You Cross My Path is the tenth studio album by British rock band the Charlatans, released on 3 March 2008 as a free download from radio station Xfm's website. Following promotion for the band's ninth studio album, Simpatico (2006), frontman Tim Burgess and manager Alan McGee devised an idea to give away their music for free. Guitarist Mark Collins and keyboardist Tony Rogers visited Burgess in Los Angeles, California, where they would write new material, and followed this up with jam sessions with the whole band in early 2007. Recording sessions were split across Hollywood, California, Blessington, Ireland, and Cheshire, Greater Manchester, with Rogers given a separate producer credit independent of the band. You Cross My Path is an electro and pop album that evokes the work of Kasabian, New Order, and Simple Minds. Following the reggae direction of Simpatico, Rogers' organ returned to the forefront of the band's sound on You Cross My Path.
You Cross My Path received generally favourable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the songwriting, though some were less enthusiastic about its quality. It charted at number 25 in Scotland, number 39 in the United Kingdom, and number 96 in Ireland. After their former label folded, the Charlatans announced their decision to release the album for free. Some writers thought they were copying Radiohead, who announced on the same day that they would be doing that strategy with In Rainbows (2007). "You Cross My Path" was released as the lead single from the album of the same name in October 2007 and was promoted with a tour of the UK the following month. "Oh! Vanity" was released as its second single in February 2008, followed by "The Misbegotten" in May 2008. You Cross My Path was released physically through Cooking Vinyl that same month, and the Charlatans toured the UK in support of it. "Mis-Takes" appeared as the fourth single from it in July 2008; over the next two months, they played at a few festivals and held a live show in New Zealand at the end of the year.
Background and development The Charlatans released their ninth studio album, Simpatico, in April 2006 through Creole and Sanctuary Records. It peaked at number ten on the UK Albums Chart, while one of its singles, "Blackened Blue Eyes", charted within the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart. A month later, it was reported that the band left their long-serving manager Steve Harrison in favour of Stephen King and former Creation Records owner Alan McGee, both of Creation Management. McGee's first suggestion as a manager was for the band to do a greatest hits tour. Shortly afterwards, frontman Tim Burgess decided to give up drinking and doing drugs, eventually going through a detox programme.Burgess 2013, p. 175 Following this, the band went on a tour of the United States to promote the album and then appeared at the Oxegen, T in the Park, and V Festivals. In October 2006, Burgess and McGee went on a DJ tour, which the former saw as a bonding event between the pair that would help them map out the band's future plans.
During this time, Burgess realised that the Internet was gaining momentum as a self-promotional tool, with the pair having used Myspace to promote their tour. He was aware that Pete Doherty of the Libertines, which McGee used to manage, would post various live or demo recordings online for others to check out. Fans enjoyed this; Burgess commented that these were early indications that record labels were not required to release music into the wider world. He noted that listeners were "plundering the internet" to acquire music via peer-to-peer file sharing websites. McGee similarly arrived at the conclusion that no one was purchasing CDs, saying that people preferred to download music online. While on the tour, Burgess and McGee came up with the suggestion of giving away the Charlatans' new music to others.Burgess 2013, p. 191 The band considered several proposals, including working with Sanctuary again, signing to a different label, or founding their own label.Burgess 2013, pp. 191–2 After ultimately deciding on giving away music, they made some terms to stick to: they needed it to be the best album they could write; it had to be given away to the highest number of people as was possible; and they had to "go into it wholeheartedly".Burgess 2013, p. 192
Writing and recording In November 2006, their third compilation album Forever. The Singles was released, promoted with a UK tour until the end of the year. It included a remix of one of their earlier tracks, "You're So Pretty –We're So Pretty" from their seventh album Wonderland (2001), done by Martin "Youth" Glover. Burgess said he altered the speed of it, which gave Burgess the idea that their next album should have a faster tempo. When asked if they would follow the sound of Simpatico, Burgess responded that they would be following the compilation, as there were "[t]oo many dark thoughts around [the making of Simpatico,] so we want get away from that." They planned to record with Youth or Wonderland producer Danny Saber; when hearing a demo of "You Cross My Path", McGee also proposed Alan Moulder.Burgess 2019, p. 206 Burgess said that McGee wanted them to release another new album by mid-2007, which Burgess thought was not an ideal deadline. In January 2007, guitarist Mark Collins went to meet Burgess in Los Angeles, California; keyboardist Tony Rogers also visited for a week. The two stayed at a flat on the corner of the Sunset and Vine Streets, which Burgess would visit to work on material and McGee supervised. Burgess thought it was an appropriate place to work on their next album, as "Sunset & Vine" had been the name of the final track on Simpatico.Burgess 2013, p. 201
The Charlatans then held jamming sessions throughout February 2007. Surrounding supporting shows for the Who, the Charlatans played a one-off headlining show at Delamere Forest in Cheshire, Greater Manchester, in June 2007. Recording sessions were done in Hollywood, California, Blessington, Ireland, and at Big Mushroom Studios in Cheshire; the album's booklet gives Rogers a separate producer credit independent of the band. Discussing the varied locations they worked in, he explained that they had a computer and recording gear and made it wherever they decided to visit, using the Logic Pro DAW software. As Burgess watched Rogers use it, he got a copy of the programme for himself and became accustomed to it in between past tours. While this was occurring, Burgess and his wife Michelle stayed at the K West Hotel in London for around six months, which was a hotbed for individuals in the music industry.Burgess 2013, p. 202 As Tim Burgess would be busy with recording, Michelle Burgess passed the time drinking with William Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain and the manager of Evan Dando. On one occasion, Tim Burgess went to record in Birmingham, only to return to find his wife still partying, unaware that he had been absent.Burgess 2013, p. 203 By October 2007, mixing was underway, with Moulder doing the majority of the recordings at Assault & Battery Studios in London, while James Spencer mixed "A Day for Letting Go" and "Bird" at Big Mushroom. Burgess was excited about working with Moulder, name-checking the latter's involvement in Loveless (1991) by My Bloody Valentine. Moulder was initially unsure about the mixing until McGee convinced him to do it.
