The Petra Zone

So this is a question for you guys in the know. Why did Petra switch producers for one album? They were with the Elefante brothers for years then for Wake Up Call switched to Brown Bannister then back to the E bros. Why did this take place? Did they have a brief falling out with the Elefantes or was it a Word Record decision? Anyone know the answer to this puzzling question?

I don't know for sure, but I think it was a mistake going back to the Elephantes.

It was a matter of time. They were switching studios IIRC. There is an interview with Bob saying why. I think I have it correct.

Just found this on youtube http://youtu.be/0xNPxZG-l0w Bob made a statement (3:44) that it is lighter rock.......REALLY?? This is some of the heavier stuff until J&H! I have never seen some of this footage before, this must be a promo from the label. I have the vhs tape for Wake Up Call and alot of this is not on it. But it has been a long time since I have watched it so maybe it is on the vhs version, I will have to dig it out and watch it again.

This video was taken from:

http://www.petrafiles.com/petraspective/16VHS.html

Matthew RJ wrote:The quote I'm thinking of is 1:43-1:45. What sytle?

I think he says "We're planning to make Europe a regular stop." or am I decyphering the wrong bit?

I believe I remember Bob or John saying that they wanted a change to get a different sound/vibe and also they wanted to record in Nashville and the Elefantes were in California; It was nothing more than that. I felt like at the time they would have done better to stick with Brown Bannister after WUC because the next album was a disaster.

shawnpfan2010 wrote:Just found this on youtube http://youtu.be/0xNPxZG-l0w Bob made a statement (3:44) that it is lighter rock.......REALLY?? This is some of the heavier stuff until J&H! I have never seen some of this footage before, this must be a promo from the label. I have the vhs tape for Wake Up Call and alot of this is not on it. But it has been a long time since I have watched it so maybe it is on the vhs version, I will have to dig it out and watch it again.

Yeah a lot of that is not on the WUC Video; that's cool to see.

Bob made a statement (3:44) that it is lighter rock.......REALLY??

That's not exactly what he says. Watch it again. First he says there is some very kicking stuff and then he says there is some really nice lighter rock.

Shoes, Believer, Marks, Just Reach Out... I'd consider that some nice, lighter rock. He's saying there's something for everyone.

It would have been insteresting to hear No Doubt with Brown Bannister as producer. Bob talked about Wake Up Call being less processed, that would have done wonders for No Doubt. The way that album sounds I can listen to it once a month and that is enough.I hate to say that because the album has some really good songs on it but the sound is so digital it is hard to listen to.

shawnpfan2010 wrote:It would have been insteresting to hear No Doubt with Brown Bannister as producer. Bob talked about Wake Up Call being less processed, that would have done wonders for No Doubt. The way that album sounds I can listen to it once a month and that is enough.I hate to say that because the album has some really good songs on it but the sound is so digital it is hard to listen to.

So true about the No Doubt album; I've listened to it a total of 3 times through and I just can't stand anything about it. I think its the worst Petra album by far; at least Double Take had great production.

Ditto. No Doubt has crappy tone and and sound stage. The sound is typical of any E-Brothers Petra record. They are terrible sounding records IMO. I know they used a Trident console early on, and those are some of the harshest sounding consoles when pushed. Generally speaking, studios that couldn't afford a Neve, bought MCIs and APIs. If they couldn't afford APIs, they bought a Trident.

The problem with early digital productions was that digital was not that good, analog engineers were not used to or educated in calibration, etc. People thought it was plug n' play with analog machines, which it wasn't.

Digital manipulation of sound has been abused. Digital in and of itself has no sound, and that is the problem. Just because it is digital does not mean that it is automatically substandard or harsh. It is all about who is behind it too. The old guys that maximized analog like digital because of its realism and lack of noise and distortion. On the other hand, we have the young guys who love the old technology that the old guys couldn't wait to get rid of, and they like the noise and analog ways. I like both. Both have their place. The problem is people over do it, either way. The key is knowing when to say stop. It's tough.

Wake Up Call is one of my top favorite Petra albums. Great sound. I wish they could have continued with that vibe.

Mountain Man wrote:Wake Up Call is one of my top favorite Petra albums. Great sound. I wish they could have continued with that vibe.

LIKE