Crowd shot masthead ApologetiX Logo Keith Haynie plays bassBill Hubauer plays lead guitarJ. Jackson sings leadJimmy Vegas Tanner plays drums
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03.18.24Get Multiple Downloads for One Donation
03.18.24USBs Include New Single & Next CD
03.18.24How to Donate Online or by Mail
03.18.24Over 1650 Tracks for $100
03.16.24Influential Albums: 1402-1408
03.16.24New CD Slightly Delayed, BOGO Continues
03.16.24How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
03.16.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
03.16.24Easter Season Playlist 2024
03.12.24This Week's News Bulletin
03.09.24Influential Albums: 1395-1401
03.09.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
03.09.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
03.05.24This Week's News Bulletin
03.03.24New Single: '74 Solo Smashes
03.01.24A Serious Problem We're Trying to Address
02.29.24All About Our Next CD
02.29.24Influential Albums: 1388-1394
02.29.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.29.24Clues for 2024 Single #5
02.25.24This Week's News Bulletin
02.22.24Get Ready for Our Next CD
02.22.24Influential Albums: 1381-1387
02.22.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.22.24Wayne Is Retiring, What's Next for Him and Us?
02.22.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
02.19.24This Week's News Bulletin
02.19.24New Single: Billy & The Beach
02.16.24Influential Albums: 1374-1380
02.16.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.16.24Remembering ApX Friend Paul "Doc" Nigh (1956-2024)
02.16.24Clues for 2024 Single #4
02.10.24Influential Albums: 1367-1373
02.10.24Fans Making Plans to Attend Our Big Show September 1
02.10.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.10.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
02.06.24This Week's News Bulletin
02.06.24New Single: '74 & '83
02.03.24ApX Lead Singer/Lyricist Shares His Testimony 36 Years Later
02.03.24Influential Albums: 1360-1366
02.03.24This Week's Bible Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
02.03.24Latest CD Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
02.02.24Clues for 2024 Single #3
01.29.24This Week's News Bulletin
01.26.24Influential Albums: 1353-1359
01.26.24How to Get the ApX Library, USBs, Multiple Downloads
01.26.24This Week's Bible-Reading and Rock Thru the Bible
01.26.24Flashback: J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2014
01.26.24J.'s Vision for ApologetiX in 2024
01.26.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
01.24.24Checking in With ApX Alum Drummer Fred Behanna
01.22.24This Week's News Bulletin
01.22.24New Single: '70s #1 Hits That Remade '60s Top 10 Hits
01.19.24Influential Albums: 1346-1352
01.19.24Encouraging Message from Longtime Fan in Oklahoma
01.19.24This Week's Bible-Reading & Rock Thru the Bible
01.15.24This Week's News Bulletin
01.12.24Influential Albums: 1339-1346
01.12.24The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
01.12.24Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
01.12.24New Testament Reading Started Wednesday
01.11.24New Worship Songs Available from ApX Alum Bill Rieger
01.08.24New Single: '81 & '83
01.08.24New CD BOGO Ends Sunday
01.08.24New USB Thumb Drives on the Way
01.05.24Clues for 2024 Single #1
01.05.24Influential Albums: 1332-1338
01.05.24Have You Heard About the Other Music City Miracle?
01.05.24This Week's Bible Reading & Rock Thru the Bible
12.29.23Influential Albums: 1325-1331
12.29.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
12.28.232023: A Record-Breaking Record-Making Year
12.28.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
12.26.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.26.23New Single: 1974 & 2008
12.23.23Influential Albums: 1318-1324
12.23.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
12.23.23ApologetiX Updated Christmas Playlist
12.18.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.18.23New Samson CD Mailed to Fans, New Orders Sent as They Come In
12.16.23Influential Albums: 1311-1317
12.16.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
12.16.23New Story
12.16.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
12.11.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.11.23New Single: '83 & '84
12.11.23ApX Apparel: Order by Tuesday with Express Shipping
12.07.23New ApX Apparel and More: Order Soon for Christmas
12.07.23Influential Albums: 1304-1310
12.07.23Just Reword CD Added to iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Etc.
12.07.23Clues for 2023 Single #25
12.04.23This Week's News Bulletin
12.02.23Influential Albums: 1297-1303
12.02.23This Week's Bible Reading & Rock Thru the Bible
12.02.23The Stories Behind the Songs on This Single
12.02.23New Shirts & Other ApX Merch Coming Soon
12.02.23Rock Thru the Bible with ApX This Week
11.28.23This Week's News Bulletin
11.28.23New Christmas Single: All '80s
11.24.23Influential Albums: 1290-1296

