Alan Parsons Project - Pyramid

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Such an underappreciated rock band Alan Parsons Project were. When you take simple vocal melodies, and combine them with brilliant and meaningful lyrics, you've created a winning formula with a perfect listening experience. That's what this band did- everything, including this Pyramid album, is meaningful, beautiful, pleasant and extremely listenable. I'd find it hard to believe someone would hate this band. Seriously, this is some really good stuff released in the late 70's that many people have forgotten about as the years have gone by. May 1, 2008

The Mayan panoramas on my pyramid pajamas

The third Alan Parsons Project album was kind of lost in the middle of his Sci-Fi progressive epic I Robot and the hits that started coming once he released Eve. It is one of the few APP albums to not notch a top 40 single. It's also the last of his truly old-school free-from FM Radio rock albums, playing heavily with the instrumentations and the concept.

For this album, it was the Pyramid Craze and the fascination with King Tut that informed the songs. The unconventional instrumentation of "In The Lap Of The Gods" was the last time Parsons would enter into that kind of symphonic lustre, and APP's trademark instrumental style makes two appearances with "Hyper Gamma Spaces" and "Voyager." The terrific ballads drop in with "Shadow of a Lonely Man" and Colin Blunstone's well sung "The Eagle Will Rise Again."

The thematic leaning towards making monuments to yourself ("What Goes Up" and "You Can't Take it With You") make for intriguing, thoughtful songs, while the goofy "Pyramania" is the song that actually does fiddle around with the Pyramid theme (and may be the most humorous thing APP ever recorded) the most. But the main theme of the album, man's quest for immortality, is the over-riding purpose of the songs. Be it our desires and doubts toward be the biggest and most noticed ("If all things will fall, why build a miracle at all?") to our own refusal to acknowledge our folly ("The last thing of all that was on my mind was the close at the end of the show" from "Shadow of a Lonely Man"), this was the last Alan Parsons Project to really touch me emotionally. While future and more popular albums (Eye in the Sky, Turn of a Friendly Card) are still good albums overall, they were more focused on a glossy and streamlined sound. "Pyramid" was a grandiose goodbye to the 70's, and still holds a special place in my CD collection.

So where's the remaster, already? April 28, 2008

Pyramid

Hi!I wanted to value this item by using one span from one to ten and to estimate this product with appraisal eight,but you did it already.I don't know what to say further about it.I have five CDs of Alan parsons Project and this one is exactly in the middle due the musical quality.Thanks! March 25, 2008

APP goes pop and new age with "Pyramid"

The Alan Parson's Project (APP) goes pop and new age in their 1978 release, "Pyramid." This is the 3rd album by APP, following "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" and "I Robot". It did not, as another reviewer commented, earn the same critical reviews as "I Robot." It does, however, retain the APP focus on concept albums. This one is pyramidism, a new age concept that was quite popular in the 1970s.

As for the music in this album, it clearly expresses the established APP sound developed in APP's first two offerings. "Pyramid", however, lacks some of the strong focus of "Tales of Mystery...", and the harder-driving impulses of "I Robot." It is, nevertheless, at least in my opinion, a very good album.

If you like APP instrumentals, then check out "Voyager", "Lap of the Gods", and "Hyper-gamma-spaces". "Voyager" has a strong techno-foundation, somewhat like "A Dream Within a Dream", while "In the Lap of the Gods" is stronger and more brooding, like "The Fall of the House of Usher". "Hypre-gamma-spaces" is also techno-driven, but is much more upbeat and is an excellent piece of arrangement and engineering.

Gentle reflective, even melancholy, pieces include "What Goes Up...", "The Eagle Will Rise Again", and "Shadow of a Lonely Man." So, if you liked "To One In Paradise" or "Don't Let It Show" from the first two albums, you'll probably like these.

APP makes its first real pop offerings on this album. The pop sound comes through most clearly on "Can't Take it With You" and "Pyramania."

Lastly, APP did not desert their rock roots entirely, and included one track that has a driving sound. Check out "One More River". Though that track is not as strong as the rock tracks on either of their first two albums, this is a good song.

In short, this album offers something for just about anyone, makes for good background music, and sounds excellent with headphones - which was a big deal when this music first came out.

All in all, this is a good APP album, but not on par with their very best, thus the 4 star rating.

I highly recommend this album, but it's not the place to start out if you want to see what APP is all about. For that try "Tales of Mystery and Imagination", "I Robot", "Turn of a Friendly Card", or "Eye in the Sky."

Alan Holyoak, 30+ year APP listener February 8, 2008

Alan Parsons Project - Pyramid Power

"Pyramid" was the APP third album, and a good on it is. This disc leaned a bit more in the pop direction than previous efforts, but the songs are all strong. The theme of the album revolves around the 70's concept of pyramid power and similar fads. As always the production is stellar with Parsons at the helm. The music and lyrics are all good with several instrumental tracks mixed in with the vocal stuff. I pretty much like every song on the disc. This one is essential for Parsons fans. December 5, 2007

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