J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.

I’m back to tell you the stories behind the songs on our 19th single of 2024.

WHY CAN’T WE REPENT?

Here's a play-by-play account of how this parody came about:

While driving to church on July 7, 2024, I thought, "We should do a song about repentance. What rhymes with 'repent'? How about 'be friends'? What songs contain that phrase? Oh, how about 'Why Can't We Be Friends?' Let's see ... how would that work? Ooh! 'Why Can't We Repent?' Oh, yeah, we have to do that one! Thank you, Lord!”

Repentance sounds scary, but the Greek word English Bibles translate as repentance is “metanoia,” which means "a change of mind.” That's not scary; I know people who change their minds all the time. Of course, in New Testament usage, "repent" implies that we'll change our minds about our sins and about our need for a Savior.

And that should cause us to turn away from our old way of life and turn toward the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). As the old saying goes, "God allows U-turns." You won't find that specific line in the Bible, but you will see the word "repent" used over 50 times in the New Testament.

In fact, when Jesus began his public ministry in Matthew's Gospel, it was the first word out of His mouth: "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Later, in Luke's Gospel, He says, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:32).

And when He sent out the Twelve for the first time in Mark's Gospel, it says, "They went out and preached that people should repent" (Mark 6:12). So ... why can't we repent?

"Why Can't We Repent?" features J. Jackson on lead male vocals and supplemental backing vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards, bass, and primary backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
TAKE THESE SCROLLS AND WRITE

Jeremiah is the longest book of the Bible. Psalms and Isaiah have more chapters, but Jeremiah has the most words — Hebrew or Greek — almost a thousand more than the runner-up, Genesis. And who had to write all those words? Jeremiah's scribe, Baruch!

Moreover, thanks to wicked King Jehoiakim, poor Baruch had to write all those prophecies twice ... with more words added the second time. That's one of the reasons this song is called "Take These Scrolls and Write" rather than "Take This Scroll and Write.”

Jehoiakim took a knife and cut off portions of the first scroll as they were read to him, then threw them into the fire in spite, so Jeremiah had to get a second scroll for Baruch (Jeremiah 36:27-32).

Sad to say, many aspiring Bible-readers never get to his book, because there are 23 books before it. Those who do may have a hard time keeping track of what's going on, because the chapters aren't all in chronological order.

Baruch does tell us when the events took place (for example, Jeremiah 36 starts with "In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah"), but you need to know the different kings and when they reigned, so you have to be familiar with the books of Kings and Chronicles.

However, as a guy who's been reading the Bible cover to cover at least once a year since 1988, I can tell you it gets much easier, and Jeremiah is a great book that's well worth the effort. I got the idea for this parody on December 2, 2021.

"Take These Scrolls and Write" features J. Jackson on lead and backing male vocals; Janna Jackson on lead female vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.

Starting with this weekend’s newsletter, due to popular demand, we are adding a “who did what” paragraph to our articles for “The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single” articles.

Here’s are the credits for the previous singles this year in chronological order:

"Bartimaeus Eyes" features Heather Jackson on lead vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards and drum programming; Tom Tincha on guitars; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drum-editing, samples, and processing. 
 
"They Blindly Speak of Science" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards, drum programming, and male backing vocals; Wayne Bartley on guitars; Heather Jackson on female backing vocals; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on hand claps, drum-editing, samples, and processing.
 
"Looked on the Ceiling" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, percussion, hand claps, and backing vocals.
 
"You'll Succeed" features J. Jackson on lead vocals and supplemental backing vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards, kazoo, and primary backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, percussion, and hand claps.
 
"Betting and the Debts" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, percussion, and hand claps; and Eve Tanner, Jodi Wagner, and Kevin Wagner on additional hand claps. 
 
"Sweet Jesus (Made a Whip)" features Keely Singer on lead and backing vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards and drum programming; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drum-editing, samples, and processing.
 
"Billy, Don't Be a Weirdo" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, percussion, and hand claps.
 
"Preach, Baby" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Won Thru Fighting" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Wayne Bartley on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Jesus Is God's Son" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Come and Get Cured Of" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Almighty God Won't Die" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, percussion, and hand claps.
 
