Pilot

Pilot was a rock musical group, formed during 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland by the former Bay City Rollers members, David Paton and Billy Lyall.

Career

Joined by Stuart Tosh and Ian Bairnson, the band recorded several demos during 1973 and 1974. They were signed to a management contract with Nick Heath and Tim Heath, sons of British bandleader Ted Heath, and John Cavanagh. In due course they signed to a worldwide recording deal with EMI Records.

The 1974 single "Magic" from their first album, produced by Alan Parsons and written by Paton,^[1] was a #11 UK and #5 U.S. success. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in August 1975.^[2] The song "January" gave them their greatest success in the UK, securing the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart in January 1975. However, the group failed to make the Top 30 again.^[1] The arranger of "January", Andrew Powell went on to record Kate Bush, and both Paton and Bairnson played on her debut album, The Kick Inside, which included "Wuthering Heights".^[3]

The band's other singles chart successes were "Call Me Round" and "Just a Smile" (both 1975).^[4] By the time 1977 came around only Paton and Bairnson were left from the original foursome, and they recorded Pilot's final album (entitled Two's a Crowd) alone.

By 1978, all of Pilot's members had begun other projects, notably Tosh, Paton and Bairnson becoming members of the Alan Parsons Project, and Tosh also working with 10cc.

Lyall died of AIDS-related causes in 1989.

Paton and Bairnson reconvened in 2002, to re-record the original Pilot album Two's a Crowd. The subsequent issue was entitled, Blue Yonder (see below).

Discography

Singles

• "Just a Smile" (1974)- Co-written by Le-Vahn
  • 1. "Just a Smile"
  • 2. "Don't Speak Loudly"
• "Magic" (1974) - UK Number 11; USA Singles Chart #5; Australia Singles Chart # 3; Canada Singles Chart #5
  • 1. "Magic"
  • 2. "Just Let Me Be"
• "Ra-Ta-Ta" (1974) (as Scotch Mist)
  • 1. "Ra-Ta-Ta"
  • 2. "Pamela"
• "January" (1975) - UK Singles Chart #1; Germany Singles Chart #1; Australia Singles Chart #1
  • 1. "January"
  • 2. "Never Give Up"
• "Call Me Round" (1975) - UK Number 34
  • 1. "Call Me Round"
  • 2. "Do Me Good"
• "Just a Smile" (1975 - reissue) - UK Number 31
  • 1. "Just a Smile"
  • 2. "Are You In Love?"
• "Lady Luck" (1975)
  • 1. "Lady Luck"
  • 2. "Dear Artist"
• "Running Water" (1976)
  • 1. "Running Water"
  • 2. "First After Me"
• "Canada" (1976)
  • 1. "Canada"
  • 2. "The Mover"
• "Penny in My Pocket" (1976)
  • 1. "Penny in My Pocket"
  • 2. "Steps"
• "Get Up And Go" (1977)
  • 1. "Get Up And Go"
  • 2. "Big Screen Kill"^[4]
• "Monday Tuesday" (1977)
  • 1. "Monday Tuesday"
  • 2. "Evil Eye"

Albums

• Pilot (From the Album of the Same Name) — (1974)
• Second Flight — (1975) — UK Number 48
  • 1. "You're My No. 1"
  • 2. "Love Is"
  • 3. "Call Me Round"
  • 4. "55° North, 3° West"
  • 5. "To You Alone"
  • 6. "Do Me Good"
  • 7. "Heard It All Before"
  • 8. "Bad to Me"
  • 9. "You're Devotion"
  • 10. "January"
  • 11. "Passion Piece"
  • 12. "Dear Artist"
• Morin Heights — (1976)
  • 1. "Hold on"
  • 2. "Canada"
  • 3. "First After Me"
  • 4. "Steps"
  • 5. "The Mover"
  • 6. "Penny in My Pocket"
  • 7. "Lies and Lies"
  • 8. "Running Water"
  • 9. "Trembling"
  • 10. "Maniac"
  • 11. "Too Many Hopes"
• Two's a Crowd — (1977)
  • 1. "Get Up and Go"
  • 2. "Library Door"
  • 3. "Creeping Round Midnight"
  • 4. "One Good Reason Why"
  • 5. "There's a Place"
  • 6. "The Other Side"
  • 7. "Monday Tuesday"
  • 8. "Ten Feet Tall"
  • 9. "Evil Eye"
  • 10. "Mr. Do Or Die"
  • 11. "Big Screen Kill"
• Blue Yonder — (2002)
  • 1. "Get Up and Go"
  • 2. "Library Door"
  • 3. "Creeping Round Midnight"
  • 4. "One Good Reason Why"
  • 5. "There's a Place"
  • 6. "I Wonder"
  • 7. "Monday Tuesday"
  • 8. "Ten Feet Tall"
  • 9. "Evil Eye"
  • 10. "When the Sun Comes"
  • 11. "Hold Me (live in 1975)"^[4]

Compilations and film soundtracks

• Best Of Pilot (1980)
• Happy Gilmore (included in the soundtrack) (1996)
• Herbie: Fully Loaded (included in the soundtrack) (2005)
• The Magic Roundabout (included in the soundtrack) (2005)
• Eve And The Firehorse ("Magic" included in the soundtrack) (2005)
• A's B's & Rarities (2005)
  • 1. "Magic"
  • 2. "Just Let Me Be"
  • 3. "January"
  • 4. "Never Give Up"
  • 5. "Call Me Round"
  • 6. "Do Me Good"
  • 7. "Just A Smile"
  • 8. "Don't Speak Loudly"
  • 9. "Are You In Love?"
  • 10. "You're My No. 1"
  • 11. "High Into The Sky"
  • 12. "Sooner Or Later"
  • 13. "Lady Luck"
  • 14. "Dear Artist"
  • 15. "Running Water"
  • 16. "First After Me"
  • 17. "Canada"
  • 18. "Mover"
  • 19. "Penny In My Pocket"
  • 20. "Steps"
  • 21. "No Ties, No Strings (David Paton solo)"
  • 22. "Stop And Let Go (David Paton solo)"
• Anthology (2007)

References

External links

• Good Scottish pop
• Pilot at Allmusic
• Blue Yonder album details