Pilot

Scottish pop group, formed in Edinburgh in 1973 by two former members (David Paton & Billy Lyall) of the early Bay City Rollers. Their biggest hits were "Magic", "January", "Call Me Round" and "Just A Smile", all of them in 1974, and 1975. They worked closely with Alan Parsons, who produced much of their material. Three of them (David Paton, Ian Bairnson & Stuart Tosh) contributed also The Alan Parsons Project, and Paton & Bairnson played also on Kate Bush's two first albums 'The Kick Inside' (1978) and 'Lionheart' (1978). As we approach the 40th anniversary of Pilot's debut album, David Paton, Ian Bairnson, and Stuart Tosh have reunited as Pilot. As a first project out of the gate, it is only fitting that David and Ian would turn to The Alan Parsons Project.

The connection between Wales and the harp is a long-standing one, and Mathias's part in it began 12 years before his Harp Concerto was written, with Improvisations for harp solo; even a Welshman has to learn how to cope with such an idiosyncratic instrument. He learned his lessons well—even using semitone pedal glissandos in the second movement, and he keeps the harp audible by alternating its solo passages with orchestral ones or, when the two are working together treating the orchestra with a light touch (the celesta is used as a particularly effective companion to the harp), at other times resorting to the more familiar across-the-strings sweep. Two movements have declared Welsh associations: the first juxtaposes but does not develop three themes the second is a 'bardic' elegy; the last is simply ''joyful and rhythmic''. The whole makes pleasing listening appealing to the emotions and imagination rather than the intellect.