"Greater Love" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals; Tom Milnes on guitars and bass; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Lowly Boy" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards; Wayne Bartley on guitars; Tom Milnes on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Christ Is the Rock (But I Pray They Don't Stone Me)" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, percussion, and hand claps.
 
"Life" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Same Old Savior" features J. Jackson on lead vocals and supplementary backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and primary backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Can't You See That He's Blind" features J. Jackson on lead vocals and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"All Dead and Gone" features J. Jackson on lead vocals and backing vocals; Tom Milnes on guitars and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Stubborn" features J. Jackson on lead vocals and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Dumb Decisions" features J. Jackson on lead vocals and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Good Guys Rule" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Got My Mindset From You" features J. Jackson on lead and supplemental backing vocals; Tom Milnes on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Media Circus" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, percussion, and hand claps.
 
"Ain't Talkin' 'bout Fluff" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Smart Blest Man" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums, percussion, and hand claps.
 
"Dock the Boat" features J. Jackson on male vocals; Janna Jackson and Heather Jackson on female vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion. 
 
"The Point the Lord Returns" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Wild King" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Sheba Woman" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Milnes on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Jeroboam" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Rich Mannion on keyboards, 12-string guitar, and bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Smells Like Mean Assyrians" features J. Jackson on lead vocals; Tom Tincha on guitars; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Crowd of Foreign Girls" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals; Rich Mannion on guitars, keyboards, and backing vocals; Keith Haynie on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Gideon Still Became an All-Star" features J. Jackson on lead male vocals; Heather Jackson on lead and backing female vocals; Rich Mannion on keyboards and bass; Tom Tincha on guitars; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.
 
"Can't Do It Myself" features J. Jackson on lead and backing vocals; Wayne Bartley on guitars; Rich Mannion on bass; and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner on drums and percussion.

We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3.

Here's our Bible-reading plan for the next two weeks for those of you reading along with us:

Sat., Sept. 28 - Proverbs 16-18
Sun. Sept. 29 - Proverbs 19-21
Mon., Sept. 30 - Proverbs 22-24
Tue., Oct. 1 - Proverbs 25-27
Wed., Oct. 2 - Proverbs 28-31
Thu., Oct. 3 - Ecclesiastes 1-3
Fri., Oct. 4 - Ecclesiastes 4-6
Sat., Oct. 5 - Ecclesiastes 7-9
Sun., Oct. 6 - Ecclesiastes 10-12
Mon., Oct. 7 - Song of Solomon 1-3
Tue., Oct. 8 - Song of Solomon 4-6
Wed., Oct. 9 - Song of Solomon 7-8
Thu., Oct. 10 - Isaiah 1-3
Fri., Oct. 11 - Isaiah 4-6

Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on Bible Gateway. 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.

We recently revamped the downloadable version of our complete library. Now it comes in a PDF with pictures of every album and single for easy reference. You just click on the ones you need to download them instantly.

We're giving our complete library on download to everyone who donates $100 this week.

That's 1702 tracks, including various versions (studio, live, rarity, album, single, EP, revised, remastered, etc.), plus side projects ... even our most-recent single and our latest CD.

Our new ApologetiX USB thumb drives are now in stock!

They contain the digital versions of all 74 of our CDs, plus any singles, EPs, or rarities that aren't on CD ... including our latest single, “Why Can’t We Repent” / “Take These Scrolls and Write."

Emblazoned with the band's logo, they have a storage capacity of 16 GB, and they’re write-enabled, so you can add more music to them if and when you get future ApX downloads.  

They’re available for a donation of $150 or more. If you've donated for our complete library before, they're available for a donation of $50 or more.

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.

