Christopher Cross (album)

Christopher Cross
Studio album by Christopher Cross
Released	20 December 1979
Recorded	July 1979
Studio	Warner Bros. Recording Studios, North Hollywood, California; Pecan Street Studios, Austin, Texas
Genre	Soft rock; yacht rock;
Length	38:32
Label	Warner Bros.
Producer	Michael Omartian
Christopher Cross chronology

Christopher Cross is the self-titled debut album by Christopher Cross, released in December 1979. Recorded in mid-1979, the album was one of the early digitally recorded albums, utilizing the 3M Digital Recording System.[2] In 1981, it won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, infamously beating Pink Floyd's The Wall [3] and it has been noted for being one of the most influential soft rock albums of the late 1970s and early 1980s.[4][5]

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Reception

According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the album was "a huge hit and widely acclaimed, at least among industry professionals (critics didn't give it a second listen), leading to multi-platinum success and Grammys." In his retrospective review for AllMusic, Erlewine says that while its success as a soft rock album has little cachet with most listeners, it "remains one of the best mainstream albums of its time" because of consistent song quality and Cross's skillful musicianship: "Yes, he does favor sentimentality and can be very sweet on the ballads, but his melodicism is rich and construction tight, so there's a sturdy foundation for the classy professional gloss provided by his studio pros and friends, including indelible backing vocals by Michael McDonald."[1]

In retrospective appraisals, Christopher Cross is regarded as a key release of yacht rock music. For Spin in 2009, Chuck Eddy lists it among the genre's eight essential albums.[6] Vinyl Me, Please magazine's Timothy Malcolm includes it in his 2017 list of the 10 best yacht rock albums, explaining that, "It’s actually a sonic outlier for the yacht rock genre, heavy on acoustic guitar and strings. But its message fits the genre (a fool searching for inner peace), and yeah, it’s still undeniably smooth."[7] For The Vinyl District's online publication in 2018, Michael H. Little calls it the genre's best album as well as one of its smoothest, crediting it for making Cross "the face of soft rock".[8]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Christopher Cross.

"Say You'll Be Mine" – 2:53
"I Really Don't Know Anymore" – 3:49
"Spinning" (Duet with Valerie Carter) – 3:59
"Never Be the Same" – 4:40
"Poor Shirley" – 4:20
"Ride Like the Wind" – 4:30
"The Light Is On" – 4:07
"Sailing" – 4:14
"Minstrel Gigolo" – 6:00

Personnel

Larry Carlton – guitar solo (2, 7)
Valerie Carter – lead and background vocals (3)
Lenny Castro – percussion (1, 2, 4-7, 9)
Christopher Cross – arrangements, lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar (1, 4, 6-9), background vocals (1, 5-8), guitar solo (5, 6)
Assa Drori – concertmaster
Victor Feldman – vibraphone (3, 4), percussion (3, 7, 8)
Chuck Findley – trumpet, flugelhorn (3)
Jay Graydon – guitar solo (1, 4)
Don Henley – background vocals (7)
Jim Horn – saxophone
Eric Johnson – guitar solo (9)
Jackie Kelso – saxophone
Nicolette Larson – background vocals (1)
Myrna Matthews – background vocals (4)
Marty McCall – background vocals (4)
Lew McCreary – trombone
Michael McDonald – background vocals (2, 6)
Rob Meurer – arrangements, synthesizer (2-4, 6-8), electric piano (3, 4, 7, 8), celesta (3), acoustic piano (5, 9), organ (5)
Michael Omartian – arrangements, acoustic piano (1-4, 6, 7, 8), synthesizer (9), background vocals (9)
Stormie Omartian – background vocals (4)
Tomás Ramírez – saxophone (9)
Don Roberts – saxophone
Andy Salmon – bass guitar
J.D. Souther – background vocals (7)
Tommy Taylor – drums

Production

Producer – Michael Omartian
Assistant Producer – Michael Ostin
Engineer and Mix – Chet Himes
Second Engineer – Stuart Gitlin
Mastering – Bobby Hata
Artwork – Danny Henderson and James Flournoy Holmes
Design – James Flournoy Holmes and Wonder Graphics
Flamingo Concept – Jim Newhouse

Charts

Album – Billboard (United States)

