PETRA-Wake Up Call-BOB CARLISLE-Christian-Rock-TAPE-US.

 This audio tape is ORIGINAL - NOT A COPY. It comes in the original tape's case in excellent condition, no slots or holes drilled in case.

10  SONG SELECTIONS SEE BELOW  
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REVIEWS-

(NOTE: Some of the reviews may mention things not pretaining to the item for sale or up for bid.)______________________________________________________________________

  ery solid effort, September 8, 2006
By  voyager - See all my reviews

This album is a very solid effort from Petra, and is indicative of the direction they should have gone (and continued) with subsequent efforts. It sounds far more modern, more in tune with 90s music, and really works well for the band. Sure, it's southern rock and has a few country influences to it, but I like it!

I always found the ballad 'He's Been in my Shoes' really boring however, and this album does suffer with a few too many slow songs on the second half (though 'Just Reach Out' is an amazing song lyrically and musically). Indeed, the first two songs really rock, and so do a few on the second half, but a lot of this album is more 'poppy' than previous efforts.

Blame it on the producer (pop producer Brown Bannister was behind the wheel of this one), or just the fact that Petra was getting older ... this still is a standout album in that it's a group effort, it sounds more modern and less 80s, and there's just some really fun songs to listen to.

Overall a very solid effort from Petra. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
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   3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
 Still sounds good, April 24, 2005
By  Kingston (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

Petra is an unusual band in two respects: they've been around since 1974, and as a Christian ministry, their music is mainly a vehicle for their message. They've had to periodically re-invent their sound in order to keep reaching as wide an audience as possible. If you listen to their back catalogue in order (which will take a while!), you can identify the records on which the musical chameleon that is Petra changes colour. "Wake Up Call" is one of them.

As a rabid fan of Petra's late '80s stadium rock sound (think "On Fire", "Unseen Power" and the incomparable "Beyond Belief"), I still remember shoving in my new cassette (!!) back in 1993 and listening in shock to their tight, stripped-down, bluesy new sound.

Bob Hartman takes a few licks out of Angus Young's book, while experimenting with guitar sounds from heavy blues to airy pop-rock. Louie Weaver enjoys all the extra drum notes he can play now that there isn't 3 seconds of reverb on each one. Ronny Cates keeps his tasty 5-string bass grooves tight and in the pocket. John Lawry (keys) adds colour and reminds us that the '80s weren't that long ago, and John Schlitt puts in his usual powerful performance behind the mike.

There are enough good tunes on this record to provide some good highlights for just about any listener, but for me there are two big ones. The smooth, driving groove in the verse and catchy chorus of "Praying Man", and the moving gospel-rock anthem "Just Reach Out" which still leaves me moist-eyed after a good listen.

I didn't give it five stars for a couple of reasons. I've always been a fan of Bob's guitar work. And I've always admired and appreciated his no-nonsense lyrics which make such a change from the vague wish-wash a lot of Christian artists sing. The problem is that Bob is a slave to rhyme, which results in quite a few lyrics that are awkward or trite. "Unseen Power" has more of these than most Petra records, but quite a few managed to sneak onto "Wake Up Call": "The wedding's gonna be so royal / So we gotta keep stayin' loyal / 'Cause our feet are gonna leave this soil..." Oh dear. The other reason is the lack of musical innovation on this record. A lot of the licks and chord sequences just leave me wondering where I've heard them before.

Overall, this is definitely worth a listen, both for the powerful spiritual message and foot-tapping bluesy rock hooks. If you want to hear Petra at their best, however, get "Beyond Belief". Then maybe get this. 

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BIOGRAPHIES-

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  Petra is one of the most successful Christian rock bands ever, a veritable institution whose name (taken from the Greek word for "rock") has come to reflect not only their music, but their staying power as well, even in spite of Christian radio's reluctance to program their brand of loud, slick arena-rock. Petra was formed in 1972 by guitarist Bob Hartman, who was attending the Christian Training Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the time; he recruited several fellow students — guitarist/vocalist Greg Hough, bassist John DeGroff, and drummer Bill Glover — to his cause, and the group began playing around the Fort Wayne area with backing from their school. Petra encountered early resistance to the very idea of Christian rock from many local churches, who held that the rock & roll sound was inherently evil; nevertheless, the group proved popular with younger Christians, and was signed to the Word Records subsidiary Myrrh in 1973. Their self-titled debut was released in 1974, and was more similar to the California country-rock of the Eagles than to the arena-rock that would dominate most of their career. The follow-up, Come and Join Us, did not appear until 1977, but it featured strong contributions from lead vocalist Greg Volz, as well as a harder-rocking sound.

Petra's lineup fluctuated over the next several years; in spite of the instability, they managed to record their first breakthrough effort, Washes Whiter Than, in 1979, which featured the Christian radio hit "Why Should the Father Bother." When the dust finally settled, the group consisted of Hartman, Volz, keyboardist John Slick, bassist Mark Kelly, and drummer Louie Weaver. The albums Never Say Die (1981), More Power to Ya (1982), and Not of This World (1983) did much to popularize the group, and in 1984, they were rewarded with a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Gospel Group and two Dove Award nominations (the first of many). For 1985's Beat the System, ex-Joe English Band keyboardist John Lawry replaced Slick; in 1986, Greg Volz left Petra for a solo career, and former Head East singer John Schlitt assumed vocal duties for Back to the Street. 1987's This Means War marked a successful transition to a less polished brand of rock & roll; subsequent efforts like 1988's On Fire!, which debuted bassist Ronny Cates, brandished a heavier guitar onslaught in the wake of Stryper's success as a Christian metal band, although Petra never neglected their trademark lush ballads. Petra has soldiered on through the 1990s with few signs of slowing down; 1995 saw Lawry replaced by Jim Cooper, as well as the addition of guitarist David J. Lichens. Subsequent efforts include 1998's God Fixation and 2000's Double Take.

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