 The U.K. band Pilot gained chart success with a string of singles, including their best-known release, "Magic," in the mid-1970s. With a song list that includes these hits as well as a variety of tracks culled from the band's three albums, this best-of reveals the Scottish trio as an eclectic pop vocal harmony group very much influenced by their '60s forbears, including the Hollies and the Beatles. Cuts like the infectious "Just a Smile," the subtly arranged "January," and the sunny "Canada" radiate an unaffected cheeriness bolstered by a well-crafted production and irresistible pop hooks that still sound fresh today. |
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Play Magic Play January Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Just a Smile 2. Magic 3. Girl Next Door 4. January 5. Call Me Round 6. Dear Artist 7. Canada 8. Penny in My Pocket 9. Running Water 10. Just Let Me Be 11. Never Give Up 12. Sooner or Later 13. Do Me Good 14. Bad to Me 15. You're My No.1 16. The Mover 17. Hold On 18. Lies and Lies 19. Get up and Go 20. Ten Feet Tall 21. Monday, Tuesday 22. Evil Eye  |
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| Pilot was a pop rock group formed in 1973 in Edinburgh, Scotland, by former Bay City Rollers members David Paton and Billy Lyall. This was prior to the Bay City Rollers "hitting the big time". Joined by Stuart Tosh and Ian Bairnson, the band recorded several demos over the course of 1973 and 1974, eventually catching the attention of EMI Records.
The 1974 single "Magic" from their debut album, engineered by Alan Parsons and written by David Paton, was a #11 UK and #5 U.S. hit and remains a pop classic. Their simple but catchy pop ditty "January" gave them their biggest hit in the UK, securing the number one spot in the UK Singles Chart in January 1975. The band's other single chart hits were "Call Me Round" and "Just A Smile" (both 1975). By the time 1977 came around only Paton and Bairnson were left from the original foursome, and they recorded Pilot's final album (the aptly entitled Two's a Crowd) alone. By 1978, all of Pilot's members had moved on to other projects, notably Tosh, Paton and Bairnson becoming core members of the Alan Parsons Project, and Tosh also working with 10cc. Sadly, 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. |