First Winner, Easter Playlist, Keith’s Sermon |
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J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
Two key members of the ApX team officially got a year older this week — our drummer, Jimmy “Vegas” Tanner (Wednesday) and our mixer, David Michael (today). Happy birthday, boys!
ApologetiX bassist Keith Haynie gave the sermon last Sunday at Ellport Community Church, filling for in Pastor (and ApX guitarist) Tom Milnes, who is recovering from successful brain surgery.
If you’ve ever heard Keith speak in concert or casual conversation, you know he’s an absolute delight. We all laughed a lot, but it was a good biblical message, too … only 26 minutes long and loaded with Keith-isms. I’ve already shared it with a bunch of current and alum ApX members and friends.
One of our favorite parts was when Keith meant to say that his wife, Krista, had spent two weeks in missions in Guatemala, but he mistakenly said “in prison” in Guatemala. You can watch the video below: |
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I’ve known Keith for 35 years. I was his roommate on the road with ApX and have spent a multitude of holidays, picnics, and family vacations with him. If you want to get a good idea what the guy is really like, watch that video.
Tom M. was in attendance and spoke very briefly to the congregation just to check in. I talked with him on the phone Friday afternoon for about an hour. He’s doing reasonably well but still recovering, although he plans to be back in the pulpit on Palm Sunday, April 13, Lord willing.
In the meantime, I’ll be giving the message this Sunday. Please keep me in prayer as I prepare. Thank you! |
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Update and Advice From Bill "Moose" Rieger |
J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
As far as I know, ApX alum drummer Bill “Moose” Rieger’s radiation treatments for brain cancer are continuing as planned, and he still has his sense of humor. Here’s an update he posted on Facebook Friday afternoon:
"DMV after radiation therapy? I... why would I even think…? What is wrong with…? Who…? And I left before I got anything done. Epic...epic…fail.”
BTW, I didn’t edit what he wrote or take anything out; those ellipses were all ones he used for effect. Today, Bill’s post was more poignant: |
Don't wait. Stop now! Redefine what you consider ‘need.’ When my mom got really sick, I didn't listen. Years wasted chasing the wrong things even for what i considered the right reasons. Weeks of radiation, anxiety, insomnia, triggering OCD and depression.
I awoke this morning in tears grateful for six hours of sleep! Refreshed, renewed, thankful for His provision. Don't tell me it's easier to make those decisions when you face what I'm facing. That's a lie we listen to. I know! I didn't listen.
Don't wait. Stop now! Thanks, Mom. Sorry I didn't listen until now. |
Please keep Bill in your prayers. I know he appreciates that, and so do I. |
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We hope to release our sixth single of 2025 by the end of this weekend, Lord willing.
Here are your clues. Want to really impress us? See if you can spot all of the references in both entries. We counted a total of 20.
SONG #1
Once you come to Christ, you’re a different person than before, and everybody knows. They can tell from a hundred feet away even if they make believe otherwise. Try to be straight with them about your faith, Expect backlash. They may act like you’re a nag or it’s TMI, but don’t surrender. Tell ‘em about God's love and back it up with action.
SONG #2
All right, obviously you can’t go back to the city of Sodom or its sister, Gomorrah, because God destroyed them in one day, as you know He did. The damage can’t be undone; they're long gone, not to return. However, God gave fair warning to other biblical cities that they would also suffer destruction if they didn’t straighten out. What about them?
Once the new single is released, we'll announce it in our news bulletin, on our website, and on our Facebook page. |
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Easter Season Playlist 2025 |
This year, Easter falls on April 20. Here's the 2025 edition of the ApologetiX Easter Season Playlist. There are now 56 songs in all. We put them in chronological/thematic order as best as we could.
We've included the CD where you can find each song. If ApX has done the song more than once, we listed the CD or single that contains what we consider to be the best version.
