Forty years ago, Christopher Cross set sail on a musical journey that has continued unabated to the present day.  His self-titled debut was released in the waning days of December 1979, spinning off three smash hit singles in 1980 ("Ride Like the Wind," the Pop No. 1 "Sailing," and AC chart-topper "Never Be the Same") and netting a whopping five Grammy Awards.  Cross became the first artist in the awards' history to pick up Record, Album, and Song of the Year along with Best New Artist.  While the sound of popular music certainly has changed over the past four decades, Cross still adheres to the same hallmarks of well-constructed songcraft and an abundance of melody that distinguished his debut record.  Now, after a particularly challenging year in which he was confronted head-on by the ravages of COVID-19, Cross has looked back on his impressive discography with a website-exclusive retrospective box set.

The Complete Works is an oversized, book-style 13-CD/1-LP compendium containing all of Cross' studio albums, one disc of non-LP material, and a 12-song vinyl LP compilation with one track from each of those studio LPs.  The box contains the following original albums on CD, all newly remastered by Bernie Grundman:

• Christopher Cross (1979);
• Another Page (1983);
• Every Turn of the World (1986);
• Back of My Mind (1988);
• Rendezvous (1992);
• Window (1994);
• Walking in Avalon (1998);
• A Christopher Cross Christmas (2007);
• The Café Carlyle Sessions (2008);
• Doctor Faith (2011);
• Secret Ladder (2014); and
• Take Me As I Am (2018).

The discs are housed in an attractive hardcover book which features a one-page introduction from the artist and a colorful double-page spread dedicated to each album, with credits as well as lyrics.  A similar spread is accorded the 15-song bonus disc.  It kicks off with a trio of early tracks from the artist's formative years: the groovy, organ-driven "Ezmeralda" from Cross' early band Flash; a relaxed invitation circa the mid-'70s to see the "Parade;" and the A-side of Cross' first solo single, the hard-rocking "Talkin' 'Bout Her."

This mini-rarities set continues to encompass various non-LP tracks from the entirety of Cross' career including the Academy Award-winning "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" which he co-wrote with Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen; "Loving Strangers," a.k.a. "David's Theme" from director Garry Marshall's film Nothing in Common; and embryonic demos of both "Ride Like the Wind" and "Sailing."  Among its other gems are outtakes, soundtrack songs, and covers of John Lennon ("Imagine"), Thunderclap Newman ("Something in the Air"), and The Zombies ("She's Not There").  The latter are two of the songs Cross has contributed to the ALL ATX series of compilations benefiting charities in Austin, Texas.  Each copy of the box set, which is limited to 1,000 units, has been hand-signed by the artist.

What's missing from this expansive set?  The Complete Works does not include Cross' live albums Best Hits Live (also released as a bonus disc with the original Walking in Avalon) or A Night in Paris, or his acclaimed jazz-rock albums with the band Freedonia.  The bonus disc doesn't have single edits, remixes, or one-offs as "It's All with You" (the B-side of "Talkin' Bout Her"), the 1980 non-LP side "Mary Ann," or the Columbia single release of "A Chance for Heaven," his reunion with Bacharach and Sager that served as the Swimming Theme for the 1984 Olympic Games.

Prior to the pandemic, Cross was keeping a busy schedule; he had recently gotten off the road with the well-received It Was 50 Years Ago Today tour with Todd Rundgren, Micky Dolenz, Jason Scheff, and Joey Molland celebrating The Beatles' White Album.  On that tour, he recognized the influences that led to his own enduring songs such as "All Right," "Think of Laura," or "Say You'll Be Mine."  This year, his music helped keep spirits high during lockdown as it was once again a mainstay on SiriusXM's Yacht Rock Channel.  The channel typically airs only in summer, but the satellite radio titan introduced it much earlier as a balm for these troubled times.  While the "yacht rock" tag (what was once called "adult-oriented rock" or "soft rock") was originally intended in a tongue-in-cheek way, it's since become synonymous with shimmering guitars, breezy horns, elegant strings, jazzy keyboards, soulful vocals, timeless songcraft, and serious musicianship.  Cross' built-to-last music happily embodies all of these qualities.

Christopher Cross' The Complete Works comes with a hefty price tag of $400.00.  But for longtime fans or completists, it's a classy summation of the legacy of a songwriter's songwriter and a singer's singer.  You'll find the order link and track listing for the bonus discs below.

Christopher Cross, The Complete Works (ChristopherCross.com, 2020)

Includes:

1. Christopher Cross (1979);
2. Another Page (1983);
3. Every Turn of the World (1986);
4. Back of My Mind (1988);
5. Rendezvous (1992);
6. Window (1994);
7. Walking in Avalon (1998);
8. A Christopher Cross Christmas (2007);
9. The Café Carlyle Sessions (2008);
10. Doctor Faith (2011);
11. Secret Ladder (2014); and
12. Take Me As I Am (2018).

CD 13:

1. Ezmeralda - Flash
2. Parade
3. Talkin' 'Bout Her (Starburst ARC 45-05-A, 1976)
4. Ride Like the Wind (Demo)
5. Sailing (Demo)
6. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) (Warner Bros. single GWB 0424-A, 1981)
7. Loving Strangers (David's Theme) (Arista single AS1-9530, 1986)
8. I Got Carried Away (Outtake from Doctor Faith)
9. Abro Mi Ventana (Open Up My Window)
10. Lemon's Theme (All My Nights I've Been Waiting) (from 30 Rock: Original Television Soundtrack, Relativity RMG 1013-1, 2010)
11. Austin Sunrise (from ALL ATX, 2013)
12. She's Not There (from ALL ATX: British Invasion, 2013)
13. Something in the Air (from ALL ATX: British Invasion, 2013)
14. Imagine
15. Diving Deep (from the film Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike DuGruy)

LP:

Side One

1. Sailing (from Christopher Cross)
2. Talking in My Sleep (from Another Page)
3. Charm the Snake (from Every Turn of the World)
4. Back of My Mind (Remix) (original version from Back of My Mind, remix from The Very Best of Christopher Cross, Rhino, 2002)
5. Deputy Dan (from Rendezvous)
6. Love Is Calling (from Window)

Side Two

1. Walking in Avalon (from Walking in Avalon)
2. A Dream of Peace at Christmas (from A Christopher Cross Christmas)
3. In the Blink of an Eye (from The Café Carlyle Sessions)
4. Dreamers (from Doctor Faith)
5. Light the World (from Secret Ladder)
6. Roberta (from Take Me As I Am)