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Trollheart · 07-01-2018, 05:37 PM

Artist: William Lyall
Am I familiar with this artist? No
Subgenre(s): Shrug. Pop Prog? PA says Crossover Prog. Meh, maybe.
Nationality Scottish
Linked with: Pilot, Bay City Rollers, Alan Parsons Project, Dollar
Lineup: n/a
Active From: 1969
Active To: 1989
Albums: Solo, just the one: Solo Casting (1976). Also appeared on albums by Pilot, Dollar and The Alan Parsons Project, among others.
Comparable to: Maybe the likes of Justin Hayward? Hard to say really.

So what is the keyboard player for teenybopper Scots Bay City Rollers doing here? Well, as it happens he didn't appear on any of their albums, leaving three years before they broke big in 1974 (perhaps displaying a worrying sense of mistiming?), going on to form Pilot (again, not a prog band but kind of getting closer) and leaving them after four albums to join, with most of the rest of the band, the Alan Parsons Project, who do have at least some prog credentials, though in fairness I can only see him credited on their debut album. Hey, whaddya want from me? The random letter generator gave me L-Y-A ... there's not a lot of choice with that combination, believe me!

Anyway, I'm hardly going to subject you to the Bay City Rollers, but Pilot may not be too much of a stretch. Here he is, on their debut album, From the Album of the Same Name (I don't know: don't ask me!) released in 1974, on one of their two biggest hits, “Magic”.

and this song I seem to remember, from their second album, ingeniously entitled Second Flight (1975).

This one goes by the title of “Call Me Round” (and no, I don't think it's about fat people!) and it's a good catchy pop tune (yes, yes I know! Not prog! But we're getting there! I have to work with what I have!) that may very well have been a smaller hit, I'm not sure.

That album also had their other big hit on it, “January”.

Okay, enough from Pilot. Let's move on to Billy's one and only solo album, released in 1976.

Most of Pilot (who went on to join the APP) here, as well as, um, Phil Collins on drums. Yeah. Anyway, this is the title track.

Sounds like he's trying to be Bowie, but nowhere near as good. Touch of early Billy Joel in there too. Not really all that bad, but VERY seventies, could not be in any other decade. Let's try another. Must we? Yeah, let's give him a chance.

This is called “Us” and sounds a little like early Yes crossed with ELO. YELO? Again, not the worst but I'm not going to be rushing out to buy this album. Can hear the Pilot influences here too. Pleasant enough.

One more then. This goes by the title of “Don't Be Silly” and sounds like something off either Pyramid or Eye in the Sky by the APP. Not that surprising, really, considering most of them were on the album, though whether they contributed to the songwriting or not I dunno.

As mentioned several times above, Lyall later went on to enjoy a very brief stint with the Alan Parsons Project, so here's a track from, so far as I can see, the only album on which he was involved, their debut, Tales of Mystery and Imagination.

This is in fact the closing track, called “To One In Paradise” and features the vocals of Terry Sylvester from The Hollies. Nice song, and our Bill plays (at least, on the album; I don't know about this track) keyboards, Fender Rhodes, glockenspiel, drums, piano and recorder.

After leaving Parsons and the boys (again, just before they achieved a certain fame) Billy worked with Dollar, though I won't subject you to any of their music. Lyall passed away, a victim of AIDS, in 1989.

Final conclusion: Certainly a talented musician, songwriter and a decent vocalist, poor old Billy Lyall just seemed to keep getting his timing wrong, leaving the Bay City Rollers before they exploded onto the pop scene, only staying with the Alan Parsons Project for their first, unremarked and unsuccessful album, and though he released his own solo effort, and attracted some decent hitters like Collins and orchestral supremo Paul Buckmaster, that seems to have sunk without a trace. Perhaps if he had lived longer he might have made more of a mark, as it is we have the music of Pilot mostly to remember him by.
Result: :|

07-01-2018, 05:37 PM	#17 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Artist: William Lyall Am I familiar with this artist? No Subgenre(s): Shrug. Pop Prog? PA says Crossover Prog. Meh, maybe. Nationality Scottish Linked with: Pilot, Bay City Rollers, Alan Parsons Project, Dollar Lineup: n/a Active From: 1969 Active To: 1989 Albums: Solo, just the one: Solo Casting (1976). Also appeared on albums by Pilot, Dollar and The Alan Parsons Project, among others. Comparable to: Maybe the likes of Justin Hayward? Hard to say really. So what is the keyboard player for teenybopper Scots Bay City Rollers doing here? Well, as it happens he didn't appear on any of their albums, leaving three years before they broke big in 1974 (perhaps displaying a worrying sense of mistiming?), going on to form Pilot (again, not a prog band but kind of getting closer) and leaving them after four albums to join, with most of the rest of the band, the Alan Parsons Project, who do have at least some prog credentials, though in fairness I can only see him credited on their debut album. Hey, whaddya want from me? The random letter generator gave me L-Y-A ... there's not a lot of choice with that combination, believe me! Anyway, I'm hardly going to subject you to the Bay City Rollers, but Pilot may not be too much of a stretch. Here he is, on their debut album, From the Album of the Same Name (I don't know: don't ask me!) released in 1974, on one of their two biggest hits, “Magic”. and this song I seem to remember, from their second album, ingeniously entitled Second Flight (1975). This one goes by the title of “Call Me Round” (and no, I don't think it's about fat people!) and it's a good catchy pop tune (yes, yes I know! Not prog! But we're getting there! I have to work with what I have!) that may very well have been a smaller hit, I'm not sure. That album also had their other big hit on it, “January”. Okay, enough from Pilot. Let's move on to Billy's one and only solo album, released in 1976. Most of Pilot (who went on to join the APP) here, as well as, um, Phil Collins on drums. Yeah. Anyway, this is the title track. Sounds like he's trying to be Bowie, but nowhere near as good. Touch of early Billy Joel in there too. Not really all that bad, but VERY seventies, could not be in any other decade. Let's try another. Must we? Yeah, let's give him a chance. This is called “Us” and sounds a little like early Yes crossed with ELO. YELO? Again, not the worst but I'm not going to be rushing out to buy this album. Can hear the Pilot influences here too. Pleasant enough. One more then. This goes by the title of “Don't Be Silly” and sounds like something off either Pyramid or Eye in the Sky by the APP. Not that surprising, really, considering most of them were on the album, though whether they contributed to the songwriting or not I dunno. As mentioned several times above, Lyall later went on to enjoy a very brief stint with the Alan Parsons Project, so here's a track from, so far as I can see, the only album on which he was involved, their debut, Tales of Mystery and Imagination. This is in fact the closing track, called “To One In Paradise” and features the vocals of Terry Sylvester from The Hollies. Nice song, and our Bill plays (at least, on the album; I don't know about this track) keyboards, Fender Rhodes, glockenspiel, drums, piano and recorder. After leaving Parsons and the boys (again, just before they achieved a certain fame) Billy worked with Dollar, though I won't subject you to any of their music. Lyall passed away, a victim of AIDS, in 1989. Final conclusion: Certainly a talented musician, songwriter and a decent vocalist, poor old Billy Lyall just seemed to keep getting his timing wrong, leaving the Bay City Rollers before they exploded onto the pop scene, only staying with the Alan Parsons Project for their first, unremarked and unsuccessful album, and though he released his own solo effort, and attracted some decent hitters like Collins and orchestral supremo Paul Buckmaster, that seems to have sunk without a trace. Perhaps if he had lived longer he might have made more of a mark, as it is we have the music of Pilot mostly to remember him by. Result: :\| __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018