He was previously signed to Decca Records as a solo artist. A regular collaborator of Ian Bairnson, his single "Sail Away", released in 1975, was produced by Alan Parsons and featured all the members of Pilot.
This passage describes a musician who previously had a record deal with Decca Records. He collaborated frequently with Ian Bairnson and released a song called "Sail Away" in 1975 that featured the entire Pilot band, produced by Alan Parsons.