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.
1745. Smash Hits - All Star United
Christian power-pop alternative-rock band All Star United (ASU) emerged on the scene in 1996. Smash Hits, released on May 23, 2000, includes five songs from their self-titled '97 debut LP and seven from their '98 follow-up, International Anthems for the Human Race, plus two new bonus tracks and an acoustic version of their biggest hit up to that point. Led by Ian Eskelin, ASU had a lyrical sense of humor similar to Steve Taylor and a sound reminiscent of bands like Green Day, Weezer, Blink 182, and Oasis. In my book, that's a great combination. I was familiar with their name and CD covers from Christian music festivals and stores in the late '90s and early 2000s but didn't know much about them at the time ... although I apparently knew more than some of my fellow ApX members. I was at a Denny's once with Karl after a festival when Jennifer Knapp walked by, and Karl started a conversion with her, thinking she was All Star United! I had a good laugh over then and still chuckle about it now. My wife, Lisa, was a fan of the ASU song "Superstar" (#4 Contemporary Christian Hit Radio), which led me to buy this CD. It's a catchy, clever tune and may be my favorite of the bunch, but there are many others I like, including "Smash Hit," "Saviour of My Universe" (#2 CHR), "Thank You, Goodnight" (#4 CHR), "Popular Americans," "Welcome to Our Big Rock Show," "Beautiful Thing" (#13 CHR), "Theme From Summer," and "Tenderness" (#6 CHR). The two new cuts, "Hang On" and "Baby Come Back," were enjoyable, too, but there really aren't any clunkers. As alluded to earlier, there's also an acoustic version of "Saviour of My Universe" at the end of this compilation. If you like the sound of Brian Setzer and The Stray Cats, you'll probably also like "Hurricane Baby." In the years since Smash Hits, All Star United has released three more albums: Revolution (2002), Love and Radiation (2007), and The Good Album (2010), plus an EP, Let's Get Crazy (2001).
1746. All Star Smash Hits - Smash Mouth
Hmmm ... I don't know why the 2000 compilation Smash Hits by All Star United would remind me of the 2005 compilation All Star Smash Hits by Smash Mouth. I'm not suggesting that the latter copied off the former. Considering the groups' names and their songs, both had good reasons for the titles they chose, but I couldn't resist putting them back to back. There are a total of 20 tracks on this one, most importantly, the big four: "Walkin' on the Sun" (#2 pop airplay, #1 alternative, #1 adult Top 40, #13 mainstream rock), "All Star" (#4 pop, #2 alternative, #1 AT40), Then the Morning Comes" (#11 pop, #2 AT40), and "I'm a Believer" (#25 pop, #4 AT40). It also has "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby" (#27 pop airplay, #30 alternative, #14 AT40), "Pacific Coast Party" (#114 pop, #23 AT40), "Why Can't We Be Friends" (#28 alternative), and "Waste" (#39 AT40). Released on August 23, 2005, All Star Smash Hits went to #96 on the Billboard 200. Smash Mouth's only charting song missing at the time was "You Are My Number One" (#25 AT40) from 2003. However, the group went on to have two more in 2006, the year after this album came out — "Story of My Life" (#29 AT40) and "Go Insane" (#25 AT40). All Star Smash Hits features five cover versions of famous tunes: "I'm a Believer" (The Monkees), "Why Can't We Be Friends" (War), "Can't Get Enough of You Baby" (? and the Mysterians), "Do It Again" (Steely Dan), and "Getting Better" (The Beatles). Meanwhile, six of the selections were used in movie soundtracks: "All Star" (Mystery Men and Shrek), "I'm a Believer" (Shrek), "Better Do It Right" (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas), "Do It Again" (Me, Myself & Irene), "Ain't No Mystery" (Austin Powers in Goldmember), and "Getting Better" (The Cat in the Hat). Of the songs I didn't mention already, my favorites were "Diggin' Your Scene," "Always Gets Her Way," "Holiday in My Head," and "Hang On." Sadly, Smash Mouth lead vocalist Steve Harwell, who had retired from the group in 2021 due to health problems, died from liver failure in 2023. He was only 56.
