The Petra Zone

I was thinking today of a potential list of great/seminal/essential CCM albums. If you were to make a list of such albums, what would you include? Here is what I had for a starter. I had to limit myself to only one Petra album.

Beyond Belief - Petra
Awaiting Your Reply - Resurrection Band
Freedom - White Heart
Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay
Jesus Freak - DC Talk
Fire and Love - Guardian
For Him Who Has Ears to Hear - Keith Green

That's a start anyway. I was also tempted to include I Predict 1990 by Steve Taylor, but it's been a long time since I've heard it. I don't remember it that well. Those are based on my own tastes. I await other suggestions by artists such as: Stryper, Whitecross, Bride, etc. So add away!

I've always thought The Way Home by Russ Taff was a great one. Medals is good too but very dated.

Petra - Beat the System (it brought me to faith)
WhiteHeart - Freedom
Keith Green - Jesus Commands Us to Go!
Rich Mullins - The Jesus Record
Third Day - Third Day

Of course, there are many more great albums that could be on that list as well. Some more I thought of: Petra - Beyond Belief, Ashley Cleveland - Bus Named Desire, Rez - Civil Rites, Whiteheart - Tales of Wonder, Amy Grant - Lead Me On, to name a few...

And that doesn't even take into consideration that great Christian metal albums that should be mentioned as well...

Ummm...hello??? Every heard of a little album called "Only Visiting this Planet" by a guy named Larry Norman? I would argue that album should get automatic inclusion on any list.

Also if you ever heard Rez Bands "Lament" it is by far the best Rez album. Although it was not well received in general, I place it in my top 5 for sure. Awaiting Your Reply only gets included because of the era in which it was released, not because of how great the album is.

Petra - Beyond Belief
dc Talk - Jesus Freak
Newsboys - Take Me To Your Leader
Audio Adrenaline - Bloom
All Star United - All Star United
Michael W Smith - I 2 (Eye)
Poor Old Lu - Sin
White Heart - Freedom
Skypark - Am I Pretty
Guardian - Buzz
Vigilantes of Love - Blister Soul
Passafist - Eternity Squared
Daniel Amos - Darn Floor Big Bite
The Choir - O How The Mighty Have Fallen
77s - Pray Naked
Iona - Open Sky
Paul Baloche - Our God Reigns
Red Sea -Blood
Steve Taylor - I Predict 1990
Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay
Prayer Chain - Shawl
Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise
Third Day - Third Day
Pierce Pettis - Making Light of It
Glass Harp - Live at Carnegie Hall
Rage of Angels - Rage of Angels
Altar Boys - Gut Level Music
Fernando Ortega - Home
Skillet - Hey You I Love Your Soul
Juliana Theory - Understand this is a Dream
Lost Dogs - The Lost Cabin and the Mystery Trees
Mad at the World - Seasons of Love

Just off the top of my head...I'm sure there's way more.

I guess this depends on the definition of essential. I might consider an album to be a favorite of mine, but not really consider it "essential" because it doesn't have any historic significance to speak of. Going from the historic significance angle, but only in bands (or albums) I like:

Petra - Never Say Die
Petra - Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out
Petra - Beyond Belief
Resurrection Band - Awaiting Your Reply
White Heart - Don't Wait for the Movie
Larry Norman - Only Visiting This Planet
Bride - Snakes in the Playground
Steve Taylor - I Want to Be a Clone
Stryper - To Hell With the Devil
Guardian - Fire and Love
Whitecross - Triumphant Return
Tourniquet - Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance
DeGarmo and Key - Communication
Project 86 - Drawing Black Lines
P.O.D. - The Fundamental Elements of Southtown
Disciple - This Might Sting a Little
Demon Hunter - Demon Hunter
Living Sacrifice - Reborn
Skillet - Collide
Newsboys - Take Me to Your Leader
Grammatrain - Flying
Family Force 5 - Dance or Die
Deliverance - Weapons of Our Warfare
dc Talk - Free at Last
dc Talk - Jesus Freak
Jars of Clay - Jars of Clay
Audio Adrenaline - Bloom

And that doesn't even get into artists like Amy Grant (Age to Age, Father's Eyes) or Michael W. Smith or the Imperials...

Why has no one mentioned David Meece?

Don't forget Mylon Lefevre & Broken Heart - Face the Music.

daveferrari wrote:Also if you ever heard Rez Bands "Lament" it is by far the best Rez album. Although it was not well received in general, I place it in my top 5 for sure. Awaiting Your Reply only gets included because of the era in which it was released, not because of how great the album is.

Agreed. Lament is a masterpiece.

BriGuyPEI wrote:

daveferrari wrote:Also if you ever heard Rez Bands "Lament" it is by far the best Rez album. Although it was not well received in general, I place it in my top 5 for sure. Awaiting Your Reply only gets included because of the era in which it was released, not because of how great the album is.

Agreed. Lament is a masterpiece.[/quote
I truly enjoy that album also, I love Song & Dance the best. Also the reprise at the end sums it all up for me.

Daniel wrote:Why has no one mentioned David Meece?

executioner wrote:

BriGuyPEI wrote:

daveferrari wrote:Also if you ever heard Rez Bands "Lament" it is by far the best Rez album. Although it was not well received in general, I place it in my top 5 for sure. Awaiting Your Reply only gets included because of the era in which it was released, not because of how great the album is.

Agreed. Lament is a masterpiece.[/quote
I truly enjoy that album also, I love Song & Dance the best. Also the reprise at the end sums it all up for me.

Agreed that Lament is superb. I guess it gets back to what "essential" means. Awaiting Your Reply was a groundbreaking album, arguably the first-ever Christian metal record, and the songs still hold up extremely well today -- far better than anything from Petra's first three albums, in my opinion. By 1981, when Petra broke through with Never Say Die, REZ had already released three top-notch records in Awaiting Your Reply, Rainbow's End and Colours, and in '81, they released Mommy Don't Love Daddy Anymore.

Sorry, that's a little bit of a tangent, but my point is that Awaiting Your Reply is obviously included because of when it was released, but that it's also a strong album in its own right. The time it was released makes it even more impressive.

Stryper- Soldiers Under Command
Stryper- To Hell With the Devil
Petra- More Power To Ya
Petra- Beyond Belief
Steve Taylor- Meltdown
Steve Taylor- I Predict 1990
Holy Soldier (Self Titled Debut)
Mylon Lefevre and Broken Heart- Crack the Sky
Shout- It Won't Be Long
Amy Grant- Unguarded
Amy Grant- Heart in Motion
Michael W. Smith- Project
Michael W. Smith- Go West Young Man
Degarmo & Key- Street Light
Degarmo & Key- The Pledge
DC Talk- Free at Last
DC Talk- Jesus Freak
Rebecca St. James- God
Tamplin (Self Titled Benson Debut)
John Schlitt- Shake
Age of Faith (Self Titled Debut)
Third Day (Self Titled Debut)
Tait- Empty