BACKGROUND:
At this point in ApologetiX's career, the band went from releasing albums annually to releasing singles biweekly. After releasing 12-13 singles, ApologetiX would release them all on a CD (reluctantly?). Loaded 45's is the 2nd volume in this series.
TITLE:
45s, or 45-rpms, are the medium on which singles used to be release. Since are these parodies were originally ApologetiX singles, they would have been on 45s. To further deepen the meaning, all the original songs on this CD were originally singles, so they would have originally been on 45s. In a way that makes these tracks singles twice: singles originally and singles as a parody. That alone makes them loaded. The imagery meant as here, as portrayed on the artwork on the back of the jewel case, is that of a loaded baked potato. A loaded baked potato has every potato topping possible to enrich the flavor of the potato. Here, this CD is loaded with so many hit singles that it enriches the sound of the CD. Most importantly, however, these spoofs are loaded with Scriptures, which bring flavor to the Christian's life. While not a wordplay or double entendre as creative as Unconditional Releases, it's still there.
CRITIQUE:
As I already mentioned in my critique of Unconditional Releases, let me quickly remind you that I am not a fan of releasing singles biweekly. It sets up a lose-lose for the fan. Fans who buy the singles have no need to wait for a CD; fans who want to wait for a CD have to delay they patience even further. Fans can feel cheated paying the same for a CD of 12 of 13 songs, songs that already exist in the form of singles, as they would have paid if purchasing an album of 18-22 songs. Again, I understand ApologetiX did this to increase their income and profits in a financially hard time, and my sympathies go out to them, but loyal fans will compensate them a job well done, without the band needing to do anything to influence the fans' spending. Furthermore, it ruins the compilation of the CD. In a traditional album, songs are carefully selected to make sure the songs feed of another, in some way, shape or form. With 12-13 tracks thrown onto a CD, they lack any kind of agreement or unity. In a way, that kind of sort of makes Loaded 45's a compilation CD of singles, and if so, it shouldn't make this list. I will allow it to make this list, but it automatically has a bias against it.
At least Unconditional Releases has 12 brand-new, studio-recorded tracks on it. While all 12 tracks are studio-recorded, only 10 of them are brand-new. "Take Jude" (parody of "Hey Jude" by the Beatles) was originally "Saint Jude" on the cassette Beatleg (Beatles bootleg), and it was later re-released as one of the Rare Not Well Done rarities. "Let's Redo the Music" (parody of "Listen to the Music" by the Doobie Brothers) was originally "Christians Doin' Music" on Isn't Wasn't Ain't. Both spoofs got brand-new titles and brand-new lyrics. The message of "Take Jude" slightly shifted from "Saint Jude." "Saint Jude" was more about how all Christians are saints, not just special Christians (like Jude), whereas "Take Jude" is more about being patient for unbelieving family to come to the faith. Both versions do mention contending for the faith, the overall purpose and message of Jude. Overall, I didn't think the lyrics need the small changes needed, and since I never actually heard the original parody, I can't make an assessment on which sounds better. As for "Let's Redo the Music," I am going to hold off on that one for...reasons ;) . Ultimately, I still think that have a rough parody is better than having no parody, so I would have preferred 12 brand-new. fresh spoofs instead of 10 new spoofs and 2 remastered ones.
Since all the original songs spoofed on Loaded 45's were originally singles themselves, Loaded 45s in a way feels like a greatest hits of singles. All of these tunes will become instantly recognizable by new and old fans. It does have some of the problems as Unconditional Releases, but not as bad. The time span of the original songs go from 1967 to 1986, which covers more years than Unconditional Releases. While most of these songs fall under the genre of classic rock, Loaded 45's adds a bit more variety than Unconditional Releases, with a little bit of glam rock, hard rock, soft rock and pop. In fact, there were only 2 songs I didn't care for: "You're So Plain" (parody of "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon) and "Fearful" (parody of "Vehicle" by The Ides of March).
