Pilot (1974) High in to the Sky - LOST 70s GEMS

Pilot, famous for the huge hits Magic and January debuted in late 74 with From the Album of the Same Name; not that's the actual title. It bared a awesome hand drawn art deco shaded image of the band wearing fanciful scarfs to a backdrop of a puffy cloudy sky resembling a modern art version of a World War Two propaganda poster, the music inside is just as whimsical with a clear cut Beatles pop sounding record. While opening with the hit Magic, an ode to the often unsung joy of late morning lie ins, it was the perfect bridge of Post Hippy laidback quirky pop and 70s Arena Rock hits of bands like Foreigner and Styx. Sooner or Later has strong verses and the piano and vocals are equally crystalline and full bodied while the Sgt Pepper tune Girl Next Door has a strong chorus but the melodies never quite hit the heights of the opening track. Heavily distorted slide guitars crunch away along with the percussive honky piano work and tightly compacted drum work. There is a lot of Beatles or even Wings in the group's sound and occasionally some other prog groups but the band it seemingly most likely influenced was Ambrosia, the Prog Pop outfit that would debut a year later with their own very Beatles-esque brand of keyboard pop rock, however they were far more successful on the chart with hits like How Much I Am, The Biggest Part of Me and Holdin on to Yesterday; Ambrosia would embrace the late 70s Soft Rock balladry that would herald the 80s while Pilot were more drawn to the offbeat, far punchier beat pop of the early 70s that looked more to the 60s.

The trouble a lot of these songs feature very rudimentary and boringly steady beats while the melodies are a little too bubblegum and lightweight for the 70s lacking any real depth; while that's no surprise considering the lyrics of Magic and the repetitious nature of January


High in to the Sky is a brief look at what they could've been with the big intoning, reverb drenched Glam vocals reminding me of She Came Through the Bathroom Window while the multi tracked Moogs play a sweet counterpoint to the whining guitars; the high pitched harmonies and prominent backing doo wop vocals are the rare connection to the Magic as they are not present elsewhere on the record to nearly enough the same degree. The upbeat Just a Smile features glistening semi-acoustic guitar arpeggios pinging away and sunny pop vocals but not a very strong melody again. There is a slightly Prog majesty of Sky Blue mixes treated vocals, big power ballad drums, pirouetting strings, snickering horns, finger picking and Hawaiian sounding slide parts. Lucky for Some has an airy sound with wet, piano notes and big boxy acoustic guitar and drums and more moaning lead guitar and a Peruvian sounding flute solo with a willowy echo to it. While the closer Lovely Lady Smile continues the South American folk sound of the Lucky for Some even with Spanish lyrics and a strong AC pop sound that most certainly was the focused sound Ambrosia took to heart as they must have been influenced by this record.