Back To The Street

Back to the Street is the eighth studio album of the Christian rock band, Petra.
With Petra hurting financially and Volz announcing his departure, rumors swirled that Petra would break up.
Instead, Hartman turned to former Head East vocalist John Schlitt, whom he had met on an airplane some years before but who had since converted to Christianity and left rock music altogether. Schlitt needed little convincing. He was introduced to Petra fans at a show in Australia in February 1986.
With Petra seeking a new musical direction to support the style of its new vocalist and expressing unhappiness with the sound Brown produced for Captured in Time and Space, band and producer parted ways. To replace Brown, Star Song tapped the Elefante brothers; John, former keyboardist and lead vocalist for Kansas, and Dino, who had written songs for Kansas and had more recently produced albums for Christian metal bands such as Barren Cross. The combination of Schlitt and the Elefante Brothers significantly altered Petra's sound and set the stage for the band's greatest success.
After a brief introductory tour overseas with Schlitt singing the Volz classics, Petra entered the studio to record the singer's first album with the band.
To a man, Petra's members said they found the Elefantes easier to work with, and for the first time since More Power to Ya, the entire band performed on the same record without studio fill-ins. Likewise, the Elefantes' hard rock roots led to re-emphasizing Hartman's guitars as the preeminent instrument in the band's sound. Looking to shatter the "Petra formula," the band intentionally avoided what Hartman called "a stock radio ballad." While acknowledging that the abrupt change in style likely cost the band some fans, Hartman hailed Back to the Street as "the truest representation of this band's talent."
The result was a transitional album that neither reflected where Petra had been, nor the band would be for the next decade. As a result, sales lagged, though the one ballad on the album, "Thankful Heart," achieved radio success, ranking No. 9 on the annual airplay chart. The album received positive reviews though not quite gushing, as evidenced by CCM Magazine's half-hearted praise: "With Back to the Street, Petra rocks, and they do it pretty well." Nevertheless, the album was Petra's third straight studio offering to be nominated for a Grammy, and for the first time, the Gospel Music Association recognized Petra's success with three Dove Award nominations: artist of the year, band of the year and contemporary album of the year.

Lineup

John Schlitt (Head East) - Lead Vocals/Backing Vocals
Bob Hartman (Classic Petra, II Guys From Petra) - Guitar
Mark Kelly (Classic Petra) - Bass/Backing Vocals
Louie Weaver (Randy Matthews, Fireworks, Classic Petra, CPR) - Drums
John Lawry (Forerunner, Classic Petra, CPR) - Keyboards/Backing Vocals

Guests

John Elefante (Kansas, Mastedon) - Keyboards/Backing Vocals