Beat the System ( #BOTB )

     The heat has come to Los Angeles.  I'd been seeing the hot weather reports from the rest of the country and now it's our turn.  Trying to minimize A/C use I'll be doing whatever I can to mostly stay home and beat the heat.  Maybe I can beat the heat, but I don't think I can beat the system.  However we can enjoy the beat of the music with another....

Battle of the Bands

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens each month on the 15th and on some there is also a Battle on the 1st of the month.  My blog is one of those with a second Battle excepting over these summer months.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Beat the System

        Recently I was housecleaning on a Saturday morning and playing a CD of "greatest hits" by the rock group Petra.  It had been many years since I'd listened to this music and I was enjoying those old songs I used to listen to so much back in the eighties.  After pausing the music to do some outside chores, I came back to resume listening to the next song which was "Beat the System"--one of my favorite cuts from the album of the same name released in 1984.

         But wait!  Something didn't sound right about the song and I was confused. Checking the CD sleeve credits I realized that this was a collection of remakes of songs originally sung by Petra's earlier singer Greg X Volz as updated with new singer John Schlitt.  They had recorded an album of cover versions of their own songs.  

       After my surprise about the difference in the sounds of the songs, I jumped on the idea of a Battle of the Band redoing their own song.  You can probably think of a lot of other great examples, but for now I hope you'll give this one a chance...

Petra (with Greg X Volz)  "Beat the System"  (1984)

 

Petra (with John Schlitt)  "Beat the System"  (2000)

Time to Vote!

           Face the heat and vote for your favorite.  Just listen and see what you think.  Which song version do you prefer?   Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.


Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Next Battle on Tuesday August 1

      

           Somewhere along the line I'll have results for this contest as long there is enough participation.  Maybe I'll have a thing to say about something else.  Maybe about the heat.  Or maybe about beating the system.  Stay cool..,

Battle of the Bands: Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus"

 
       After the Battle of the Bands (BOTB) took a turn for Christmas music in December I decided to join in the merriment to add my own picks.   If you're just joining me for a Battle of the Bands installment, you can find out more about it by visiting the sites of the founders at Far Away Series and Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends.  Somewhere on those sites you'll get the scoop on BOTB and you can vote on the match-ups they chose.

        I left a trail of clues leading to my pick for round #9 of BOTB.  Since I'm composing this entry ahead of time I don't know if anyone guessed my pick.  I think my clues were pretty blatant though perhaps not obvious.  As usual I relied on using lyrics embedded into my posts and this time I even used a homonym for the composer's name.  So if no one did guess, my pick for this battle is "The Hallelujah Chorus" from G.F. Handel's Messiah.

       Every Christmas season groups around the world perform the entire oratorio or at the very least the "Hallelujah Chorus".   Messiah is also often performed at Easter as well as other times of the year.  It's a great classical work that is among the most recognized of all.

        My reason for using this selection is because on the afternoon of Sunday December 1st I'll be performing  most of the Messiah with the L.A. Oratorio Chorus and Orchestra.  Sounds impressive doesn't it?  Actually we're something like 50 voices and a small orchestra of about seven instruments.  Last year we performed with only a piano and it was pretty stirring from the feedback I got from those in attendance.   We've been rehearsing this one day a month since January and I think we'll do a bang up job with it.  I'm especially excited about having the instrumental ensemble backing us this year.  

      I'm using three clips for this installment.  The first is a performance by chorus and orchestra as it was intended to be performed.  I offer this for anyone who is not familiar with this piece or in case you'd just like to hear it again.

Hallelujah Chorus from G.F. Handel's Messiah




       A number of smaller vocal groups have taken this piece on and it can work in an interesting way.  Here is one version:

"Hallelujah Chorus"   by The Oak Ridge Boys (2005)

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       One of the pioneer groups of Christian Rock is Petra.  Here is a clip which is a part of a larger medley they performed for the concert album and video Captured in Time and Space.    In my opinion frontman Greg X Volz is one of the greatest rock vocalists ever.  Check out what he and the band do with Handel's piece.  I only wish they had done a longer version.  By the way this is an excellent concert video for those who enjoy this style of music.


Petra (with Greg X Volz on vocal)  "Hallelujah Chorus"  (1984)


 

              Now Vote for Your Favorite!

      Do you prefer the Oak Ridge Boys?    Did you like what you heard from Petra?   Or are you a traditionalist and go with the classic version?   Cast your vote in the comment section and tell us why you chose as you did.

