Crosstown Bus - High Grass

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	High Grass	02:47
	2	Too Many Mornings	02:36
	3	Pass this Way Again	02:24
	4	Pretty Millie	02:47
	5	Overcoats	04:47

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Rochester River	02:55
	2	She Don't Care	02:27
	3	Renie	03:28
	4	In Ten Years Time	02:47
	5	I'm Lost Without You	02:00
	6	Caravan	02:58

Photos

Videos

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Information/Write-up

Crosstown Bus was a Vancouver-based Canadian rock group active in the early 1970s, best remembered for its MCA Records album High Grass and for being a formative stage in the career of keyboardist Frank Ludwig, later of Trooper and Brutus.

The band originally formed in Nelson, British Columbia, in the late 1960s. After relocating to Vancouver, they became one of the city’s top club acts under the direction of rising manager Bruce Allen. In 1971, Allen recruited Frank Ludwig to join Crosstown Bus. The lineup over time featured:

Jeff Boyne: guitar, congas, lead vocals
Brian Anderson: bass, vocals
Rob Somerville: organ, congas, vocals
Frank Ludwig: piano, guitar, organ, vocals
Mike Killeen: drums, vocals

Earlier members included Roger Henthorne (bass), Jim Grant (guitar), Bobby Blow (keyboards), Nick Doktor (drums), and Dave Jonsson (drums). Blair Thornton (later of Bachman-Turner Overdrive) also played with the group briefly. After a brief stint in California, the band returned to Canada and secured a record deal with MCA Records.

Crosstown Bus recorded one album, High Grass (1971), released on MCA and recorded at Studio 3 in Vancouver. The album was produced by Greg Hambleton and Tom Northcott. Despite the band’s energetic live performances and growing regional popularity, the studio experience was a frustrating one. According to Ludwig, the producers—particularly Hambleton, who had previously worked on “Ten Pound Note” by Steel River—prioritized songs written by their own associates. Band-written material was underutilized, and production choices often clashed with the group's sound.

Horns were arranged by Bruce Fairbairn and strings/choir by David Foster, but in many cases the band’s contributions were reduced to basic backing tracks. Ludwig’s original piano parts were sometimes replaced or altered without consultation. Despite these issues, the album produced three singles.

Although primarily a cover band, Crosstown Bus also developed original material for live performance, including the politically charged “Welcome to North America Suite.” Performed during the Vietnam War era, it showed influence from The Collectors’ “What Love Suite” and the Guess Who’s “American Woman.” Despite strong audience reception, it was never committed to tape in a studio. A live recording from Magee Secondary School’s 1973 grad event featured Ludwig and Boyne’s song “Good Enough for Rock and Roll.”

Other known live staples included a cover of “Rockin’ Robin” and Ludwig’s introspective “Pass This Way Again,” which he later criticized for its underwhelming studio treatment and lack of proper instrumentation.

Despite its short lifespan, Crosstown Bus served as a launchpad for several future stars of Canadian rock. Frank Ludwig went on to join Brutus and Trooper, Blair Thornton joined Brave Belt and later Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and other members pursued diverse careers—Mike Killeen became a CTV broadcaster, and Roger Henthorne became an airline pilot.

In later years, Jeff Boyne and Brian Anderson re-formed a version of the band and resumed live performances in British Columbia.
-Robert Williston

Brian Anderson: bass, vocals
Jeff Boyne: guitar, congas, lead vocals
Rob Somerville: organ, congas, vocals
Frank Ludwig: piano, guitar, organ, vocals
Mike Killeen: drums, vocals

Recorded at Studio 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia
Produced by Greg Hambleton and Tom Northcott

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