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Doobie Brothers/Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Robbie Dupree. All stole the similar beat. Disco light synths. It worked for most of them at the time. Then got old.
Which Christopher Cross tune are you referring to here? I'm curious as I don't remember anything that was "What A Fool Believes"-lite
That’ll be Ride Like The Wind. Listen to the intro from 0:20.
That’ll be Ride Like The Wind. Listen to the intro from 0:20.
Oh wow! I never noticed it before, but now I can't un-hear the similarity to WYBIMLA! Thanks for pointing that out? Not much of a Christopher Cross fan anyway (can't figure out why someone who can't sing his way out of a paper bag got so popular).
Funny, outside of it being "midtempo" I never thought of "Ride Like the Wind" being anything at all like "What a Fool Believes." RLTW is more of a driving beat, WAFB is a bouncy pop number. "Ride" is in a minor key, "What" is mostly in major keys. The structure of the songs are completely different.
As for his singing.... well, he's no Frank Sinatra, but he's got a pleasant tenor voice. I still enjoy some of the hits when they pop up on the radio (although I have always hated "Sailing."). He had a later song "Charm the Snake" which I thought was really catchy but it never went anywhere.
I heard him "live" once. Very puzzling!
As for his singing.... well, he's no Frank Sinatra, but he's got a pleasant tenor voice.
I always liked his voice (the theme tune to Arthur is a treat) but it was laden with double tracking and heavy processing so I’ve always had doubts his true vocal quality was that good. The arrangement on Ride Like The Wind is exceptional, especially the orchestration.
I have remained baffled all these years, as I think Christopher Cross has a terrible voice and the song arrangements are terrible.
His vocals are choppy and short, no depth to his voice whatsoever. The arrangements are unremarkable to my ears.
In fact, when I listen to Richard Carpenter's Time LP, I feel Richard's songs are superior to Cross in every conceivable manner !
(And, even then I do not much care for Richard's lead vocals !).
Ride Like The Wind, I think, was tied into a highly-successful movie, thus its popularity at the time.
Music is a funny thing !
Ed, glad you chimed in on my post ! Always enjoy your honest commentary.
Except to say that my opinion on Christopher Cross is entirely subjective,
I have never been able to listen to his music (e.g., his vocals). Never did understand all of those Grammy wins !
He won Best New Artist Grammy , then suffered the so-called "curse."
On the other hand, what I will do---since I am not without a change of opinion--
is listen to his other albums and decide if those other albums are comparable to the initial album.
Carpenters also won as Best New Artist --they did not suffer the "curse."
I still prefer Richard Carpenter's lead vocals to Christopher Cross vocals.
Billboard
:
"The sweep practically invited people to say, "Oh, he's not that good." Instead of bringing people to his side, the sweep turned many people off. Cross was a talented pop artist -- not a groundbreaking artist, but a skilled hit-maker, the kind who might have had a solid,
five-year run of hits. The Grammy sweep may have actually shortened his career..."
Source: Christopher Cross' Grammy Sweep: Will The Same Happen To Billie Eilish? | Billboard
Yes, a fun inclusion and potential strong single.I agree that it likely should have just remained as a single on its own because of how long ago it had been recorded. They certainly had plenty of other tunes to choose from to include. "Kiss Me..." would have been a fun inclusion instead of an older tune that didn't really do anything.
Ed
His looks did not match up to his voice. Thus, no pic on album cover. It is that simple.Again, though, I don't think this is down to "the curse". I think this is down to the lack of both visual appeal and overall pizzazz. He was just a regular guy who wrote songs and sang them. He's also one heck of a guitar player - that's his solo on "Ride Like the Wind"). This was the beginning of the "MTV Generation" and you had to have a look or a sparkling personality in order to succeed. He had neither one. I think that's what ended his run at the top. His fall was quite dizzying - soften only slightly by the unexpected success of "Think of Laura" from the second record (thank you, General Hospital).
That's certainly possible too. It raised expectations beyond anything he was able to deliver. He wrote pleasant songs and had a pleasant voice. He was never intended to be a superstar but he became one and no one quite knew why.
Ed
And having a friend like Michael McDonald.I have remained baffled all these years, as I think Christopher Cross has a terrible voice and the song arrangements are terrible.
His vocals are choppy and short, no depth to his voice whatsoever. The arrangements are unremarkable to my ears.
In fact, when I listen to Richard Carpenter's Time LP, I feel Richard's songs are superior to Cross in every conceivable manner !
(And, even then I do not much care for Richard's lead vocals !).
Ride Like The Wind, I think, was tied into a highly-successful movie, thus its popularity at the time.
Music is a funny thing !
His looks did not match up to his voice. Thus, no pic on album cover. It is that simple.
And having a friend like Michael McDonald.
Yes, a fun inclusion and potential strong single.
I have remained baffled all these years, as I think Christopher Cross has a terrible voice and the song arrangements are terrible.
His vocals are choppy and short, no depth to his voice whatsoever. The arrangements are unremarkable to my ears.
In fact, when I listen to Richard Carpenter's Time LP, I feel Richard's songs are superior to Cross in every conceivable manner !
(And, even then I do not much care for Richard's lead vocals !).
Ride Like The Wind, I think, was tied into a highly-successful movie, thus its popularity at the time.
Music is a funny thing !