Morin Heights is
Pilot's third and final album with the original trio of
David Paton, William Lyall, and Stuart Tosh. Lyall released his solo album, Solo Casting, the same year, and his role as a principal songwriter is reduced on
Morin Heights to one co-credit. Guitarist Ian Bairnson stepped up to fill the gap, and as a result,
Morin Heights contains some of the heaviest rock performances in
Pilot's history, although it doesn't diverge much from their established sound. True to form, the band offers a radio-friendly single with "Canada," but the inscrutability of a Scottish group extolling the virtues of Canada over California may have contributed to its relative commercial misfortune. The playing, as usual, is first-rate, and there are a several fine compositions, but
Morin Heights offers fewer pure pop delights than
Pilot's previous two albums. ~ Greg Adams