Our 75th CD, Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys, should be in stock in early November. We’ll begin shipping shortly thereafter. It features 12 parodies of hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s.

The earlier you order, the faster you'll get your CD(s); we'll process them in the order in which they are received.

Order now, and you'll get the MP3 download immediately. You'll also get an extra Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys free with every Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys you buy. Or choose from 41 other titles as your free extra CD(s). The free CD(s) won't appear in your shopping cart but will be mailed with your order. 

If you'd prefer to get a different CD as your free CD, choose from the titles on the list below and write it in the “Notes” field at checkout. If no CDs are listed in the “Notes” at checkout, we'll send Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys as your free CD(s). Only the titles on the list are available.

For every copy of Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys you order, you can select one title from the list above. For example, if you order five copies of Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys, you can select five different titles (or five of the same title) from the list. 

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., Oct. 26 - Isaiah 49-51
Sun., Oct. 27 - Isaiah 52-54
Mon., Oct. 28 - Isaiah 55-57
Tue., Oct. 29- Isaiah 58-60
Wed., Oct. 30 - Isaiah 61-63
Thu., Oct. 31 - Isaiah 64-66
Fri., Nov. 1 - Jeremiah 1-3
Sat., Nov. 2 - Jeremiah 4-6
Sun., Nov. 3 - Jeremiah 7-9
Mon., Nov. 4 - Jeremiah 10-12
Tue., Nov. 5 - Jeremiah 13-15
Wed., Nov. 6 - Jeremiah 16-18
Thu., Nov. 7 - Jeremiah 19-21
Fri., Nov. 8 - Jeremiah 22-24

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 1718 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 updated ApologetiX USB thumb drives contain the digital versions of all of our CDs, plus any singles, EPs, or rarities that aren't on CD.

That includes our 75th CD, Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys, and our latest single, “I’ve Been Used / Be Bold Jeremiah.”

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.

1626. Play Nice - ApologetiX
Play Nice was the 41st ApologetiX LP. Unleashed in late August 2015, it featured parodies of ABBA, Chumbawamba, Neil Diamond, The Go-Go's, Guns N' Roses, Cyndi Lauper, Mr. Big, Alannah Myles, Poison, The Romantics, The Scorpions, and Billy Squier  One of the reasons we called this album “Play Nice” was because it included a pair of parodies of artists associated with a softer sound, plus four and a half songs fronted by females. Even some of the songs we spoofed here by hard-hitting bands are ballads rather than rockers, although there’s enough rock on the rest of the record to remind you of our roots. Of course, we have biblical reasons for the title, too. Whether we’re reasoning with a non-believer (like the opening track, "He Spoke") or rebuking a brother (like the closing track, "To Be Rebuked"), it’s important to “play nice” in the game of life and to “act selfless” (as discussed in the second track). After all, we’ve got an "unfinished job" (as we said in the 10th track) to do— taking the Gospel to the world. We share that Gospel with our deeds as well as our words, and that’s why it’s essential that we do so “with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15b–16). But the Bible tells us to do more than just play nice. Jesus told His disciples to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) and to “be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). It’s not easy to play nice when the rest of the world plays rough. Meekness isn’t for wimps. After all, Jesus was meek, but He certainly wasn’t weak. And He gave us His life and words as an example: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:29). So play hard and play fair. But play nice. Trivia note: The name of the dog on the front cover was Bandit, and he was indeed a very nice. Sadly, he passed in 2021 at the age of 15. I asked his owner, my good friend Gerard Dominick, to describe what kind of dog he was: "Bandit was an intimidating force when you first saw him, just based on his big and strong exterior. Then the big boy would run to you and give puppy kisses no matter how old he was. He loved everyone. He never snapped or bit a human or animal. From the day we brought Daisy home (she was 12 weeks), Bandit became her lifelong protector. As an adult, he pushed a hundred pounds, and Daisy was 12 pounds. Bandit loved getting pet by girls. Once they saw how loveable he was, they couldn't resist his charm. Bandit, like many Alaskan Malamutes, talked. He would answer in the funniest tones if you asked him a question or if he was simply being defiant. It was very comical. Once when he was 14, after his back leg was amputated, we were out by a picnic table in my apartment complex. A squirrel, not afraid of the three of us, came up to Bandit, who was sitting up. They were inches from each other. Bandit cocked his head sideways then licked the little guy with a big wet one. The squirrel shook off the slobber and just casually stared and strolled off. He loved my grandson the same way. That was the kind of dog Bandit was."
 
