Bass Player: David Paton

Paton was a co-founder of the UK band Pilot with Ian Bairnson, Billy Lyall and Stuart Tosh. The band were primarily famous for their two hit singles, ;Magic’ and ‘January’. Paton went on to record with The Alan Parsons Project (‘Tales of Mystery and Imagination’), Kate Bush (‘The Kick Inside’ and ‘Lionheart’). He also performed and recorded with the Bay City Rollers, Elton John, Fish and Rick Wakeman but it is his work with Camel that draws our attention here.

This transcription was requested through this website by a member of the Talkbass forum (hi, Dave) and features the tune ‘Sasquatch’ from the 1982 Camel album ‘The Single Factor’, a collection of tunes designed to be less than 5 minutes long in contrast with the previous Prog epics that the band were known for. Presented in 12:8 (it could have been 4:4 with a ‘triplet feel’ indicator), it’s an interesting bass part due to the ‘across the bar’ feel created at the end of each chorus (the bit that the tune ends on) which is presented here as a bar line crossing riff but which could just as easily be written out in a straight 7:4. Transcriptions are only ever interpretations so it is a matter for you whether you want to re-write the chart. It arguably makes it easier to read (a noble objective) but Bilbo is always inclined to write it as he hears and feels it.