1598. Wise Up and Rock - ApologetiX
We released the 30th ApologetiX LP, Wise Up and Rock, on November 12, 2011, with a big concert at the Gainesville Civic Center in Gainesville GA. It was our first to feature Todd Waites on keyboards. A two-time cancer survivor, Todd had his right arm amputated as a young teenager but didn’t let that stop him from becoming an outstanding keyboardist. He joined the band in March 2011 and toured with us through June 2013 before leaving to concentrate on motivational speaking. However, he continued to play keyboards on most of our recordings though mid-2018. Todd shared keyboard duties with Bill Hubauer on this particular project. We loved the 80’s. We lived the 80’s. So we thought we’d revisit them with a biblical perspective — something most of us lacked in the 80s. As you may have guessed, Wise Up and Rock was a play on words referencing Luke 5:23, where Jesus said, “Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?” In fact, we were so used to saying “Rise up and walk,” that when we first named this CD, the quote from Jesus was much easier for us to say than the CD title. Incidentally, when I joined my first Christian choral ensemble in 1986 (two years before I became a born-again Christian), we did an entire show of Amy Grant songs, and my solo was a song called “Wise Up.” I spent the rest of the ‘80’s in secular rock bands, so my singing career for that decade could be summarized as “Wise Up” and rock. It also summarizes what we try to get people to do — learn (wise up) while they’re rocking and rolling. Like the guy on the cover art, the Bible is behind everything we do. As our bassist, Keith Haynie, said when I first ran the title past him: “Wise up and rock. I have been telling people that for years.” Artists spoofed on this album included Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Dire Straits, Georgia Satellites, Journey, Bruce Hornsby and the Range, Huey Lewis and the News, Loverboy, Night Ranger, The Outfield, Rush, Rick Springfield, Bruce Springsteen, Styx, Toto, Van Halen. Those were all full-length parodies, but the final track was a massive (almost nine minutes long) '80s medley, "Octagon but not Forgotten," featuring parody snippets of 10 more tunes by a-ha, Kim Carnes, Devo, Thomas Dolby, Duran Duran, Eurhythmics, The Fixx, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Daryl Hall and John Oates, and Corey Hart. The medley proved to be so popular that ApX fans eventually convinced us to write and record full-length versions of those 10, which we released on an album called Unchained Medley in 2024. 

1599. Christmas in the Heart - Bob Dylan
Holy holidays, Batman! Dylan decided to deck the halls with his 34th studio LP, Christmas in the Heart, released on October 13, 2009. I read about it in one of my British rock magazines, but ApX guitarist Tom Milnes heard it first and told me more. The old-timey instrumentation and backing vocals were impeccable, but Dylan's gruff 68-year-old voice was starting to sound more like Louis Armstrong. Nevertheless, he did seem quite sincere. The album featured 15 sacred and secular Christmas songs, none of which were written by the man himself, but most of which you'd recognize, with the possible exception of "The Christmas Blues," "Christmas Island," and "Must Be Santa." That last one was the peak of the snow-capped mountain for Mr. Milnes and me. The record company apparently recognized its potential, because they produced a kooky accompanying video with Dylan in an outlandish male wig and various hats (including a Santa cap) and even dancing at a party that has since been viewed millions of times on YouTube. "Must Be Santa" is a rare moment on Christmas in the Heart where Dylan appears to be possibly singing tongue in cheek, as evidenced by the bridge of " Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon — Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton." Even those lyrics aren't original, however, as they were previously done by the Texas polka-fusion band Brave Combo. "Must Be Santa" became a standard on my Christmas playlist, and all of my kids know it. "Christmas Island" ain't bad, either. I seem to remember Tom M. also being amused by Bob's rendition of "Here Comes Santa Claus" as well. But make no mistake: Dylan did heartfelt interpretations of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "Do You Hear What I Hear," "O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)," including the Latin version of the first verse, which I learned as a choirboy in grade school. Christmas in the Heart went to #23 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard Holiday Albums chart. I have ordered that CD for others at least three times.  

1600. The Best of Faces: Good Boys … When They’re Asleep - Faces
When popular British rock act The Small Faces lost their powerful lead singer/guitarist, Steve Marriott, in 1969, they replaced him with another leather-lunged belter, Rod Stewart, and another accomplished axe-man, Ron Wood, both of whom had just been in The Jeff Beck Group before Beck broke up the band ... on the eve of a scheduled appearance at Woodstock! Stewart and Wood joined keyboardist Ian McLagan, bassist/vocalist Ronnie Lane, and drummer Kenney Jones to form a new group, Faces. Meanwhile, Marriott co-founded Humble Pie with fellow singer/guitarist Peter Frampton. From 1970-73, Faces put out four studio LPs, the last two being the most successful, A Nod Is as Good as a Wink ... to a Blind Horse (#6 U.S., #2 U.K.) and Ooh La La (#21 U.S., #1 U.K.). They also had five charting songs on singles: "Stay With Me" / "Debris" (#17 U.S., #6 U.K.), "Cindy Incidentally" (#48 U.S., #2 U.K.), "Pool Hall Richard" (#8 U.K.), and the magnificently titled "You Can Make Me Dance, Sing or Anything (Even Take the Dog for a Walk, Mend a Fuse, Fold Away the Ironing Board or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings)" (#12 U.K.). That last one was and still is the longest title ever to hit the U.K. singles chart. Released on August 17, 1999, Rhino's compilation Best of Faces: Good Boys ... When They're Asleep, included all five of those tunes plus 14 others. I thought all the hits were fab. Regarding the rest of the selections, my top four were "Ooh La La," "Miss Judy's Farm," "You're So Rude," and "Flying." Honorable mention: "Sweet Lady Mary," "Bad 'n' Ruin," "Had Me a Real Good Time," "Too Bad," "Wicked Messenger," and "Glad and Sorry." But every track was ace. ApologetiX spoofed "Stay With Me" in 2019.  

