |
| 01.29 | Arthur T. - ME |
| 01.29 | Keith S. - ND |
| 01.29 | Gregg L. - MT |
| 01.30 | Roy M. - NC |
| 01.30 | Fernando C. - CA |
| 01.30 | Ashley G. - FL |
| 01.30 | Paweł K. - Poland |
| 01.30 | Flint B. - TN |
| 01.30 | Brian M. - MO |
| 01.30 | Edward V. - IL |
| 01.30 | Thom C. |
| 01.30 | Josué L. - Guatemala |
| 01.30 | Bryan R. - TX |
| 01.30 | Tanya M. - AZ |
| 01.30 | Mark S. - MO |
| 01.30 | Jason S. - IA |
| 01.30 | Kathy :) V. - NY |
| 01.30 | Rose S. - TX |
| 01.30 | James M. - MO |
| 01.30 | Benjamin B. - FL |
| 01.30 | Brad J. - OH |
| 01.30 | Flint B. - TN |
| 01.30 | Gary H. - MO |
| 01.30 | Amy C. - WY |
| 01.30 | Elaine C. |
| 01.30 | Kathy D. - NY |
| 01.30 | Lisa H. - AZ |
| 01.31 | Jayson B. - Ontario |
| 01.31 | Lawrence K. - CA |
| 01.31 | Jessica V. - OH |
| 01.31 | Jamie B. - CA |
| 01.31 | Mike F. - TX |
| 01.31 | Heather B. - WI |
| 01.31 | Crystal M. - IN |
| 01.31 | Sara H. - NV |
| 01.31 | Derek L. - FL |
| 01.31 | Kathleen R. - IN |
| 01.31 | Katy R. - IN |
| 01.31 | Tom L. - TX |
| 01.31 | Sherrie R. - TX |
| 01.31 | Heather B. - WI |
| 01.31 | Dani P. - OH |
| 01.31 | Ray B. - LA |
| 01.31 | Crystal M. - KY |
| 01.31 | Kaitlin S. - CA |
| 01.31 | Margie F. - TX |
| 01.31 | Angie R. - AZ |
| 01.31 | Tina Z. - WI |
| 01.31 | Carrie C. - PA |
| 01.31 | Kerri C. - NC |
| 01.31 | A.j. C. - PA |
| 01.31 | Michelle W. - TN |
| 01.31 | Dena R. - GA |
| 01.31 | Paul S. - NM |
| 01.31 | Cathy S. - KY |
| 01.31 | Briana M. - MO |
| 01.31 | Jim J. - IL |
| 01.31 | Dane M. - CA |
| 02.01 | John A. - FL |
| 02.01 | Aliene K. - TX |
| 02.01 | Kyleland B. - MI |
| 02.01 | Jim T. - WA |
| 02.01 | Carey H. - WI |
| 02.01 | Adam A. - PA |
| 02.01 | Dean D. - UT |
| 02.01 | Brian F. - TX |
| 02.01 | Catherine M. - PA |
| 02.01 | Jeremy M. - IA |
| 02.01 | Chrissy F. - MI |
| 02.01 | Javier E. - Guatemala |
| 02.01 | David José T. - Costa Rica |
| 02.01 | David José T. - Florida |
| 02.01 | Adam C. - OH |
| 02.01 | Daniel B. |
| 02.01 | Morgan D. - VA |
| 02.01 | William A. - KY |
| 02.01 | Robert K. |
| 02.01 | Bill Sommerfelt S. - IA |
Make sure we know about your birthday -- For your name to appear above, your profile has to have your correct first and last name and in the correct fields.Tell us about you >>
Wanna Help the Band?
We're often asked if we accept donations. Yes we do. Like other ministries, we have many expenses. Although the donations aren't tax deductible, they are immediately put to good use. If you'd like to donate, thanks. 
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J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
We have some big milestones coming up in the next five days:
On January 31, it'll be 36 years since I came to Christ.
On January 30, it'll be 10 years since I first shared my vision for ApologetiX as a band that would primarily exist by releasing downloads for a donation.
On January 29, it'll be four months since our last appeal letter.
BUT, BUT, BUT
Unfortunately, as we approach those milestones, we also have a number of big expenses that are coming due during that same stretch and in the days immediately thereafter. Moreover, ApX is many months behind in paying me again, and my family has big expenses coming up, too.
Sorry to present that news so suddenly, but I always try to go as long as we can before presenting our financial challenges to the ApX fanbase. I'm confident that the same God who has provided for the band for the past four months and the past 10 years will once again supply all our needs.
Same goes for my family. Obviously, He's also provided for me personally for the past 36 years (and my entire life) as well.
HOWEVER
In the midst of it all, God is giving us many reasons to look forward to 2024. I've been getting all kinds of ideas for new parodies, the singles we've been releasing lately are getting rave reviews from fans, and last week's announcement about our big concert on September 1 is getting a wonderful response.
You can read all about all that in the first two articles below, but I also want you to read this message I received a little over a week ago from a fan in Tennessee. He wrote:
"I hooked up with a couple from 30 years ago. I was wearing my ApologetiX cap. They told me that her brother was very anti-God and they were always hitting a brick wall. They found some ApologetiX CDs and were shocked, then delighted.
"They got the Idea to start playing them around him when opportunity allowed. Needless to say, they opened the door for him to listen. And another soul came into the Kingdom. They asked me to convey their thanks. So, thank you, ApologetiX."
THEREFORE
So this is a "good news/bad news letter," but it's mostly good news. We just need to get through our current financial challenges. If you'd like to help, here are some options:
1. Pray (first and foremost)
2. Get our singles and/or CDs:
http://apologetix.com/store/store.php
3. Get multiple MP3s for one donation:
http://apologetix.com/news/news-details.php?news_id=3564
4. Get our complete library (1646 tracks) on MP3 for $100:
http://apologetix.com/news/news-details.php?news_id=4536
5. Get our digital interactive songbook for a donation of $50 at:
http://www.apologetix.com/store/store.php#songbook
6. Get our new 16 GB USBs:
http://apologetix.com/store/store.php#USB
7. Get a 30th anniversary challenge coin:
http://www.apologetix.com/store/store.php#Coin30
8. Give online:
http://apologetix.com/store/store-donate.php
9. Give by mail:
ApologetiX, 208 Charlemma Dr., Pittsburgh PA 15214
Donations are not tax deductible. Please only give if you feel led and can afford it. We don't want to solve our financial challenges by creating new challenges for others. Thank you!
