CPR

Talk about Petra albums, songs, and concerts.
Shell
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Re: CPR

Post by Shell » Fri Mar 31, 2017 5:04 pm

Let's not read more into all this than might be there...It's just people's opinions. Greg contributed a great deal to Petra's history and he has a wonderful voice. I happen to like his version of Dream On a lot. Some singers move around more on stage than others. John moved around a lot too. It boils down to preference. And no, I wouldn't post videos of myself on stage on the Internet. Heaven forbid. :lol: :lol:

The 80s in general were rather cheesy...Remember Knight Rider (whoa, did I just admit I know the name of that show)? :mrgreen:
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Re: CPR

Post by executioner » Fri Mar 31, 2017 8:13 pm

fcollazo wrote:
Fri Mar 31, 2017 12:18 pm
Executioner seems pretty hateful and resentful here. I don't know what's the deal. Yes Greg sounds corny at times with his stage banter, but still he helped put Petra on the map. Stuck with Bob though very hard times around 1979 through 1981, and if it wasn't for that we would have never had a Schlitt era Petra. I even have a picture of Bob on guitar, Greg on bass, and 2 other dudes on drums and keys around 1980. He stepped in to play bass. He was a team player. Give him a break.
No hate or resentment here just my opinion; no opinion is truly right/wrong.
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Re: CPR

Post by executioner » Fri Mar 31, 2017 8:28 pm

pmal wrote:
Fri Mar 31, 2017 9:11 am
[quote=executioner post_id=174016 time=1490918407 user_id=49
I totally agree with you on the dancing aspect, plus I think his stage presence is horrible and unprofessional(I've seen Petra live 5 times with him and truly couldn't even look at him).
I would have loved to have seen them five times with Greg. It was hard enough convincing my parents to let me buy a cassette tape at the time. Considering the band would have likely folded in the early 80's without him, it's hard to read something like this and not be tempted to fuel a fire. He sure was popular when I was growing up. But, I have constrained myself as much as possible.
[/quote]

I've been lucky with my upbringing; was 10(1980) when I went and saw them for the first time in Orange, Texas; It was Louie's first ever show with the band but was not the actual official drummer that would not come until early 1982. A weird thing was the second ever Petra concert I went to in 1981 was in Layafette, Louisiana and Greg was not there; they had another singer but don't remember anything about him other than he could really sing and I believe he was only filling in because Greg had another commitment. I saw them again on the MPTY & BTS tours and loved the shows and the band but for some reason Greg antics and hand and body movements have always just bothered me and when seeing Classic Petra back in 2011 just brought back the same outlook. The other issue I've had especially during BTTR tour was his non stop & prolong talking in between each and every song; they could have easily added 4-5 songs to setlist if he would tone down it a bit with the talking; it really took away any mojo the live show had.
Please keep in mind that this is only my opinion and I welcome anyone else's opinion even if they differ from mine.
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Re: CPR

Post by brent » Fri Mar 31, 2017 8:54 pm

Petra and it's various front men fit the times they were in, when they were considered new and cutting edge for the repressed Christians. For those who were seasoned secular music fans, Petra's stage show was cheese. Luckily, I don't pay attention or care much. I went to the shows to have my face melted off by Christian guys playing music I couldn't hear otherwise, because of my legalistic-backwardsassed-borderline-cultic-independent-fundamentalist-nutjob-baptist upbringing. "Hallelujah, where's the Tylenol?"

The first time I saw them was the NSD tour. They were wearing camo pants and t-shirts. There wasn't much room for him to do anything crazy. But, at that time, the whole experience (Christian rock band/concerts, etc) was still fresh. I didn't think of Greg's actions as I would now. I just took in the whole package. Greg's voice and Petra's sound were so unique, that I just assumed the rest of it was cool, because I didn't know any better.

Fast forward to BTS, I still found Petra unique, but did think some their long-in-tooth choreographed moves were a little corny. Greg did some overly animated things, but I took that as normal. Greg danced on stage like an aerobics instructor. They didn't have large video displays back then, and Greg had to play to the people in the back. So, while it was kinda corny, I kind of let it go. Greg was the first Christian artist I ever saw with parachute pants and red Reeboks at this point. For some reason that was big deal for him, because he took that look into the next evolution of his solo career.

When John came, I thought he had equally poor/corny stage presence, with his arm waiving, quick side to side head turning, etc. I thought his wardrobe was lame...borderline famine. Who tucked their jeans into white ankle high boots back then? Nobody I knew or saw. When he got into the Seinfeld Pirate Shirt phase, I had to chuckle. John was no more of a dancer than Greg. John was a better rock poser by a long shot. When it came time for an instrumental or solo, John looked awkward to me.
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Re: CPR

Post by Shell » Fri Mar 31, 2017 11:08 pm

I always paid more attention to the music than any dancing, and I only saw Greg a few times. The majority of the Petra concerts I went to were when John was with them.