1. Another One Died for Us - Another One Bites the Dust - Queen (Unconditional Releases)
2. The Promised One - Der Kommissar - After the Fire (Overdue Books)
3. Hosanna - Rosanna - Toto (Easter Standard Time)
4. Act Selfless - Black Velvet - Alannah Myles (Play Nice)
5. That's Unbelief - Bad Company - Bad Company (Conspiracy No. 56)
6. One of These Guys - One of These Nights - The Eagles (Easter Standard Time)
7. Show Us the Way - Go All the Way - The Raspberries (Xit Ego Lopa)
8. I'll Prepare for You - I'll Be There for You - The Rembrandts (Easter Standard Time)
9. Although None Could Watch an Hour - All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (Easter Standard Time)
10. Sadducees - Can't You See - Marshall Tucker Band (Septuagint)
11. Embarrassing Moments - American Woman - The Guess Who (That’s Too Bad)
12. Broke a Loaf of Bread - Locomotive Breath - Jethro Tull (Sandwich Platter)
13. Last Night - Last Kiss - Pearl Jam (Easter Standard Time)
14. Signora Pilate's Dream - Your Wildest Dreams - The Moody Blues (Apolog80s: Back From the Future)
15. Too Much Grime on My Hands - Too Much Time on My Hands - Styx (Easter Standard Time)
16. I Have to Die First - Eye of the Tiger - Survivor (Easter Standard Time)
17. Crossloads - Crossroads - Cream (Nichey)
18. Too Wicked for Paradise - Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money (Easter Standard Time)
19. Man on a Cross - Man in the Box - Alice in Chains (Hot Potato Soup)
20. Killing My Suffering with His Son - Killing Me Softly with His Song - Roberta Flack (Quilt) 21. And the Crippled Will Walk... - And the Cradle Will Rock - Van Halen (SINGLE - not yet available on CD) 22. The Jews' Lost Hero - Juke Box Hero - Foreigner (Nichey)
23. Cemetery Came Alive - Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind (Easter Standard Time)
24. Every Crown Has Its Thorns - Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison (Eclectic)
25. Huge Slumber Party - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon (Easter Standard Time)
26. Didn't Just Die - Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney & Wings (Easter Standard Time)
27. They Didn't Believe Her - Daydream Believer - The Monkees (Come See, Come Saw)
28. Magdalena - Macarena - Los Del Rio (Easter Standard Time)
29. One Headline - One Headlight - The Wallflowers (Easter Standard Time)
30. Emmaus - Shambala - Three Dog Night (Easter Standard Time)
31. Scars - Cars - Gary Numan (Easter Standard Time)
32. Died and Rose - China Grove - The Doobie Brothers (Easter Standard Time)
33. Back Intact - Back in Black - AC/DC (Classics: Heavy)
34. Tom Saw Ya - Tom Sawyer - Rush (Classics: 80s)
35. No Shepherd Tonight/New Other Nature - No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature - The Guess Who (Soundproof)
36. Some Doubt - Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot (Nichey)
37. You May Be Bright - You May Be Right - Billy Joel (Easter Standard Time)
38. Easter - Easy - The Commodores (Quilt)
39. Rose Up - Roller - April Wine (Doves in Snakes’ Clothing)
40. Imagine How He Loves Us - Imaginary Lover - Atlanta Rhythm Section (Rock’s in Their Heads)
41. Sad Today in the Dark - Saturday in the Park - Chicago (Septuagint)
42. Role Never Changes - Roll with the Changes - REO Speedwagon (Zebraic)
43. Lived the Day You Died - Love the Way You Lie - Eminem Featuring Rihanna (Hot Potato Soup)
44. Simp Liztik - Nookie - Limp Bizkit (Classics: Heavy)
45. Place of Grace - Ace of Spades - Motorhead (Nichey)
46. God's Blood - Hot Blooded - Foreigner (1978) (Hot Potato Soup)
47. For Just You - Forget You - Cee Lo Green (2010) (Hot Potato Soup)
48. Selling the Dogma - Selling the Drama - Live (Zebraic)
49. One of Us Indeed - One of Us - Joan Osborne (Apoplectic)
50. Drop Your Knife and Hurry, Man - Rock You Like a Hurricane - The Scorpions (Play Nice)
51. Special Stone - (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone - The Monkees (Hot Potato Soup)
52. Jesus and Moses - Heat of the Moment - Asia (Music Is as Music Does)
53. Livin' What Jesus Spoke Of - Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin (Classics: Party)
54. Feelin' Stronger in the Faith - Feelin' Stronger Every Day - Chicago (Unconditional Releases)
55. All You Need Is Done - All You Need Is Love - The Beatles (Overdue Books)
56. Everybody Can Come to Christ - Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung (Eclectic) |
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First-Week Winner of Our Contest |
When we announced The Great ApologetiX CD Giveaway in our last newsletter, we said:
"We’ll randomly select one winner per week on April 3, 10, and 17. Each of those people will receive our complete digital library and the 2025 edition of the ApologetiX digital songbook. On April 24, we’ll randomly select the grand-prize winner, who will get the complete set of all 77 CDs.”
