The Petra Zone

If you visit my Petra Farewell page and click "Compare tracks to the original recordings" (right under the track list) you can listen to clips of the original recordings back to back with the live recordings of the same songs. I didn't do the medleys (too many songs!), but all of the others are included (even John Lawry's keyboard solo!) I tried to cut the clips as close to the same spots as I could, to make for a fair comparison.

It's cool to hear how much harder "Amazing Grace" rocks! "Beyond Belief" comes off rockier in the live version, too. It's also interesting to note that they played a few of the songs in a different key. Figure that one out. Some of the songs don't sound quite as punchy compared to their studio counterparts ("Test of Time" is a prime example), although it's clearly a case of "sounds better in the context of the concert than out of context." Strangely, "Jekyll & Hyde" has a different quality to it... the album track is more aggressive, but the concert track is more sinister. And "He Came, He Saw..." is noticeably faster in the live version.

Great idea with the comparisons side by side - wow so good to hear.

well done!

Thanks. That was Cool!!

I assume by "different key" you meant lower key live as opposed to the studio. That's very typical. Although most people who like the 80's metal voices want them in the clouds, the truth of the matter is the studio covers up a multitude of sins. Singing in a lower key helps them to hold it together better live.

Greg was really singing lower and, as pointed out by another, struggled to hold it together; especially on Graverobber. It's wasn't that he was terribly off key. IT just sounded like such a struggle to keep it tight. He used to really be able to get up in the clouds live and just nail it.

Most of the songs are in the same key as the studio recordings; it's just a few that are different.

The Volz clip is unfortunate; he sounds pretty wobbly on that first chorus, with that craaaaazy vibrato, but I wanted to match the clip I had for the original song. On the second chorus he sounds much more solid.

MJ - you got WAAAAY too much time on your hand!!!!

HAHAHAHA!!

But thats a great idea. I don't have the chance to listen to it, till I get my puter going again, but just reading the descriptions, it sounds really interesting to make the comparisons.

You rock, MJ!

Michael wrote: Strangely, "Jekyll & Hyde" has a different quality to it... the album track is more aggressive, but the concert track is more sinister. And "He Came, He Saw..." is noticeably faster in the live version.

none of the live renditions i've heard of "Jeckyll & Hyde" (including the one i've seen live at the Petra concert in S�o Paulo in 2004) is nearly as good as the album cut.
reasons for that:
1- they sing it live on a lower key (D on the album, C live)
2- the live versions lack the reverber when John sings the "Hyyyyyyyyyyyde" on the chorus, and he also sustains this part more in the album than live.

It's pretty much impossible to get the punch of a carefully produced studio cut in a live recording like this.

I don't have the CD yet, but when I listened to the song clips I noticed that most of the songs on Farewell are a half step lower than their original recordings. for instance "Jekyll and Hyde," which is in D minor on the studio album, was played in C-sharp minor on Farewell. "Beyond Belief" is in the key of E on the studio album, and E-flat on farewell.

I really loved listening to the clips and hearing how different they sound compared to the original recordings I'm so familiar with. And the keyboard solo clip really cracked me up and totally amazed me. ("J-j-j-Jesus loves you j-j-j, J-J-J, j-j-j-j-j-Jesus loves you") that's so cool, lol lol lol

Actually what musicians do is tune there instruments to 430 instead of 440 like on the albums, slightly lower than 440. It saves the lead singers voice to actually survive touring. I know, I was a lead singer that sang like John,Greg of Petra and almost everyone does it. Bride actually recorded in 430 and you thought Dale Thompson was this great singer didn't you!! I highly doubt that John Schlitt could even sing those older songs in 440 any longer or even did the first time since you can change the key of any song with the right equipment. Creed is a classic example that is super hard to do live without lowering it just alittle so a male can hit those high notes in falsetto. When it comes to Greg X Volz not being up to par I strongly disagree, the differences is just in his style of the song, he's been singing these same songs with his tracks for over 20 years. I believe for man being in his 50's he still holds his own very well.

I personally feel like the vocals on Farewell are great, but you arre not ever going to get the same quality out of a live album that you get out of a studio album. All artists sing a step slower/lower live than in the studio.
I know Bon Jovi sings his older stuff live it is alot more low than the actual studio versions.

I watched part of a U2 concert (from the year 2002) on television and noticed that the band took some songs down a whole step (two half-steps), including "Pride / In the Name of Love" and "Sunday Bloody Sunday." What's odd is that they took "Out of Control" up a half-step.

executioner wrote:I know Bon Jovi sings his older stuff live it is alot more low than the actual studio versions.

I saw their set from the Live8 deal, and Jon Bon Jovi it seems doesn't even try to hit the high notes any more as they were provided by a track. He'd stop singing, let the track take it for a few seconds, then start singing again.

beak wrote:When it comes to Greg X Volz not being up to par I strongly disagree...

It's quite apparent from the Farewell recording that he certainly doesn't have the pipes he used to. Listen to "Grave Robber" on Captured in Time and Space where he effortlessly hits every note in the song. On Farewell, he audibly strains to hit the high notes, and other times he doesn't even try which lends his performance a rather flat quality that lacks "pop" (as my wife put it).

He's still a good singer, no doubt, but he's not the singer he used to be.

Yeh, Greg isn't exactly like he used to be, he didn't do all that fancy stuff like on the live album that was like 20 years ago. I'm sure we all wanted that recorded again, exactly like it was 20 years ago. I really never heard much straining on Greg's side but with John I hear ALOT of straining, but I understand completely, shows catch up to you after singing almost every night. When it comes to losing the so called POP, I would say that's completely your opinion. For a fifty plus guy I would say he sounds excellent to me. BEAK