Again, let me blitz through the other 8 songs I like in a "lightning round" format, culminating to my favorite song. "Goodnews" (parody of "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins) is a good way to open up this CD, as the rest of the songs on the CD contain the good news in same aspect. "Talk and I'll Walk" (parody of "Crocodile Walk" by Elton John) is a classic Bible story parody, re-telling the story of Jesus healing the invalid in John 5. Same goes for "Fly Like Ezekiel" (parody "Fly Like An Eagle" by Steve Miller), which surveys Ezekiel's visions in his book. "Hell Smells" (parody of "Hell's Bells" by AC/DC) is an interesting take. My guess is that lyricist J. Jackson got this idea from the traditional interpretation that Gehenna, another name for hell, comes from the Hebrew name for the Valley of Hinnon, which one tradition states where garbage was burn, which would create an awful stench. While modern-day interpretations have proven that traditional understanding false, the message of song still remains that hell is awful (hey, maybe the next AC/DC parody for ApologetiX should be "Hell IS a Bad Place to Be"!). Also worth noting, music-wise, this is lead singer J. Jackson's best attempt in replicating the unique sound of Brian Johnson/Bon Scott. I'm glad J. parodied "We're Not Going to Canaan" (parody of "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister) the way he did. It would have been way too easy to turn it into a Christian protest song, protesting the way non-Christians treat Christians. Instead, the spoof retells the story of the Israelites doubting the 12 spies in Numbers 13-14. The irony is not lost with this song. Whereas the original sings of a subordinate refusing the submit to an authority figure, in this parody, the authority figure rebukes his subordinates for not doing what's good for them (that is, entering the promised land)! I applaud J. for recognizing his daughter Janna was not ready for "These Streams" (parody of "These Dreams" by Heart) and instead of going with Keely Singer, who does an excellent job. It's hard to believe J. successfully made 2 parodies about Methuselah, the first being "969" (parody of "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams) on Biblical Graffiti, and the second being "Old Man" (parody of "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave and The Blues Brothers) on Loaded 45's, but he did it! With both spoofs, he clearly understands the point of Methuselah: long life is nothing in comparison to eternal life in Jesus Christ. "Hit 'em with Your Slingshot" (parody of "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar) was bound to happen, as I have heard other Christian bands parody the original with the same title. Janna does better on this song than she did on "Jezebel" (parody of "Just A Girl" by No Doubt) on Singles Group, but she still has a long way to go. Don't worry, Janna, your father had the same problem imitating male rock-n-roll singers in his early days, too! That leaves 1 more song...
FAVORITE SONG: "Let's Redo the Music" (parody of "Listen to Music" by The Doobie Brothers)
I did not expect this one to become my favorite song. I thought the original "Christians Doin' Music" on Isn't Wasn't Ain't was just fine. Overall, I feel like the lyrics work either way. After all, both have the same message. The bigger and more important change is the title. At first, I thought "Christians Doin' Music" was a just fine title, but the more I thought about it, Newsboys were Christians doin' music, Switchfoot were Christians doin' music and Thousand Foot Krutch were Christians doin' music. What separated ApologetiX was they were redoing the music by giving secular instrumentals Christian lyrics. ApologetiX aren't just Christians doin' music because they are redoing the music. Also, music-wise, there is a big improvement: the banjo. When I first heard "Christians Doin' Music," I didn't think I missed the banjo, and it was unnecessary. After listening to "Let's Redo the Music," I realized how much that "Christians Doin' Music" was missing the banjo and how much it improved "Let's Redo the Music." At the last ApologetiX concert I attended, the band opened with this song. This is definitely one of the good songs to open with, as it introduces the band's purpose.
FINAL VERDICT: 22nd
Sure, all these singles parodies were also singles on the original song, but unless the fan is really knowledgeable in music, he or she probably won't know that. Because all the original versions were singles, however, this CD does in a way feel like a greatest hits CD. It's not exactly ApologetiX greatest hits, as only 2 songs return from previous recordings, and only of them 1 definitely needed the remastering. On the positive side, the long-term fan feels like he or she gets his or her money worth, for the purchase comes with 10 brand-new, fresh parodies (unless purchasing the singles as downloads). Still, since this CD is just a collection of 12 singles compiled together for a CD, it lacks the correlation one would find on a true album. Sadly, this would have worked as a real album with a little more thought and a little more work.
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