Pilot - Collection (1974-2007)

Formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1973, Pilot initially consisted of David Paton (b. 29 October 1951, Edinburgh; bass/vocals) and Billy Lyall (b. 26 March 1953, Edinburgh; synthesizer/piano/flute and vocals), two former members of the Bay City Rollers and Stuart Tosh (b. 26 September 1951, Aberdeen, Scotland; drums). The trio won a contract with EMI Records after recording a series of demos in London. Session guitarist Ian Bairnson (b. 3 August 1953, Shetland Isles, Scotland) was recruited in the autumn of 1974. Having secured a Top 20 hit with 'Magic', the group reached the number 1 spot in 1975 with 'January', a simple, but perfectly crafted pop song.

The group enjoyed two minor chart entries with 'Call Me Round' and 'Just A Smile', but their increasingly lightweight style quickly palled. Tosh left to join 10CC, while Bairnson and Paton pursued studio careers, which included sessions for Kate Bush's debut ‘The Kick Inside’ (1978) and several recordings for Alan Parsons and Chris DeBurgh. Billy Lyall recorded a solo album in 1976, "Solo Casting", which featured several former colleagues, and later joined Dollar. In December 1989, he died weighing less than five stone, a victim of an AIDS-related illness.

Tracklist

1974 - From The Album Of The Same Name

01. Just a Smile
02. Magic
03. Lucky for Some
04. Girl Next Door
05. Lovely Lady Smile
06. Sooner or Later
07. Don't Speak Loudly
08. Over the Moon
09. Never Give Up
10. High Into the Sky
11. Auntie Iris
12. Sky Blue

1975 - Second Flight

01. You're My No. 1
02. Love Is
03. Call Me Round
04. 55 Degrees North 3 Degrees West
05. To You Alone
06. Do Me Good
07. Heard It All Before
08. Bad To Me
09. Your DeVotion
10. January
11. Passion Piece
12. Dear Artist

1976 - Morin Heights

01. Hold On
02. Canada
03. First After Me
04. Steps
05. The Mover
06. Penny In My Pocket
07. PLies And Lies
08. PRunning Water
09. Trembling
10. Maniac (Come Back)
11. Too Many Hopes

1976 - William Lyall - Solo Casting

01. Solo Casting
02. Us
03. Playing in the Sand
04. Supertrader
05. Reasons
06. The Deeper You Get
07. Maniac
08. Don't Be Silly
09. Take Me Up
10. Sleep
11. Maniac [Single Version]
12. Solo Casting [Single Version]

1977 - Two's A Crowd

01. Get Up And Go
02. Library Door
03. Creeping Round At Midnight
04. One Good Reason Why
05. There's A Place
06. The Other Side
07. PMonday Tuesday
08. Ten Feet Tall
09. Evil Eye
10. Mr. Do Or Die
11. Big Screen Kill

2002 - Blue Yonder

01. Get Up And Go
02. Library Door
03. Creeping Round Midnight
04. One Good Reason Why
05. There's A Place
06. I Wonder
07. Monday Tuesday
08. Ten Feet Tall
09. Evil Eye
10. When The Sun Comes
11. Hold Me (live in 1975)

2007 - The Craighall Demos 1971-1976

01. Library Door
02. Lazy Davie
03. Joe
04. PLove Has Got Me By The Throat
05. Meet Me Now
06. Now What I Found You
07. My Lonely Companion
08. PReason
09. Sky Blue
10. Cold Stories
11. Youre My Number One
12. Passion Piece
13. January
14. Youre Devotion
15. Heard It All Before
16. Lady Luck
17. Scorpio
18. Get Up And Go
19. Goldmine
20. Sooner Or Later (Hidden Bonus Track)