New Single: '70s #1 Hits That Remade '60s Top 10 Hits
January 22, 2024, 8:59 am EST
We just released our second single of 2024. It spoofs a pair of #1 hits from the '70s that were remakes of Top 10 hits from the '60s.
http://apologetix.com/store/store.php#LookedontheCeiling
Here's what's on it:
Looked on the Ceiling - Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede
You'll Succeed - You're Sixteen - Ringo Starr
There are now 233 singles/EPs (472 songs) in our "downloads for a donation" series, including our previous single, "Bartimaeus Eyes" and "They Blindly Speak of Science," featuring parodies of Kim Carnes and Thomas Dolby.
J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2024
January 26, 2024, 1:43 pm EST
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
This coming Monday is the 10th anniversary of when we started doing regular singles as part of our "downloads for a donation" series. Although we had high hopes at the outset of this endeavor, God has exceeded our expectations: During that 10-year span, He has enabled us to release 473 songs and 38 CDs!
This year, we have four more CDs planned. The first is one we already told you was in the works, Unchained Medley. It'll be our 73rd CD and will include new, full-length versions of all 10 parodies that first appeared in the '80s medley, "Octagon but Not Forgotten," on our Wise Up and Rock CD in 2011.
If you've been watching our singles closely over the past seven months, you know there's only one song from the medley we have yet to redo and release. We're planning to record vocals for it next week. Unchained Medley will also include two other parodies of songs from the early '80s that we released in November 2023, "Magi" and "Little Jesus."
What's next after that? Well, three of the six tracks on our last three singles are slated for our 74th CD: "The Book-o-Romans," "Looked on the Ceiling," and "You'll Succeed." The songs we spoofed for those were all #1 hits, and each of them was a remake of a Top 10 hit from the '60s. But they have something else in common that's even more important:
They all were hits in 1974. And they're earmarked for our 74th CD, which we plan to call ApologetiX '74. You math whizzes out there may have noticed that 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of 1974. That was the year I turned 10, and it's my all-time favorite year for pop music. It featured some of the cheesiest, corniest hit singles ever, and I love 'em.
I knew all the words to quite a few songs on the radio back in '74, and we plan to redo a dozen of them. I don't know all the words to the parodies yet, but I recorded vocals for a fourth one this week, and the lyrics are basically done for two others. And I have titles and some lines for just about all of the rest. These tunes were big hits; it'll be a blast.
Another CD we're working on will feature (although not exclusively) songs about certain kings of Israel and Judah. It's called Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys. We released one of the songs in December, "Zedekiah," and there's one about David we hope to release in February. Lyrics, drums, keyboards, and guitars are already done.
I don't know whether that will be our third or fourth CD of 2024. We have a title for the remaining CD, too, but I'm not telling you it yet or anything about the contents. Hey, we've gotta have some secrets, right?
And don't forget the big concert we're playing at Immortal Fest in Ohio on September 1. Since announcing it last week, we've heard from fans all over the United States and even Canada who are planning or hoping to come. If you missed the article with the details, you can read more at http://apologetix.com/news/news-details.php?news_id=4954
Flashback: J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2014
January 26, 2024, 2:04 pm EST
What a difference a decade makes! We first published this on January 30, 2014. It's interesting to re-read now, knowing all that's happened for us the past 10 years. God is good!
J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2014
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
Sometimes when you're trying to live for Christ, you have to go with your God-guided gut -- even when it's scary and you wonder afterward if you've just done something stupid.
One of those times for me was in early 1992, when Andy and I drove to a popular new Christian coffeehouse and gave the manager a demo tape of our unpolished, unconventional, unnamed band.
Another time was early 1995, when I bought a bunch of modern-rock cassettes in an attempt to write parodies that would better relate to the younger audiences people kept asking us to play for.
Yet another was late 1998, when I left a good job where I'd worked for almost a decade, because ApologetiX needed somebody to handle day-to-day operations full time.
All of those decisions look like "no brainers" now, but they didn't feel that way back then. And there have been plenty of others. In fact, I'm in the midst of another one right now. People often ask what my vision is for the future of ApologetiX. I usually tell them I take it one day at a time. But I do have a vision for 2014:
This Friday will be my 26th born-again birthday. One of my biggest influences musically as a new Christian was a guy named Keith Green. He died in a plane crash six years before I ever heard of him, but he left behind a wealth of great Christian music to inspire me. I've now lived over 20 years longer than he. Thankfully, Mick Jagger still has 21 years on me, Steven Tyler has 15, and "Weird Al" has five.
I hope to live to see my five kids all grow up and have families of their own, and I'd love to keep doing ApologetiX for many more years. Nevertheless, I feel compelled to put out as much music as I can this year. Over the years, I've written many more parodies than we've been able to record. I believe this is the time to get it recorded and out there.
We already have about 40 songs in the works for 2014, and I'd like to put out more. I believe God has given us some very powerful songs to share. This is a big matter of faith. It costs money to make the music (paying musicians, producers, manufacturers), and we're making more of it available at lower cost.
Moreover, in the last year, we've made several musical projects available to fans for a donation of any size. We want to do more of those, including the two new songs we just introduced this week. That's something Keith Green tried, and I know from reading his biography that it wasn't easy. But I'm going with my God-guided gut and plenty of prayer. Please keep us in your prayers, too.
The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
January 26, 2024, 12:02 am EST
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the stories behind the songs on our second single of 2024:
LOOKED ON THE CEILING
ApologetiX first covered this story (from Mark 2 and Luke 5) in 2010 with a song called "I'm Cured," but that was imagined from the perspective of the paralyzed person healed by Jesus. The narrator in this parody is the owner of the house where the healing happened.
I used to comment in concert that I wondered what was going through the homeowner's head as the paralytic's pals tore apart his roof to make an opening large enough to lower their friend down into the room where Jesus was teaching. When this scene played out in my all-time favorite movie, Jesus of Nazareth, it took place in Simon Peter's house, and he wasn't happy about the destruction of his property.
