Customer Reviews

Petra Means Rock

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Gather around children while I tell you a bedtime story. You see, years ago in a decade far far away began a rock-n-roll band named Petra. They released two albums in the 70's ("Petra" and "Come and Join Us") before signing with Star Song Records. Under the Star Song label, Petra recorded "Washes Whiter Than" (1979), "Never Say Die" (1981), "More Power To Ya" (1982), "Not of This World" (1983), "Beat the System" (1984), the live album "Captured in Time and Space" (1986), "Back to the Streets" (1986), "This Means War" (1987), and "On Fire" (1988) ... whew, I'm out of breath. As soon as Petra signed up with Word/Epic and released "Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out" (1989), Star Song saw fit to mix older Petra songs on one CD and come out with an endless list of "best-of" collections. This is the first album of its kind, and it also is Star Song's best effort. Anything after this becomes redundant ("Petraphonics", "Rock Block", etc.), and many of these later "best-of's" include remixed/remastered "mega-hits" (sort of a medley). Enjoy this collection of rock-n-roll gems. Good night and sweet dreams.

Petra is a ROCK band. They've cranked out hits for over three decades now. Secular arena rock fans should have no problem listening to these guys. They fit perfectly into anyone's rock catalogue and sound right comfortable there. They are perhaps the most influential Christian band in any genre. You could make an argument for Amy Grant in the pop genre, but she sang secular tunes to reach the masses whereas Petra has always been about the Gospel.

Though I enjoy many of the songs with Greg X. Volz on this particular album (some of the best ones on hear are fronted by him), I'm one of those latter-day Petra fans who started listening to the band after John Schlitt took over. Don't forget that Bob Hartman is the true driving force behind this band. Responsible for almost all of this band's tunes and usually contributing something to the ones he didn't write, Hartman deserves a special place in the halls of Christian rock history.

Favorites of mine include "Judas' Kiss," "All Fired Up," "Stand Up" and "He Came, He Saw, He Conquered." Other big hits include "Counsel of the Holy" and "Shakin' The House."

If you enjoy arena rock in the vein of Kansas, you're sure to enjoy Petra. They are one of the best things to come out of Christian music and they will keep influencing bands for many decades to come.

Very strong, with lyrics that make one think how Jesus would respond.

Enough gumph for my subwoofer/amp

Lord be praised.

First off, there are way to many Petra 'best of' cds out there. I am sure it's the record companies decision and Petra had little to say on the subject. With so many out there you might have a little trouble deciding which to go with. I would highly recommend going with this one as it is more complete than the other ones. You get all the essentials of Petra like "Shakin' The House" "Hit You Where You Live" "Judas Kiss" and "Angel Of Light". This best of cd features both singers and gives equal time to each one.

This is a good one to get for those wanting a good compilation that has songs from the pre Beyond Belief Petra. Actally you could buy this, "Beyond Belief" "Unseen Power" "Wake-Up Call" "No Doubt" "God Fixation" "Jekyl And Hyde" and you would have all the Petra you need. Maybe "Captured In Time And Space" to get live Petra songs like "Grave Robber" and "Speak To The Sky" would make this complete. That's my opinion and die hard fans would probably say "This Means War" is an essential album to buy also.

Stand out songs: "Hit You Where You Live" "Shakin'The House" and "Angel Of Light"

And yes, I know even this compilation is not perfect(It needs "This Means War" and a few more from "On Fire" in my opinion) but it is the best out there so far. If you can find the long out of print box set "War And Rememberance" then great, because that is another one worth including in your collection.

Right, firstly the songs on this album are all rocky so get used to it. Ballad likers wont bat an eye over this album! Althought they should because these are some of the biggest songs ever penned by petra during the eighties! I was well glad to see they had "Killing My Old Man" and "Angel Of Light" on this one, two of my fav sopngs when Greg was lead singer. But why is This Means War not on here for? That is another very heavy rocker?!! Dont ask me. But still this album boasts memorable tracks like "Judas Kiss" and "Shakin The House" which should nto be missed. Please people out there get this album now. Get away fromt he world and rock and get on your knees and fight like a man!!

I have been a fan of Petra for the last 17 years. I started when Greg Volts was the lead singer. Their songs are awesome. So much meaning, and it's nice to see a band that doesn't lose their message or integrity through years of success.

If you like your Christian Music on the heavier side, this is one CD you should own. It is a collection of their heavier sounding stuff. I also recommend Petra Praise 2 with this one. It has a variety of styles and works well with this CD.

This is my favorite Petra CD, it has all my favorite songs of there's plus four songs that are new to me. This is a must have if you don't have any of these songs from Petra.

Petra is a Contemporary Christian Music institution. The long-running band is more or less the Christian rock equivalent of Journey, and had a hand in introducing the very concept of Christian rock. They're also the first band remotely resembling rock music that I ever heard, so they still have a special place in my heart for Petra's `80s material.

The 1989 compilation Petra Means Rock is about the best Petra collection I've run across. Not only is it a pretty comprehensive collection of the band's classic `80s material (though "Grave Robber" is a glaring omission), it also collects the band's more rocking songs. Most of the songs are from the Greg Volz years, but there are a few of the harder-rocking John Schlitt songs as well. All told, there are a hefty 17 songs on this disc, which may just be all the Petra you need. The sound quality is decent, but is far from what you'd hear today. A good digital remastering would do wonders for this one.

Whether you're looking for a time capsule of Petra's rocking heyday or want to introduce someone to this classic band, Petra Means Rock is an ideal collection, especially since a good used copy is easily affordable.

I genrally do not like compolations, but this is the only Petra greatest hits worth owning (and there are many greatest hits cds out by Petra.) This is well worth your money.