Pyramid (The Alan Parsons Project album)

Pyramid
Studio album by
The Alan Parsons Project
ReleasedMay 1978
RecordedSeptember 1977 – February 1978
StudioAbbey Road Studios, London, England
Genre
Length37:46
LabelArista
ProducerAlan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project chronology
I Robot
(1977) 		Pyramid
(1978) 		Eve
(1979)
Singles from Pyramid
  1. "Pyramania"
    Released: June 1978 (UK)
  2. "What Goes Up"
    Released: September 1978
  3. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces"
    Released: January 1979 (EU)[1]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Mojo[3]

Pyramid (stylized as Pyr△mid) is the third album by progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project, released in May 1978.[4] It is a concept album centred on the pyramids of Giza. At the time the album was conceived, interest in pyramid power and Tutankhamun was widespread in the US and the UK.[5] Pyramid was nominated for the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.[6]

The book visible in the cover design is G. Patrick Flanagan – Pyramid Power: The Millennium Science (1973).[7]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson.

Side one
No.TitleVocalsLength
1."Voyager"Instrumental2:24
2."What Goes Up…"David Paton, additional vocals by Dean Ford3:31
3."The Eagle Will Rise Again"Colin Blunstone4:20
4."One More River"Lenny Zakatek4:15
5."Can't Take It with You"Dean Ford5:06
Side two
No.TitleVocalsLength
1."In the Lap of the Gods"Instrumental5:27
2."Pyramania"Jack Harris2:45
3."Hyper-Gamma-Spaces"Instrumental4:19
4."Shadow of a Lonely Man"John Miles; additional vocals by Colin Blunstone5:34

Bonus tracks

Pyramid was remastered and reissued in 2008 with the following bonus tracks:

  1. "Voyager/What Goes Up/The Eagle Will Rise Again" (instrumental) – 8:55
  2. "What Goes Up/Little Voice" (early version demo) – 4:07
  3. "Can't Take It with You" (early version demo) – 1:45
  4. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" (demo) – 2:21
  5. "The Eagle Will Rise Again" (alternate version – backing track) – 3:20
  6. "In the Lap of the Gods" (Part I – demo) – 3:14
  7. "In the Lap of the Gods" (Part II – backing track rough mix) – 1:56

Bonus tracks details

  • What Goes Up/Little Voice – Another song called, at the time, Little Voice was included in this demo but was not used in the final album.[7]
  • Can't Take It With You (early version demo) – Alan Parsons (unusually) played all the instruments.[7]
  • Hyper-Gamma Spaces – The name came from Eric Woolfson's brother Richard, whose Mathematics Doctoral Thesis carried the title Hyper-Gamma Spaces.[7]
  • The Eagle Will Rise Again (alternative version-backing track) – Intended as a Reprise Rock Band version demo attempt. This was abandoned as there was already enough material for the album.[7]

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] Gold 20,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[23] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Germany (BVMI)[24] Platinum 500,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] Gold 7,500^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[26] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] Gold 500,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 2,000,000+[28]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Alan Parsons Hyper Gamma Spaces". Dutch Charts.
  2. ^ DeGagne, Mike. Pyramid at AllMusic
  3. ^ Aizlewood, John (October 2024). "The Alan Parsons Project: Pyramid". Mojo. No. 371. p. 97.
  4. ^ M.C. Strong (1995). "Great Rock Discography". Edinburgh: Canongate. p. 616.
  5. ^ "Pyramid". Alan Parsons Project Official Website.
  6. ^ "Grammy nominations – Alan Parsons". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid. CD Remaster liner notes (2008)
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 229. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0013a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  11. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  13. ^ "Charts.nz – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  14. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  15. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  18. ^ "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1978 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  22. ^ "Recorld World International - Australia" (PDF). Record World. 28 October 1978. p. 80. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Music Canada.
  24. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alan Parsons Project; 'Pyramids')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  25. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  26. ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
  27. ^ "American album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Recording Industry Association of America.
  28. ^ "Top Sales – Arista Records". Billboard. 27 January 1979. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  • Pyramid, Alan Parsons Project. Arista Records AB 4180, 1978 (Vinyl LP)