Christopher Cross Responds to his "Ride Like the Wind" Guitar Solo

so when I made that video about your Ride Like the Wind solo how did you hear about that well I I think I just told you that I got more hits or whatever you call people getting in touch with me only thing that competed with that was when I was mentioned on Seinfeld but every I just got inad by all these people sending your your you know because your reach is huge everybody sending me this thing I was frankly uh really shocked because I never ever gave it a bit of thought you know and then when I saw you do it which was amazing I uh went oh okay I guess I kind of see that you know that maybe but you know we were going for a wall of sound you know the strings McDonald yeah it was a wall of sound kind of thing but I will tell you that you know my first album I had Larry yep I had Gren yep I had Eric Johnson mhm so I was pretty intimidated so I mean I probably wasn't looking to push up my solo particularly because you know you're in that crowd uh and actually it was I think it was later on it was Larry and Luke probably that really encouraged me to kind of play more on my own records but but yeah so maybe it's all that but we I never gave it a thought I was talking to my brother John my younger brother who's a guitar player I talked to him this morning actually and told him that you were coming in and and but that morning when I made that video and I talked about seeing this guy do a reaction video to it and I said I said you know that solo he's like yeah it's way too low that's such a great solo and everything so then then about an hour later I call him back and said I found the tracks to this thing yeah I wonder what I was like yeah I found the tracks there was on hard drive somewhere check it out and then I played it over the phone for him just a solo by itself he's like that's amazing you need to make that video I said yeah I'm going to make the video right now I got to say I was I was like I was impressed by myself when you solo this soloed it and I was like but it was actually pretty good okay wait what were you playing through I want to get I have so many questions what were you playing thought about that cuz if say oh 59 less Paul okay directly into overdog special dumble no pedals you can tell the amp is cranked you can tell it's really you know and and yeah that just just straight in 59 into the over our special I'd like to take a second to talk to you about this channel this is actually Rick biato 2 I've had it since the beginning of my main Channel and many of you are not subscribed as a matter of fact 87% of the people that watch this channel regularly are not subscribed so I would encourage you to hit the Subscribe button on this channel and on my main Channel this will help me get better guests and help continue to grow both of these channels thank you okay how much of the AR put the four on the floor okay so how much of the arrangement was was done was it if you listen to the bo yeah it was I always saying the box set notes I said the the you know the meat of it was there the arrangement is just like that what Michael of course plays amazing but the string arrangements are the big thing and but I mean the arrangement was the same we were doing it live like that with such a long way to go and all that so it was pretty much that way but the pocket of it is so good everything about it is just well you know Mar put the four on the floor which really helped and then we had L cter Chris it was a glue in that with the Bongos which The Congos we didn't have so and then the strings I mean that's another thing you know not a lot of people were doing things with strings like that you know and I've been a big string guys so Marans great Ranger so I continue to I mean even my last record all real strings you know so uh but yeah it was a okay so wait so so the track is done Michael McDonald's in the studio that you guys are in the same recording in a different room and then you said let's just get him to come and sing on this was well it was later he came in we were doing a really don't know anymore so he he came in and sang on that and then that a more exposed vocal part on right we were working on this song we we had the part and we thought boy McDonald would sound great doing this we called him and he came down again did that too so yeah but he did I really don't know anymore as well so and he's like Eric he's sung on tons of my records so over the years so yeah that was uh well you know and Crosby always said Mike has a voice everybody wants you know but it's interesting I saw your thing where it was a Stairway to Heaven you got different people playing the solo yeah and a girl Eric played on it Eric Johnson yeah and somebody call me said you should do that I said well I think I think I'm the company's fine the way it is but yeah Rod like the win it' be interesting you know uh hearing if Luke or somebody else played on that I'm G to do it uh what's interesting though is is I think I told you that uh I did with Frank Zappa in New York and Frank asked me to come sit in with him and I couldn't because I was bu you know it was things were crazy then I had to go leave town and then two weeks later I get a cassette in the mail it says Zappa wind and Frank played Bri like the wind at his show with aldol and that's one of the things I treasure uh but Frank and Al pretty much solo over the whole thing