PYRAMIDThe Alan Parsons ProjectCrossover Prog |
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Had we been on a non-prog site this album might have received a higher rating.
Still, the album's full of great songs. The opening is "Voyager", an instrumental in the grand tradition of APP, it then segues in to "What Goes Up". Eric Woolfson does some backup vocals on this song (although the album itself makes no mention of him doing any vocal duties here), so it comes across sounding like prog rock and (when Woolfson does the vocals) soft rock. "The Eagle Will Rise Again" is a nice acoustic ballad, not unlike "Some Other Time" off "I Robot". "Can't Take it With You" received some minor radio airplay, and I always thought this was one of the better cuts off the album. "In the Lap of the Gods" has a more Egyptian feel to it, plus John Leach adds on his cimbalom (Hungarian dulcimer) and kantele (Finnish zither). The end part turns to more typical ALAN PARSONS PROJECT fashion, complete with choir and orchestra. "Pyramania" is a short pop song with silly lyrics about pyramid obsession (in fact the front cover is about the song, and the person you see looking like he has a headache is none other than Alan PARSONS himself). This song also received some minor radio airplay itself (I actually remember when radio stations did play this song, and I was 5 years old back in 1978). "Hyper Gamma Space" is an wonderful synthesizer-dominated instrumental, complete with electric piano. The closing piece is "Shadow of a Lonely Man", which tends to be a rather orchestrated ballad.
The album in general isn't as good as "I Robot", but at least it's nowhere as bad as some of the stuff they did in the mid '80s such as "Vulture Culture" and "Stereotomy".
How can you describe a composer that is capable of a masterpiece like "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" but who after three years releases the mediocre "Eve"?
I would say "uneven" term that IMO can also be used to describe "Pyramid", which has excellent "Light" Prog' songs combined with strong Rock and decent but inferior ballads.
The album is opened with two songs that sound almost as one long track, "Voyager" works as an introduction for the pompous "What Goes Up ...". which has the always solid classical orchestra and choirs arrangements by Andrew Powell, a great start for this album that introduces to the Egyptian atmosphere that Alan Parsons pretends to create.
"The Eagle will Rise Again" is one of those ballads I spoke about before, soft and poppy, but the choirs save this song, the weakest of this album but very entertaining. Good vocals by Colin Blunstone..
"One More River" is a very strong Rock track which Orchestral arrangements and a jazzy sax, a song that proves not everything has to be progressive to be very good, one of my favorites.
"Can't Take it with You" is a also a highlight, starts with a sweat flute or ocarina (not sure because it doesn't appear in the credits) solo which makes this tune unforgettable.
The best track in the whole album is the symphonic and bombastic "In the Lap of the Gods", with exiting arrangements again by Andrew Powell, starts soft and calm with an atmospheric cimbalom by John Leach that helps to achieve the Egyptian feeling, near the end there's an orchestra and choir explosion of great beauty and strength.
"Pyramania" is an absurd song that makes mockery about the 70's obsession about pyramids, weak track, but funny enough to be taken as a better joke than "Benny the Bouncer" or "The Sheriff".
"Hyper-Gamma Spaces" is a strange song for this album, more electronic than prog' or rock oriented, would have been perfect in I Robot, good track, but out of place in this album that pretends to based in ancient Egypt.
The album ends with "Shadow of a Lonely Man", another soft ballad which starts with a short piano solo followed by Orchestra and vocals, stronger than "The Eagle will Rise Again" but doesn't have enough strength to close this album, a bad choice.
A very good album that mixes Art Rock with soft ballads, not as good as "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" but stronger than "I Robot"....4 Solid Stars.
On each album, the Alan Parsons Project tend to leave their best for last, usually in the form of a passionately sung ballad. On "Pyramid", "Shadow of a lonely man" is no exception. With John Miles (remember his excellent "Music" album, lyrics - "Music was my first love, and it will be my last"?) taking lead vocals, the track builds during the choruses allowing him to flex his vocal prowess in a powerful crescendo.
I know an APP "Ballads" compilation has been released, and while putting them all together may not be the good idea it first sounds (variety being the spice of life), they really are what APP are best at.
