Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The single most underrated "Project" by Eric Woolfson & Alan Parsons, September 4, 2008
While I ROBOT and EYE IN THE SKY generally enjoy their fair share of accolades, PYRAMID has always struggled for the recognition it so richly deserves. Given its cohesion both conceptually and musically, that somewhat low regard seems every bit as mysterious as the theme of the album itself. But, then, if ever there was a complex theme cleverly shrouded in nuance and subtlety, it would be that of PYRAMID!
The opening instrumental staggers the listener with an atmospheric ambience one would hope is destined for a proper quadraphonic presentation while the following piece "What Goes Up..." asks why, if nothing is lasting, even build a pyramid at all. Colin Blunstone of The Zombies made his first appearance with the project singing "The Eagle Will Rise Again," a stunning ballad where a very young Pharaoh struggles to reconcile the deity he is proclaimed to be with the gnawing insecurities from which every child suffers. (Curiously, this thought-provoking ballad was a favorite of the prodigious Kate Bush who would listen to it repeatedly in the late seventies.) Of "One More River" Alan, himself, has gone on written record saying, "this was better than anything we did on I ROBOT." Wow...that's a tall order for a shuffle to achieve, but "One More River" more than lives up to that assessment with its ambient bridge alone. The radio hit "Can't Take It With You" explains, in stark terms, how all the earthly treasures Tutankhamen accumulated throughout his short life won't be joining him in the next. "In The Lap Of The Gods" is arguably the finest piece of experimental music that Parsons and Woolfson ever composed, not the least of which is due to some of the best orchestral arrangements Andrew Powell has ever crafted, but it also marks a turning point on the album where the deceased pharoah lay entombed in his singular mausoleum while the multitudes who built it rejoice over the fruits of their life's singular task. Given all the heaviness of melancholy thought throughout PYRAMID, Woolfson and Parsons wisely saw the need for bit of humor. At the much deserved expense of G. Patrick Flanagan and his, shall we say, questionable claims of pyramid power, "PYRAMANIA" is a send-up in the proud tradition Rodgers & Hammerstein. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" is another ambient instrumental by Alan Parsons that makes me pine for a quadraphonic surround mix on Sony's SACD. Lastly, "Shadow of a Lonely Man" closes PYRAMID in epic, albeit somber, proportions with the spirit of the dead pharoah hovering quietly over his earthly treasures in a museum exhibit as passersby examine them with varying degrees of interest.
Ardent fans will revel in the bonus material. I was particularly intrigued with "What Goes Up/Little Voice" and the two demo versions of "In The Lap Of The Gods." The vast improvement in sound quality from the original Arista disc is directly attributed to Sony's Direct Stream Digital sampling from the best source tapes available. My only complaint is that this masterpiece is not available in surround on SACD. That said, I could not be more pleased with this remastered product even if it is only a redbook compact disc for moderate volume listenings. From start to finish, PYRAMID more than rises to the occasion to which its liner notes allude:
"From the rise and fall of an ancient dynasty, to the quest for a key to unlock the secrets of the universe, this album seeks to amplify the haunting echoes of the past and explore the unsolved mysteries of the present. Pyramid...the last remaining wonder of the ancient world."
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pyramid Power, April 9, 2008
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.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pyramid, April 11, 2008
The remastering of Pyramid is nothing short of excellent. Of all the early Alan Parsons Project material Pyramid's sound quality was below par. It's sound lacked dynamics & clarity. That has been rectified with this new re-release.
Though Pyramid was not his best album it nonetheless has much to recommend. There aren't any hit singles from here, the Alan Parsons Project wasn't about hit singles. Parsons albums were thematic, the songs told the story of the particular album's theme. The early or classical Parsons period covers his first six albums. Pyramid peaked at #26 on the Billboard charts. Only Tales of Mystery & Imagination fared worse (#38). Of these six albums Pyramid is my third favorite album; I Robot & Eye in the Sky precede it.
In typical Parsons fashion the album opens with an instrumental, "Voyager". Parsons has a special knack for putting instrumentals together best described as 'ear candy'. Other instrumentals include "In the Lap of Gods" which is good & "Hyper-Gamma Spaces" which is excellent. "The Eagle Will Rise Again" is a beautiful ballad. It had the potential to be a single but the lyrics didn't have a strong hook, nevertheless, they are strong. "Can't Take It With You" is reminiscent of the Beatles with it's guitar riff, a highlight of the album. Only "Pyramania" drags the album down. Pyramid doesn't have the highs or quite the consistency of I Robot or Eye in the Sky but it's still a strong album.
The reissue of Pyramid contains seven bonus tracks. Being a musician I thoroughly enjoy hearing early versions of the songs included on the album. The demos are elaborate for what they are, all of them contain multi instruments but they are definitely demos. The booklet has some nice liner notes that gives information about the album & bonus tracks.
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