1627. You Can't Say Euphrates Without the '80s - ApologetiX
The 42nd ApologetiX LP, You Can't Say Euphrates Without the '80s, was our fourth of 2015, just sneaking in under the wire in mid-December. It featured parodies of Adam Ant, Toni Basil, A Flock of Seagulls, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Billy Idol, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Journey, Modern English, Dolly Parton, REO Speedwagon, Kenny Rogers, Soft Cell, and The Stray Cats. The Euphrates isn’t just a river that flows through Mesopotamia; it’s a river that flows through the entire Bible — from Genesis 2:14 through Revelation 16:12. In fact, it’s mentioned over 50 times in 16 books of the New International Version. Meanwhile, the Bible is a river that flows through every song on this CD. One of those songs, “Iran (So Far Away),” describes the fall of Babylon to the Media-Persian empire as prophesied and fulfilled in Daniel 5. Though the Euphrates isn’t mentioned by name in the book of Daniel, Wikipedia says it played a key role in the story: “In 539 BC, the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, with a military engagement known as the Battle of Opis. Babylon’s walls were considered impenetrable. The only way into the city was through one of its many gates or through the Euphrates River. Metal grates were installed underwater, allowing the river to flow through the city walls while preventing intrusion. “Cyrus (or his generals) devised a plan to enter the city via the river. During a Babylonian national feast, Cyrus’ troops diverted the Euphrates River upstream, allowing Cyrus’ soldiers to enter the city through the lowered water. The Persian army conquered the outlying areas of the city while the majority of Babylonians at the city center were unaware of the breach. The account was elaborated upon by Herodotus and is also mentioned in parts of the Hebrew Bible.” The other river that flows through this CD is the 80’s. That’s biblical, too. After all, Moses and Aaron were in their 80’s when God used them to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. And if the parting of the Red Sea doesn’t qualify as "new wave movement," what does? You Can't Say Euphrates Without the '80s was the second time we dedicated an entire album of new recordings to the '80s (the first was Wise Up and Rock in 2011), but it was by no means the last. Of course, that's ApX bassist Keith Haynie on the cover — his second starring role (the first being Recovery in 2009).
 
1628. 20th Century Masters - The Millenium Collection: The Best of Humble Pie - Humble Pie
British hard-rock/boogie band Humble Pie was founded in 1969 by singer-guitarists Steve Marriott of The Small Faces and Peter Frampton of The Herd. They were soon joined by bassist Greg Ridley of Spooky Tooth and drummer Jerry Shirley. Thanks to Marriott's soaring vocals and their obvious blues roots, they sounded a bit like Led Zeppelin without the sword-and-sorcery and country/acoustic elements. Both acts released their debut LPs in 1969. Humble Pie also reminds me a little bit of Bad Company, and there are times when I wonder if BadCo lead singer Paul Rodgers' style was inspired at all by Marriott. Frampton left in 1971 and went on to forge a successful solo career. While he was still with them, they scored their first and only U.K. hit, a biggie called "Natural Born Bugie" (#4 U.K.) that is retitled "Natural Born Woman" on this album. Released in 2000, 20th Century Masters - The Millenium Collection: The Best of Humble Pie features that and 11 additional selections, including two that hit the U.S. Hot 100, "Hot 'n" Nasty," (#52 U.S.) and "I Don't Need No Doctor (Live)" (#73 U.S.), plus another that bubbled under, "Big Black Dog" (#113 U.S.). I count all four of those among my faves, along with the first Humble Pie song I ever encountered, "30 Days in a the Hole," which ApologetiX spoofed in 2023. Other non-charting cuts I like on 20th Century Masters - The Millenium Collection: The Best of Humble Pie: "Shine On," "Rollin' Stone," "C'mon Everybody," "Black Coffee," and "Ninety-Nine Pounds." The group's highest-charting single, "Fool for a Pretty Face (Hurt by Love)" (#52) did not come out until 1980 and is not on this compilation. Tragically, Marriott died in 1991 at the age 44 in a fire that is thought to have been caused by a cigarette. 
 
