The Cross

by Geoff Orens The late-'80s side project of Queen's drummer Roger Taylor, the Cross were originally a classic rock band with dance influences, then abandoned the dance aspect of their sound and produced two straight forward rock albums. Although Taylor stated when the band formed in 1987, that the group would be a force to be reckoned with within six months, the group never took off in any market, except Germany, and broke up in 1993. With the conclusion of Queen's Magic Tour in 1986, Roger Taylor took the opportunity of a lack of activity on the Queen front to form his own band, which he named the Cross. Leaving his drum kit behind, Taylor assumed the duties of rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist for the group. Outside of recruiting Queen's tour keyboardist, Spike Edney, the rest of Taylor's new band were found through an ad placed in the music press. They were a group of unknowns, consisting of Clayton Moss (guitar), Peter Noone (bass guitar), and osh Macrae (drums). With a group of songs already written, Taylor decided to record the first Cross album, Shove It, largely by himself and then tour with his new band. A hybrid of classic rock and dance influences, the album received some praise in the British music press but failed to get higher than the bottom of the album charts, as did it's three singles. In America, the album failed to chart and the group would not release another album there. The band resumed operations after the next Queen album with Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know, which was written by all the members in the band and embraced a classic rock sound. The lead single, "Power to Love," only dented the bottom of the British charts, while the album failed to chart at all. However, the band did continue to do well in Germany, and, with no record support in England, released their third album, Blue Rock, in that country only. After a final gig in 1993, the band called it a day. Taylor went on to record solo albums and work with Queen, while Edney later helped found the S. A. S. Band, and Peter Noone joined Miss World.