Christie perform I
Gotta Be Free, one of the many standout tracks from the
classic first album. From the gig at Kamenz, Germany, in September
2009.
CHRISTIE rocketed to fame
at the dawn of the 70s with their single Yellow
River, a smash
hit that made it into the charts in just about every country in
the world.
Listeners found the catchy, commercial
beat and melody — backed by solid production values and a
"jingle jangle" sound that was to become a trademark
of many other Christie offerings — an irresistible combination,
and bought the single by the millions.
The band was to follow up the single
with many more songs that were just as melodic and appealing.
San Bernadino brought forth more
success, and has been adopted as that city's official song. Another
hit, Iron Horse, is as close to pure
commercial pop as you can get. Most of the band's output was written
by the group's leader and lead vocalist, Jeff Christie, who was
equally at home writing bright and bouncy, commercial tunes, as
he was at dreaming up a lilting ballad, a soulful refrain, or
a heavier, more powerful sound.
Hear
the Christie sounds for yourself! Now all lyrics come with audio
samples!
That Christie failed to make a bigger
name for themselves in pop music history remains a mystery —
maybe it was a case of poor timing and lost opportunities —
but in a perfect world, and based on the songs that the group produced,
it would be difficult to find another band which so consistently
came up with the commercial, pleasing tunes that Christie released.
This website cannot change the past,
but it aims to place Christie in a more prominent light in the annals
of pop music history. And maybe even bring forth a whole new generation
of fans who appreciate the solid, pop rock music of this band, as
well as the songwriting genius of Jeff Christie.
Many thanks to the
following Christie fans, without whose contributions this
site would have been much poorer: Rainer
Frank, Michael Walker, Linda Jeffels, Garrelt Danker, Antonie
Griebl, Natalia Torres, Benny Hällström, Sergio
Pergetti, Johan Petur Niclassen, Lorenzo Gabanizza, and Michael
Graf. In compiling the articles for the site, the author has
communicated with Jeff Christie and various members of
the band over the years. All articles and reviews were
written by RAY CHAN, and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without
approval.