1601. The Stooges - The Stooges
Four and a half decades before Iggy Azalea hit the music scene, there was Iggy Pop (a.k.a. James Newell Osterberg) ... although he was actually credited as "Iggy Stooge" on the eponymous 1969 debut LP by his band, The Stooges, who are generally regarded as predecessors or pioneers of the punk rock movement. When it was originally released, the album only reached #106 on the Billboard 200, but it has since been ranked #185 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003 and 2012. My first exposure to Iggy's music was in 1986 and 1988, thanks to two tunes from his solo career I heard on our local rock station and really enjoyed, "Cry for Love" (#34 mainstream rock) and "Cold Metal (#37 mainstream) — although I'd first heard of him in the early '80s. Many years later, I cherry-picked tunes from The Stooges and Iggy's solo career on iTunes to make my own collection/playlist. In addition to the two tracks I already mentioned, my favorites were "1969," the first song on The Stooges first album, and "Lust for Life," which I'd previously heard as intro music on The Jim Rome Show, a national sports talk program. Other Stooges selections I acquired included "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "Raw Power," "Gimme Danger," and "Search and Destroy." As far as the Iggular one's solo career, I picked up the aforementioned "Cry for Love," "Cold Metal," "Lust for Life," plus two others: "Real Wild Child (Wild One)" (#27 mainstream) and "Candy" (#28 pop, #30 mainstream, #5 alternative) which featured Kate Pierson of The B-52s doing female vocals. The latter is Iggy's only U.S. Top 40 hit as an artist, but he also co-wrote David Bowie's Top 10 hit "China Girl."  

1602. Moondance - Van Morrison
Van Morrison's third LP came out in January 1970, but I first read about it in the January 1977 issue (No. 9) of a Scholastic magazine called Bananas, the junior-high version of the popular grade-school publication Dynamite. An article therein titled "The 10 Greatest Rock & Roll Albums of All Time!" ranked Moondance at #7. I didn't know a lot about rock and roll at the time, but I liked music and loved lists, so I devoured the article, which had write-ups about each album, plus an additional list of 10 more albums "Just Under the Top 10." Consequently, when I finally heard the song "Moondance" on the radio many years later, my ears perked up. Then, in the mid-'90s, I encountered an incredible song called "Into the Mystic" and discovered it was on Moondance, too. Next, in the 2000s, I heard another wonderful tune called "Glad Tidings" used very effectively on a television program, and lo and behold, it turned out to be the closing track on Moondance. So I eventually bought the album on iTunes. Ironically, none of those selections were even released as singles. That honor would go to a worthy cut called  "Come Running," which just barely got a foot in the door of the U.S. Top 40 (#39), although it fared better in Canada (#21). The album itself reached #29 on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell over three million copies. Although I took a long time to buy it, I didn't take long to like it. The opening track, "And It Stoned Me" (not about what you think), was every bit as good as the other four I already wrote about. Same goes for "These Dreams of You." I also really enjoyed "Everyone" and "Caravan" ... and that's not to downplay the remaining tracks, "Crazy Love" and "Brand New Day," two beautiful, slower, soulful songs that are highly regarded by many critics and have been covered by multiple artists.  
  
