The Cross
Encyclopedia
The Cross were a side project of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

's Roger Taylor
Roger Meddows-Taylor
Roger Meddows Taylor , known as Roger Taylor, is a British musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of British rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of...

 that existed from 1987 to 1993 and released three albums. Although the drummer in Queen, Taylor fronted The Cross as rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...

. On its debut release, the classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...

 band incorporated dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

 influences which they dropped on their remaining two albums. The band never enjoyed much commercial success.

History

Taylor formed The Cross while Queen were on hiatus after the Magic Tour in 1986. He recruited Queen's tour keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...

, Spike Edney
Spike Edney
Philip 'Spike' Edney is a British musician who, since early 1970s, has performed with a number of bands, most notably, Queen, where his participation, starting in 1984, has been so extensive that some writers have described him as the "fifth member of Queen". In the earlier phase of his career,...

, but advertised for the remaining musicians. When the band was formed, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 Clayton Moss, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 Peter Noone (not to be confused with the Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...

 singer of the same name), and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 Josh Macrae
Josh Macrae
For the folk singer, see Josh MacRaeJoshua J. Macrae was the drummer of Roger Taylor's band The Cross. He also co-produced some of Taylor's solo albums, played drums at Roger Taylor's solo concerts and worked with Queen on several occasions in the studio from 1992.-Selected discography:* The Cross:...

 were unestablished in the field. Taylor himself never played the drums in The Cross.

The band's albums and singles were not commercially successful, although they did manage to reach the British charts with several and they enjoyed moderate success in Germany. The first album, Shove It
Shove it
Shove It is the first album released by The Cross, founded by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. This album contains a mix of rock with dance influences.-History:...

, was released on Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 in 1988. Largely a solo project for Taylor, who had written the songs prior to forming the band, the album and the three singles it spawned did reach the charts in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, where it also received some positive press. The band toured in support of the album before Taylor took a short break for the 1989 Queen album The Miracle, for which there was no tour.

First album: Shove It

After Queen's 1986 Magic Tour, the band members went their separate ways to do various solo work. Taylor decided to form a new band with whom he could tour. He had already written and recorded the album himself before finding a band to play the songs with. He eventually placed an ad for band members in a national newspaper, hinting he was a famous rock musician. The position of keyboard player was duly offered to Spike Edney
Spike Edney
Philip 'Spike' Edney is a British musician who, since early 1970s, has performed with a number of bands, most notably, Queen, where his participation, starting in 1984, has been so extensive that some writers have described him as the "fifth member of Queen". In the earlier phase of his career,...

 after two successful Queen tours with him handling the keys. When the auditions were over, the line-up was completed by Peter Noone on Bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

, Clayton Moss on Guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

, and Josh Macrae
Josh Macrae
For the folk singer, see Josh MacRaeJoshua J. Macrae was the drummer of Roger Taylor's band The Cross. He also co-produced some of Taylor's solo albums, played drums at Roger Taylor's solo concerts and worked with Queen on several occasions in the studio from 1992.-Selected discography:* The Cross:...

 on Drums. Taylor himself would take the responsibility on lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist.

The first album, Shove It, was released in 1988. In Europe, Heaven for Everyone
Heaven for Everyone
"Heaven for Everyone" is a song written by Roger Taylor. It appeared originally in his band's album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist, and it's the album's fourth track. It was reworked with Queen's music and appeared in the 1995 album Made in Heaven, where it was the seventh...

 (later a Queen song) contained Freddie Mercury on lead vocals and Taylor on backing vocals. However, on the single version and the American album version the roles were reversed. The European CD contained an extra track (compared to cassette and LP) in The 2nd Shelf Mix, the US version having "Feel The Force" as its extra track. The band promoted hard in Germany especially, with many TV performances of singles including an appearance at the Montreux Golden Rose festival in 1988. The tour took in dates in the UK and Germany. Three singles were released from the album: "Cowboys and Indians", "Heaven for Everyone
Heaven for Everyone
"Heaven for Everyone" is a song written by Roger Taylor. It appeared originally in his band's album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist, and it's the album's fourth track. It was reworked with Queen's music and appeared in the 1995 album Made in Heaven, where it was the seventh...