1629. Best of Montrose - Montrose
I used to see albums by Montrose in record stores I frequented, but it wasn't until many years later that I made it a point to listen to their music, which didn't get played on our local radio stations. The California-based hard-rock group never had a Hot 100 hit or even a mainstream rock hit. Five of their albums made the Billboard 200, but only two reached the top half, and the highest-charting one reached #65. Released on October 17, 2000 by Rhino Entertainment, The Very Best of Montrose featured selections from all five. The band was named after its guitarist, Ronnie Montrose, who later founded and led Gamma, who actually did have a Hot 100 hit and Top 10 mainstream hit, "Right the First Time" in 1982 (#77 pop, #10 mainstream), although the song of theirs I heard on our local rock station and really enjoyed was a cover version of the old Hollies song "I'm Alive." However, the band Montrose is probably most famous for launching the career of the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar, future solo superstar and Van Halen frontman from 1985-96 and 2003-05. I read and enjoyed Hagar's 2011 autobiography, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, but I first learned about his time with Montrose in the book Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga by Ian Christe, which I read not too long after its release in 2008. That's when I discovered what an influence Montrose was on Van Halen in the early days, long before Sammy joined forces with Eddie, Alex, and Michael. Hagar was only in Montrose for their first two albums, which came out in 1973 and '74, but the seven songs he sings on The Best of Montrose are all standouts: "Rock the Nation," "Bad Motor Scooter," "Space Station #5," "Rock Candy," "I Got the Fire," "Spaceage Sacrifice," "Paper Money," and "All I Need." Hagar's successor, Bob James, sings seven tracks from their '75 and '76 LPs. Of those, I liked "All I Need," "Dancin' Feet," "Music Man," and a cover version of the 1957 Eddie Cochran song "Twenty Flight Rock." Johnny Edwards sings the three from the group's comeback '87 LP, my favorites being "Ready Willing and Able" and "Stand." Ronnie Montrose himself sings one, too, "We're Going Home," a fine tune from '74. Tragically, he took his own life in 2012 at age 64. 
 
1630. The Best of Delaney & Bonnie - Delaney & Bonnie
Mississippi guitarist-vocalist Delaney Bramlett married blues-belting Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell in 1967, and the rock-and-soul duo went on to score seven Hot 100 hits from 1970-72: "Never Ending Song of Love" (#13), "Only You Know and I Know" (#20), "Soul Shake" (#43), "Move 'em Out" (#59), "Free the People" (#75), "Comin' Home" (#84), and "Where There's a Will There's a Way" (#99). They're all on this 18-track Rhino release from 1990, which expanded upon the 12-track 1972 Atco edition. Delaney's famous guitarist friends and occasional guest performers with the group included Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Duane Allman, and Dave Mason, who wrote "Only You Know and I Know." That tune and "Comin' Home" are my preferred picks from the aforementioned singles, followed by "Soul Shake" and the gospel-tinged "Free the People." Among the non-hits, my favorites are "When the Battle Is Over," "Get Ourselves Together," and "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad." Bonnie's powerful voice draws inevitable comparisons to Tina Turner and Janis Joplin. In fact, she sang a cover of "Piece of My Heart" on D&B's debut LP. It appears on The Best of Delaney & Bonnie, too. So does a version of the Carpenters #2 hit "Superstar," a ballad Bonnie co-wrote — the original title was "Groupie (Superstar)" — with Leon Russell. I also really like "Love Me Just a Little Bit Longer" from D&B's second LP, although it didn't make it onto this collection. Delaney & Bonnie broke up in 1972 as their marriage ended in divorce. He died in 2008 from complications after gall-bladder surgery. She continued singing as a solo artist through the 2010s. One of their daughters, Bekka Bramlett, replaced Stevie Nicks as a member of Fleetwood Mac from 1993-95. 
 