The music of "Pyramid" is lightweight Art rock verging frequently on the melodic rock and pop rock. There's little which might be described as truly prog here. Bands such as The MOODY BLUES and BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST are probably the best reference points, but even here, think more of their lighter songs.
Of the other tracks, "The eagle will rise again" offers a credible pop ballad orientated number, while "Hyper-gamma-spaces" is one of Parson's ubiquitous almost trance like instrumentals.
The remaining of the tracks are pleasant easy listening, If you enjoy the music of the Alan Parsons Project, you'll enjoy "Pyramid", just don't expect any surprises.
"Voyager" is a nice opening, a non-threatening fanfare laced with airy tendrils of synths, setting the stage perfectly for "What Goes Up". This song will tell you almost all you need to know about the band's sound: spartan, moody verses and surging choruses, sung in a flat European style, with almost characterless guitars and familiar early synth sounds. A powerful classical backing adds emphasis in places, without ever feeling out of place or tacked-on; the best compliment I can give is that every element is necessary and appropriate to the compositions. "The Eagle Will Rise Again" is more lush and mournful, and sounds suprisingly like a power ballad of the Euro-metal variety (except that it never bursts into distorted power chords...but this is '78, after all). "One More River" tries to be more funky and up-beat, perhaps with a nod to the "disco-prog" designs of ELO. The wailing synths in the background strike an eerie counterpoint to the eager drums and sax parts, and the vocals have more character than elsewhere...but it fails to add up to a good song, unfortunately. And "Can't Take it With You" continues the trend; pop that would love to be prog, or vice-versa. It does seem admirably ahead of it's time- it wouldn't have sounded any more dated in the mid-80s (it's not too far from several songs by Adrian Belew's THE BEARS, for instance, without the wonderful guitar work), but neither would it have been any more memorable.
The second side starts up promisingly: a pseudo-eastern atmosphere with portentious bells and millitary drums. The prog listener can't help but be tantalized by the title "In the Lap of the Gods", and for the most part the Dunsanian/ Arabian Nights feel fulfils the promise. Too soon, however, the slightly silly, bouncy rhythm section saps the possible strengths of the "O Fortuna" style chorus and orchestral bursts. Sad...this track could have been a winner! The same cannot be said for the dully goofy "Pyramania", which again presages some of the lower moments of the upcoming 80s, as does the burbling synth bass of "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces". Was Alan Parsons trying to combine Giorgio Moroder influences and PF instrumentals as "On the Run"? The finale is the over-the-top sentimentality of "Shadow of a Lonely Man", which begins in a very MOODY BLUES vein, almost an homage to the segways of "Days of Future Passed." The song itself is pretty...almost a Broadway feeling with the orchestral elements and reflective, though occasionally mawkish vocal. It's a little too obviously the "slow song", just as the two songs that ended the first side were transparently the "upbeat single" material, but as APP never really pretended to be anything but a commercial venture, we can perhaps forgive the blatant intentions.
For such a well-produced and smoothly progressing disc, the album is really a mixed bag. After the muddled wash of sound that Alan Parsons had lent to mid-period PINK FLOYD, I was impressed to hear how clear and detailed the recording was. Unfortunately, that may have robbed the album of some possibility of mystery; one can clearly hear the lack of any soulfulness. Because they are two completely different bands, I hate to make too close a comparison...but the funky blues and murky neurosis of PF is sorely lacking here. I would call it prog for radio, but even bands like STYX and SUPERTRAMP managed to achive a distinctive and occasionally quirky signature, whereas APP's "Pyramid" is truly forgettable...not bad, really, but I'll be willing to eat my shorts if anyone out there wants this album among their "desert island" collection.
