Petra Re-Records Classic Album

[Lirpa Loof]

Legendary Christian rock band Petra announced today that they will be re-recording one of their classic albums in an updated style.

In 2005, Petra recorded a farewell CD and then formally disbanded. Last year, a previous lineup of Petra from the early 1980s re-formed and recorded a new CD of some of their own classic material; that version of the band, calling themselves "Classic Petra," is currently touring. Not long after that CD, Back to the Rock, was released, "Classic Petra" announced their intention of recording another CD of covers of classic Petra material; today they announced what the content of that new CD would be.

"We've been noticing that a lot of 1980s trends have resurfaced," explains Bob Hartman, the sole remaining founding member of Petra. "The music sounds like the 80s. Some of the clothing styles from the 80s are back. Our original fans are approaching their 80s. So we thought it would be great to record some of our pre-80s music in the style around the time Classic Petra recorded our last album as a band in the 80s."

That album was entitled Beat the System, and it has a decidedly synth-rock style and feel to it. "We're using a lot of samples and synthesized instruments," reports John Lawry, synthesizer player of Classic Petra. "Bob's even broken out his synth guitar from back then. It's been a lot of fun remembering how we did things all those years ago!"

But what songs will they be recording?

"I've been playing some shows in the past couple of years with the original version of Petra. We got together back in the early 70s, and so we recorded a couple of albums before the 80s. So in order to record pre-80s songs in an 80s style, we had to go back to those albums. What would be the sense in recording songs from the 80s in a style from the 80s?" Hartman snorts. "That would be like painting a frog green or spraying perfume on a rose. No creativity involved there."

Petra decided to do something that has rarely been done before: they are re-recording an entire album in a new style. "We decided to go with the first Petra album, which is just called Petra," Hartman reports. "The songs are great for a really buzzy synthersizery treatment. We have a blues song on there that we're re-imagining in the style of Tiffany, and there's a country song that we're giving the Billy Idol treatment. Petra fans are going to hear some Petra songs like they've never heard them before."

Will Petra fans like the new album? "At this point, to be honest, most of our fans are getting so old that they don't hear so well anyway, so they won't really notice," Hartman says. "Hopefully the kids out there right now who listen to Ke$ha and The Black Eyed Peas and those guys will pick up on our 80s vibe and like it, too. We're thinking of making a video for one of the songs with that guy who directed the last Katy Perry video, but that's not for sure yet. But don't worry: we're back, and we're gonna rock your socks off!"

80s style.

[kirkraz]

-

[pmal]

What's funny is that they really could do Lucas McGraw with a hidden track on the next album in that style and people here would love it.

[Shell]

Hehe....I always look forward to the Lipra Loof posts every year, I get a kick out of them. Well done.

Did we ever decide who this was?

[loengard]

Gotta love April 1st... Love the quotes "Bob" makes.... Fans approaching their '80s.... ha!

[Jan]

Bob snorts? I did not know that.

[brent]

Petra 2005 will re-recording Classic Petra's Back To The Rock.

[Boray]

I read through about half of it before I got it. But it's 2/4 today...