It was the message that really counted, and God can and does use imperfect people to communicate His message. If He needed perfect people to accomplish His purpose, we'd all be in trouble. 8)
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Re: CPR

Post by Dan » Sat Apr 01, 2017 2:01 am

Just to come back to Greg's cover of Dream On, personally I think it is the best version I have ever heard, his highs are flawless.
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Re: CPR

Post by brent » Sat Apr 01, 2017 7:06 am

Ha. Was this about Dream On? Well....

I don't have a problem with the song being used. Songs are songs and if they can be used to make a point, then so be it. Christian songs have been sung by secular artists from time to time. Heck, secular artists used to put out "spiritual" or "sacred" music albums back in the day. Those were respected. Now society has degenerated to the point where the artists stay on their sides of the line in the sand. That shouldn't be, IMNSHO.

Greg did it well. No cover matches the original delivery, because of perception of the listener. I remember the first time I heard Tyler scream that song. It was impactful to me, because of when it was, where I was, and the era in which the song was produced. Now, when I hear Greg sing it, my mind automatically goes to..."Greg is friends with a bunch of WOF guys. Is this song a new age message from Greg? Is Greg singing about his life? Is Greg referencing Petra in any way? That is the crown jewel of his life in music. What is he saying? Is he saying anything? I sure am hungry. I like ice cream."

Greg doesn't have the expression of "soul" the way some singers have. Greg is like Freddie Mercury in many ways. He uses harmonies and soars. Tyler has more dimension to his singing and delivery, so we cannot compare the two. Just because God didn't give him the same abilities as Tyler, doesn't mean he is inferior. He is just different. It doesn't mean he doesn't believe the tune or any of the Petra tunes. Greg is just now that "soul" guy that tells a lifetime of stories with this tone. Those singers are few and far between.

Richard Marx, the singer songwriter, was once interviewed about his work and writing. He has written lots of great music outside of his genre than has made lots of people happy and rich. He said something important. He said he loved rock, hard rock, etc. He tried to do it, but sucked at it. He knew he couldn't sing it. The music he could sing and deliver is not necessarily his preference, but it is all he could do. He said artists should be allowed their preferences, but keep them to themselves if they suck at it.
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Re: CPR

Post by Mountain Man » Sat Apr 08, 2017 2:45 pm

executioner wrote:
Thu Mar 30, 2017 6:00 pm
I think his stage presence is horrible and unprofessional(I've seen Petra live 5 times with him and truly couldn't even look at him).
Sorry, what? I always thought Greg Volz had terrific stage presence, and he was a master at working/controlling the crowd.

As for being unprofessional, is there some standard of professionalism that a rock singer is supposed to aspire to? I always thought the basic rule for rock-n-roll was "anything goes".
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Re: CPR

Post by curt » Sun Apr 09, 2017 2:22 am

Let's not forget that it is very hard to discuss these matters since it does depend to a very high degree on personal taste. When the word "professional" is used with regard to arts it is not used in quite the same objective sense as in a business context.

However, I agree with Mountain Man that Greg did very well on stage. I also think - as opposed to Brent - that he has a very huge expression of soul in his voice. I actually think that quite many of the songs from his era would have been a bit "too much" if it was not for the soul and credibility he gave them. You may not hear it, but I do.
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Re: CPR

Post by brent » Sun Apr 09, 2017 6:40 am

Greg knows what I think about his vocals, and I mean no disrespect to him, but you and I have very different opinions about what soul is.
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Re: CPR

Post by curt » Sun Apr 09, 2017 7:18 am

I never got the impression that you meant any disrespect. It is absolutely fair to differ on these matters.
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Re: CPR

Post by sue d. » Sat Apr 15, 2017 2:12 pm

i have to throw this out there:
I still think Bryan Duncan is the master of blue-eyed soul. I've always loved his voice.
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Re: CPR

Post by brent » Sat Apr 15, 2017 3:15 pm

Russ Taff too. He has soul.
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Re: CPR

Post by leonardo d. » Sat Apr 15, 2017 7:43 pm

Is this CPR project ever gonna be released? Has a date even been set??
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Re: CPR

Post by dihigo » Sat Apr 15, 2017 9:14 pm

leonardo d. wrote:
Sat Apr 15, 2017 7:43 pm
Is this CPR project ever gonna be released? Has a date even been set??
Kirk Henderson recently told me that he had to re-record a few guitar parts and that he didn't know when it would be released. Hopefully soon! T'would have been nice to have rocked out to the newly recorded "It Is Finished" in time for Good Friday!
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