Sadly, it was not to be, and Lyall left Pilot after the recording of Second Flight.ĭown to trio once more, the band relocated to Canada and worked with Roy Thomas Baker on the album Morin Heights. Tracks such as ‘You’re Devotion’, ‘Dear Artist’ or the instrumental ’55 Degrees North 3 Degrees West’ displayed a different side to Pilot and it’s hard not to share Paton’s assessment that, with the combination of styles, the band were evolving into something more substantial. Unlike the first album where Billy Lyall and David Paton shared the song writing credits, on Second Flight the songs were credited individually, highlighting a discernible difference between the commercial pop of Paton and the more eclectic, experimental approach of Lyall. ‘Call Me Round’ gave the band another minor hit, although ’You’re My No 1’ might arguably have been a better choice. ‘January’ is the crowning glory of the album: an irresistible song with a wonderful arrangement and a thoroughly deserved number one single. The guitar virtuosity of Ian Bairnson, now a fully-fledged member of the band adds greater substance and scope to their sound, as well as adding another songwriter to the mix. The band’s sophomore album Second Flight is where Pilot begin to hit their stride. Tracks such as ‘Girl Next Door’ and ‘Over The Moon’ have a McCartney-esque charm and Alan Parsons (in one of his first production roles) gives the album a rich sound. Although few songs are as strong as the singles and others such as ‘Aunty Iris’ veer towards the whimsical, From The Album Of The Same Name does a good job of establishing a distinctive sound for the band. The trio wisely added Bairnson to their ranks shortly afterwards.
‘Magic’ remains an enduring pop/rock classic and undoubtedly benefits from the dynamic guitar introduction by fellow Scot Ian Bairnson, grafted on to the start of the song at EMI’s insistence. The band’s debut release From The Album Of The Same Name opens with ‘Just A Smile’, which was inexplicably not a hit first time around, although this was remedied when a rerecorded version reached number 31 the following year. They were initially marketed at a pubescent audience, but Pilot were a group of accomplished musicians and their recorded legacy is celebrated in a new 4CD set, Pilot – The Albums.
Their single ‘Magic’ was a top five hit in America, reached the top twenty in the UK and to this day is still sung at football grounds up and down the country. With the addition of Stuart Tosh on drums they became Pilot and, along with Queen and Cockney Rebel, were the first new acts to be signed to the flagship EMI label – and the first of those acts to achieve a number one single with their song ‘January’. It began as a creative collaboration between two Edinburgh songwriters and musicians, David Paton and Billy Lyall.
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