The 365-Day Album Challenge: Week 20
Fri., Sep. 25. 2020 12:16pm EDT

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

Back in May, two friends asked me to share 10 albums that influenced me on Facebook. I narrowed it down to 365. I post the cover art for a different album every day with a brief explanation of how/why they influenced me. Fans have asked me to include them in the newsletter, too. Here are this week's entries:

134. Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy - The Who
I'd heard about The Who for a couple years and I liked "I Can See for Miles," but it was the song "My Generation" that finally got me to buy one of their albums. I can't explain why — if I have to explain, you wouldn't understand. There would be many more Who albums to follow in my collection, but this 1971 collection of their hits from 1964-70 was the first. The title supposedly refers to the individual members of The Who: Meaty (pugnacious lead singer Roger Daltrey), Beaty (chaotic drummer Keith Moon), Big (imposing bass player John "The Ox" Entwistle), and Bouncy (leaping guitarist Pete Townshend).

135. Permanent Waves/Moving Pictures – Rush
Rush fans will hate me for this, but I really only played side one of each of these albums back in the day … although I played those side ones a lot! But let's just keep that "entre nous," pardon my French. Chris Marsh was our neighborhood expert on Rush. He was into them years before the rest of us. But Permanent Waves finally got my attention, and Moving Pictures held it. I'd get more into Rush in later years and saw them in concert on December 16, 1987 on the Hold Your Fire tour. ApologetiX has spoofed two songs from side one of Moving Pictures.

136. Outlandos D'amour – The Police
We liked Zenyatta Mondatta so much that my friend Keith Cornell special-ordered this one from our local store, Rocket Records. I felt that was too much of a gamble at the time — boy, was I wrong. I'd heard "Roxanne" a couple years before on the radio and thought it was catchy, although a bit risquι and punkish for my 14-year-old ears. But hearing the full album at age 16, I ended up enjoying it even more than Zenyatta Mondatta. In fact, it's still my favorite Police album.

137. The Yes Album – Yes
I'm not a progger — and I don't play one on TV — but I love this album. My sister Jeannine had left behind a copy of the Yes album Fragile, but I hadn't gotten into it much, aside from "Roundabout." Michael Ranieri made borrow his copy of The Yes Album, and it really hit the spot. I eventually traded him my sister Gayle's old copy of In the Court of the Crimson King for it. Ironically, I think I may have repurchased that King Crimson album years later, and I wouldn't be surprised if Michael repurchased The Yes Album, too.

138. Seconds of Pleasure – Rockpile
This is another album Michael Ranieri exposed me to. Rockpile was a power-pop/rockabilly supergroup made of members nobody else in my school had ever heard of: Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner, and Terry Williams. You may have seen them on the December 19, 1980 episode of Fridays (ABC's answer to Saturday Night Live), where they performed their only "hit," a song called "Teacher, Teacher" that went to #51 on the pop charts in early 1981. The individual members of the band all had greater success on the charts in other ventures. Dave Edmunds had a #4 solo hit in 1971 with "I Hear You Knocking" and a Top 40 hit in 1983 with "Slipping Away." Nick Lowe had a #12 hit in 1979 with "Cruel to Be Kind." Billy Bremner played lead guitar for The Pretenders on their #5 pop hit "Back on the Chain Gang" and their #11 mainstream rock hit "My City Was Gone" in 1982-83. Terry Williams played drums for Dire Straits on the intro to their #1 hit from 1985, "Money for Nothing."

139. Concerts for the People of Kampuchea – Various Artists
I'd never heard of these concerts, but when Michael Ranieri brought in a double album featuring live performances by The Who, Paul McCartney, Queen, and Rockpile with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, I was all in. Surprisingly, it was the performances by the other artists on this collection that I wound up liking eveb more: The Pretenders, Elvis Costello, The Clash, Ian Dury & the Blockheads, and The Specials. Unfortunately, this one is out of print, so you can't get it on CD or iTunes.

140. Face Dances – The Who
Having become a Who fan the previous winter, I was thrilled when they finally came out with their first new album in nearly three years in the spring of 1981. Did I buy a copy for myself? You better you bet!

Note: The albums are not listed in order of preference or excellence, but in chronological order of when they influenced me. Also, just because the albums on my list influenced me back then doesn't mean I give them all a blanket endorsement now.

I started actively listening to music in the early 70's and didn't become a born-again Christian until early 1988, so it's going to be a while before we get to the Christian albums, but there will be many of those when the time comes (literally).