Listen: Magic / Pilot Pilot.mp3

Even in the 70′s, nobody wanted 7″ singles. Not the employees at Discount Records on the Syracuse University campus, where I worked that is. It was all about albums.

Excellent. That meant when the salesmen from the various labels made their weekly rounds, I had zero competition rifling through their trunks for the latest releases.

I had seen this one enter the UK charts, and a week or so later, landed a copy from the local Capital rep. My eyes bulged later that night after the first spin. This was flawless. I moaned for months about it’s lack of US airplay, when slowly but surely, ‘Magic’ actually gained ground, eventually charting, then peaking at #5 on Billboard’s Top 100, even higher than it’s UK #11. Now that’s a first.

Listen: Just A Smile / Pilot PilotJustASmile.mp3

Having begun as former Bay City Rollers, most of Pilot ended up joining The Alan Parsons Project – not surprising given he himself produced all their recordings. A later single, their last UK chart entry, should have made it higher than #31.

Something about Pilot’s sound and songwriting that pointed towards The Buggles in a big way. Anyone else notice that?