This week’s winner was Daniel Collis on Largo FL. Here’s what he wrote when he entered the contest: |
I was first introduced to ApologetiX…. Wow! I don’t know what year it was. My friend Kevin played “Meshach" from Adam Up for me. I believe the album had just come out. (I could be mistaken on that.) I’ve been a fan ever since and one of those fans that is looking to fill in the blank spots in my ApX CD collection.
Some of my fav songs:
- "Story of a Squirrel" - "Look Yourself" - "Bethlehemian Rhapsody" - "Enter Samson" - "La Bible" - "I Love Apostle Paul" - "The Real Sin Savior" - "Simp Liztik" - “YHWH" - “Corinthians" - "Smooth Grandmama" - "More than Works" - "Yes Today" (my 4th grade class had to sing the original back in ‘82) - "Singled You Out" - "Little-Read Bible Book" - "Shepherd’s Paradise" - "Last Night" - “Magdalena" (I was never a fan of the original, but I love this version!) - "Killing My Suffering With His Son" (I was OK with the original but had a girlfriend that loved the remake. Bad memories with that song. Your version redeemed the song for me!) - "The Sound of Sirens" - "All the Stalls Stink"
My favorite albums:
Keep the Change Handheld Messiah Easter Standard Time Minor League
I’d love to have a tee that has a camel in the art style of Joe Cool that reads “Here’s a great thought: camels need Scope.” That phrase makes me smile every time I hear it or think about it. |
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Win a Complete Set of All 77 ApologetiX CDs (No Purchase Required) |
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THE GREAT APOLOGETIX CD GIVEAWAY
Longtime fan Dave Whaley of Godfrey IL recently made the switch to all-digital and graciously donated his own ApX CD library back to us. He had almost all of our titles, and we were able to scrape together the rest to get a complete set of all 77.
In celebration of the 33rd anniversary of ApologetiX (our first concert was March 27, 1992), we will be giving away that complete set to one blessed (we don’t believe in luck) fan.
We’ll randomly select one winner per week on April 3, 10, and 17. Each of those people will receive our complete digital library and the 2025 edition of the ApologetiX digital songbook. We’ve already announced the first winner (see article above), but there are still two to go.
On April 24, we’ll randomly select the grand prize winner, who will get the complete set of all 77 CDs.
HOW TO REGISTER TO WIN
Here’s all you have to do:
Send us an email with the subject line “ApologetiX CD Giveaway" telling us why you’re an ApologetiX fan.
If you remember how you first discovered us, feel free to include that. If have any testimonies to share or a particular parody that has impacted you, you’re welcome to share that info, too. Please also include your mailing address.
NOTE: We plan to share excerpts from these paragraphs in future newsletters. If we share yours, we'll include your name and your city and state.
No purchase is required, but in order to qualify for the grand prize, you have to live in the United States. Sorry, international postage rates have skyrocketed in the last several years, even to Canada, let alone overseas. Mailing a package of this size would cost a fortune. However, anybody anyplace can qualify for the digital prizes. |
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We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3. 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. |
CLICK HERE to see the reading plan for the whole year. |
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Get ApX Complete Library, USBs, Songbook |
To get the complete ApologetiX library, ApX USB thumb drives, and/or the new ApX digital songbook — or to get more info about them — just click on the item(s) you want below. |
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Influential Albums #1787–1793 |
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.