" and "Shove It". Another single, "Manipulator," was released in 1988, but it was not included on any album. It was also the only song from the time that had joint writing credits, Taylor sharing them with Spike Edney and Steve Strange.

The second single from Shove It, "Heaven for Everyone
Heaven for Everyone
"Heaven for Everyone" is a song written by Roger Taylor. It appeared originally in his band's album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist, and it's the album's fourth track. It was reworked with Queen's music and appeared in the 1995 album Made in Heaven, where it was the seventh...

", whose album version featured lead vocals by Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...

, would be re-released as a Queen single from the 1995 album Made in Heaven
Made in Heaven
Made in Heaven is the fifteenth studio album by British rock group Queen and the final one to feature lead singer Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon, released on 6 November 1995...

with Taylor's vocals edited out, and become a chart hit in many countries.

Second album: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know

After finishing Queen's 1989 album The Miracle, Taylor went into the studio with the rest of The Cross for the first time to record Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know. The band composed the opening track "Top Of The World Ma". The rest of the album consisted mainly of individually written songs, except for "Power To Love" which was a joint venture by Macrae, Noone and Moss. Clayton Moss sang lead vocals on his own track "Better Things", and Spike Edney played mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

 on "Final Destination", which was written by Taylor. "Final Destination" was released as a single, as were "Liar" and "Power To Love", the latter being the last single to be released in the UK by the group. "Final Destination" came with a live rendition of Taylor's song "Man On Fire" as a B-side, and "Liar" (Noone) had a brand new track, "In Charge Of My Heart", which was also penned by Taylor. The 12" single and CD of "Liar" also included extended remixes of both "Liar" and "In Charge Of My Heart". The instrumental section at the beginning of "In Charge Of My Heart" was used as the opening to concerts on the accompanying tour. "Closer To You" (Edney) had been planned to be released in America, but the idea was never discussed again. The group having seemingly given up on the UK market, the accompanying tour only included dates in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Ibiza. Unusual for such tours, every song from the new album was played live.

Third album: Blue Rock

Made at a time when Taylor's efforts were concentrated on Queen and Mercury himself, Blue Rock
Blue Rock (album)
Blue Rock is the third and last album released by The Cross. Like Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, Blue Rock is a straight rock album which is currently out of print and has become a hard-to-find item...

 gave the other members of the band a chance to take control of the upcoming album. It was in fact mostly written by Edney, who contributed three of his own tracks and contributed to four more. Once again the opening track was penned by the entire band, "Bad Attitude" was written (although not complete) by the Christmas fan club party of 1990. Blue Rock itself was only released in Germany (although promo copies were released in Italy and Japan), so it is pretty rare to find on the market. "New Dark Ages" (Taylor) was released in Germany with another live version of "Man On Fire", whilst "Life Changes" was released with the B-side "Heartland". It was however immediately withdrawn, due to the death of Freddie Mercury. The tour was in support of Magnum
Magnum (band)
Magnum are a British progressive rock band from Birmingham, England. Formed as a four piece by Tony Clarkin , Bob Catley , Kex Gorin and Bob Doyle in order to appear as the resident band at The Rum Runner night club Birmingham...

, so the concert lengths were short (45 mins.) and very few bootlegs survived. The tour was rapid, covering 20 dates in one month.

Afterward, Taylor signed to EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...

 and resumed work with The Cross. The band's second album, Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know (1990), was a collaborative effort with the band pitching in to write all tracks except the CD bonus track, a cover of the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

 song "Foxy Lady
Foxy Lady
"Foxy Lady" is a song by The Jimi Hendrix Experience from their 1967 album Are You Experienced. It can also be found on a number of Hendrix's greatest hits compilations, including Smash Hits and Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix...