1631. Crazy From the Heat - David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth's first solo project, Crazy From the Heat, came out in January 28, 1985, four months after The Honeydrippers: Volume One. What's the significance of that? Well, both were EPs, not full-length albums — an tried-and-true format for U.K. fans but not something we often saw here in the States. The first American EP I remember encountering as a teenage music fan was Found All the Parts by Cheap Trick in 1980. Crazy From the Heat only had four songs, but three of them charted: "California Girls" (#3 pop, #3 mainstream rock, #29 adult contemporary), "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" (#12 pop, #25 mainstream), and "Easy Street" (#14). All of those were cover versions, as was the remaining track, "Coconut Grove," which I knew from an old Lovin' Spoonful 8-track I owned. This was the second time "California Girls" became a #3 hit.  The original by The Beach Boys had peaked at the same position in 1965. In fact, Beach Boy Carl Wilson sang backing vocals on Roth's recording. So did '80s solo artist Christopher Cross. "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" was a medley of a #1 hit for Ted Lewis in 1931 and a #3 hit for Marion Harris in 1921. Bandleader Louis Prima, best known to later generations as the voice of orangutan King Louie in Disney's The Jungle Book, is recognized as the first person to combine the two songs. "Easy Street" had been a #83 hit for The Edgar Winter Group in 1974. One good cover deserves another, so ApologetiX eventually spoofed "California Girls" and "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody." Crazy From the Heat reached #15 on the Billboard 200 and sold a million copies. At the time, Roth was my favorite member of Van Halen (hey, I'm a lead singer, what can I say?), so I was rooting for him, On his 10-track follow-up album in 1986, Eat 'em and Smile, he included a song called "Goin' Crazy" (#66 pop, #12 mainstream) with this line in the chorus: "Goin' crazy from the heat." Roth also titled his 1997 autobiography, Crazy From the Heat. He recorded and released an alternate version of the Eat 'em and Smile LP sung entirely in Spanish called Sonrisa Salvaje. I bought it as a Christmas gift for an old neighborhood friend in the late '80s. I also bought the first single from Eat 'em and Smile, "Yankee Rose" (#16 pop, #10 mainstream), in the summer of '86. In ApologetiX, we released our first EP, Have Yourself a Parody Little Christmas in 2001 and our second, Orchard Avenue, in 2012. 
 
1632. A Different Kind of Truth - Van Halen
Released on February 7, 2012, A Different Kind of Truth was Van Halen's 12th studio LP — their first album of all-new material since 1998. Even more notably, it marked the return of original lead singer David Lee Roth and the debut of Eddie Van Halen's son, Wolfgang, who replaced Michael Anthony on bass and backing vocals. I got to hear A Different Kind of Truth on the band bus a week and a half later, thanks to our soundman at the time, Greg Spack. I remember it was the weekend ApologetiX played in Ridgway PA and Bellefonte PA, February 17-18. The album reached #2 on the Billboard 200, The opening track, "Tattoo" (#67 pop, #13 mainstream rock), starts things off with classic Roth humor: "I got Elvis on my elbow. When I flex, Elvis talks. I got hula girls on the back of my leg. And she hulas when I walk." It also contains this clever line "Mousewife to momshell in the time it took to get that new tattoo." One other cut was officially released to radio, "She's the Woman" (#23 mainstream). However, the tune that made the biggest impression on me at the time was "Stay Frosty." It was really the only song I liked at first listen, but I liked it a lot. The rest of the album sounded much, much better later with headphones. Its title came from the sixth track, "Bullethead," which opens with these lines: "My karma just ran over your dogma. I can feel your pain. If everything is coming your way, you're facing the wrong lane." Another song, "The Trouble With Never," contains this bit of Roth wit: "I know you never thought about it, but ask yourself later: When you turn on your stereo, does it return the favor?" Although Van Halen followed up A Different Kind of Truth with a live album, Tokyodome Live in Concert, in 2015, but they disbanded after Eddie died from cancer at age 65 in 2020.

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!