The Cross as a side-project

[QUOTE] [b]ITSM wrote:[/b]

I think the only (big) hits from the side projects were:
Brian May - Too Much Love Will Kill You
Freddie Mercury - Living on my Own (1993 remix, released after his death).[/QUOTE]

Does Barcelona count as a 'side project', or a standlone in it's own right? I suppose if it hadn't been successful then it would have certainly been labelled just a side project.

[QUOTE]

[b]ITSM wrote: [/b] I think the only (big) hits from the side projects were:
Brian May - Too Much Love Will Kill You
Freddie Mercury - Living on my Own (1993 remix, released after his death).[/QUOTE]

Think you possibly missed a few:

Brian
1991 - Driven by You

Freddie
1984 - Love Kills
1984 - I Was Born to Love You 
1987 - The Great Pretender
1987 - Barcelona 
1991 - In My Defence

[QUOTE] [b]br5946 wrote:[/b]
My out-loud musing is this - how did one of the purest straightforward rock bands of the late 80s and early 90s get pretty much all but ignored, especially when Shove It was a conscious effort to include contemporary dance influences?[/QUOTE]

- Tin Machine wasn't particularly successful either.
- If including contemporary dance influences in a straightforward rock band (assuming that isn't contradictory) was such a good idea, why was it only really tried by INXS?

More generally, The Cross wasn't well marketed (Virgin apparently didn't know they had a Freddie Mercury recording), partly because RT didn't want to be "Queen's Roger Taylor aaaannndd THE CROSS!!!!"

Yes, brENsKi (and cmsdrums), I did. Thanks for letting me know - at least The Great Pretender and Barcelona.

In the late 80s and early 90s there was no internet. So I really remember from my mind how "The Cross" did in public and how they were perceived here in Germany.

Shove it was - although it were the plastic 80s - a weak album. No straight direction in album & songs. Me and some friends had vinyl album and Shove It single.
There was a catalogue retailer called "Disc Center" where our whole school class ordered records once a month :-)) great times.

"Mad, Bad..." was a short success (47 at charts). I remember full-page advertising in the most important German music magazines. Musik-Express gave 4 stars out of 6 and called it a straight rock album.
I know they played at "Rock am Ring" in 1990 or 1991, but bizzarrely I can´t find anything about that concert on the net. But I remember a friend who was there told me about the gig
and he was very pleased of "Sister Blue". Power to Love got some few airplay. Myself wished it by telephone call one morning at RPR1 and it was played!!!

Blue Rock was smashed by "Musikexpress" critic. It got 1 Star out of 6. No chart entry. New Dark Ages got some few airplay. I remember the band had an TV appearance on a Saturday afternoon on German TV, I guess it was in Berlin, Funkausstellung or something....

Can someone confirm my memories???????????

[QUOTE] [b]Mr. Bed Guy wrote:[/b]

Can someone confirm my memories???????????[/QUOTE]

Yes, The Cross did a performance at the Funkausstellung in Berlin

...on Freddie`s birthday 05.09.1991

but there were some more, "Hollymünd" WDR 08.09.91 for example. Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhXKse-wI_E

And I also have some tiny snippets about the Cross from that period. I will look for them and do another post here. And yes, the promotion was a bit poor.

I guess it`s hard to sell "anything" when you literally cut down to size like that.

It`s a 10 Euro Cent Coin to compare the snippets size...

Freddie`s Stamp Collection was able to get more inches in the papers :)

The tiny 10 cent coint that I often cannot find it in my poche because it's so tiny!
How can one find The Cross.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIBo6Lvnr6Y

This is from Freddie's birthday. Last Birthday actually :(