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
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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
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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 Expanding Album Challenge: Week 36
Fri., Jan. 15. 2021 3:04pm EST

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

It has become apparent that I'll need more than 365 days in the "albums that influenced me" series that I started in May 2020. Here are entries from this past week:

247. The Unforgettable Fire – U2
I loved "Pride (In the Name of the Love)" from the moment I heard it in September 1984. I taped it off the radio immediately and bought the 45, too. It was my favorite song of all time at the time. Much later, I'd buy the album, although I think my old college roommate Lance had it long before I did. Anybody who watched U2 at Live Aid the following summer remembers their epic performance of "Bad." Other peak moments for me were "The Unforgettable Fire," "Wire," and "Elvis Presley and America."

248. When We Rock We Rock, When We Roll We Roll – Deep Purple
I bought this for my brother-in-law Bob. I could have gotten him Deepest Purple: The Very Best of Deep Purple, but it didn't have their big #4 hit from 1968, "Hush," at the time. That was a deal breaker for me. Note: "Hush" eventually made it onto the 30th anniversary edition of Deepest Purple in 2010, but I didn't want to wait 26 years. Other highlights on When We Rock We Rock included "Space Truckin'" and "My Woman from Tokyo." It also had "Smoke on the Water" and "Highway Star," but they were live versions. I know Purple is known for some great live stuff, but I prefer the studio versions of those two tunes. This album does have the studio version of "Burn," though, and "Kentucky Woman," their forgotten Top 40 cover version of the Neil Diamond song about my wife Lisa.

249. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. – The Monkees
One day Don Vargo, a friend at the printing company where I worked, informed me that he owned four old Monkees albums I didn't know even existed! You couldn't look up things like that on the internet back then, and this was a couple years before MTV and Nickelodeon sparked a Monkees revival in 1986. I already owned their first three albums, but they'd actually released nine before they broke up for the first time in 1970. Pisces was their fourth, released in November 1967, and it hit #1, as their previous three had. It contained two big hits, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" and "Words," but there were plenty of other great tunes, including some of their best: "Star Collector," "Daily Nightly," "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?," "Cuddly Toy," "Salesman," "Love Is Only Sleeping," and "The Door into Summer."

250. The Birds, the Bees & The Monkees – The Monkees
More gold from Don Vargo's vault. The Monkees' fifth album "only" went to #3, but it contained two huge hits, "Daydream Believer" (#1) and "Valleri" (#3), and the lesser-known (but still great) hit "Tapioca Tundra" (#34). Other noteworthy tunes included "Dream World," "Auntie's Municipal Court," "I'll Be Back Up on My Feet," "P.O. Box 9847," and "Zor and Zam." Oh, and have you heard about Bill Chambers' mother?

251. Head – The Monkees
Don Vargo strikes again! This one took a little while to grow on me, but it was well worth the time investment! It's the soundtrack from the avant-garde 1968 movie The Monkees released after their television series ended. The biggies were "Porpoise Song," "As We Go Along," and "Circle Sky," but we also liked "Ditty Diego – War Chant," "Can You Dig It," "Do I Have to Do This All Over Again?" and "Daddy's Song." And the snippets of crazy dialogue in between the songs were priceless. I'll bet Tom Dellaquila can still quote 'em; I know I can. Supernatural? Perhaps. Baloney? Perhaps not.

252. The Monkees Present – The Monkees
And then there were three. This is actually the second Monkees album after Peter Tork left, but we didn't know there was a first at the time, because Don Vargo didn't own that one. I got it two or three years later. There was also yet another album after this that only featured Micky and Davy. In my opinion, the best songs on this one are "Listen to the Band" and "Good Clean Fun," both written and sung by Michael Nesmith. He also wrote and sang another one of the album's better tracks, "Oklahoma Backroom Dancer." My two favorite Micky tracks are both bizarre — "Mommy and Daddy" and "Pillow Time." I wouldn't classify Davy's "The Ladies Aid Society" as a favorite, but it is bizarre. I think "Looking for the Good Times" was his best contribution to this record. Amazingly, three songs on Present hit the Billboard charts, although none hit the Top 40 — "Listen to the Band" (#63), "Good Clean Fun" (#82), and "Mommy and Daddy" (#109). Oh, you didn't know Billboard went farther than 100? Yes, that was called the "Bubbling Under" chart.

253. Hey Jude – The Beatles
I owned this album in high school but forgot to include it earlier on the list. That's ironic, seeing as ApologetiX has spoofed six of the 10 tracks on it. Originally titled The Beatles Again, this 1970 record was released between Abbey Road and Let It Be, although it wouldn't make it onto CD until 2014. It featured a bunch of hits from singles that had never appeared on an album before, including three #1's — "Hey Jude," "Paperback Writer," and "Can't Buy Me Love" — and two other Top 10 hits, "Lady Madonna" and "The Ballad of John and Yoko." Furthermore, it included four non-album B-sides that hit the Top 40 — "I Should Have Known Better," "Rain," "Revolution," and "Don't Let Me Down". All that and "Old Brown Shoe," the only song here that didn't make the Billboard charts.

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).