The Alan Parsons Project Album: “Pyramid”

Pyramid is nothing short of a masterpiece.

But the Egyptian overtones and pyramid motif is just a surface, a tangible stage set, if you will. What this album really seems to be about, lyricaly and intellectualy, is man and his quest for eternal life and coming to grips (or not) with one's own inevitable mortality. Just look at the song titles... "In the lap of the Gods", "Can't take it with you", "The Eagle will rise again" "One more river" you get the idea.

Hammer dulcimers, timpanis, Egyptian flutes, a heavy choir, and other exotic instruments blend with rock instrumentation and the result is one of the greatest recording projects ever captured on tape. Recorded at Alan's home away from home, EMI Abbey Road studios London, it sounds like is was recorded in and around the pyramids with echo, atmosphere and grandiosity.

Colin Blunstone's sole vocal contribution on "Eagle will rise" is beautiful, un forced and sorrowful beyond description. One of the greatest vocal performances ever, to my ears.

The instrumental "In the lap of the Gods" is bold, dynamic, exotic, powerful and damn near overwhelming...Wow! turn up and test your audio system's abilities with that one my friend.

Pyramid is a complete (theme) album and I prefer to listen to it it's entirety from start to finish when possible.

Pyramid is like buried, forgotten (Egyptian) treasure. I bought the original vinyl album on a gamble as a curious teenager on it's first release back in 1978. Good move. I've never come across Pyramid in anyone else's record/cd collection since then(?)

Most people are duly impressed and curious when I slyly slip it into the car/home stereo. Personaly I never tire of hearing Pryamid and never will.

Even the un-remastered CD sounds incredible.

One of the greatest recordings of all time. A desert island disc without question.

"If all things must pass even a Pyramid won't last"

Released in 1978, the Pyramid album more or less follows the formula of the very good I Robot album (1977), although it does not seem quite as inspired - to me at any rate. There are however, some very nice and heavily orchestrated pop songs and atmospheric synthesizer pieces that make this a very listenable and enjoyable album. Conceptually, the album (and I quote from the liner notes) "seeks to amplify the haunting echoes of the past and explore the unsolved mysteries of the present" - hence, the Pyramid theme. The musicians on Pyramid include Alan Parsons (acoustic guitar); David Paton (bass guitar and acoustic guitar); Stuart Elliott (drums); Ian Bairnson (electric and acoustic guitars); and Eric Woolfson (synthesizers and additional vocals). The vocalists (and there are several, including Colin Blunstone) are pretty good and their voices work well with the track they were selected for. With respect to the orchestration, string and brass parts are scattered across the album, in addition to passages that feature a choir. Both the orchestra and the choir were directed by Andrew Powell. Finally, although there are saxophone parts on the album, they are not credited. The nine tracks on the album are in the 2-6 minute range and alternate atmospheric and interesting instrumentals (Voyager, Hyper Gamma Spaces, and In the Lap of the Gods), with some very well-written and heavily orchestrated pop songs. Of the nine tracks, Pyramania is the weakest (it is "quirky" in a contrived new-wave manner) and contributes absolutely nothing to the recording, although it does not reduce the overall quality. Alan Parsons not only produced this album, but engineered extremely well-recorded albums including two by Pink Floyd (Atom Heart Mother (1970) and Dark Side of the Moon (1973)) and as such, the recording quality of this album is very high. All in all, this is a good album of British symphonic pop and is recommended along with Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976) and I Robot (1977). This trilogy of albums comprises the most interesting music the entire late 1970's British symphonic pop genre had to offer.

My favorite Alan Parsons Project recording. It is in my top 10 recordings for all artists. This release has a feeling of mystery or a theme of a mission. Recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London between September 1977 and February 1978. The theme is based on the book, Pyramid Power, by G. Patrick Flanagan, released in 1973. My favorite songs are One More River, Can't Take It With You, and The Eagle Will Rise Again. Remastered with bonus material - the bonus material is fair - mainly instrumentals, demos, and backing tracks.

Everyone needs this album to complete the "trilogy" of the first three Project recordings. If you never buy another Project album after these three, you've done well. Pyramid simply captures the various aspects of Pyramids in both a lyrical and musical sense, something you'll find equally strong in the first two Project albums, Tales of Mystery and Imagination and I Robot, but sometimes lacking in later works. This album has one of the best and most subtle Project instrumentals, Hyper-Gamma-Spaces, which is worth the price of the CD alone. Dust off your credit card and go order this.

I've waited for years for a quality digital remastering of any Alan Parons Project CD. I must ad to the other reviews that this Pyramid remaster just wipes out the US issue Arista CD. Finally, the sound is now completely fleshed out and uncompressed even beyond my best vinyl pressings more like hearing a master tape! This is one my favorite Alan Parons Project works, great production and music that stands the test of time. Now I hope Turn of a Friendly Card and I Robot gets the same level of remastering.