Although the Bible doesn't say specifically whose house it was, Peter's place is a good guess. Mark 2 tells us the event occurred in Capernaum (about 20 miles from Nazareth), and the preceding chapter showed Jesus visiting Peter and Andrew's home in Capernaum (Mark 1:21) and healing Peter's mother-in-law of a fever and then others who were sick and demon-possessed that evening in what seems to be the same house (Mark 1:29-34).
I got the idea and title for "Looked on the Ceiling" on October 20, 2023. It seemed promising, but I knew we'd need to find a good chant for the intro section. Nine days later, the "roof got chopped up part" came to me while I was driving to church. With the pillars of the parody in place, I figured the Lord would fill in any remaining holes.
YOU'LL SUCCEED
I got the idea to spoof Ringo Starr's version of "You're Sixteen" on November 1, 2023. I knew it would be a great showcase for Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals. He also did the kazoos. I originally intended to ... until Rich discovered there were more than just two simple parts. Unfortunately, though I own many kazoos, he owned none.
Rich lives almost an hour from me, so he drove to a local music store and bought one, but it broke before he could do the outro, so he had to go buy another the next day. We later discovered that Ringo's recording didn't really feature a kazoo, just Paul McCartney singing in a way that sounded like one. Either way, Rich called it "the best kazoo performance of my career ... well, the only kazoo performance of my career."
When I first told him I wanted to do this tune, I planned to spoof it as "Mark 16," "Job 16," or "John 16." However, on December 21, I got the idea for "You'll Succeed," and words soon started pouring out.
This parody isn't meant to guarantee earthly success. Even in the Beatitudes, some whom Jesus calls "blessed" include the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, and those persecuted because of righteousness. But think of it this way: Yes, often you'll be an earthly success if you're dutiful (i.e. you do what God wants you to) and you're kind (doing unto others as you would have them to do unto you), but from a heavenly point of view, if you're dutiful and you're kind, you're already successful.
Checking in With ApX Alum Drummer Fred Behanna
January 24, 2024, 5:25 pm EST
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
I had a great lunch with ApologetiX alum drummer Fred Behanna on Wednesday. His wit and memory are as sharp as ever; we shared many laughs and reminiscences. I hadn't seen him in person in over six years, and the three hours we hung out together whizzed by!
Fred played drums for us from February 1999 through January 2001. You can hear his drums on 15 of the tracks on Biblical Graffiti (Weird Al's drummer, Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, plays on the other seven tracks) and all the tracks on Spoofernatural. Even after retiring from ApologetiX, Fred provided supplemental percussion on Keep the Change and Grace Period.
A veteran of many rock bands, Fred also played with famous gospel group The Steel City Quartet and the vocal group Frontline. A long-time praise and worship team drummer, Fred continues in that role at his local church.
Fred combined with our bassist, Keith Haynie, in an interesting rhythm section: Nobody ever remembered Keith's name and Fred never remembered anybody's name. Consequently, Keith has been called by an assortment of names and Fred decided to call everybody "Ben."
He also had trouble remembering places, so if we asked him a question about where something occurred or was going to occur, he'd always answer "Uniontown," a reference to Uniontown, PA, home of famous Laurel Caverns.
A father of three, Fred now has seven grandchildren. If you'd like to see photos from the lunch, I posted them on the band's Facebook site, https://www.facebook.com/Apologetix.
This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
January 26, 2024, 2:15 pm EST
We began our latest trip through the Bible on April 12, 2023. Here's our Bible-reading plan for the next two weeks for those of you reading along with us:
Sat., Jan. 27 - Luke 10-12
Sun., Jan. 28 - Luke 13-15
Mon., Jan. 29 - Luke 16-18
Tue., Jan. 30 - Luke 19-21
Wed., Jan. 31 - Luke 22-24
Thu.. Feb. 1 - John 1-3
Fri.., Feb. 2 - John 4-6
Sat., Feb. 3 - John 7-9
Sun., Feb. 4 - John 10-12
Mon., Feb. 5 - John 13-15
Tue., Feb. 6 - John 16-18
Wed., Feb. 7 - John 19-21
Thu., Feb. 8 - Acts 1-3
Fri., Feb. 9 - Acts 4-6
Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on http://www.biblegateway.com. They have about 60 different English translations/versions there to choose from, plus translations in many other languages, many of which also have multiple translations/versions.
ROCK THRU THE BIBLE
In April 2022, we introduced a new feature called "Rock Thru the Bible." ApX friend David Michael has made lists of ApX parodies to go with each week's readings, and he continues to update them as we release new parodies.