Then visit the other participants:

         Faraway Series
         Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
         Your Daily Dose
         DiscConnected

      And if you feel inspired to contribute your own Battle then let us know if the comments so we can visit yours.

         Do you ever perform with a choral group that does Handel's Messiah?   Have you ever attended a full presentation of the Messiah?    Do you enjoy this type of music?

Related articles

• The A - Z of Music: H
• 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' #8 (Or, 'SATCHMO VERSUS DARIN')
• Handel's Messiah
• Battle of the Bands: Respect

Do Angels Play Electric Harps?

              In the summer of 1976 I went to see Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band in concert in Knoxville, Tennessee.  I had been a fan of Bob Seger since 1969 when his band was called Bob Seger System and they released the Ramblin' Gamblin' Man album which had a cover graced with an angelic looking female standing on a field of breaking ice.  There was something spiritual about the cover that appealed to me.  And the music rocked.

             The band changed in the 70s, but Seger's style was pretty much the same.  When I heard he was coming to Knoxville I was anxious to see him.  He was going to be the opening act for some band called Kiss.  I was familiar with Kiss, but I was not a fan. To me they were an Alice Cooper wannabe band that didn't play music as good as Cooper's.  I would have to tolerate Kiss in order to see Bob Seger.

             Seger and his band were great.  Since I had paid for the ticket I stayed for Kiss to see what they were all about.  The music was as I expected, but live it was much more exciting.  It was the show spectacle itself that impressed me.  I had previously been very impressed by Alice Cooper's elaborate stage production, but the Kiss concert presentation was bigger.  The lighting was strewn throughout the entire coliseum.   There were portions of the stage that would elevate and huge flames that spewed from either side of the stage.  The audience was sucked into the show.  When I left that night, I was still not a Kiss fan, but I was amazed by the production of the show.

             In the days that followed I began to envision a rock band that played Christian oriented music in a live lavish concert presentation such as I had seen with Kiss.   In my mind I could see "GOD" in huge letters festooned with lights hanging over a coliseum.  Special lighting and pyrotechnic effects would enhance the musical experience as a stage presentation that included flying angels and orbs of light would dazzle the audience.   The entire experience would be mind boggling visual displays and spiritually soaring rock and roll music.

             I had been a big fan of  the musical Jesus Christ, Superstar and any songs that seemed remotely related to God, Jesus, or spirituality.  At the time I did not know that God rock or any rock music that actually aligned itself with Christianity existed.  I was ready for it.  Not only was I ready for Christian rock, I was ready for some more modern music to replace the boring music that I had been used to hearing in church.  I had stopped going to church by then, but I thought if the music changed maybe I would go back.

              A decade later, sometime in  early 1985, I was driving at night somewhere in the vicinity of Northern Virginia.   Apparently we had been driving for a while and I must have been getting tired because I stopped listening to cassettes and decided to listen to the radio.  Sometimes when driving fatigue starts to hit me I like to see what's on the radio to perk up my interest.  An unfamiliar song was playing.  It sounded good, with a driving drum beat and nice vocal and instrumental work.  As I listened closely the subject matter of the lyrics was distinctly Christian related.  The dj identified the song as "Yield to the Spirit" by the Joe English Band.

           In the days to come I began seeking out the Joe English Band album What You Need.  It was not easy until I realized that I needed to go to a Christian book store that also sold music.  I finally located the album and while in the store found another album--Beat the System by Petra--which captured my attention.  Soon I was hooked on Christian music.  I was buying as many albums as I could afford, reading every new issue of Contemporary Christian Music magazine, and seeking out any information I could find on contemporary Christian music.  I was determined to become highly knowledgeable in the field.

            Probably around late May of 1985 I was staying outside of Chicago, where I had some time off and decided to spend some time visiting my friend, Fred.  I began telling him about my new obsession with modern Christian music.  Fred was not a Christian, but he was the sort of person who always seemed to be in the know about everything.  He checked his sources and found that there was going to be a large Christian rock concert not far from us that very night.  We decided to go.

          The venue was a large sports arena in Addison, Illinois.  It was an oversized barn, but ideal for rock events.  I was struck by the crowd--an array of punker and metal head looking types with crazy hair and facial piercings mixed with clean cut young church people.  It looked like the crowd at any typical rock concert.  The only real difference was that I didn't smell any marijuana smoke once the concert had started, but otherwise the crowd could have been the same.  Among the concession stand offerings were large plastic cups of non-alcoholic beer.  One of the bands played a version of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" except they substituted "Jesus Christ" for "Purple Haze".  All in all the experience was strangely surrealistic with mostly unmemorable music--I don't even remember what bands were playing, but they were definitely harder rock than I normally listened to.

