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ApologetiX ReviewsJesus Christ, Morningstar | ||||||
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| Disclaimer: If you don't like Rock music, you won't like ApologetiX. That being the case, why waste your time reading this stuff? It would be much better for you to go praise the Lord in a way that is acceptable to you rather than get all caught up in the emotions associated with this subject. | |||
| Jesus Christ Morningstar (Released 1998) Tracks: 1. Hotel Can't Afford 'Ya (parody of "Hotel California" by the Eagles) 2. Go Right Now (parody of "All Right Now" by Free) 3. Apostle Me (parody of "Rock 'n Me" by the Steve Miller Band) 4. Jesus/Sermon on the Mount (parody of "Venus" by the Shocking Blue 5. Temple Physician (parody of "Pinball Wizard" by the Who) 6. Love & Kisses (parody of "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Kiss) 7. Parable Guy (parody of "American Pie" by Don McLean) 8. I'll Prepare for You (parody of "I'll Be There for You" by the Rembrandts) 9. I Have to Die First (parody of "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor) 10. Didn't Just Die (parody of "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings) 11. Died and Rose (parody of "China Grove" by the Doobie Brothers) 12. You May Be Right (parody of "You May be Right" by Billy Joel) 13. L.S.F (parody of "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by the Beatles) 14. Spirit Inside (parody of "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum) 15. Walk His Way (parody of "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith) 16. John 1:1 (parody of "Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Beach Boys) 17. Narrow Way to Heaven (parody of "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin) 18. Fakey Shaky Parts (parody of "Achy Breaky Heart" by Bill Ray Cyrus) | |||
Hotel Can't Afford 'YaLyrics: excellent Comment: I played this song at a youth group meeting once at church and had several parents come up and complain about the fact that we were playing secular music at church. I had to convince them to listen closely to the lyrics for a minute or so before they caught on; J. Jackson's lyrics work so well on this tune you'd almost be willing to swear the song was written specifically for these lyrics. This track is another one of ApologetiX' great all-time parodies. About the only fault I can find with the song is that the story seems to end rather abruptly, but that's a real minor complaint. Go Right NowLyrics: fair to good Comment: Given that this song doesn't require the most dynamic voice in the world, and J. Jackson is capable of producing a very wide range of vocal styles, I'm surprised that J's vocals aren't truer to the original song on this track. They aren't bad, they're just different and considering how well J has done on other songs, I'm just surprised by the lack of accuracy on this one. Oh well, it's really expecting too much to believe that J. Jackson can mimic every singer on this planet. The lyrics and story somehow don't mesh for me on this tune. I could probably think of a dozen different ways to use the tune "All Right Now" that work better for me (e.g., the story of Lazarus or any of a dozen other stories involving Christ healing someone). Sometimes, doing the unexpected with a parody helps make it much better, but this particular parody just doesn't work as well for me. Apostle MeLyrics: poor to fair Comment: I really don't like Steve Miller. Never liked a single song the band did. The lyrics J created for this song are rather weak and exacerbate the problems I have with this song. There are a few bright points that briefly raise a smile ("Judas is missin' and lost his position" and "They would choose Matthias to fill his shoes"). A song that attempts to help one memorize the Apostles' names would actually be quite useful in a children's program, but this song is too difficult for children to sing and contains too much extraneous material to be useful in that environment. If you like the Steve Miller Band and you can get past the weak lyrics, you'll like this song. However, this one ranks at the bottom of my list for ApologetiX songs. Jesus (Sermon On The Mount)Lyrics: excellent Comment: It's an amazing juxtaposition to have a song as bad as "Apostle Me" lead right into one as good as "Jesus." Although, by definition, it's hard to be faithful to the original song when the original vocalist was female, J. Jackson's vocals are very good on this track. The lyrics mesh really well with the original song's melody. This song is another ApologetiX winner. Temple PhysicianLyrics: good Comment: I find it hard to review ApologetiX parody of "Pinball Wizard" because I've also written a "Parodeity" to this tune. I'm sure I'd feel completely different about ApologetiX' version had I not been inspired to write my own version of this song (see "Parable Wizard"). Though I like