I think Al's got Frank has this WWA and Al's playing but uh it was still cool but yeah Ian it's it's really fun over see Miner it's a great thing to Sol over I'm sure that L those guys would tear it up and I think uh that was a Big Thrill too when I did the second record Toto was the Rhythm Section Arthur a lot of that stuff and it was a thrill to have Luke come and play I mean clearly unbelievable jefff the guys but my solo went all right that Luke did I learned it in in good nights I can pull it off there's one real fast part and they came to Japan Toto came to my show in Japan it was like great he's out there now it's kind of like Carlton with the kid charlam thing the Eric you know it's funny the the Carlton stuff forget about it the light is on I just do what I do and then the Eric solos forget about it yeah no way I can play that fast you just do your own thing I have to because it's like he's some fast his solo on uh um has some kind of Eric licks where he does the the pentatonic stuff yeah was great the way way you played Ro the wi you I saw you do kid charlem made you know it's amazing way you can do that but yeah the Eric stuff I can play it slowed down possibly but yeah he's just ridiculous his technique so but anyway Luke was that was a thrill having him come play on stuff so uh and those guys were just so much fun too especially that day you know uh but yeah so I think right like the wi you know was just again on on the right place at the right time for that with that record okay playing with those guys with these great players it's got to be so fun to to see them record their parts right well yeah I mean the second record I used Gad and a brael Senor you know which was unbelievable come on yeah and usually I'm playing on the on the Rhythm dates so it's a thrill like I was telling you that I'm touring right now and I I have a great bench of guys um right now Keith carlock's out with me you know Ste Dan Travis Carlton was just he had to leave but he was on the early part of the tour so I'm very fortunate to have these amazing uh Mitch Foreman plays with me sometimes you know amazing players and it's a thrill every night to get up there hear what they do because they're just they're they're virtuosos and and that's part of what I love about and and much like Joan I tried to grow with my career uh the music got more sophisticated especially lyrically and it got more sophisticated and I brought in better players and I I tried to like Steely and tried to like emulate Asia and all that you know and it's funny because when Joan when hezer came out and that she turned that corner she lost a lot of people you know yeah from the folk thing yeah but for me I love that's one of my favorite records of hers I yeah me too and I love blue and all that but I mean to me when she got witho and started doing that I think I remember one time saying something to her about how I've basically model my career completely out to her and she said yeah well in some areas that might be a mistake but uh but I did that where I've tried to grow and and you know and and every time get more sophisticated a lot of it's based on sort of the Asia thing where you just get great players and let them bring that jazz influence to the music it's not like it's Jazz but it's harmonic enough for them to you know yeah they have to have some to work with there and you had those the the the structures with your songs that would warrant having those players to do you know to give them something to really work with yeah and everything's I haven't rehearsed in 25 years everything's charted and I have a book of 100 charts and the the the they're really road maps I want them to interpret the chords and stuff the way they would every guy brings a different thing to it but um it's great too not having to rehearse it's like I just this guy who's out right now Mark Stevens uh who I hadn't met but he plays with Larry Travis recommended them it's crazy great you know and I can pretty much if I get a referral from somebody like a will Lee or somebody they show up and they're great so uh been very lucky to play with some incredible people let's let's talk about your favorite Steely Dan tracks because you're wearing a Steely Dan Asia t-shirt here if I if I had to say give me your top five Steely Dan songs what are they I'd probably say um any major dude would be high up there uh home at last mhm and a lot of these are based me musically lyrically yeah home at last third world man because of Larry solo Larry solo yeah um I think that was actually left wasn't that a leftover track from the previous record that's what I'm hearing he some rumors about that but uh and I heard I can't this is true but I think I was telling to mention that there was at some point cats made some Overture about me playing on something and I think could be wrong but I think the track they were possibly considering me for is their man and I'm like so glad thank God there is a God and he didn't have me plan that record

Channel: Rick Beato 2

Views: 237,080

Keywords: christopher cross, ride like the wind, yacht rock, rick beato, guitar solo, Interview, Steely Dan, Aja, Steve lukather, Larry Carlton, the greatest guitar solo you cant hear, any major dude, home at last, everything music, eric johnson, christopher cross ride like the wind

Id: bNwTJh4Wx5U

Length: 9min 5sec (545 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 13 2023