1603. Moby Grape - Moby Grape
To paraphrase the old Smucker's Jam commercial, with a name like Moby Grape, it's got to be good. The San Francisco psychedelic/country-rock group was founded in September 1966 by two former members of the Jefferson Airplane flight crew — drummer Skip Spence and manager Matthew Katz. Spence shifted from drums to guitar and teamed with two other guitarists, Jerry Miller and Peter Lewis, plus bassist Bob Mosely, and drummer Don Stevenson. Perhaps not surprisingly, Moby Grape has a sound similar to another California-based quintet with three guitarists, The Buffalo Springfield. They also remind me a little of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and The Byrds. The band's name came from the answer to a riddle: "What's big and purple and lives in the ocean?" Columbia Records released Moby Grape's self-titled debut LP in June 1967, and employed an interesting strategy, issuing 10 of the 13 tracks simultaneously on five different singles, each with a picture sleeve showing the album cover photo:  "Omaha"/"Someday," "Hey Grandma"/Come in the Morning," "Fall on You"/"Changes," "Sitting By the Window"/"Indifference," and "8:05"/"Mister Blues." Unfortunately, none of the singles came close to the Top 40 and only "Omaha" hit the Hot 100 (#88), although "Hey Grandma" bubbled under at #127. However, the album did all right for itself, reaching #24 on the Billboard 200. I first heard of Moby Grape in high school while reading The Book of Rock Lists, which ranked them #12 on a list of The 20 Worst Group Names. It wasn't until many years later that I heard any of their songs on the radio, but "Omaha" made an immediate impression. Cool intro, catchy chorus, great tune! My other favorites are "Hey Grandma," "Fall on You," "Ain't No Use," "Come in the Morning," "8:05," "Changes," "Lazy Me," and "Indifference," but the whole album is very listenable.    

1604. Cyan – Three Dog Night
As Three Dog Night fans know, the band's classic lineup actually had seven members — three vocalists (Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, Chuck Negron) a guitarist (Mike Allsup), a bassist (Joe Schermie), a keyboardist (Jimmy Greenspoon), and a drummer (Floyd Sneed). Although knocked by many critics for not writing their own material, the men of TDN did choose the songs they covered and thereby helped bring a number of songwriters to prominence or further fame, such as Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Hoyt Axton, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Dave Mason, and Leo Sayer. Moreover, when you listen to the original versions of songs like "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Randy Newman and "Lady Samantha" by Elton John, you see how just much Three Dog Night brought to the table as far as arrangement, performance, and production. With all that being said, three of the nine tracks on the group's tenth studio LP, Cyan, were homegrown — written by the aforementioned Allsup — including the opening and closing tracks, "Happy Song" and "Into My Life," plus "Storybook Feeling." In fact, those first two are among my four favorite tunes on Cyan, along with the two singles, "Shambala" (#3 Billboard, #1 Cash Box, #1 Record World) and "Let Me Serenade You" (#17 Billboard, #12 Cash Box, #14 Record World). Next in line for me would be "Lay Me Down Easy," written by Daniel Moore, the same guy who wrote "Shambala." Here's an ironic factoid: just as Three Dog Night had three lead singers but seven total members, they had three #1 hits on Billboard ("Mama Told Me [Not to Come]," "Joy to the World," and "Black & White") but seven #1 hits overall if you count Cash Box and Record World. The others were "One" (#1 Record World), "Easy to Be Hard" (#1 Record World), "Shambala" (#1 Cash Box, #1 Record World), and "The Show Must Go On ((#1 Cash Box, #1 Record World). Released on October 9, 1973, Cyan went to #26 on the Billboard 200 and sold half a million copies. It also marked the arrival of new bassist Jack Ryland, who replaced Schermie and played on the Dog's next two albums after this one as well. ApologetiX spoofed "Shambala" in 2015. Meanwhile, the beautiful, emotionally moving "Into My Life" is about as close as Three Dog Night ever got to a genuine Gospel song, as evidenced by these sample lyrics from the second chorus: "Gotta bring the Lord in my life. Gotta bring the Lord back in my life. I've seen the truth — through the bottom of a shot glass of vermouth. But that's not the way the Lord intended it — messing up my life the way I'm spending it. Blind to the way to stop the sin in me — um, can't see the good the Lord is giving me. — So take the blame off me and let me go — the Lord made fools like me to tell them so. Oh, oh, oh — oh, oh, oh — oh, oh, oh — oh, oh, oh — gotta bring Him back."

If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, there are a couple ways you can do it. 

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!