my version better, I do like this song and would probably have rave things to say about it had I not intersected with ApologetiX on this one. One thing I will admit to, ApologetiX story is probably more coherent than mine (and truer to its title). Love & KissesLyrics: good to excellent Comment: Take Kiss' greatest ever rock and roll tune, slap some Christian lyrics on it, and how can you lose? The injection of "Grace Freely" into the tune was absolutely classic. This is one of those songs where the lyrics and the whole Christian parody idea comes together to produce something really great. If you like some of Kiss' more popular material, this song is reason enough to buy this CD. Parable GuyLyrics: fair to good Comment: I am impressed that J. Jackson even attempted this one. He attempts to tell all of Christ's parables in a single song; quite a daunting task (and it's a good thing that they picked a long song to attempt this with). Yes, there are problems with story flow, the rhymes are often strained, and the stories are often abbreviated to the point that they are unrecognizable, but the fact that J pulled this off is amazing in and of itself. I'll Prepare for YouLyrics: good Comment: Well, I've only heard "I'll Be There for You" on Television, so it's a bit hard to compare the tunes given the typical fidelity of television (plus any editing that occurs so the opening credits don't take too long). I suspect that if you watch a lot of "Friends" you'll love this song. I Have to Die FirstLyrics: fair Comment: Many years ago, I had a business partner who produced several rock bands prior to entering the computer business. One of the bands he produced was "Survivor" so you can bet I listened to "Eye of the Tiger" quite a bit when it came out. The best thing I can say about J's rendition is that it's a whole lot better than "Weird" Al's "Rye and the Kaiser." Unfortunately, while the story that J is telling is a good one, the lyrics just don't work that well with this song. While the vocals are good on their own, they don't have quite the strength of the original song. Didn't Just DieLyrics: fair to good Comment: While the music is fairly good on this song, any Paul McCartney fan is immediately going to notice the weaker vocals on this track. The title lyrics work well with the original song's lyrics. Okay, so J.'s 10 years of vocal experience don't match Paul McCartney's 40. What should I expect, anyway? Died and RoseLyrics: good Comment: I don't know what it is about "China Grove" but I've never heard a cover band do this song to the point where I'd confuse their version with the Doobie Brothers. ApologetiX comes pretty close, though. You May Be BrightLyrics: excellent Comment: Okay, we're back on track with this tune. Another great piece of ApologetiX work. If you like the harder side of Billy Joel, you'll buy "Jesus Christ Morningstar" just to get this song. Great lyrics, good music, good vocals, and a strong does of apologetics makes this a great tune. Spirit InsideLyrics: excellent Comment: Long before DC Talk came Norman Greenbaum. And in between the two came, ApologetiX! ApologetiX took a pseudo-religious song and turned it into a great religious song. The only thing better than rockin' out to this tune on the CD is hearing Karl singing the background vocals live in concert. Definitely, this is a great live number. Walk His WayLyrics: excellent Comment: If you like Aerosmith, you're going to love this song. It's another one of ApologetiX' all-time bests. It's an example of the magic that happens when the lyrics work well within the song. The only black mark is that the vocals are a touch weak on the chorus. In every other sense this song is great. John 1:1Lyrics: fair to good Comment: Okay, ApologetiX is not the Beach Boys. Once you get past the fact that you can't quite expect the same harmonies, you like this song a whole lot better. The lead vocals are good, but the backup vocals suffer a bit on this tune. The lyrics are as strong as other J. Jackson songs, but that's okay, this one's supposed to be fun, fun, fun... (I have tried to sing a few Beach Boys songs, so I know what J.'s up against...) Narrow Way to HeavenLyrics: good to excellent Comment: This is another one of those songs that I have trouble reviewing since it intersects with one of my own parodies ("Treasure in Heaven"). On the one hand, J. tells a coherent story (something I was unable to achieve). On the other hand, the original song wasn't very coherent so maybe J "improved" on things. My only complaint with the lyrics is that title line seems a bit rushed in the song; otherwise they're pretty good. They do a good job on this one live, too. Fakey Shakey PartsLyrics: good to excellent Comment: Another "rockified" country song improved by ApologetiX! Here's a good song that demonstrates how to treat a serious subject with tongue-in-cheek humor. Heck, I may have to start listening to C&W if this keeps up! | |||