TAPE Me Back To The Future — MADE For Tape # 5: Christopher Cross, “Christopher Cross” (1979)

An occasional series here that celebrates the cassette-tape format in all its glory. Wobbles

Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross (1979)

I wanted to start by saying I’m old enough to think that Sailing is a perfect song. But I’m pretty sure I’ve always thought Sailing to be a perfect song, its gentle melody lapping at me like the tides it (musically) describes. There’s a deeper meaning to listening to it now, perhaps. But as a kid I’d stare out the window of the car and just take this in, silent.

My dad had a handful of cassette tapes for cars. He was a dealer (in cars, not cassettes). So he kept ‘losing’ his tapes — they’d get pinched, or he’d forget about them — or some combination of those things. But Christopher Cross by Christopher Cross was one of the staples. That and the Little River Band and Hall & Oates are the ones I remember best; the survivors. Oh, actually, also the band Survivor. And Loverboy.

But Christopher Cross would have been a marker in my childhood even without us owning the tape. There was the ubiquity of Ride Like The Wind, and the soundtrack song for Arthur (which wasn’t the best that he could do, but was pretty fucking good eh!) And then Sailing was often on the radio as well.

Funny how you can not question music at all. Then it can become naff, which Cross did — my friends thinking it weird that I would like such a thing. I can actually remember being 8 or 9 and putting on the tape at home and expecting my mate to just sit and listen to Sailing with me. I mean, it’s like something out of Todd Solondz film — Welcome To The Dollhouse, or Happiness, or something…

Then, with time, that music comes back into focus. And you get older and just don’t care. Both of those things happened with Cross.

The Yacht Rock explosion was very kind to him, the Doobies, McDonald’s solo career, and Daryl Hall and John Oates. Among others. Most of them deserving of that kindness by the way.

I found out — because I didn’t know it at the time — Christopher Cross is a phenomenon guitarist. You just assume that was all slick session players. And it was. They were there too. But he really can shred. And does. Often. This endeared him to me. I needed that. You sometimes needed that up your sleeve when recommending a musician from the Naff Files. You could add to the discussion their actual instrumental prowess, their credentials. It was a top card to play (we can’t say trump card anymore, feels wrong). The number of times I trotted out “Prince can play 27 instruments” to get a grudging “that’s impressive I guess” in reply. Wild to think of a time where liking Prince was somehow uncool — but that’s Hawke’s Bay in the 80s. That’s homophobia, etc.

I forgot about Cross for a while, beyond the singles from this album and the theme tune for the Arthur film. Because they remained everywhere. Then at uni I bought the first album on CD, later the first couple on vinyl. (I regret now parting with those).

Finally, I own the first album (and the second one, with the flamingo in a different pose) on cassette tape. Like my dad used to.

It’s a great album, still. And a really great experience listening to it; having it on this format.

A few years back, maybe 15 years or so, I saw Cross open for Mike Love’s version of The Beach Boys. Then join them on stage to tear through some songs. He was the highlight of the show for me. (I can say that, I’d seen The Beach Boys before). He really is a terrific guitar player. And that does help. I don’t know why. But it does. You want to hear that the musicians you like are really playing, can really do it. This is slightly off topic, but that was the saddest thing for me about watching the Taylor Swift concert film. Not really any footage of the musicians playing live behind her. No one cares. No introductions. The fans are not there for that. It could all be a backing tape and they’d be just as happy.

This is a morbid end-note maybe, but at least it’s back on track. I’ve been thinking about how I’d like Sailing to be played at my funeral.