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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.

1633. Doves in Snakes' Clothing - ApologetiX

In late March 2016, we welcomed into the world the 43rd ApologetiX LP, Doves in Snakes' Clothing. That's kind of the opposite of wolves in sheep’s clothing (Sorry, Mylon Lefevre had already released an album called Sheep in Wolves Clothing in 1985). But our title actually refers to another Bible verse, Matthew 10:16, where Jesus tells His disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” You can be innocent without being naive. And you can have a soft heart and still have a sharp mind. They make for an effective combination when sharing the Gospel … like biblical words and secular music. Doves play positive roles in the stories of Noah’s ark and Jesus’ baptism, but snakes aren’t usually looked upon favorably in the Bible (see Genesis 3:1, Revelation 20:2, and other places in between). However, a bronze snake was literally looked upon favorably in Numbers 21:8–9. If you remember the story, the Israelites were grumbling against God, so He sent venomous snakes among them. When the people asked for mercy, the Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” Referring to that, Jesus said: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” (John 3:14–15). He said more about that later, and the Bible clearly draws a parallel between the snake on the pole and the Savior on the cross: “’And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die” (John 12:32–33). Although meek as a dove (Matthew 11:29) and knowing no sin himself (2 Corinthians 5:21), Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh to be our sin offering (Romans 8:3), crushing the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). If God can use a bronze snake to heal people who were bitten by snakes, why can’t He use regenerated rock and roll (so often associated with serpentine sources) to heal people who are snakebitten by sin? Both the opening and the closing songs on this disc were originally done by artists who’ve featured snakes on their album covers, Mötley Crüe and Alice Cooper. One of the other tracks spoofs an artist who is infamous for an incident involving a dove, Ozzy Osbourne. The rest of the artists we tackled on this project included April Wine, Elvin Bishop, The Cars, Eric Clapton, The Doors, Foreigner, J. Geils Band, The Pretenders, and The Who. Longtime ApologetiX fan and ace photographer Jeanne Marcello shot the cover photo for us. This boys in this band got their early exposure to real rock and roll while listening to Pittsburgh’s premier rock station, WDVE. Every tune spoofed on Doves in Snakes' Clothing was played on WDVE back in the day — and probably still is — even though they span a quarter century, from 1964–89. WDVE’s call letters were chosen in 1971 to look like the word “dove,” an image of peace in a war-weary era. We want our parodies to proclaim the message of the Prince of Peace in a world-weary era.

1634. Minor League - ApologetiX

The 44th ApologetiX LP, Minor League, didn't come out until late June 2016, but I got the overall concept for the project and the titles for many of its parodies in mid-November 2015. I had long been fascinated be the Minor Prophets, the dainty dozen whose writings come after Isaiah's, Jeremiah's, Ezekiel's, and Daniel's. They make up the last 12 books — small though they be — of the Old Testament, from Hosea through Malachi. Within my first couple years of becoming a born-again Christian, I bought a commentary on them (by James Montgomery Boyce), because I felt the need to educate myself about those guys. In theological circles, they sometimes say you should major in the majors and minor in the minors (i.e. focus on the essential doctrines of the faith while allowing for differences of opinion in non-essential matters). This CD, however, majors in the Minors — the Minor Prophets, that is. As noted theologian Junior Asparagus once said, “Little guys can do big things, too.” God left a major Messianic trail through the Minor Prophets, including such places as Hosea 2:23, 11:1; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 3:8–9, 6:12–13, 9:9, 12:10, 14:4; and Malachi 3:1–4, 4:2–6. In fact, Jesus cited a Minor Prophet as the ultimate sign that He was the Messiah: “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). No member of ApologetiX has ever played in a minor league game, but we have played at a couple minor league games — for the Philadelphia Phantoms hockey club (2003) and the Binghamton Mets baseball club (2010). Also, one Sunday afternoon in 2007, we attended the Great Falls Voyagers baseball game in Montana (we'd played a festival there Saturday night but couldn't get a flight home till Monday), where ApX bassist Keith Haynie threw out the first pitch. We included a photo of that momentous occasion in the CD booklet. As the old New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel, himself a former minor leaguer, used to say, “You could look it up.” But look up the Minor Prophets instead! Minor League features parodies of Bryan Adams, The Beatles, Derek and the Dominos, David Essex, The Firm, Peter Frampton, Genesis, Billy Joel, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul McCartney and Wings, Steely Dan, and Steppenwolf.

1635. Quilt - ApologetiX

Released in late September 2016, the 45th ApologetiX LP was originally called “Quilt” because we expected it to be a diverse collection of music. With our largest load yet of lady-led songs, Quilt also alluded to Carole King’s Tapestry, the longest-charting album by a female artist. In fact, the last song on Quilt is a parody of one that first appeared on Tapestry. Like tapestries and quilts, this album has a common thread, especially the suite of salvation songs at the end, "All You Gotta Do," "Romantic Letter," "Garden My Heart," and "You've Got a Text." What’s more, it was our pop-iest project up to that point ... eight of the songs spoofed therein went to #1, two went to #2, one went to #3, and one went to #4 ... selections originally performed by The Bangles, The Box Tops, The Commodores, Sheryl Crow, Roberta Flack, Madonna, Richard Marx, Steve Miller, Quarterflash, Gerry Rafferty, Nancy Sinatra, and James Taylor. Although the music we made didn’t turn out to be as diverse as we expected, the music makers did — five singers (four of them female), three guitarists, three keyboardists, two bassists, and one drummer — their hearts knitted together in love (Colossians 2:2) by and for Christ. You’d have to search through lotsa versions of the Bible to find any references to quilts, but here’s one: “Hatred starts fights, but love pulls a quilt over the bickering” (Proverbs 10:12). After all, as you may recall, “love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). And make no mistake — we all have a multitude of sins, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory That’s not just a blanket statement, either. Of course, a checkered past like that could cause you to have a quilty conscience. If so, listen closely to find out all you gotta do.