Composition and lyrics
Musically, the sound of You Cross My Path has been described as electro and pop, taking influence from krautrock, compared to the work of Kasabian, New Order, and Simple Minds. Burgess attributed the electronic textures to him listening to krautrock acts Kraftwerk and Neu! and admitted that it was heavily inspired by New Order. After the diversion to reggae on Simpatico, Rogers' organ returned to the forefront for You Cross My Path. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine said it continues the foundation set by their fifth album, Tellin' Stories (1997), re-treading that release's mixture of "contemporary and classic, perhaps even gently favoring the modern as this does emphasize sound over song." Burgess wanted the album's title to be The Gothic Wild West, in the vein of actor Sergio Leone,Burgess 2019, p. 165 but this was vetoed by the other members. Burgess' lyrics, which tackled break-up and being disaffected, recalled those of New Order frontman Bernard Sumner. In addition to this, Blunt's bass parts were also compared to those by New Order member Peter Hook.
For the album's opening track, "Oh! Vanity", they had written the first verse before going to a party hosted by the William Morris Agency. Three members of the band attended; two of the lines refer to Burgess meeting Paris Hilton at said party.Burgess 2019, pp. 155, 156 It has a groove in the vein of Booker T. & the M.G.'s and a wordless chorus section; its two-chord progression recalled the work of Elbow, while the keyboards were in the style of the Killers. The Independent critic Andy Gill wrote that it had a "propulsive motorik groove wreathed in swirling con-trails of psych-rock synthesiser". "Bad Days" is an up-tempo pop rock and synth-pop track that Gill said was full of "skittish disco hi-hats, striding bass and [an] electropop synth motif". Blunt and Rogers wrote the first idea that would evolve into the final song in the latter's basement; Rogers would also start the lyrics that Burgess subsequently finished and would include a reference to the Cure. "Mis-Takes" exemplifies the New Order comparison, coming across as a mix of that act's songs "Blue Monday" (1983) and "World (The Price of Love)" (1993). Burgess explained that it was a vitriolic track about a person who once threatened him while at a bus stop. Erlewine wrote that it has a cold keyboard atmosphere that "uncannily sounds like a new wave relic" without disregarding the band's signature grooves.
"The Misbegotten" recalled the Charlatans' 1995 self-titled album and was influenced by Doris Norton, whose electronic music Burgess admired. He used William S. Burroughs' cut-up technique for the lyrics; it details an instance where a man approached Burgess at a party and proceeded to offer him the chance at sex with his wife, much to Burgess' discomfort.Burgess 2019, p. 204 "A Day for Letting Go" is a mid-tempo track focused on Rogers' organ, which Burgess said was about having one's soul crushed. He wrote the lyrics, which were influenced by the Shangri-Las, during New Year's Eve 2007 while in Texas; Blunt referred to them as "The Doors meet The Ronettes with an acid twist." Discussing "You Cross My Path", Burgess said there were a "few unsavoury characters" in the music industry, and this track was a "handy shot across their bows".Burgess 2019, p. 160 Influenced by his sobriety, it included lines taken from The Exorcist (1973) and references to the Bible. The Austin Chronicle writer Marc Savlov said it starts with an acid-like "barrage of electro before segueing into more familiar, Pacific Coast Highway rock-out territory". Burgess acknowledged that it shared the same chord progression with "Circus of Death" (1978) by the Human League and "Sunrise" (1985) by New Order, and that the drum beat was a pre-set pattern on Logic Pro.