Search - Petra :: Ultimate Collection

Well, it comes close to the ultimate collection

Francis King | Calgary, AB, Canada | 08/26/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like the other artists in this Sparrow series of double-cd retrospectives -- the others are Twila Paris, Keith Green, Phillips Craig and Dean, Michael Card, Susan Ashton, Charlie Daniels Band and Steve Green -- Petra was a survivor in an industry that loves to dispose of veteran acts, put their CDs out of print and treat them like they never existed. Just think of WhiteHeart as an example (what? Never heard of WhiteHeart? Exactly).



As the other review indicates, this package does a pretty good job of sampling the band's God-glorying output on the Star Song and Sparrow labels. You get a good idea of how Bob Hartman and company started as a pop band with rock ambitions, then graduated to a wildly popular metal-edged arena rock sound with vocalist John Schlitt. When grunge and dance music wiped out that genre, the band struggled to find relevance and a viable musical direction, while still praising the Father and the work he's done through the Son.



Sadly, the albums it put out during that struggle -- Double Take, Revival and God Fixation -- are ignored. Sure, the fans might not have loved them, but the title of the package says ultimate collection. So something from these albums should have made the cut. And I'll bet there are good songs on each that should have been included anyway.



Two other albums, both live in concert, were also ignored: Captured in Time and Space and this year's rockin' Farewell. Why?



Finally, there's the issue of mediocre packaging. It plagues the Twila Paris collection (the only other one in this series I own) and it's just as bad here. We get a decent essay by Bob himself, but all the band pictures are from just after Schlitt joined. No lineups before or after. In fact, no members are even identified in the essay except Hartman, Schlitt and Greg X. Volz, who preceeded Schlitt. So the essay comes up quite short in giving us a decent history of the band's 33 years.



Just one other thing: I Love the Lord, from Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out is identified as one of the songs. But that song never appears on either disc. Instead, we get I Love You Lord, from Petra Praise 2. Great song, good arrangement, but still an error that means we get two songs from Petra Praise 2 and none from The Rock Cries Out. Bummer.



Still, this is the closest we may ever get to a complete Petra retrospective. So my concerns shouldn't stop you from picking it up. You won't be disappointed, 'cause when all's said and done, neither am I."

Great Compilation!!!

Louie Bourland | Garden Grove CA | 05/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After 33 years of music and ministry, the long-running Christian rock band Petra called it a day at the end of 2005. What better time than now to release a retrospective that covers the meat of what this band was all about.

Although there have been numerous Petra compilations over the years, "The Ultimate Collection" is the first and so far only one to have been made with the full cooperation from the band. The collection was personally compiled by Petra founder Bob Hartman and offers and excellent insight to key moments in Petra's long history.

Disc one covers the early years as well as the classic years with lead singer Greg X. Volz. Classics such as "The Coloring Song", "More Power To Ya", "Grave Robber", "Not Of This World" and "Beat The System" are all included here and the message is still as hard hitting as it was back in the day.

The second disc picks up in 1986 with John Schlitt replacing Volz and carrying the band to its finish. Staples such as "Thankful Heart", "All Fired Up", "This Means War", "Beyond Belief", "Sight Unseen" "We Need Jesus" and "Jekyll and Hyde" fill this half of the compilation and show that even though their popularity somewhat waned during the later years, the music was still as strong and powerful as ever (witness "Jekyll and Hyde", the title track from Petra's final studio album).

All in all, while there are some standout tracks missing here, Petra's "Ultimate Collection" is just about as close as one can get to being a definite retrospective of this very important band. There's so many heart-stirring memories packed in these songs and while Petra may be gone now, their music will definitely live on for a very long time. The evidence is right here in this collection.

Indespesible!!!



God Bless Petra for their many years of music and ministry. Thanks for the memories and for the great music.





"

Superb

S. Peek | Rocky Mountains, USA | 10/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'The Ultimate Collection' is a superb double CD set containing many of Petra's best hits.



As one of the premier bands in Christian rock history, this is a great CD for anyone to get. You can't go wrong with it. Petra's music is energetic and inspirational. They have great vocals and a terrific overall sound.



They have so many great hits on this album that I won't bother to mention any specific ones. There are no bad songs here. I would consider this a must have album for any fan of contemporary Christian music or even rock and roll in general."