1636. Sopranos - Music from the HBO Original Series - Various Artists

I'll admit it; I've read countless books about the mob and its history, and some of my favorite movies include The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, Casino, and Donnie Brasco. That doesn't mean I condone everything (or most of the things) going on in them, but it's pretty obvious in each of those books and films that crime does not pay ... at least not in the long run. And their underlying message reinforces biblical truths that even though sin has pleasure for a season (Hebrews 11:25), it ultimately catches up with you (Numbers 32:23). Goodfellas used previously released popular music better than just about any other movie I've ever seen with the possible exception of Forrest Gump. I'd say the same for The Sopranos. That HBO series debuted on January 10, 1999, and this compilation of songs from its first season came out 11 months later, on December 7. There's an extremely eclectic mix of music. My favorite tracks are "Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One Mix)" by Alabama 3 — the theme song from the show — "Mystic Eyes" by Them, "The Beast in Me" by Nick Lowe, "I Feel Free" by Cream, "It Was Very Good Year" by Frank Sinatra, "Gotta Serve Somebody" by Bob Dylan, "I'm a Man" by Bo Didley, and "State Trooper" by Bruce Springsteen. Other artists featured on this album included Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Wyclef Jean, R.L. Burnside, Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul, and Los Lobos. I saw both Little Steven and Los Lobos in concert when they opened up for U2 at Three Rivers Stadium on October 13, 1987. I bought a used copy of this soundtrack on September 28, 2016.

1637. Sopranos - Peppers & Eggs: Music from the HBO Original Series - Various Artists

This two-disc set combined songs from seasons two and three of The Sopranos. It came out in 2001, but I didn't order my used copy till 2016, the same day as the first volume. Of the 25 tracks, there were three I was especially eager to obtain. The first is an incredibly clever mash-up of "Every Breath You Take" by The Police and "Theme from Peter Gunn" by Henry Mancini called "Mr. Ruggerio's Remix." The second is a touching tune titled "Tiny Tears" by Tindersticks. The third is the haunting "Thru and Thru" by The Rolling Stones, sung by Keith Richards (although I initially thought it was some Bruce Springsteen cut I'd never heard before) and taken from their 1994 LP Voodoo Lounge. Others of special interest include "Gloria" by Them (written and sung by a young Van Morrison), "My Lover's Prayer" by Otis Redding, "High Fidelity" by Elvis Costello, "Living on a Thin Line" by The Kinks, "Space Invader" by The Pretenders, and "Black Books" by Nils Lofgren. You also have to appreciate the back-to-back placement of "Frank Sinatra" by Cake and by "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" by Frank Sinatra. For a complete track listing, go HERE.

1638. Only a Glorified Cover Band - ApologetiX

The 46th ApologetiX LP stood in stark contrast to our 45th. Whereas Quilt was quiet, Only a Glorified Cover Band was the opposite. Released in early December 2016, it returned to the type of songs we'd started the year with on Doves in Snakes' Clothing — monsters of mainstream rock — with parodies of Blue Öyster Cult, Disturbed, Europe, Hootie & the Blowfish, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam, The Police, Semisonic, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, Van Halen, and Warren Zevon. Some people might say ApologetiX is only a glorified cover band. And they’d be absolutely right. The members of ApX have all been in cover bands before, and the parodies we play are technically covers of famous songs. Moreover, we’re all believers in Jesus Christ, and that’s where the “glorified” part comes in: “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). Amazingly, the Bible says Christ can be glorified in us while we are glorified in Him: “We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:12). But we’re not interested in seeing ourselves glorified; we’d rather see Christ glorified in all we do. We’re just blessed that He forgave us: “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (Psalm 32:1, Romans 4:7). So you could say we’re actually a glorified, covered band. And since we believe in the entire Bible and try to write songs about all of its books, you might even say we’re a glorified, cover-to-cover band.

1639. Hamilton: An American Musical - Original Broadway Cast Recording

In the late fall of 2015, I drove to Slippery Rock University and picked up my oldest daughter, Janna, who asked if she could play me some selections from a new musical based on the life of one of America's Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton. the guy most of us only knew of because his picture's on the ten-dollar bill. And so it began ... for my family, at least. We all eventually became fans, aside from Kelly (the only musicals she likes are animated). With lyrics and music (sometimes sung, sometimes rapped) by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also played the titular role, Hamilton won 11 Tony awards, including best musical. And it is indeed one of the best musicals I have ever heard ... and seen ... first on television and then in person at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh on September 25, 2024, with my wife, four of our kids, and our son-in-law. The story is riveting, the music is powerful, and the lyrics/rhymes are so ingenious that I find myself alternately inspired and intimidated. With 46 songs — and not a single throwaway — it's a shame to pick favorites. However, I can't list 'em all, so I'll say that the highlights for me include, but are no means limited to, "You'll Be Back," "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)," "What I'd Miss," "The Room Where It Happens," "Washington on Your Side," "One Last Time," "It's Quiet Uptown," "The Election of 1800," and ... gee whiz, there are so many others ... sigh. Amazing stuff. The Hamilton: An American Musical LP made it to #3 on the Billboard 200 and sold over five million copies in the United States.