He's also been creating playlists of corresponding lyric videos for them on YouTube. You can find those video playlists at:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt2lHtRV1wziK5v4xYKu9Qw/featured
Here are this week's entries:
Sat., Jan. 27 - Luke 10-12
Chapter 10
2 "Unfinished Job" (found on Play Nice), parody of "Unskinny Bop" by Poison
12 "The Voice of Sodom" (found on New and Used Hits, Disc 1), parody of "The Boys of Summer" by Don Henley
18 "Devil Fell" (found on Singles Group), parody of "Rebel Yell" by Billy Idol
29 "On the Road, Away from Home" (found on That's Too Bad), parody of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver
29 "Turn to Luke" (found on From Hair to Eternity), parody of "Turn Me Loose" by Loverboy
38 "Miss Martha" (found on Classics: Heavy), parody of "Miss Murder" by AFI
Chapter 11
2 "Talk Daily to Me" (found on From Hair to Eternity), parody of "Talk Dirty to Me" by Poison
3 "Good Trend" (found on Decent Alternative), parody of "Girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet
10 "I Want in That Place" (found on Classics: 90's), parody of "I Want it That Way" by The Backstreet Boys
29 "Some Sign from Above" (found on Singles Group), parody of "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream
30 "Man on the Run" (found on Minor League), parody of "Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney & Wings
31 "Sheba" (found on Play Nice), parody of "She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper
32 "What's in Nahum" (found on Minor League), parody of "What's Your Name" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
46 "Ego Scuffle " (found on Rock's in Their Heads), parody of " Lido Shuffle " by Boz Scaggs
47 "Parrseverance" (found on Get Rich Quick), parody of "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" by John Parr
Chapter 12
1 "Rollin' in the Yeast" (found on Singles Group), parody of "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan
4 "(Don't Fear) The People" (found on Braggadocious), parody of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult
7 "It's All in God's Control" (found on Soundproof), parody of "It's Only Rock and Roll" by the Rolling Stones
7 "Something of Value" (found on Never Before, but Then Again...), parody of "Something About You" by Level 42
8 "Midlife Confession" (found on Conspiracy No. 56), parody of "Midnight Confessions" by The Grass Roots
9 "You Gotta Go" (found on I Know You Are but What Am I?), parody of "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
15 "Greed River" (found on Vision Gets Clearer As We Get Closer), parody of "Green River" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
16 "Your Money Don't Last" (found on Conspiracy No. 56), parody of "Your Mama Don't Dance" by Loggins and Messina
22 "Birdie in Thy Hand" (found on Decent Alternative), parody of "Burden In My Hand" by Soundgarden
24 "Cheap Birds" (found on Classics: 70's), parody of "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
40 "The Wonder of Christmas" (found on Double Take), parody of "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder
56 "Telescoper " (found ona Rock's in Their Heads), parody of "Under My Wheels " by Alice Cooper
58 "Let's End the Fight Together" (found on Music Is As Music Does), parody of "Let's Spend the Night Together" by The Rolling Stones
Sun., Jan. 28 - Luke 13-15
Chapter 13
10 "Sabbath Day's Quite Alright for Nice Things " (found on Rock's in Their Heads), parody of " Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting " by Elton John
24 "Narrow Way to Heaven" (found on Classics: 70's), parody of "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin
24 "Take the Wrong Way Home" (found on Double Take), parody of "Take the Long Way Home" by Supertramp
Chapter 14
11 "Humble Heart" (found on Apolog80s: Back from the Future), parody of "Hungry Heart" by Bruce Springsteen
27 "Every Crown Has Its Thorns" (found on Classics: 80's), parody of "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison
Chapter 15
4 "Get Found Tonight" (found on Classics: Party), parody of "Get Down Tonight" by KC and the Sunshine Band
4 "Don't Try (To Hide)" (found on Isn't Wasn't Ain't), parody of "Don't Cry" by Guns N' Roses
4 "For Just You" (found on Hot Potato Soup), parody of "Forget You" by Cee Lo Green
11 "Go Home with the Prodigal Son" (found on Sandwich Platter), parody of "Take the Money and Run" by The Steve Miller Band
11 "Hurry Home Wayward Son" (found on Recovery), parody of "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas
Mon., Jan. 29 - Luke 16-18
Chapter 16
13 "Choose Your Daddy" (found on Classics: Country), parody of "Who's Your Daddy" by Toby Keith
19 "Lifestyles of the Rich & Nameless" (found on Classics: Heavy), parody of "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" by Good Charlotte
19 "Hell Smells" (found on Loaded 45s), parody of "Hells Bells" by AC/DC
24 "Once Livin' Twice Died (2021)" (found on Vision Gets Clearer As We Get Closer), parody of "Once Bitten Twice Shy" by Great White
31 "I Wanna Read the Bible" (found on Rare, Not Well Done, Volume 2), parody of "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones
Chapter 17
2 "Spoken Things" (found on Get Rich Quick), parody of "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister
4 "Can We Drive Our Sins Too Far?" (found on Very Vicarious), parody of "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago
11 "Boulevard of Both Extremes" (found on Classics: 2000's), parody of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day
24 "Lightning Flashes" (found on Vision Gets Clearer As We Get Closer), parody of "Lightning Crashes" by Live
26 "We're Not Gonna Drown" (found on Classics: 90's), parody of "When I Come Around" by Green Day
32 "Remember (Lot's Wife)" (found on Zebraic), parody of "December" by Collective Soul
Chapter 18
1 "Pray Now (Lost Art)" (found on Classics: Party), parody of "All Star" by Smash Mouth
9 "Lily-White Boy" (found on Doves in Snakes' Clothing), parody of "Dirty White Boy" by Foreigner
16 "Little Youth Group" (found on Conspiracy No. 56), parody of "Little Deuce Coupe" by The Beach Boys
18 "Full of Yourself (Distinguished Young Man)" (found on Sandwich Platter), parody of "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" by Styx
19 "No One is Good But One" (found on Soundproof), parody of "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel
27 "God Can Do " (found on Rock's in Their Heads), parody of " Katmandu " by Bob Seger
31 "I Have to Die First" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor
35 "If I Could Only See" (found on Decent Alternative), parody of "If You Could Only See" by Tonic
Tue., Jan. 30 - Luke 19-21
Chapter 19
1 "Jericho" (found on Classics: Heavy), parody of "Vertigo" by U2