        Subsequent years brought concerts more to my enjoyment as I became more discerning in my choice of concerts to attend.  I saw artists like Michael Card, David and the Giants, and Charlie Peacock in venues ranging from large auditoriums to churches.  The Christian concerts were very similar to any other concerts except that the artists would talk about Jesus briefly.  Otherwise, one was much like the other. 

         In the early nineties I began attending church again after a hiatus of many years.  I had moved to the Los Angeles area and started attending a Southern Baptist Church because it reminded me most of back home in Tennessee.  The praise music they were now singing was more related to rock than the classic hymns I had grown up with.  Through the years the music in our church has become progressively more rock oriented.  Even when they do revive an old traditional hymn they add a contemporary spin to it.

          Christian music has become a huge business.  Sometimes you can't even tell that a song is Christian other than the group has been labeled as a Christian group and you probably wouldn't even have known that if someone hadn't given them the label.  Sometimes I think about what it might have been like in the days when J.S. Bach was composing his glorious cantatas to God; to sit in church with a small orchestra playing or a large pipe organ and a sweet voiced choir.   At times I even miss the nice older lady that used to play the Hammond organ in the Methodist church I attended when I was younger, as we plodded solemnly through "The Old Rugged Cross" or "In the Garden".  

Create a MySpace Playlist at MixPod.com

Can I Get a Witness?

This is a continuation of my post from yesterday.

           Once, when I was touring the country with a traveling stage show, I was backstage talking with the custodian at a school where we were performing.  He was telling me about some of the various entertainers who had performed there in the past and about some of their behavior.   According to this custodian's words, the worst groups that came to play in this auditorium had been the southern gospel groups.  He said that they behaved awfully and left all sorts of trash including many beer cans behind.

        I can't vouch for the veracity of this man's story and his motives for telling it.  This is just what he related to me.  He didn't say how many of these groups came in and did this or if it had only been just one.  The point I'd like to make is all of us are judged by others, especially in our professional lives.  If this story was true, then the people on whom the story was being told are responsible for having set a very bad example before this one man who probably told this story over and over.  I'm sure I'm not the only one to whom the story had been told.

        When I signed the contracts with the agency that represented Greg X. Volz and Mark Farner, I was doing so on good faith.  Their music was very good--I knew this because I had followed both artists and owned many recordings from each of them.  But I had no inkling of what they were like as people.  I was very pleased with the relationship that I had with the agency so far and because the bands were close by and had open dates, I was given what I thought was a very reasonable price for the bands. I had every reason to expect a high degree of professionalism.

         Greg X. Volz is a vocalist with an incredible range.  As front man for the group Petra he helped the group develop a strong fan base and achieve a high degree of popularity.  In the few years since he had left Petra he had released two acclaimed albums.

          Mark Farner was a rock and roll legend having been the singer-guitarist for the mega-group Grand Funk Railroad.  This group had sold millions of albums and had performed in huge concert venues. Even in his career as a solo Christian artist he could be considered a star.   I had been a big fan back in the early 70s and was now somewhat awestruck that he was going to be headlining a concert that I was producing and I would be meeting him in person.

           The night before the concert I was to meet Mark Farner and his band at the Holiday Inn at the World's Fair Site in Knoxville. Providing hotel accommodations was my responsibility.  Due to my limited budget, this was the best I could afford and though certainly not the best place in town, it was not too bad. Near dusk I was waiting in the parking lot of the hotel and as scheduled a fancy tour bus rolled up.  I got out of my van and went to the door of the bus.  A man stepped out and identified himself as Mark Farner's manager.   He said he would introduce me to Mark.

         The man who stepped out of the bus was exactly the way I might have pictured Mark Farner nearly twenty years after his famed Grand Funk days.  He had a quiet, peaceful demeanor.  His smooth, straight sandy hair cascaded below his shoulders and he was wearing a fringed leather jacket.  He graciously introduced himself and then told me he had not been feeling well and could I take him to a drug store.  After giving the road manager hotel keys so that they could get situated in their rooms, I drove over to a drug store on Cumberland Avenue near the University of Tennessee.  I waited in the parking lot with the van while Mark went inside the store.  During the short errand we made small talk.  He mostly asked me questions about what I did and about my life.  When we returned to the hotel, after checking to see if there was anything else that they needed, he excused himself and told me he would see me the following day at the civic auditorium.