"Voyager" begins the album very strongly with a sci-fi energetic song that has very catchy rhythms and chord progressions. "What Goes Up" is a well done pop song with an interesting guitar solo. "The Eagle Will Rise Again" has a harpsichord-sounding keyboard playing an ascending riff combined with uplifting vocal melodies. "One More River" is a rock/pop song with a nice chorus and a saxophone solo, and has many changes in its four minutes. "Can't Take it With You" is a strong track with the best chorus of the album, which uses percussive touches, female choirs, and a pretty riff. "In The Lap of The Gods" is the most dynamic song of the album. after the church organ chord, a steady drumming pattern with acoustic guitar chords continue. Later, the song intensifies in the same beat using male choirs, keyboard touches, and glorious symphonic arrangements. The last parts of the song explode in dramatic male choirs and symphonic beauty. This is the most progressive song of the record, and also the most enjoyable. "Pyromania" is a goofy track with nice musical arrangements. "Hyper-Gamma Spaces" may be the most known track of the album. It is an electronic-rocker that seems to be influenced from Michael Jarre for the synth usage style. "Shadow of a Lonely Man" has a neat piano intro which almost drove me to sit down at the piano and learn it all. This song is a ballad with an orchestra.
Highlights : In The Lap Of The Gods
Let Downs : The Eagle Will Rise Again
This album is nearly flawless, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in easy listening music heavily dominated by synths. I do not give it 5 stars because it is not an album that blows you away, nor is absolutely brilliant in songwriting.
My Grade : B
Pyramid is not quite as consistenly good as I Robot, and agree it's more art rock (or pop) than progressive. However, it does have a bunch of memorable good tunes/lyrics. If you're into jogging, I particularly recommend 'Hyper Gamma Spaces' for your IPOD/walkman. It has a driving, relentless, hypnotic, trance like beat, that will help take you through any 'pain barrier', and I used it successfully to help train for running the Marathon.
Not essential, but good to very good.
"In The Lap Of The Gods" shows good exploration of guitar and keyboards augmented with chorale / backing vocals and excellent orchestration. I imagine that this track is good for soundtrack music - film score. I realize that this track should be used in my next workshop because it can create good ambient for the class. The use of brass section provides excellent textures for the music. It's really an excellent track. "Pyramania" continues the previous track with a much more upbeat music and energetic vocal which reminds me to the music of Supertramp. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" intro part even gives more impression to Supertramp music until the pulsating keyboard sound enters the music. "Shadow Of A Lonely Man" is a nice and mellow track which concludes the album excellently; especially with the use of orchestra. No wonder, Andrew Powell is the Arranger and Conductor. This track has a very catchy melody and it characterizes the Alan Parsons Project music. Keep on proggin' ..!
Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW
As usual for TAPP, the songs themselves mostly are not particularly progressive, but it is the overal composition and the recurring motif, the concept that matter and adds a necessarily progressive flavour. Some of the songs, like Can't Take It With You or What Goes Up are pretty straightforward, but unbelievably catchy and melodic. However, there are three instrumental works, On The Lap Of Gods being particularly outstanding and complex, mostly thanks to the orchestral parts.
All in all, Pyramid is a remarkable album, worth listening and thinking about and worth returning to.
Once again Parsons leads an album off with a spacey instrumental, in this case “Voyager”. And once again he creates some interesting tempos that he fails to fully develop, leaving once again a sense of disappointment as the track transitions into “What Goes Up”. This song is sung by now-longtime contributor David Paton, who also plays some bass on the album. The lyrics here are confusing at best:
“What goes up must come down; what must rise, must fall. And what goes on in your life is writing on the wall.
If all things must fall, why build a miracle at all? If all things must pass, even a miracle won't last.”
True enough I suppose, but kind of depressing. But then Parsons ends with this little proverb:
“What goes up must come down; what goes round must come round. What's been lost, must be found.”
So then if all else fails I suppose we (as civilizations) can at least serve as lessons to others in later civilizations. Somehow that’s not much comfort (to me, at least).
Next up is “The Eagle Will Rise Again” featuring ex-Zombies singer Colin Blunstone in a mild, brooding ballad featuring slightly off-key female backing and acoustic accompaniment, both of which are a bit unusual for the Project. Like the Edgar Allen Poe opening poem for the “Tales…” album, the message here is the ‘dust in the wind’ epiphany:
“And the days of my life are but grains of sand, as they fall from your open hand –
at the call of the wind's command.”
This is really a strange song for this album, which I can only assume Parsons was hoping would emerge as a hit single for the adult contemporary market. It didn’t.