". In terms of musical style, The Cross dismissed the dance elements found on their first album and replaced them with a classic rock sound. Because the first album had not succeeded in America, the second was not released there; however, this album was not as commercially successful in Britain as the first had been. The album did not chart, although the first single, "Power to Love", did.

EMI Records refused to release a third album by the band. However, as the band had enjoyed moderate success in Germany, EMI's German branch EMI Electrola still released their third effort, Blue Rock
Blue Rock (album)
Blue Rock is the third and last album released by The Cross. Like Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, Blue Rock is a straight rock album which is currently out of print and has become a hard-to-find item...

(1991), in that country.

Break Up

The band broke up in 1993 after performing a final show. Taylor continued working with Queen and produced solo album
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...

s. Drummer Macrae accompanied Taylor on his solo tours and also played percussion at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Both Taylor and keyboardist Edney participated in the Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Paul Rodgers
Queen + Paul Rodgers was a supergroup collaboration between Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen and Paul Rodgers...

 tours, while Macrae worked behind the scenes as a sound engineer and Pro Tools
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...

 engineer for them. In the late 1990s, Edney formed the SAS Band ("Spike's All Stars"), a group with an ever-changing lineup of 80s rock stars.

Shove It: 1988

  • 19/02/88: Leeds University (Leeds, UK)
  • 20/02/88: Glasgow University (Glasgow, UK)
  • 21/02/88: Leicester Polytechnic (Leicester, UK)
  • 23/02/88: Sheffield Polytechnic (Sheffield, UK)
  • 24/02/88: Rock City
    Rock City
    Rock City is a roadside attraction near Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Lookout Mountain in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, located near Ruby Falls. It is well-known for the many barn advertisements throughout the Southeast and Midwest United States that have the slogan "See Rock City" painted on barn roofs...

     (Nottingham, UK)
  • 26/02/88: Manchester University (Manchester, UK)
  • 27/02/88: Bradford University (Bradford, UK)
  • 28/02/88: The Mayfair (Newcastle, UK)
  • 01/03/88: The Mayfair Suite (Southampton, UK)
  • 02/03/88: Cardiff University
    Cardiff University
    Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...

     (Cardiff, UK)
  • 04/03/88: U.E.A (Norwich, UK)
  • 05/03/88: The Hummingbird (Birmingham, UK)
  • 06/03/88: Leeds University (Leeds, UK)
  • 07/03/88: Bristol Studio (Bristol, UK)
  • 09/03/88: Civic Hall (Guildford, UK)
  • 10/03/88: Town & Country Club (London, UK)
  • 11/04/88: Modernes (Bremen, Germany)
  • 12/04/88: Markthalle (Hamburg, Germany)
  • 13/04/88: Metropol (Berlin, Germany)
  • 14/04/88: Theaterfabrik (Munich, Germany)
  • 16/04/88: E-Werk (Erlangen ,Germany)
  • 17/04/88: Music Hall (Frankfurt ,Germany)
  • 18/04/88: Capitol (Hannover ,Germany)
  • 19/04/88: Club Music & Action (Esslingen ,Germany)
  • 20/04/88: Capitol (Mannheim ,Germany)
  • 21/04/88: Tor 3 (Düsseldorf ,Germany)
  • 23/04/88: Westfallenhalle II (Dortmund ,Germany)
  • 24/04/88: Biskuithalle (Bonn ,Germany)

Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know: 1990

  • 01/04/90: Festival For Life (Geneva, Switzerland)
  • 21/05/90: Capitol (Hannover, Germany)
  • 22/05/90: Biskuithallen (Bonn, Germany)
  • 23/05/90: Blickpunktstudios (Dortmund, Germany)
  • 24/05/90: Outpost (Göttingen, Germany)
  • 26/05/90: Docks (Hamburg, Germany)
  • 27/05/90: Max Music Hall (Kiel, Germany)
  • 28/05/90: Metropol (Berlin, Germany)
  • 29/05/90: De Melkweg (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
  • 30/05/90: Hugennottenhalle (Neu-Isenburg, Germany)
  • 01/06/90: Ku Club (Ibiza, Spain)
  • 02/06/90: Ku Club (Ibiza, Spain)
  • 03/06/90: Bosenbachstadion (St. Wendel, Germany)
  • 04/06/90: Serenadenhof (Nuremberg, Germany)
  • 05/06/90: Akantz (Tuttlingen, Germany)
  • 06/06/90: Alte Feuerwache (Mannheim, Germany)
  • 07/06/90: PC69 (Bielefeld, Germany)
  • 08/06/90: Theaterhaus Wangen (Stuttgart, Germany)
  • 15/06/90: Donauinsel (Vienna, Germany)

Blue Rock: 1991

  • 03/10/91: Tavastia Club (Helsinki, Finland)
  • 05/10/91: Hagadal (Hultsfred, Sweden)
  • 07/10/91: Konserthuset (Gothenburg, Sweden)
  • 09/10/91: Music Hall (Hannover, Germany)
  • 10/10/91: Rock Heaven (Herford, Germany)
  • 11/10/91: Docks (Hamburg, Germany)
  • 12/10/91: Astoria (Bremen, Germany)
  • 13/10/91: Tempodrom (Berlin, Germany)
  • 14/10/91: Freiheitshalle (Hof, Germany)
  • 15/10/91: Circus Krone (Munich, Germany)
  • 16/10/91: Stadthalle (Memmingen, Germany)
  • 18/10/91: Volkshaus
    Volkshaus
    The Volkshaus is a building in Zürich, Switzerland.New Order performed at the venue during a European tour on April 2, 1984. The concert was entirely broadcast on DMS3-FM radio....

     (Zurich, Switzerland)
  • 20/10/91: Schwarzwaldhalle (Appenweiher, Germany)
  • 21/10/91: Maintauberhalle (Wertheim, Germany)
  • 22/10/91: Stadthalle (Offenbach, Germany)
  • 23/10/91: Philipshalle (Düsseldorf, Germany)
  • 24/10/91: Stadthalle (Erlengen, Germany)
  • 25/10/91: Festhalle (Dietenheim, Germany)
  • 26/10/91: Sporthalle Birkelbach (Erntebrück, Germany)
  • 27/10/91: Forum (Ludwigsburg, Germany)

Studio albums

Year Title UK
DE
1988 Shove It
Shove it
Shove It is the first album released by The Cross, founded by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. This album contains a mix of rock with dance influences.-History:...

58 -
1990 Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know - 48
1991 Blue Rock
Blue Rock (album)
Blue Rock is the third and last album released by The Cross. Like Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, Blue Rock is a straight rock album which is currently out of print and has become a hard-to-find item...

- -

Singles

Year Title UK
DE
Album
1987 "Cowboys and Indians" 74 - Shove It
Shove it
Shove It is the first album released by The Cross, founded by Queen drummer Roger Taylor. This album contains a mix of rock with dance influences.-History:...

1988 "Shove It" 83 -
"Heaven for Everyone
Heaven for Everyone
"Heaven for Everyone" is a song written by Roger Taylor. It appeared originally in his band's album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist, and it's the album's fourth track. It was reworked with Queen's music and appeared in the 1995 album Made in Heaven, where it was the seventh...

"
84 68
"Manipulator" - - non-album single
1990 "Power to Love" 83 - Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know
"Liar" - -
"Final Destination" - -
1991 "New Dark Ages" - - Blue Rock
Blue Rock (album)
Blue Rock is the third and last album released by The Cross. Like Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, Blue Rock is a straight rock album which is currently out of print and has become a hard-to-find item...

"Life Changes"

External links

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