Year	Chart	Position
1980	Pop Albums	6

Singles – Billboard (United States)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1980	"Ride Like the Wind"	Pop Singles	2
1980	"Sailing"	Pop Singles	1
1980	"Never Be the Same"	Adult Contemporary	1
1980	"Never Be the Same"	Pop Singles	15
1981	"Say You'll Be Mine"	Pop Singles	20

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[9]	Platinum	70,000^{^}
France (SNEP)[10]	Platinum	300,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[11]	Gold	250,000^{^}
Italy (FIMI)[12]	Gold	200,000^*
Netherlands (NVPI)[13]	Gold	50,000^{^}
New Zealand (RMNZ)[14]	Gold	7,500^{^}
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[15]	Gold	50,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)[16]	Platinum	300,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)[17]	5× Platinum	5,000,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone

Accolades

Grammy Awards

Year	Category	Winner
1981	Album of the Year	Christopher Cross
	Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)	"Sailing"
	Record of the Year
	Song of the Year
	Best New Artist	Christopher Cross

[18] [19] [20]

gollark: What would you want included then? Node, skynet, the PotatOS screensavers…?

gollark: I guess what you'd want is just a collection of programs/libraries plus autoupdate?

gollark: That's 90% of the features gone.

gollark: When I'm actually at my computer I mean.

gollark: If it helps at all, I can toggle on simplified uninstall or something …

External links

References

Christopher Cross at AllMusic
Jim McCullaugh (November 1, 1980), "Digital the Major Topic For N.Y. AES Parley", Billboard "The Christopher Cross LP, at number 32, uses the 3M digital technology"
Zach Schonfeld (February 15, 2016), The Most Ridiculous 'Album of the Year' Winners in Grammy History, Newsweek, retrieved December 13, 2016
Grammy Album of the Year winners 1959 – 2018-The Telegraph
Best New Artists Who Also Won Album Of The Year|GRAMMY.com
Eddy, Chuck (January 1, 2009). "8 Essential Yacht Rock Albums". Spin. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
Malcolm, Timothy (February 20, 2017). "The 10 Best Yacht Rock Albums To Own On Vinyl". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
Little, Michael H. (July 11, 2018). "Graded on a Curve: Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross". The Vinyl District. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
"Platinum In Oz" (PDF). Cash Box. 11 June 1983. p. 35. Retrieved 17 April 2020 – via American Radio History.
"French album certifications – Christopher Cross – 1er Album" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Christopher Cross; 'Christopher Cross')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
"Sale 40 – Lot 492: Italian Gold Record Award For Christopher Cross". Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles. 2011. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
"Dutch album certifications – Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 26 August 2019. Enter Christopher Cross in the "Artiest of titel" box.
"New Zealand album certifications – Christopher Cross – 1er Album". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 957. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
"British album certifications – Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Christopher Cross in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
"American album certifications – Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 August 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
Christopher Cross|Artist|www.grammy.com
23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards|1980|Grammy.com
23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards|GRAMMY.com

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[AM-1] Christopher Cross at AllMusic

[2] Jim McCullaugh (November 1, 1980), "Digital the Major Topic For N.Y. AES Parley", Billboard "The Christopher Cross LP, at number 32, uses the 3M digital technology"

[3] Zach Schonfeld (February 15, 2016), The Most Ridiculous 'Album of the Year' Winners in Grammy History, Newsweek, retrieved December 13, 2016

[4] Grammy Album of the Year winners 1959 – 2018-The Telegraph

[5] Best New Artists Who Also Won Album Of The Year|GRAMMY.com

[6] Eddy, Chuck (January 1, 2009). "8 Essential Yacht Rock Albums". Spin. Retrieved June 8, 2020.

[7] Malcolm, Timothy (February 20, 2017). "The 10 Best Yacht Rock Albums To Own On Vinyl". Vinyl Me, Please. Retrieved June 8, 2020.

[8] Little, Michael H. (July 11, 2018). "Graded on a Curve: Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross". The Vinyl District. Retrieved June 8, 2020.

[9] "Platinum In Oz" (PDF). Cash Box. 11 June 1983. p. 35. Retrieved 17 April 2020 – via American Radio History.