1747. Greatest Hits - Geoff Moore & the Distance
I already wrote about Geoff Moore & the Distance's 1990 LP Pure and Simple quite come time ago on my list. In 1996, the group released this delightful two-CD set. The first disc, titled "Greatest Hits," contained a dozen studio songs, most of which reached the Contemporary Christian Hit Radio Top 10: "Life Together" (#1 CHR), "Evolution ... Redefined" (#1 CHR), "The Vow" (#1 CHR), "A Friend Like U" (#1 CHR), "Good to Be Alive" (#3 CHR), "More Than Gold" (#5 CHR), "House Of Faith" (#10 CHR), and "Simple Heart" (#10 CHR). The remaining songs may have charted elsewhere, but I can't find data on them: "If You Could See What I See," "Listen To Our Hearts," "Live To Tell," and "Today." The second disc, titled "The Live Set," was recorded in Rome GA, and included three repeats (albeit in concert) from the first disc. The six different songs are "Home Run" (#1 CHR), "New Americans" (#9 CHR), "Evidence Of God," "Best Days," "When All Is Said and Done," and an excellent, rockin' cover of Larry Norman's "Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music," immediately followed by a three-and-a-half-minute heart-to-heart message from Geoff to the crowd. Moore often waxes nostalgic in his songs, looking back on his younger days, but he does a great job of balancing innocence and maturity, with lyrics that are straightforward and singable. My favorite tracks are: "More Than Gold," "Evolution ... Redefined," "If You Could See What I See," "House of Faith," "Good to Be Alive," "Evidence of God," "Best Days," and "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music," but the contents of this collection are consistently good. I first heard "If You Could See What I See" in the '90s, when my friend Mike Murr asked me to sing it for his wedding. It's an absolutely beautiful ballad that I love to this very day. Meanwhile, he and his bride, Brandi, are still going strong. Mike was the first person to ever play ApologetiX on the radio, back in '92, when he worked at California University of Pennsylvania. Amazingly, the dude is still an ApX fan after all these years, and we occasionally get together for lunch.
1748. Make Believe - Weezer
Released on May 10, 2005, Make Believe was Weezer's fifth studio LP and their first of two with Rick Rubin in the producer's chair (although the second was co-produced with Rubin, Jacknife Lee, and Weezer). It yielded a pair of #1 alternative hits — including one that reached the Top 10 on the pop charts — "Beverly Hills” (#10 pop, #26 mainstream rock, #1 alternative) and "Perfect Situation" (#51 pop, #1 alternative). ApologetiX spoofed "Beverly Hills" in 2006, although I actually liked "Perfect Situation" better. The other two selections that got significant airplay on radio were "We Are All on Drugs" (#35 mainstream, #10 alternative) and "This Is Such a Pity" (#31 alternative). Those four tracks are arguably the strongest of the dozen on the disc, which leads off with three of them, "Beverly Hills," "Perfect Situation," and "This Is Such a Pity." The eighth, ninth, and 10th tracks are also quite catchy: "Pardon Me," "My Best Friend," and "The Other Way." Make Believebecame the band's highest-charting album, peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200. It sold a million copies in the United States, placing it third on the list of their biggest-sellers, behind 1994's Weezer (a.k.a. The Blue Album) and 2001's Weezer (a.k.a. The Green Album), which sold three and half million and one and a half million, respectively. As fans of the band know, six of their 15 studio LPs through 2024 were eponymous (eat your heart out, Peter Gabriel) but are known by the color of their covers, including the two I just mentioned, plus The Red Album (2008), The White Album (2016), The Teal Album (2019), and The Black Album (2019). They have some other great album titles, too, like Pinkerton (1996), Maladroit (2002), Raditude (2009), OK Human(2021), and Van Weezer (2021). "Beverly Hills" was Weezer's sole Top 10 pop hit. Their only other Top 40 entry on the Hot 100 was "Buddy Holly" (#18 pop airplay, #34 mainstream, #2 alternative). Although "Beverly Hills" and "Perfect Situation" were Weezer's first two #1 alternative hits, they would go on to have six more, many of which I like even better: "Pork and Beans," "Africa" (a pretty faithful remake of the Toto classic), "Hero," "All My Favorite Songs," "A Little Bit of Love," and "Records." Besides "Buddy Holly," they had five additional #2 alternative hits: "Hash Pipe" (#106 pop), "Troublemaker" (#121 pop), "If You're Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To" (#81 pop), "Feels Like Summer," and "The End of the Game."