1 "Lost and Found " (found on Kinda Stuffy), parody of " Round and Round " by Ratt
2 "Hey Zaccheus" (found on Classics: Country), parody of "Take it Easy" by The Eagles
11 "Servin' the Father" (found on Unconditional Releases), parody of "Surfin' Safari" by The Beach Boys
36 "Hosanna" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "Rosanna" by Toto
37 "The Promised One" (found on Overdue Books), parody of "Der Kommissar" by After the Fire
40 "Let's All Praise" (found on Braggadocious), parody of "Dance Hall Days" by Wang Chung
45 "He Really Got Mad" (found on The Boys Aren't Backin' Down), parody of "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks
Chapter 20
17 "Special Stone" (found on Hot Potato Soup), parody of "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" by the Monkees
25 "So Render (to Caesar)" (found on Recovery), parody of "Surrender" by Cheap Trick
27 "Dumb Questions" (found on That's Too Bad), parody of "Come Dancing" by The Kinks
40 "Love & Kisses" (found on Classics: Party), parody of "Rock and Roll All Night" by Kiss
Chapter 21
1 "Does Anybody Really Know What Tithing Is" (found on Churchigo III), parody of "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" by Chicago
5 "Casket Place" (found on I Know You Are but What Am I?), parody of "Basket Case" by Green Day
8 "Little-Read Bible Book" (found on Classics: Oldies), parody of "Lil' Red Riding Hood" by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
12 "The Bible Countdown" (found on Only a Glorified Cover Band), parody of "The Final Countdown" by Europe
33 "Bible O'Really" (found on That's Too Bad), parody of "Baba O'Riley" by The Who
33 "Message in the Bible" (found on Only a Glorified Cover Band), parody of "Message in a Bottle" by the Police
Wed., Jan. 31 - Luke 22-24
Chapter 22
3 "Broke a Loaf of Bread" (found on Sandwich Platter), parody of "Locomotive Breath" by Jethro Tull
4 "That's Unbelief" (found on Conspiracy No. 56), parody of "Bad Company" by Bad Company
17 "Communion Ain't Just Bread Now" (found on Singles Group), parody of "Communication Breakdown" by Led Zeppelin
20 "I Want a New Covenant" (found on Conspiracy No. 56), parody of "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis & The News
21 "One of These Guys" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "One of These Nights" by The Eagles
44 "Although None Could Watch an Hour" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix
62 "Embarrassing Moments" (found on That's Too Bad), parody of "American Woman" by The Guess Who
Chapter 23
3 "Too Much Grime on My Hands" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "Too Much Time on My Hands" by Styx
26 "Crossloads" (found on Nichey), parody of "Crossroads" by Cream
34 "All You Need Is Done" (found on Overdue Books), parody of "All You Need Is Love" by The Beatles
39 "Man on a Cross" (found on Hot Potato Soup), parody of "Man in a Box" by Alice in Chains
39 "Too Wicked for Paradise" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "Two Tickets to Paradise" by Eddie Money
43 "Found God" (found on Classics: Party), parody of "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley
47 "Imagine How He Loves Us " (found on Rock's in Their Heads), parody of " Imaginary Lover " by Atlanta Rhythm Section
53 "Lived the Day You Died" (found on Classics: Christmas), parody of "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem Featuring Rihanna
Chapter 24
1 "Last Night" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam
1 "Huge Slumber Party" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon
1 "They Didn't Believe Her" (found on Come See, Come Saw), parody of "Daydream Believer" by The Monkees
6 "Didn't Just Die" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings
7 "Died and Rose" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "China Grove" by The Doobie Brothers
8 "Easter" (found on Quilt), parody of "Easy" by The Commodores
13 "Emmaus" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "Shambala" by Three Dog Night
27 "The Jews' Lost Hero" (found on Nichey), parody of "Juke Box Hero" by Foreigner
33 "One Headline" (found on Easter Standard Time), parody of "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers
37 "Some Doubt" (found on Nichey), parody of "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot
39 "Back Intact" (found on Classics: Heavy), parody of "Back in Black" by AC/DC
Thu., Feb. 1 - John 1-3
Chapter 1
1 "John 1:1" (found on Classics: Oldies), parody of "Fun, Fun, Fun" by Beach Boys
1 "The Word" (found on Classics: Oldies), parody of "Grease" by Frankie Valli
1 "Word Of" (found on Never Before, but Then Again...), parody of "Word Up!" by Cameo
1 "Jehovah" (found on Classics: Party), parody of "The Joker" by Steve Miller
2 "Trinity" (found on Classics: 60's), parody of "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin
3 "He Spoke" (found on Play Nice), parody of "The Stroke" by Billy Squier
12 "I'm a Receiver" (found on Classics: Party), parody of "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees
14 "One of Us Indeed" (found on Apoplectic), parody of "One of Us" by Joan Osborne
26 "Shoestring Tie-er" (found on The Boys Aren't Backin' Down), parody of "Shooting Star" by Bad Company
29 "Sin of the World" (found on Soundproof), parody of "Cinnamon Girl" by Neil Young
29 "Go Right Now" (found on Classics: 70's, Vol. 2), parody of "All Right Now" by Free
41 "Messiah" (found on Handheld Messiah), parody of "Desire" by U2
42 "Rocky's Now My Name" (found on Classics: 70's), parody of "Rocky Mountain Way" by Joe Walsh
43 "Bartholomew" (found on Alien Invasion), parody of "Bark At the Moon" by Ozzy Osbourne
Chapter 2
1 "JC's Mom" (found on Classics: Christmas), parody of "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne
15 "Ego Scuffle " (found on Rock's in Their Heads), parody of " Lido Shuffle " by Boz Scaggs
15 "Sweet Jesus Made a Whip" (found on Wise Up and Rock), parody of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics
18 "Some Sign from Above" (found on Singles Group), parody of "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream
19 "Triune Godhead" (found on I Know You Are but What Am I?), parody of "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones
Chapter 3
1 "Nicky" (found on You Can't Say Euphrates Without the 80's), parody of "Mickey" by Toni Basil
1 "Born Above" (found on Classics: 70's), parody of "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen
3 "Once Livin' Twice Died" (found on Vision Gets Clearer As We Get Closer), parody of "Once Bitten Twice Shy" by Great White
3 "Two-Time Baby/Lord'sHouse Blues" (found on Classics: 60's), parody of "Love Me Two Times/Roadhouse Blues" by The Doors
16 "Imagine How He Loves Us " (found on Rock's in Their Heads), parody of " Imaginary Lover " by Atlanta Rhythm Section