Lenny Zakatek sings on “One More River” with its “keep a-pushin’ on” theme. Zakatek is an interesting guy. He was born in Karachi but grew up in England, and was pretty much an anonymous journeyman musician before Parsons started including him in the Project’s albums. Zakatek would make a bit of a name for himself as the most recognizable voice on “Turn of a Friendly Card” a couple years later. This one also introduces a fairly prominent horn section, including a decent saxophone solo (although really – have you ever heard a bad saxophone solo? It’s just one of those instruments that almost always adds to a song).
“Can’t Take it With You” is a logical sentiment for an album with a theme like this one’s. But the choice of former sixties’ crooner Dean Ford on vocals is an odd choice. This is pure pop rock with only an attempt at art leanings in the minor percussion and sound effects. The beat and guitar licks are right out of 1965, as is Ford’s voice. A really strange tune for a Project album.
The “In the Lap of the Gods”-“Pyramania”-“Hyper-Gamma Spaces” is the highlight of this album. Parsons sandwiches a short vocal piece between two longer instrumentals to create a kind of epic journey-like feel, complete with middle eastern percussion and synthesized reed sounds, along with a bit of flute and heavy organ for added mysterious effect. It’s about a thirteen minute tribute to Egypt and the pyramids, except that the short vocal tracks right in the middle are accented with choppy keyboards and vocals that sound like something the Buggles would have done. Really weird, and I’ve never quite figured out what the point to this was. The two instrumentals would have fit together very well to form a very decent progressive piece were it not for the “Pyramania” track that completely ruins the mood. I especially like the organ on “Hyper-Gamma Spaces”.
The end comes with John Miles doing “Shadow of a Lonely Man”, another track about a man lamenting his morality (and apparently his fleeting fame). This is a heavy orchestrated piece that actually sounds like a Broadway musical work. I’m guessing that’s what Parsons intended, although knowing Woolfson’s penchant for the big stage, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was the driving force behind this one. Again, I fail to get the point of its inclusion here, but it’s not a bad tune.
So this is another step slightly down in terms of creativity for Parsons, although again he delivers a technically perfect studio work. There’s just a bit lacking in continuity of the theme, and the wide range of styles (particularly on “Can’t Take it With You”, “Pyramania”, and “Shadow of a Lonely Man”) are actually a bit distracting.
And this is not in any way a progressive music album, probably not even in the realm of art rock. It’s just a halfway decent pop album. And for that it gets two stars (2.5, but that doesn’t really make much difference).
peace
Instrumental 'Voyager' starts a wonderful quartet of tracks, setting the spellbinding tone with an airy synth intro and a pulsating beat, then turning seamlessly into 'What Goes Up...'. It's easy to remember who was the engineer of Dark Side of the Moon! 'The Eagle Will Rise Again' is a melancholic, even sentimental beauty reminiscent of 'Old & Wise' from Eye in the Sky - both are sung by Colin Bluntstone. This one's better. 'One More River' is sung by Lenny Zakatek, and though I dislike his vocal style in other APP songs, it works here brilliantly. But again it's the perfectionistic touch of the sound architect that makes this track soar gorgeously. The A side is finished by a song about the inevitability of dying. It's not in the same level as the tracks before it and even the nice refrain taken from 'One More River' doesn't save it from getting slightly boring within five minutes.
B side is weaker. 'In the Lap of the Gods' is a pompous instrumental with a choir, quite fine really but it lacks the airyness of the first side. 'Pyramania' then is a jokelike little song sung in high falsetto. It's amusing but nothing more. 'Hyper-Gamma-Spaces' is one of those dull high tech instrumentals that APP has done more than needed. But the final song is just lovely. 'Shadow of A Lonely Man' is sung very beautifully by John Miles (who, by the way, has some proggy solo albums considerable of adding here...). If you're not turned on by deep emotions in music it may be too sentimental to you. To me it was THE song of the summer of '90 (when I bought this LP). Pyramid is very recommendable for admirers of perfect production and adventurous or emotional feelings in music.
Pyramid had fewer guest appearances than prior APP albums. Among the guests were Lenny Zakatek (who increasingly became an APP regular), John Miles, and Colin Bluntstone (best known as the vocalist for the Zombies). Like previous albums, Pyramid is chiefly a pop rock album with slight "progressive tendencies." APP would continue to lean in this direction throughout the remainder of its existence, but never being entirely a pop rock affair.
