Back To The Rock Live Expanded CD/Download

[CatNamedManny]

Listening to the web preview and it sounds like an honest to goodness live album. Might actually be worth buying now.

So... I'm confused. It sounds more like a live album, and it is kind of a live album, in that it's the recording of the show they did in Nashville. But it includes in-studio additions to the music, partly to remove the backup recording they used in the show and partly to give it even more of a live feel, even though that was never actually done live? Is that the gist of it?

At what point is a live album simply a studio album with an audience track, a la the second half of Aerosmith's "Train Kept a Rollin'"?

[fcollazo]

I was there that night and every instrument was recorded live. they only added some extra support of tracks like like the way it done on standard procedure almost all mothern recordings. they wanted to do a very clear professional product. if you listen to their cornerstone concert that is available online you will see how are very raw recording of them sounds.

[Mountain Man]

Listening to the web preview and it sounds like an honest to goodness live album. Might actually be worth buying now.

So... I'm confused. It sounds more like a live album, and it is kind of a live album, in that it's the recording of the show they did in Nashville. But it includes in-studio additions to the music, partly to remove the backup recording they used in the show and partly to give it even more of a live feel, even though that was never actually done live? Is that the gist of it?

At what point is a live album simply a studio album with an audience track, a la the second half of Aerosmith's "Train Kept a Rollin'"?

As I understand it, Petra played live before an audience, working to a click track to maintain the same tempo as the studio album. When the concert was edited for television broadcast, the live instruments were, for whatever reason, largely replaced with studio tracks, leaving Greg's vocals as the only real live element. This was the same mix used in the first "live" album.

This particular mix dumps most (but not quite all) of the studio track and features the actual live instruments that were played during the show as well as some of the banter in between songs. I was listening to it on the way to work this morning and the thought struck me that it could just as well be called Captured in Time and Space 2.

[CatNamedManny]

As I understand it, Petra played live before an audience, working to a click track to maintain the same tempo as the studio album. When the concert was edited for television broadcast, the live instruments were, for whatever reason, largely replaced with studio tracks, leaving Greg's vocals as the only real live element. This was the same mix used in the first "live" album.

This particular mix dumps most (but not quite all) of the studio track and features the actual live instruments that were played during the show as well as some of the banter in between songs. I was listening to it on the way to work this morning and the thought struck me that it could just as well be called Captured in Time and Space 2.

Oh, OK. I was there, as well, and I've followed along well enough on what was "real" and what wasn't – agree that it was almost entirely real, with the exception of backing tracks when Bob did solos or whatnot; I take the band at its word on that – but I had missed the part about the editing for TV and the first live CD. I remembered a conversation in which the management said the band would record "live" the parts that had been dubbed in for the concert before the doc/live CD was released, so I was still working on that assumption. Based on what you're saying, it seems like they went a lot further than that, so I'm glad to hear this most recent album is more truly live and not a "live" in-studio overdub of pre-recorded tracks played at a live show, which seems ... unnecessary, to say the least.

[Mountain Man]

You can listen to the entire album for free on Classic Petra's website. It's pretty clear right from the start that it's not just a studio album with a piped in audience. Bob even flubs the guitar solo in "Bema Seat" but recovers with a little improvisation and continues on without missing a beat, which is a truly live moment that's rare even on live albums and was actually really cool to hear.