16 "Mrs. Protestant" (found on Isn't Wasn't Ain't), parody of "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel
17 "God's Own Son" (found on Apoplectic), parody of "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden
30 "Born-Again Child" (found on Classics: 60's), parody of "Born to be Wild" by Steppenwolf
Fri., Feb. 2 - John 4-6
Chapter 4
4 "Sa-Maria" (found on Music Is As Music Does), parody of "My Maria" by B.W. Stevenson
7 "These Streams" (found on Loaded 45s), parody of "These Dreams" by Heart
23 "Let's Show All the Way" (found on Never Before, but Then Again...), parody of "Let's Go All the Way" by Sly Fox
35 "Unfinished Job" (found on Play Nice), parody of "Unskinny Bop" by Poison
Chapter 5
1 "Talk and I'll Walk" (found on Loaded 45s), parody of "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John
17 "Good Works Don't " (found on Rock's in Their Heads), parody of " Good Girls Don't " by The Knack
24 "Found God" (found on Classics: Party), parody of "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley
24 "Straight On Through (To the Other Side)" (found on Braggadocious), parody of "Break On Through" by The Doors
Chapter 6
1 "Can't Eat Enough" (found on Classics: 70's), parody of "Can't Get Enough" by Bad Company
5 "I'm Gonna Feed (500 Mouths)" (found on Classics: 90's), parody of "I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)" by The Proclaimers
28 "All You Gotta Do" (found on Quilt), parody of "All I Wanna Do" by Sheryl Crow
29 "HardLabor" (found on Only a Glorified Cover Band), parody of "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin
30 "Living, Loving Faith (Please Just Don't Worry)" (found on Only a Glorified Cover Band), parody of "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" by Led Zeppelin
40 "Rose Up" (found on Doves in Snakes' Clothing), parody of "Roller" by April Wine
44 "You Booked Me All Along" (found on Classics: Party), parody of "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC
44 "Scripture" (found on Classics: Country), parody of "Picture" by Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow
44 "One Way" (found on Classics: 90's), parody of "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies
50 "Good Trend" (found on Decent Alternative), parody of "Girlfriend" by Matthew Sweet
53 "God's Blood" (found on Hot Potato Soup), parody of "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner
60 "I Can't Go Back" (found on Apolog80s: Back from the Future), parody of "I Can't Hold Back" by Survivor
66 "More Than a Healing" (found on Classics: 70's), parody of "More Than a Feeling" by Boston
Sat., Feb. 3 - John 7-9
Chapter 7
24 "Fight for Your Right to Parody" (found on Music Is As Music Does), parody of "Fight for Your Right to Party" by The Beastie Boys
Chapter 8
2 "She Got Away" (found on Apolog80s: Back from the Future), parody of "She's Got a Way" by Billy Joel
3 "Rocky Day Woman #8:3-15" (found on Rare, Not Well Done, Volume 2), parody of "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" by Bob Dylan
32 "Seek Out God to Be Free" (found on Unconditional Releases), parody of "People Got to Be Free" by The Rascals
32 "Once You See Truth, You Can't Unsee It" (found on Xit Ego Lopa), parody of "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" by REM
36 "Free Indeed" (found on Xit Ego Lopa), parody of "T.N.T." by AC/DC
42 "Choose Your Daddy" (found on Classics: Country), parody of "Who's Your Daddy" by Toby Keith
44 "Braggin' and Lyin'" (found on Braggadocious), parody of "Draggin' the Line" by Tommy James
47 "Wish You Could Hear" (found on Soundproof), parody of "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd
58 "Herman's Sermon" (found on Unconditional Releases), parody of "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" by Herman's Hermits
Chapter 9
1 "Ain't That a Miracle" (found on Soundproof), parody of "Pink Houses" by John Cougar Mellencamp
6 "The Spittle" (found on Classics: 2000's), parody of "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World
Influential Albums: 1353-1359
January 26, 2024, 3:04 pm 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.
1353. Exit 0 - Steve Earle & The Dukes
Released May 18, 1987, Exit 0 was the second studio LP by alternative-country singer-songwriter Steve Earle. It reached #90 on the Billboard 200. I'd read about Earle before, but this was the first of his music I'd heard, even though he'd had a Top 10 country hit in '86 with "Guitar Town" (#7). A friend from Bible study named Dan Szafranski gave me the a homemade cassette copy of Exit 0 in 1989, I think. I particularly liked the opening number, "Nowhere Road" (#20 country). The second-most memorable song for me was the second track, "Sweet Little '66" (#37 country). As it turns out, those were the two singles, so the record company apparently knew what they were doing. "Nowhere Road" is still a favorite of mine, as is the fascinating story song "Copperhead Road" (#10 mainstream rock), the title track on his next CD, which came out in '88 and marked the beginning of Earle incorporating hard rock into his music. That's two for the Road. Exit 0 reached #90 on the Billboard 200.
1354. Music from the Motion Picture Ocean's Eleven - Various Artists
The original Ocean's 11 — starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Angie Dickinson — came out in 1960, with a special premiere in Las Vegas (appropriate, considering the setting of the film) on August 3, 1960, a week before its distribution nationwide. The subtly retitled remake, Ocean's Eleven — starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, and a star-studded supporting cast — was released on December 7, 2001. I don't think it had a special early showing in Vegas, but I do know Lisa and I went to see it in Paducah KY on December 22 along with Lisa's old co-worker and friend Heather (for whom our daughter Heather is named). We all loved it, and I eventually bought the DVD for Lisa. Later, she bought the soundtrack for me, because I was really taken with an instrumental near the end of the movie. The song was called "69 Police" by David Holmes, and it's still a favorite of mine. Holmes did 12 of the 21 tracks on this album. Although they're instrumentals, many of them contain bits of dialogue from the film. Other notable artists featured included Percy Faith & Orchestra, Quincy Jones, Perry Como, Arthur Lyman, and Elvis Presley. His song, "A Little Less Conversation," which only went to #69 when it originally came out in 1968, would be remixed after appearing in this movie. The new version, released in June 2002, become an international hit, although it doesn't appear on the Music from the Motion Picture Ocean's Eleven LP. We'll get to the album it does appear on with our next entry.
