Ultravox star who co-wrote hit Vienna dies aged 71
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Chris Cross, the musician known for playing the bass guitar and being part of the popular new wave group Ultravox, passed away at the age of 71.
Midge Ure, a fellow member of the band, shared the news and expressed gratitude for their deceased bandmate as he was the one who kept the group united.
In a blog post shared from Ultravox's official Instagram account, Ure described how they collaborated on multiple projects including music and music videos. They quickly became friends while also working together as bandmates.
Despite the distance that separated us for years, we were able to resume our friendship exactly where we left off, as though those intervening years had never occurred. You served as the binding force that kept our band intact. Your reasoning brought order to chaos and added excitement to our existence. It was a privilege to have spent time with you and to have shared in your personal development. We cherish your memory, dear friend, and miss you greatly.
The musician known as Chris Allen was said to have passed away on March 25th, however, his death was not made known to the public until this recent week.
The band Ultravox, with their stylized name of Ultravox!, started up in London during the year 1974. At first, they went by the name of Tiger Lily. Their success in the music industry includes numerous albums that reached the top 10 and 17 hit singles, all occurring between the years 1980 and 1986. One prominent track is “Vienna,” which reached No. 2 on the charts in 1981. It came straight from the album with the same title.
The track called "Vienna" starts off on a somber note with synth sounds and then turns into a huge, melancholy anthem. It is considered to be one of the signature songs of the synth-pop movement that was prevalent in the United Kingdom in the beginning of the 1980s. The band played this song at the 1985 Live Aid concert, which took place at Wembley Stadium.
The arrival of Ure revived Ultravox's career after John Foxx left the band and they were let go by Island, their record label. Ure's addition brought new energy to the group, and together with Cross, they collaborated to create their most successful song.
The song "Vienna" couldn't reach the first position on the UK singles chart because of Joe Dolce's amusing song "Shaddap You Face". However, it made it to the chart once more in 1993.
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Back in 2012, a survey conducted by Radio b2 and the Official Charts Company revealed that it was the most beloved second-place single in the UK. This triumphed over other popular tunes like The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's "Fairytale of New York".
During that time, Martin Talbot, who was the managing director of OCC, expressed that the victory was fitting due to the event in 1981 where it was overshadowed by Joe Dolce's 'Shaddup You Face', which was widely recognized as a major unfairness in the charts.
Followers of Allen expressed their condolences on Ure’s Instagram post. A dedicated supporter of Ultravox voiced their sorrow, saying, "This is extremely devastating news."
Someone else commented, "Chris, may you find eternal rest. You will always be remembered for your greatness."
Alastair Coleman, a journalist, expressed his sadness on X/Twitter upon hearing the news of Chris Cross's passing. Chris Cross was the bass player for the band Ultravox. Coleman wished him peace as he rests.
James Tansley expressed his sadness over the news of Chris Cross's death. According to him, Chris was a valuable member of Ultravox in both its versions and an outstanding musician who would be greatly missed.
