Book review: MAGIC The David Paton Story (David Paton)

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 28.04.23]

It seems to be a trend for musicians – some of whom aren’t exactly thrust centre stage in the pantheon of rock – to write their biographies. Perhaps it’s a Lockdown thing or a sense of time passing and a need to get down the facts?

Enter “Magic The David Paton Story” David who? Come on, you must remember reading those bass-playing (and vocal) credits for the Alan Parsons Project albums from the late 1970s? And, showing your age, you must remember ‘Magic’ the song written by Paton for his band Pilot (1974) and a No.1 in Australia. A feat repeated with ‘January’ in the UK chart (1975).

As he writes in the closing pages, this book was really conceived as a memoir to his grandchildren. For a wider rock audience it has been suitably spiced up and Paton emerges as a mainstay of the session world. As much about who he associates with (and the artist affirmations) as the task in hand. It’s a pleasant read.

Moving on from family stuff, he writes about his short time in a pre-mega stardom Bay City Rollers and the development of Pilot which ultimately brought together a talented keyboard player Billy Lyall, guitarist Ian Bairnson (who sadly died recently), and future 10cc drummer Stuart Tosh.

But in spite of three big label albums, and the hits, there is as sense of bitterness as the band are ripped off by management and implode by 1976. This left Paton a bit directionless but ultimately the Pilot rhythm section, with Bairnson, morphed into the Alan Parsons Project. It was Parsons –”quiet, reserved and only spoke when necessary” – who produced Pilot’s debut album and Paton returned the goodwill for nine Project albums until 1985. He was also involved with the 1984 Parsons-produced ‘Keats’ which features in our ‘Albums that time forgot‘ series.

Paton contributed to albums by Kate Bush, Chris de Burgh, Chris Rea and Camel whilst carving out a short-lived solo career at the turn of the 1970s which he revived later.

The book takes us through Paton’s brushes with rock royalty including Elton John with whom he worked on album and on tour in 1985/8 including ‘Live Aid’. And there are several encounters with Paul McCartney when he visited Abbey Road studios. Paton is unashamedly star-struck.

This is a personal account of a rock life well lived and the family and health references make it all the more endearing. Whether it achieves a stated aim of industry insight is debatable, other than “get yourself a good lawyer”, and it’s all a bit too polite. But it does reflect a simpler time, developing a professional music interest in the 1960s which ultimately blossomed and was maintained. This book firmly demonstrates that Paton is more than a one- or two-hit wonder. ****

Review by David Randall

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