1355. Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits - Elvis Presley
In November 2000, Apple/Parlophone/Capitol put out 1, a compilation of all 27 Beatles singles that had hit #1 on the U.S. and/or U.K. charts. It topped Billboard 200 for eight weeks and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. Consequently, two years later, RCA did a similar thing with 30 of Elvis Presley's U.S. and/or U.K. #1 hits. Adding to the impetus was the fact that Elvis had just scored a posthumous U.K. #1 hit (for four weeks) with a remix of his 1968 single, "A Little Less Conversation." The new version was put together by Dutch musician Tom Holkenborg (a.k.a. Junkie XL) and was credited to "Elvis vs. JXL" and included as a bonus 31st track. Released on September 24, 2002, Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits topped the Billboard 200 for three weeks and sold over 10 million copies worldwide. For some reason, it was missing one of Presley's 18 U.S. #1 Billboard pop singles — "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You." But, as Meat Loaf could have told us, "17 out of 18 ain't bad." Of the other 14 selections, 11 were #1 U.K. singles: "One Night" (#4 U.S. pop), "(Now and Then) There's a Fool Such as I" (#2 U.S. pop), "Wooden Heart" (not released as a U.S. single), "Marie's the Name (His Latest Flame)," (#4 U.S. pop), "Can't Help Falling in Love" (#2 U.S. pop), "She's Not You" (#5 U.S. pop), "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" (#3 U.S. pop), "Crying in the Chapel" (#3 U.S. pop), "The Wonder of You" (#9 U.S. pop), "Way Down" (#18 U.S. pop), and "A Little Less Conversation (JXL Remix)" (#50 U.S. pop). The remaining three were singles that hit #1 on the U.S. Cash Box pop chart, but came up short on the Billboard pop chart: "Return to Sender" (#2 Billboard), "In the Ghetto" (#3 Billboard) and "Burning Love" (#2 Billboard). When the smoke cleared, the "A Little Less Conversation" remix had hit #1 in over 20 countries. Alas, the best it could do here in the States was reach #26 on the U.S. adult Top 40 chart. Nevertheless, that song and "Way Down" were enough to get me to buy Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits. They're both great tunes. I'd previously owned all the other songs, but the iTunes store wouldn't open until April 28, 2003, and even then, there were only 200,000 tracks available, so if you wanted new tunes (legally, at least) in 2002, you had to buy them on CD.
1356. Let It Be ... Naked - The Beatles
For years, I'd been hearing how Paul McCartney loathed the way Phil Spector had produced (or over-produced) The Beatles' Let It Be LP, most notably "The Long and Winding Road" (adding orchestration and ... shudder ... female backing vocals). After all, the project was originally intended to be a return to the group's roots, without all the bells and whistles, let alone string sections and choirs. Consequently, I was intrigued when Apple Records announced that we'd finally get to hear a stripped-down, un-Spectorized version of the entire project, spearheaded by McCartney himself (although it was produced and mixed by Paul Hicks, Guy Massey, and Allan Rouse). Released November 17, 2003, Let It Be... Naked kind of disappointed me, though. It sounded a little sterile. Maybe I'm biased, because the original Let It Be was the first Beatles record I ever heard (a leftover from my oldest sister), and I'd played it so many times in the basement as a young teenager. It was like a favorite movie, where you know all the dialogue and like to quote it. And that was one of the problems with Let It Be... Naked; it ditched all the comments (many of which were quite amusing) from John Lennon that preceded or followed a number of the tracks on the original release. For example, I'd always liked the original LP version of "Get Back" (because of the funny things Lennon said at the beginning and end) and the single version (because of the cool outro section). The version on Let It Be... Naked had neither, which was kind of a worst-of-both-worlds scenario for me. Without John's talking and occasional ditties (Silly Songs with Lennon?), the endings struck me as abrupt, and the whole thing seemed ... dare I say ... naked. That's rather ironic, since Lennon was the Beatle who had posed naked with Yoko on the front and back of their Two Virgins LP all those years ago. Because Let It Be... Naked sometimes used alternate takes, there was slightly different vocal phrasing in some places. The most jarring of which occurred in "The Long and Winding Road," where Paul sang "anyway, you'll always know" instead of "anyway, you'll never know." For all the fuss that had been made about Spector wrecking that song, I have to say that I preferred his mix, although the unvarnished one does have some pretty moments. Let It Be... Naked also got rid of the brief songs "Dig It" (0:50) and "Maggie Mae" (0:40) and replaced them with an alternate take of the non-album track "Don't Let Me Down," which had been the B-side of the "Get Back" single. Having said all that, when I listened to the entire Naked LP again while writing this entry, I liked it, and there were a few songs I thought might actually be better than the original mix: "Two of Us," "The One After 909," and "I Me Mine." Other observations: "For You Blue" was decent (more acoustic guitars). "I've Got a Feeling" was interesting, though maybe not as powerful. "Across the Universe" had a cool ending, but I missed the choir. I prefer the original album version of the title track but the Naked version highlights just how good the Fab Four were at doing their own backing vocals. Let It Be... Naked went to #5 on the Billboard 200, but only sold 1.2 million copies in the United States. Still, I suppose that's not too bad for a re-release of an old album by a group that had disbanded 33 years earlier.
1357. White Blood Cells - The White Stripes
Jack White (vocals, guitar, piano, bass) and his wife, Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals), formed The White Stripes in 1997. Jack was born John Anthony Gillis, but took Meg's surname when they married. Despite a divorce in 2000, they continued as a group until 2011. White Blood Cells was the Detroit-based duo's third LP overall and their first to hit the Billboard 200. Released on July 3, 2001, it yielded three Top 30 singles in the U.K., none of which hit the U.S. Hot 100, although two of them hit the U.S. alternative Top 20: "Hotel Yorba" (#26 U.K.), "Fell in Love with a Girl" (#121 U.S. pop, #12 alternative, #21 U.K.), and "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground) (#19 alternative, #25 U.K.). I instantly fell in love with "Fell in Love With a Girl." I also adore another cut from the album, "We Are Gonna Be Friends," which was famously featured in the 2004 movie Napoleon Dynamite. That film quickly became a favorite in the ApologetiX band van and in my own household. Sometimes punky, sometimes folksy, sometimes rocky, White Blood Cells was consistently quirky ... and I mean that in a good way. The three singles were wise choices, but I also enjoy "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman," "Little Room," "The Same Boy You've Always Known," "I Think I Smell a Rat," and "This Protector." White Blood Cells reached #61 on the Billboard 200 and sold a million copies in the United States. The 2003 follow-up LP, Elephant, went to #6 and sold over two million, thanks in no small part to the single "Seven Nation Army" (#76 pop, #1 alternative, #12 mainstream, #7 U.K.), which has become an arena anthem at sporting events around the globe. I started writing a spoof of that tune in the winter of 2003-04 but wasn't satisfied enough with the results to carry on. I'd love to see actor-comedian-musician Jack Black (who is in a rock duo of his own, Tenacious D) team up with Jack White for a cover version of Three Dog Night's "Black and White." Maybe they could become the Black and White Stripes, since there's already a band called Zebra.