1787. 12 25 - Ten point Ten This is an incredible Christmas album ... one of the best I've ever heard ... and it's hard to believe that so many people whom I know personally performed on it. Released in 2003, 12 25 was an 11-song expanded version of a five-song EP Ten point Ten originally released in 2000. Consequently, it features members from various line-ups, including the group's three main lead vocalists over the years, Bill Hubauer, Joey McGee, and Tara Park. Drumming duties are split evenly between TpT's first and third drummers, David McKee and Jimmy Tanner. I never noticed the McGee and McKee connection till I was typing this entry, since they played in different incarnations of the band. If you like Trans-Siberian Orchestra, you'll enjoy "Carol of the Bells," but I seem to recall Bill telling me years ago that he had the idea before they did. Meanwhile, the versions of "We Three Kings" and "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" musically remind me Mannheim Steamroller (but with vocals by Bill and Tara). Those three selections were later included on the ApologetiX 2007 digital release, The 12 Downloads of Christmas. Bill, who had been a full-fledged member of ApX for several years by then and had just become our producer, graciously donated them, seeing as they not only featured him but two drummers who had served with us (David McKee in 1998 and Jimmy "Vegas" Tanner from 2005 to the present). Special guest Rick Witkowski of Crack the Sky and The B.E. Taylor Group plays a guitar solo on the final track, "O Holy Night," which has Pink Floyd overtones (but with a bit more energy) and stretches out for almost 10 minutes. There's also a phenomenally funky version of "Little Drummer Boy" where Jimmy really shows off his chops and Bill throws in everything but the kitchen sink musically. The remaining six tracks are all originals, and they are every bit as good as the traditional carols ... if not better. "Myrrh" is a majestic instrumental, but the other five have thoughtful, powerful, moving, and creative lyrics (not an easy thing to do with Christmas compositions, as the topic has been approached seemingly from every possible angle) and wonderful, heart-stirring music to go with them: "Good Tidings," "Messiah, He Is Born," "Gentle King," "Closer," and "Misplaced." I was able to find just about all of the tracks for this album on YouTube by searching for "Ten Point Ten 12 25." They're not all in once place, but a number of the videos feature more than one track. This one has the first three cuts, "Good Tidings," "Messiah, He Is Born," and "Gentle King" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdVvN-uyelQ. You ought to check it out. 1788. Down the Road Wherever - Mark Knopfler I first read about Mark Knopfler's ninth solo LP in one of my British rock magazines, which also included a brief interview with the man himself. Released on November 16, 2018, Down the Road Wherever made it to #15 on the Billboard 200 and #17 on the U.K. albums chart. One of the songs even charted here in the States, "Good on You Son" (#39 adult alternative airplay). I'd list it among my favorites on the album, along with "One Song at a Time" (about his early days in Dire Straits in 1979, juxtaposed with happenings in 1879), "Back on the Dance Floor," "Trapper Man," "Nobody's Child," "Drover's Road," "My Bacon Roll," and "Nobody Does That." There were five bonus tracks on the deluxe edition, and they're every bit as good as the 14 on the standard edition, which is par for the course for Knopfler. I particularly like "Don't Suck Me In," "Pale Imitation," "Rear View Mirror," and "Sky and Water." When Mark puts out a project, you pretty much know what you're going to get as far as the spectrum of styles (although it's not a narrow spectrum), but it's a consistent quality level, and the lyrics are always filled with interesting characters and situations. 1789. The Same Love - Paul Baloche Singer/songwriter Paul Baloche is an institution in modern Christian worship music. He released his first album in 1992 (the same year ApologetiX debuted) and is probably best known for composing "Open the Eyes of My Heart," made famous by Sonicflood but also done by other famous artists such as Michael W. Smith and Randy Travis and countless worship teams in churches all over America and probably worldwide. It's a great song, but I get a little distracted sometimes because the "I want to see you, I want to see you" line reminds me musically and structurally of the "only to be with you, only to be with you" line in U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" from their 1987 album The Joshua Tree. Paul released his seventh studio LP, The Same Love, on March 13, 2012, and the title track reminds me a little bit of "With or Without You," also from The Joshua Tree, although not quite as noticeably. One of the other cuts on it, "Oh! Our Lord," has some guitars that call to mind "Where the Streets Have No Name," also from The Joshua Tree. I'm not suggesting he was trying to copy them — there are many other groups, including Christian bands, that sound much more like U2 than that — I just wouldn't be surprised to learn he had been a fan of U2 or of that particular album, and I had to point it out here to see if I'm the only one who ever thought so. But that's not why The Same Love is on this list. In March 2013, the main worship leader at the church my family been attending for the previous six years suddenly announced that he and his wife would be leaving the congregation soon and moving out of state (nothing scandalous, mind you). I had occasionally done special music at some services in the past, so I volunteered to fill in, if needed, although the church had some great singers on the worship team and a bunch of phenomenal musicians. Much to my surprise, they asked me to lead worship at the two Easter services, which were only a couple weeks away, and one of the songs was "Christ the Lord" from this album. The services went splendidly, and I'll always remember that song fondly, as well as the others we did. I'd had them all on repeat for two weeks while practicing, so they left an indelible impression on me. In the months that followed and over the course of the next few years, I would have the opportunity to fill in numerous other times, and we sang two additional songs from The Same Love — "King of Heaven" and the title track. Moreover, we did Paul Baloche's versions of "Your Name," "How Great Thou Art," and another of his originals, "I Will Boast." My kids got to hear those songs a lot as I practiced them in the car, and "I Will Boast" became a favorite of my youngest daughter, Natalie, who was five or six at the time and referred to it as "My Boast." In 2015, I attended a worship seminar that Paul spoke at in Pittsburgh and told him about Natalie, but I didn't have the nerve to ask him my U2 questions. I didn't introduce myself, either, but when Karl represented ApologetiX at Gospel Music Association (GMA) Week in Nashville back in April 2005, he reported afterward that he'd introduced himself to Paul, who said his kids were ApX fans. In fact, Karl told me Paul got out his cell phone and called one of them and said, "Guess who I'm talking to right now?" I wasn't there, but that's what I was told. I was too shy bring it up when I saw Paul a decade later, and now another decade has passed since, so he might not recall. The Same Love had 13 tracks in all and reached #30 on the Billboard's Christian albums chart. 1790. The Essential Van Morrison - Van Morrison Northern Ireland's Van Morrison first found fame with the group Them (one of my all-time favorite band names) from 1964-66 before embarking on a legendary solo career in '67. I've previously discussed two of his 45 studio LPs, Moondance (from 1970) and Hymns to the Silence (from 1991). The Essential Van Morrison came out in 2015, and includes selections from those two and many of his other albums from before, between, and after for a total of 36 tracks (37 on the digital version), including these 11 U.S. chart hits: "Domino" (#9 U.S.), "Brown Eyed Girl" (#10 U.S., #60 U.K.),"Here Comes The Night" (with Them) (#24 U.S., #2 U.K.), "Wild Night" (#28 U.S.), "Tupelo Honey" (#47 U.S.), "Have I Told You Lately" (#12 U.S. adult contemporary, #74 U.K.), "Someone Like You" (#28 U.S. AC), "Real Real Gone" (#18 U.S. mainstream rock, #34 U.S. AC), "Tore Down a la Rimbaud" (#19 U.S. mainstream), "Why Must I Always Explain?" (#43 U.S. mainstream, #101 U.K.), "Precious Time" (#2 U.S. Adult Alternative, #36 U.K.). It has four U.K.-only hits, too: "Whenever God Shines His Light" (with Cliff Richard) (#20 U.K.), "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)" (#61 U.K.), "Bright Side Of The Road" (#63 U.K.), and "That's Life" (#92 U.K.). Sadly, it's missing six notable —and highly enjoyable — U.S. hits: "Blue Money" (#23 U.S.), "Mystic Eyes" (With Them) (#33 U.S.), "Come Running" (#39 U.S.), "Wavelength" (#42 U.S.), "Baby, Please Don't Go" (#102 U.S., #10 U.K.), and "Ivory Tower" (#21 U.S. mainstream). Thanks to the digital age in which we live, I was able to purchase those individually and put them on the same playlist. Van the Man's catalog also has a number of songs that didn't chart but are still classics, and these ones made it onto The Essential Van Morrison: "Gloria" (with Them) (which reached #10 U.S. when covered by The Shadows of Knight), "Astral Weeks," "Moondance," "Crazy Love," "And It Stoned Me," and "Into The Mystic." Other highlights for me included "Spanish Rose," "The Way Young Lovers Do," "Warm Love," "Fair Play," "Caravan" (Live, From The Last Waltz) with The Band, "Hungry for Your Love," "And the Healing Has Begun," "Once In A Blue Moon Magic Time," and "Playhouse." But, hey, I like it all. So much good stuff. The Essential Van Morrison went to #101 on the Billboard 200.
