The Petra Zone

Excerpt from the CM Central review of Farewell:

"Unfortunately, the modern renditions aren't quite as crisp or punchy as they've been in the past. Sure, the music holds strong, but Schlitt's vocals have all but given out from underneath him and, though he holds things together for the most part, the strain is obvious."

Discuss.

Well, in order to make sure I had everything in context, I did go to CMCentral and read the whole review. Unfortuately, it did not help much. As reviews go, it was certainly lacking; I hope no one got paid for writing it. Although everyone is entitled to their opinion (uneducated though it may be), I think it is extremely unfair in such a bland review to make such a blanket statement about John's vocals.

That being said, I will admit that John's voice does sound a bit strained on a couple of songs, especially during the Rock Medley; however on other songs it is perfectly clear and strong, so this reviewer gives the wrong impression to anyone who hasn't heard the CD. It is unrealistic to expect that a man who has been singing for 40 years (since high school) and is now in his mid 50s will sound like he did 10 and 20 years ago. The more fair comparisions would be J&H and Revival vocals, which in my opinion, sound as good or better than they do on the original CDs.

And another thing...(actually my roommate brought this to my attention initially), how many rock singers (of any age) have to sing for 10 minutes virtually without stopping such as John does during the rock medley? I can't think of any. Most lengthy songs are broken up by lengthy instrument solos. (Think "Stairway to Heaven")

I'll admit that I'm not the most objective critic when it comes to John/Petra, but I think the Farewell CD sounds awesome. I would challenge any group to record a live project under the same conditions and constraints. Some of the people I know who are not all that familiar with Petra can't believe that there are only 3 guys playing on most of the CD -- it sounds much bigger. It also sounds like there are more than a couple of hundred people in attendance. Sadly, most reviews are going to be written by someone in their 20s whose only real knowledge of Petra consists of the couple of old songs they may hear on the radio. They will be making comparisons to times long past, without regard for the character that aging and seasoning bring.

CM was sorta kind to Project Damage Control. They are always cautious to give a gung-ho review.

The key to the statement is the comparison of the live show, to the original studio tunes. Of course they won't be the same. The band is not the same. The era is not the same in some cases. John is not the same age in most cases. This is a concert recording, not a studio recording. In a studo recording, John has multiple attempts to make it happen, maybe cutting a couple of songs a day, instead of a whole CD. Then a studio record has the benefit of the engineers tweaking, editing, mixing, etc, making it much smoother in many ways that aren't obvious the the casual observer.

I wouldn't take offense to that statement if I were John. Anyone that is a fan knows that they had been touring. John and Bob aren't spring chickens any more. Heck. John is almost 60, right? I hope that I can stand upright and pee on my own when I am 60! Touring is a young mans' game. John is not in the same physical condition, and he has changed in tone a bit.

Again, John knows what he can do. The fan's know what he can do. I know what he can do. I have some high notes of his on my hard drive that will make eery hair on your body stand and salute. I would put John in concert up against Steve Perry, or any other rocker his age any day!

Here's the direct link:
http://www.cmcentral.com/reviews/4092.html


"Schlitt's vocals have all but given out"

Say what? I'm not sure what this guy is listening to. Truthfully, I don't think it was the best idea to do a live recording in the middle of a tour like that. The guys probably weren't rested properly, but I don't think it was reflected in the performance in any way.

Opinions are like certain body parts - everyone has one.

Well, mhhh, really... what we can wait from CMC?
Anyone is surprised? Don't see the reason.

"It's must be justlike, just like Judas kiss"

Mhhhh...

John is almost 60, right? I hope that I can stand upright and pee on my own when I am 60!

No, he's 55.

You must be awful young, Brent, to think it would be an amazing task to stand at age 60. When the average American lifespan is 80+, someone age 60 is still considered to be a fairly young chicken!

They say that when you are 20 you have the body that you are given. By the time you are 30 you have the body that you earned.

I am 38. My back feels like its 50 right now. All those years on the road, loading in and out with no back support, lifting the wrong way. We just didn't think about it being young and stupid. Maybe we did and just didn't care because it was faster, etc. Combine that with a couple of car injuries.

Lead singers who can't sing anymore in their 40's!!!

Joe Eliott - Def Lepard
Axl Rose- Guns n Roses
Vince Neil - Motley Crue
The guy from Warrent
David Lee Roth
ect. ect. ect.

+40 Mick Jagger

Most 80's rockers cannot hit half of what they did back then. John was at his peak in his 40's! I think you can forgive a little strain given all the information. Also, anyone can have a night where they struggle to hit certain notes. I've seen John struggle a couple times, then I've seen him come right back and nail those notes!

The only guy I have heard that sounds as crisp as he did 20 years ago is Michael Sweet. That dude sounds identical to how he did back then! When I saw them in concert last year I kept saying to myself, "They couldn't have been any better if I saw them late 80's!

Was Mick Jagger EVER able to sing?

Another still touring rocker who can't sing well at all anymore is Kevin Cronin of REO, he's 54. (Yes, I know there are those who think he could never sing well, but they will go nameless for now.) I've never heard Michael Sweet in concert, but I'd venture to say he hasn't spent as much time touring as most of the others. Another guy who sings really well is Dennis DeYoung, but there again, he doesn't tour all that much anymore and so his pipes don't have as many miles on them as some.

You know, I just listened to Head East Live and except for the fact that a couple of the songs are in a higher key than John sings in now, I think he sounds better and stronger for the most part now. Some of that might be the difference in production then and now, but certainly not all of it.

He. I don't think Michael Sweet isn't 55 yet. I wanted to go to a Stryper show when they were in my area but I was too buried in school. I think John sounds as good now as he did ten years ago; he's bound to struggle occasionally when they've been doing so many shows in a row.

Dennis DeYoung and Steve Perry...They were my heart throbs in the 80s. Of course, I was only 19 or 20, what does a 19 or 20 year old know? I love those old Styx and Journey songs.

This might actually sound strange but my wife and I were talking the other night about John's vocals on "Farewell" and we both like them more live than on the studio albums of the past. I like the rawness of his vocals especially on the rock medley. Go and listen to Mine Field in the medley and listen to him sing "smell the burnig powder there is danger in the air" it gives me goose bumps everytime I hear it; That is John at his finest!

I love those old Styx and Journey songs.

Mr. ROBOTO!!! DO MO MO MO!

I like that one, but my favorites are "Come Sail Away", "Babe", and "Rockin' The Paradise".

We all know there is a stigma about Petra in CCM...so for having said that...it was a good article!

John could out Mick Jaggar...standing on his head w/ the Flu!

I think this guy clearly is not a fan of Petra...and probably is some young guy they hired out of college to earn some extra cash. The truth of the matter is that John did have some songs that were clearly rough! IMO...the first song is flat through a majority of it...and he also has some lyrical mishaps too. He totally redeems himself on the second song and gets better from that point. The Rock medley made me feel as if i were a kid again! TOTALLY ROCKED I really like the cd...and I think that anyone who goes out and buys it....will understand it's live (cause it says LIVE) there will be missed notes, and yelliing of the crowd ect.... If a live cd doesn't have those things then it really isn't live is it? Too much tweaking can really mess up the vibe of the show.

For the first time, today, i've been able to listen to Farewell through headphones. It sounds even better. I'ven been able to hear and pick up stuff I didn't hear before.
I'm not very objective, either, when it comes to Petra, I LIKED John's and Greg X Volz's vocals, taking in account the circumstances of age, "tour fatigue", etal.