1749. Supertones Strike Back - The Orange County Supertones
Supertones Strike Back was the California-based Christian ska band's second LP. Released on June 3, 1997, it reached #2 on the Top Contemporary Christian albums chart and #117 on the Billboard 200. My first real exposure to the group didn't come until 1999. though. I saw them in concert at I.C. Light Amphitheatre in Pittsburgh on August 14. Bill Hubauer's band at the time, Ten point Ten, opened for them (He'd started playing in the studio with ApologetiX in '98 but hadn't officially joined us yet). It was part of a two-day event; ApX had opened for Avalon the day before. I know The Supertones were also at Creation '99 in late June, which I attended, so I may have seen them there, too. Moreover, their song "Little Man" was on the WOW 1999compilation I owned. It was one of my favorite cuts on that album ... and on this one. I love the second verse: "Lookin' out for number one's a full time occupation. I'll give to me myself and I my own salvation. Some people try to tell me God can save me from my sin. But God can take a number and I'll pencil Him in. Busy, oh so busy, I got no time to search. My Sunday's are all booked, I've got no time for church. That's for those poor souls, dry as a stone. God bless this child 'cause this child's got His own." Contrast that with the chorus: "Oh, let my pride fall down, I'm a little man." My wife, who played trombone from middle school through freshman year in college, loves that tune, too. But the big hit from Supertones Strike Back was actually "Resolution" (#15 CHR). Other selections I particularly enjoyed were the title track, "Grace Flood," "Louder Than the Mob," "Unite," "Shut Up and Play," "Tonight," and the penultimate number, a surf-rock instrumental called "Caught Inside." The album closes with an acoustic, non-ska cut, "So Great a Salvation."
1750. Not Ashamed - Newsboys
Formed in Australia in 1985, the Christian pop-rock band Newsboys released their debut LP in 1988 and even had a few charting contemporary Christian hit radio (CHR) singles as early as '90 and '91, but it wasn't until their fourth that people really started to take them seriously. Released on September 29, 1992, Not Ashamedwas the group's first collaboration with established Christian singer/songwriter/solo artist Steve Taylor, who produced it and co-wrote all 10 songs, adding his well-known wit to the lyrics. The first thing I ever heard from this album was the revved-up cover of the DeGarmo and Key hit "Boycott Hell," in which Taylor can be heard rapping "Guess who comin’ through with a little disclaimer — tune's OK but the words are gettin’ lamer. Ain't no saint can legitimatize — rhymin' 'pride' with 'time' with 'unionize.' See, I agree we oughta boycott hell — but we oughta boycott dumb lyrics as well." An old friend of mine, who knew I was a Taylor fan, included that one on a mix tape he made for me. Not Ashamed yielded three — almost four — Top 10 CHR singles: "I'm Not Ashamed" (#1 CHR), "Upon This Rock" (#4 CHR), "Where You Belong / Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" (#9 CHR, #10 Christian Adult Contemporary), and "Dear Shame" (#11 CHR). Two other cuts reached the Top 20 on other charts: "Strong Love" (#10 Christian AC) and I Cannot Get You Out Of My System (#16 Christian Rock). The only tracks on the album not released to radio were the final four — "Boycott Hell," "We Come Together," "Love Comes True," and "Lost The Sky Again" — but there is no noticeable dip in quality. From start to finish, there's nothing to be ashamed of on Not Ashamed. Lyrically and musically, it's a pleasure to listen to ... a guilt-free pleasure.
1751. Miracle Mile - Guardian
Christian rock band Guardian released their third LP, Miracle Mile, on June 8, 1993. I used to see a poster/display for it at the Paradise Club Christian coffee house (a place ApologetiX played very often) and the CD itself at the Christian bookstore upstairs, Our Father's Place. I thought the cover art looked cool and that the titles were interesting. One of our friends who frequented the Club wrote about music for the local Christian newspaper, Expression, and was a Guardian fan, too. Nevertheless, I didn't actually hear this album until the 2000s, when ApX bassist Keith Haynie played it while driving the band van. The song that left the biggest initial impression was the opening track, "Dr. Jones & The Kings of Rhythm," which has some similarities to "Dr. Feelgood" by Mötley Crüe — not just in the title but also in the guitars, drums, backing vocals, and chorus — although it's not some cheap knock-off. The guys in Guardian are excellent musicians: Tony Palacios on guitar, David Bach on bass, and Karl Ney on drums. And lead vocalist Jamie Rowe can wail. The rest of the music on Miracle Mile reminds me most of Bon Jovi, with hints of other notable bands like Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, and Warrant. Some hard rock and metal from the late '80s and early '90s can sound a bit dated, but the 12 tunes on this disc have aged remarkably well ... no self-indulgent solos. One of them became a Top 10 hit on the Contemporary Christian Hit Radio chart, "Sweet Mystery" (#9 CHR). In addition to the title track, my favorites are "Shoeshine Johnny," "Long Way Home," "I Found Love," "Let It Roll," "Mr. Do Wrong," "Curiosity Killed the Cat," "Sister Wisdom," and "The Captain." There are also some funny hidden vocal outtakes included after the final track, "Do You Know What Love Is?" When I told Keith I had written an article about Miracle Mile that I planned to post soon, he told me he thinks it's "one of the best Christian albums ever put out."