1791. City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise - Various Artists Released on August 22, 2000, City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise was the initial installment in a series of four praise-and-worship LPs produced by three members of the Christian alternative rock band The Choir — Steve Hindalong, Derri Daugherty, and Marc Byrd. Lisa and I owned the first two, and both were probably given to us by former ApologetiX drummer Keith Harrold. Hindalong and/or Byrd also wrote six of the 13 songs on City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise, including the opener, "God of Wonders," which became so widely popular that it topped three charts simultaneously — Christian hit radio (CHR), Christian adult contemporary, and inspirational. Sung impeccably on this album by Cliff & Daniell Young of Caedmon's Call and Mac Powell of Third Day, it has since been recorded about a hundred times (literally) by artists as diverse as Steve Green, Chris Tomlin, Rebecca St. James, and Kutless. We sing it often at our church, too, and I'd imagine there are many, many other churches who do so. I loved it the first time I ever heard it, and I still think it's great a quarter of a century later. Powell also does a song with Gene Eugene, "I Remember You," and another with Third Day, "City on a Hill." The Youngs also sing lead on "Covenant Song" with Caedmon's Call. Leigh Nash of Sixpence None lends her distinctive voice to three songs as well, "With Every Breath" (with Haseltine), "Precious Jesus" (with The Choir), and "You're Here" (with Sixpence None the Richer). In addition, City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise features a couple selections apiece by Jars of Clay ("The Stone" and "This Road") and FFH ("Where You Are" and "Merciful Rain"). The two remaining tracks are by Sonicflood with Newsboys frontman Peter Furler ("Unified") and Eugene ("Marvelous Light"). In addition to "God of Wonders," my favorites are "City on a Hill" and "Covenant Song," along with "Marvelous Light," "Merciful Rain," and "This Road." City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise reached #148 on the Billboard 200. It was followed by City on a Hill: Sing Alleluia (2002), City on a Hill: It's Christmas Time (2002), and City on a Hill: The Gathering (2003). 1792. Petrafied: The Best of Petra - Petra As mentioned earlier, I already owned the 1989 and 1990 collections Petra Means Rock and War and Remembrance. But Petra's old label Star Song wasn't done mining the band's catalog. In 1991, they released Petrafied: The Best of Petra, featuring 15 tracks presented in chronological order from 1979-88, including one with Rob Frazier on lead vocals, eight with Greg X. Volz, and six with John Schlitt. Six of the songs are rockers ("Praise Ye the Lord," "Let Everything That Hath Breath," "Not by Sight," "Whole World," "This Means War," and "All Fired Up") but the rest are ballads ("Why Should The Father Bother?," "Yahweh Love," "The Coloring Song," "More Power to Ya," "Not of This World," "Hollow Eyes," "Thankful Heart," "Don't Let Your Heart Be Hardened," and "First Love"). My favorites are "Praise Ye the Lord," "Let Everything That Hath Breath," "Not by Sight," "Whole World," "All Fired Up," "Why Should The Father Bother?," "Yahweh Love," "The Coloring Song," "More Power to Ya," "Not of This World" and "Thankful Heart." One thing I liked about Petra throughout their career was that you never had to guess where the band was coming from spiritually ... whether the song was loud or soft. Although they often used clever wordplay, the lyrics always presented a clear biblical message. 1793. Rock Block - Petra Star Song struck again in 1995 with another Petra compilation, Rock Block. I know this constant repackaging of the group's old material was annoying to many fans, but ApX alum drummer Keith Harrold told me it was annoying to the guys in Petra, too. They had signed with a new company, Word Entertainment, in 1989. Keith was a longtime sales rep for Word and multiple winner of their national sales rep of the year award, so he had the inside info on that. While Petra was releasing new LPs like Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out(1989), Beyond Belief (1990), Unseen Power (1991), Wake-Up Call (1993), and No Doubt (1995), they had to basically compete against themselves as Star Song flooded the market with anthologies like Petra Means Rock (1989), War & Remembrance (1990), Petrafied: The Best of Petra (1991), Petraphonics (1992), Power Praise (1994), and Rock Block (1995). Over the course of rock history, other famous artists have had to deal with that sort of thing, including Johnny Cash, The Four Seasons, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and a host of others. At least Rock Block offered one "new" track, "The Rock Block," which was a remixed eight-minute medley of 10 of the 14 other songs on this album. As the title of the album suggests, there were no ballads this time around. However, once again, the songs represented both the Greg X. Volz era ("Chameleon," "Angel of Light," "Killing My Old Man," "Stand Up," "Second Wind," "Judas' Kiss," "Not by Sight," "God Gave Rock and Roll to You") and the beginning of the John Schlitt era ("Shakin' the House," "He Came, He Saw, He Conquered," "All Fired Up," "Hit You Where You Live," "Counsel of the Holy"). In case you're wondering why I bought albums like Petrafied: The Best of Petra and Rock Block when I already had all the songs on them, it was because those were all on cassette, and I wanted the songs on CD. Technically, I didn't buy either one ... I traded some ApologetiX CDs for them at a festival we played in the Midwest in the first half of the 2000s, back when you couldn't get all this stuff digitally. |
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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! |
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They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator — who is forever praised. Amen. Romans 1:25 |
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P.O. Box 101705
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
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