What’s interesting revisiting the album, decades on, is how many styles they wedge into two sides of plastic, almost as if Paton and keysman Billy Lyall arrived together with an encyclopaedic knowledge of pop and more than a bit of studio expertise. Lead track ‘Just A Smile’ (one of their lesser remembered hits) rests somewhere near the pinnacle of 70s pop, thanks to a set of radio friendly harmonies and a barrage of handclaps, but there’s also a great power from a somewhat understated 60s jangle. Leading off this anthology, 1974’s ‘From The Album of The Same Name’ presents a mixed bag of sounds, but it’s best bits are fantastic. As those who’ve treasured their vinyl copies of the first two albums will suspect, this is a collection that features a fair amount of great material, but shows how Pilot weren’t always the most consistent among the decade’s pop-rockers. The obviously titled ‘The Albums’ brings together all four of the band’s four major releases for the first time, including the first ever UK CD release for their ‘Two’s A Crowd’ LP from 1977. Just take one listen to the giant fanfare that heralds the arrival of #1 hit ‘January’, with its multi-tracked guitars and enduringly jubilant vocal performance, or David Paton’s complex bass runs that cut through the heart of ‘Magic’, and it’s obvious there was far more to Pilot than generic pop. Instead, they’re sometimes remembered – somewhat unfairly – as part of the decade’s pop pin-up fare. The Scottish pop-rockers released four albums between 19 containing well crafted pop and rock elements which, at their best, should’ve placed the band high on a pantheon of pop alongside 10cc and Andrew Gold. Although best remembered for massive hits ‘Magic’ and ‘January’, there was always far more to Pilot’s career in the 1970s.

The knack discography torrent