1358. A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay
British rock band Coldplay released their second LP, A Rush of Blood to the Head, on August 26, 2002. That was my introduction to the group, although their previous album, Parachutes, had also been successful, reaching #51 on the Billboard 200, with the hit single "Yellow" (#48 pop, #11 adult Top 40, #6 alternative). With two babies born between May 2002 and October 2003, I just didn't have time to keep up with all the new music out there. I really dug the sound of the first single from A Rush of Blood to the Head, "In My Place" (#117 pop, #22 A40, #17 alternative). My initial exposure was when I heard it used as bumper music on a sports radio program, The Dan Patrick Show. It took a while before I found out the song's title and who performed it. Two other singles followed — "Clocks" (#29 pop, #4 A40, #9 alternative) and "The Scientist" (#34 A40, #18 alternative). All three songs are great, but "Clocks" is my favorite. Maybe if I'd been listening to the radio more at the time, I'd have grown tired of it, but I just think the music is wonderful. Same goes for "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face," "Daylight," "Warning Sign," "A Whisper," and "Amsterdam." Coldplay reminded me of a lot of U2 — just a little mellower. It probably had a lot to do with the similarities between lead singer/pianist Chris Martin's voice and Bono's. Perhaps it was also because the songs sounded important, whether you knew the words or not. A Rush of Blood to the Head sold close to five million copies in the United States, where it hit #5 on the Billboard 200. It had even greater chart success elsewhere, reaching #1 in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and eight other countries. Coldplay's next four studio albums would reach #1 in the States, but this one remains the band's biggest seller. They've had two #1 U.S. pop hits, "Viva La Vida" in 2008 and "My Universe" (with South Korean boy band BTS) in 2021. Amazingly, that song became the first single ever by a British group to enter the Hot 100 at #1. You know The Beatles and The Rolling Stones came from over there, too, right? Well, that stat is a little misleading, because no singles debuted at #1 until 1995 ("You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson). By August 2023, 69 had done so. It's not that those songs are more popular than those released prior to '95; there are just better and faster ways of tracking sales and airplay (and streaming) now.
1359. Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water - Limp Bizkit
Released on October 17, 2000, Limp Bizkit's third LP sold six million copies in the United States alone, including over 400,000 that day and over a million that week ... the fastest-selling (largest first-week sales debut) rock album ever ... and still the only rock album in the all-time top 20. The much-maligned rap-metal band formed in Jacksonville FL in 1994 and attracted quite a few detractors over the years, but this was their second consecutive LP to top the Billboard 200 and their first to hit #1 on the U.K. The original title for this project was Limpdependence Day with a planned released date of July 4. Too bad that didn't work out. I bought a copy — a so-called "clean" version (although they could have cleaned a little better) — in 2001 when ApologetiX was considering candidates for our Keep the Change CD. We wound up spoofing a track from the group's previous LP, but there were two songs on this one that really caught my ear: "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" (#1 U.K.) and "My Way" (#75 pop, #4 mainstream, #3 alternative). A different version of the first song — "Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle)" featuring DMX, Redman & Method Man — was released as a single in the States (#65 pop, #10 mainstream rock, #4 alternative). It was done in a hip-hop style, whereas the U.K. hit was straight-ahead rock. I vastly prefer the latter, but both were included among the 15 tracks. The other charting cuts were "Take a Look Around" (#115 pop, #15 mainstream rock, #8 alternative), which originally came out in July 2000 as part of the soundtrack for Mission: Impossible 2; "My Generation" (#33 mainstream, #18 alternative); and "Boiler" (#30 mainstream). Unlike many critics, I do think Limp Bizkit has musical and lyrical talent. Unfortunately, they seem to have an affection for certain words I'd rather not hear ... and a tendency to use them with shocking frequency.
How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
January 26, 2024, 2:22 pm EST
With so many other stories to share this week, we have consolidated some of our other regular features into this article:
GET MULTIPLE DOWNLOADS for 1 DONATION
There are now 233 singles/EPs (472 songs) in our "downloads for a donation" series, including our latest single, "Looked on the Ceiling" and "You'll Succeed," featuring parodies of Blue Swede and Ringo Starr.
To get multiple downloads with one donation, go to http://apologetix.com/news/news-details.php?news_id=3564
GET OUR COMPLETE LIBRARY for $100
We're giving our complete library on download to everyone who donates $100 this week.
That's 1646 tracks, including various versions (studio, live, rarity, album, single, EP, revised, remastered, etc.), plus side projects ... even our latest single, "Looked on the Ceiling" and "You'll Succeed," featuring parodies of Blue Swede and Ringo Starr, plus our latest CD, Play It Again, Samson.
Standard CDs 1993-2021 (907 tracks)
Remastered Classics CDs (219 tracks)
Singles, EPs, Rarities, Side Projects (520 tracks)
Just make your donation at http://www.apologetix.com/store/store-donate.php
After we receive your donation, we'll send you an email with links for all the downloads.
USB THUMB DRIVES INCLUDE LATEST CD & SINGLES
Emblazoned with the band's logo, our ApX USB thumb drives contain the digital versions of all 72 of our CDs, plus any singles, EPs, or rarities that aren't on CD, up to and including our latest single.
We recently upgraded the storage capacity from 8 GB to 16 GB to accommodate our ever-expanding library of music.
They still look exactly the same, and they're not any bigger on the outside; it's what's inside that counts. Like our previous USBs, they're write-enabled, so you can add more music to them if and when you get future ApX downloads.
Although we've doubled the capacity, the deal is the same; they're still available for a donation of $150 or more. If you've donated for our complete library before, they're still available for a donation of $50 or more.
http://apologetix.com/store/store.php#USB
HOW to DONATE ONLINE or BY MAIL
If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, you can do so online at http://www.apologetix.com/store/store-donate.php
If you prefer to mail a check or money order, please make it out to "ApologetiX" and send it to:
ApologetiX
208 Charlemma Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15214-1414
Although the donations are not tax-deductible, they will be received very gratefully and used immediately. Thank you!
Luke 10:2
He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. |