[FranceChristopher_Cross1er_AlbumalbumCertRef-10] "French album certifications – Christopher Cross – 1er Album" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 26 August 2019.

[GermanyChristopher_CrossChristopher_CrossalbumCertRef-11] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Christopher Cross; 'Christopher Cross')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 26 August 2019.

[12] "Sale 40 – Lot 492: Italian Gold Record Award For Christopher Cross". Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles. 2011. Retrieved 2013-04-30.

[NetherlandsChristopher_CrossChristopher_CrossalbumCertRef-13] "Dutch album certifications – Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 26 August 2019. Enter Christopher Cross in the "Artiest of titel" box.

[New_ZealandChristopher_Cross1er_AlbumalbumCertRef-14] "New Zealand album certifications – Christopher Cross – 1er Album". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 November 2019.

[15] Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 957. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 26 August 2019.

[United_KingdomChristopher_CrossChristopher_CrossalbumCertRef-16] "British album certifications – Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Christopher Cross in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.

[United_StatesChristopher_CrossChristopher_CrossalbumCertRef-17] "American album certifications – Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 26 August 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.

[18] Christopher Cross|Artist|www.grammy.com

[19] 23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards|1980|Grammy.com

[20] 23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards|GRAMMY.com

Christopher Cross
Studio albums	Christopher Cross Another Page Every Turn of the World Back of My Mind Walking in Avalon
Singles	"Ride Like the Wind" "Sailing" "Never Be the Same" "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" "All Right" "Think of Laura"
Book:Christopher Cross

Grammy Award for Album of the Year
1959–1979	The Music from Peter Gunn – Henry Mancini (1959) Come Dance with Me! – Frank Sinatra (1960) The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart – Bob Newhart (1961) Judy at Carnegie Hall – Judy Garland (1962) The First Family – Vaughn Meader (1963) The Barbra Streisand Album – Barbra Streisand (1964) Getz/Gilberto – Stan Getz & João Gilberto (1965) September of My Years – Frank Sinatra (1966) A Man and His Music – Frank Sinatra (1967) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1968) By the Time I Get to Phoenix – Glen Campbell (1969) Blood, Sweat & Tears – Blood, Sweat & Tears (1970) Bridge over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel (1971) Tapestry – Carole King (1972) The Concert for Bangladesh – George Harrison & Friends (1973) Innervisions – Stevie Wonder (1974) Fulfillingness' First Finale – Stevie Wonder (1975) Still Crazy After All These Years – Paul Simon (1976) Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder (1977) Rumours – Fleetwood Mac (1978) Saturday Night Fever – Various Artists (1979)
1980–2000	52nd Street – Billy Joel (1980) Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross (1981) Double Fantasy – John Lennon & Yoko Ono (1982) Toto IV – Toto (1983) Thriller – Michael Jackson (1984) Can't Slow Down – Lionel Richie (1985) No Jacket Required – Phil Collins (1986) Graceland – Paul Simon (1987) The Joshua Tree – U2 (1988) Faith – George Michael (1989) Nick of Time – Bonnie Raitt (1990) Back on the Block – Quincy Jones and Various Artists (1991) Unforgettable... with Love – Natalie Cole (1992) Unplugged – Eric Clapton (1993) The Bodyguard – Whitney Houston (1994) MTV Unplugged – Tony Bennett (1995) Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette (1996) Falling into You – Celine Dion (1997) Time Out of Mind – Bob Dylan (1998) The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – Lauryn Hill (1999) Supernatural – Santana (2000)
2001–present	Two Against Nature – Steely Dan (2001) O Brother, Where Art Thou? – Various Artists (2002) Come Away with Me – Norah Jones (2003) Speakerboxxx/The Love Below – Outkast (2004) Genius Loves Company – Ray Charles & Various Artists (2005) How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – U2 (2006) Taking the Long Way – Dixie Chicks (2007) River: The Joni Letters – Herbie Hancock (2008) Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (2009) Fearless – Taylor Swift (2010) The Suburbs – Arcade Fire (2011) 21 – Adele (2012) Babel – Mumford & Sons (2013) Random Access Memories – Daft Punk (2014) Morning Phase – Beck (2015) 1989 – Taylor Swift (2016) 25 – Adele (2017) 24K Magic – Bruno Mars (2018) Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves (2019) When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish (2020)