        Then the day arrived--October 10, 1988.  I was first on the scene to make sure the facility was ready. Then time began to pass in a blur as a flurry of preparations took place.  The lighting and sound companies arrived and set up the equipment.  The catering company arrived to set up serving tables for the preconcert meal.  Equipment was unloaded and the stage began to take shape for the evening's performance.  I basically just watched with the awareness that I had done a good job at making the preconcert arrangements.  Now everything was in the hands of the professionals I had hired.

       Greg X Volz came in from Nashville the same day of the concert.  He and his band arrived like clockwork and set up their equipment.  Greg and Mark and their bands ran sound checks and with plenty of time to spare the concert set-up was finished.  The caterers had the food ready and everyone got their suppers.  I found myself alone at a table in one of the backstage rooms with Mark and a young man that I had gotten to help with set up.  Mark led us in a prayer and then the three of us ate.

        During the meal, we chatted and at one point I asked Mark how he could be a Christian and yet much of his tour schedule consisted of playing at rowdy bars.  Mark made reference to the Gospel passages that tell how Jesus went to be among the publicans and the sinners.  He said that he wanted to minister to the people that really needed it and not so much to play in churches.  His mission was to save lost souls.  He knew that he still had a large fan base from the Grand Funk days and many of those fans frequented bars.  If he was there with them, he might have the opportunity to minister to them.  This sounded like a good answer to me.

          The concert itself was fantastic.   Very few tickets were sold at the door--I was losing my shirt on this concert.  But the few hundred in attendance for the most part really enjoyed the evening.  One church group of about twenty did get up in the middle of Volz's opening set because he performed a mesmerizing version of Aerosmith's "Dream On"--they were offended because he had performed a secular song.  Greg's set would have been a great concert in itself.  It was slick and professional.  Then when Mark took the stage he commanded the rest of the evening with the talent that had made Grand Funk such a popular band.  In one way I was wishing that it wasn't my concert and I could just be sitting there enjoying it.  Then on the other hand, I was proud that I had been responsible for putting together such an amazing event.

        Then it was all over.  The audience was gone.  The crews scurried to pack everything away.  I was busy paying people and helping to breakdown the equipment.  In the dim light of one side of the stage I could see Mark Farner gathered with a small group of people.  They were audience members who had accepted Mark's invitation at the end of his set to come up afterward if they wanted to know more about Jesus Christ.  As I worked I would periodically glance over at the small group.  One was a burly guy who looked like a biker who had a hard looking biker chick with him and then there were three more rock and roller long hair types.  Eventually I could see them all on their knees praying.

          Later, I thanked Greg and his band--I had barely had any opportunity to talk to any of them--and they were on their way back to Nashville.  Mark came to me to thank me for everything I had done and I told him what a great concert it had been.  I never gave any indication how much I was hurting inside because of my failure in successfully promoting the concert and because I had lost what to me at the time was a lot of money. We shook hands and he quietly told me that tonight five people had come to Christ.  At that moment I looked in his eyes and saw not a figure from rock and roll history, or an artist I had hired to perform a concert, but a brother in Christ.  Standing before me was an extremely humble and gentle soul who had come to Knoxville to do a job and it was a job well done.

           A couple of weeks later, I received a letter from Mark's agency thanking me and letting me know that they would like to work with me in the future.  Enclosed was a check for a thousand dollars from Mark Farner.  He had been impressed by my attitude.  I had not paid Mark and his band and crew too much more than that to come to Knoxville.  Mark had probably lost money on the venture as well.  But of course there were the five people who came to Christ that night.

        
I am going to have to apologize for this and hope you will indulge me.  I had not expected this story to run as long as it has and I would like to postpone my piece that was scheduled for tomorrow and finish this story I've been telling.  I hope you will stay with me on this.  It's a good thing I didn't get into detail!  There is so much more I could have told.

Are you a fan of Grand Funk Railroad and Mark Farner?  Have you even heard of them?   What about the Christian rock group Petra?   Greg X Volz?   What was your favorite line-up of Petra--with Volz or a version that came later?  Should entertainers who are Christians perform in places like bars?  What are some of the Christian oriented concerts that you have attended and how did you feel about them?