Flying Squad

Scotland gave rise to Flying Squad in the middle of the 1970s, a capable yet unflashy hard rock band operating in the same rough-hewn, no-frills style as Tank or Fastway. Its members were Ian Muir on vocals, Monty McMonagle and Alex Calder on guitar, George Crossan on bass, and Jim Kelly on drums. The group committed its self-titled debut album to tape in 1978 with Francis Rossi of Status Quo at the helm. Agile execution and a pronounced melodic quality ran through the set, raising hopes for the band’s future while Muir’s polished singing drew the warmest notices. No follow-up ever appeared, though, and Muir later departed to launch Waysted under the alias Fin.