Musically and lyrically, Pyramid is a large notch below the quality of I Robot and because it is much more pop rock-based than I Robot and Tales, I can't possibly give it more than two stars. For collectors and fans only. I would recommend starting with their debut album.
The material on this album is very lightweight, even in comparison with other works by the Alan Parsons Project. The opening creates an interesting atmosphere, but by the third similarly soft rock song in a row, this album cries out for a rocker. One More River is the first rocker on the album, but it is more of a Rock 'N' Roll number, very much in the vein of Elton John. Even the vocals sound like Elton's!
In The Lap Of The Gods is fairly interesting symphonic prog number, but still rather lightweight. Pyramania is so horrible that it hurts my brain! Skip this one unless you want to go seriously insane! Hyper-Gamma Spaces is an instrumental that could have been a theme song to some cartoon. The last song is a symphonic ballad, decent but rather forgettable.
As always with the Project, this album is very well-produced and overall very well-crafted. But that is not enough to make a good album.
Only for fans and collectors this one.
Anyway, the music of Pyramid is, as usual for APP's all works, coming from a concept: the pyramids, its supposed secrets and the fascination men always had about them through the centuries. The lyrics are quite interesting and the music around them is very sophisticated prog pop. It is hard to label APP's music at least at this point, since the songs, arrangements and lyrics were too elaborated to be simplified as pure pop and are also too melodic for some progheads. Still, maybe tht's exactly were its appeal lies: they were certainly quite unique and had not dated with time.
As someone mught have guessed by AP's works, his production in a work of art on itself. The same can be said of his engineering of the album, absolutely flawless. Eric Woolfson's (and Parsons) songwriting is great. The musicians are very skilled and the choice of singers is also very well done. Everything might sound a little too tame for the more radicals, but even at their most simple you can't say those guys din't put their hearts on it. Maybe that's why Pyramid still sounds fresh, modern and exciting 30 years after.
If you don't mind some great melodic, lightweighted prog, this is surely a good CD to have. I wouldn't call it essential on a prog site, but it a great piece of music anywhere. So, 3,5 stars seems to me to be a good rating.
02. What Goes Up ... For that between What Goes Up ... and its great chorus, brings me a peace and a comfort that chorus, the back and intricate open space for the anguished refrain without equal. Very nice guitar break and more of guitar solos. The second part means Beatles means fanfare is unique, a work of impeccable production and composition.
03. The Eagle Will Rise Again The stronger of the band are the ballads with property (you know those songs we all heard beautiful and wonder who it is?) Of the third disc does not escape the rule and start amended the track 2, without a doubt Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson composers are sensational. Melody sensational, the vocias in the background, the guitar. And the most exciting refr�es sticky and return to the scene, there is a disc tire as well, with no certainty.
04. One More River One More River back more animated and with an emphasis on low David Patton effects and full of beautiful passages, corret�ssimos voice to the song (have to choose the voice), slowed amid a strategic, orchestra and band together and a wonderful solo of sax. Back to the feeling that everything is correct and that the disc can not stop. Emotional end for the entry of the next song.
05. Can not Take It With You What starts with an Egyptian climate means (after all we are talking about pyramids here), then follows a very cool riff, with emphasis on the voice too. Chorus and cool. Vocalizations, great beds of keyboards and sounds. Desert! Steadily. Battery in the front. Excellent voice and a great guitar break. More Egypt (until they had little of Egypt on the disc, since it focused more on the subject greed, which is represented by the signal pyramids), a very good end for music.
06. In The Lap Of The Gods Bells (we already know from where they took David Gilmour of The Division Bell). More sensational body in front giving clim�o for music, then a march cash (drums), guitars setting the tone. What I would call bandolins (not sure if it is) give a special touch, the music is full of climates that the orchestra does, is tense, but beautiful. And the choir gives an epic touch, the Renaissance everything. The reserve in the middle of a broken electric piano all different and cool, then followed suit by the blows of the orchestra, it has half the influence of bands like Therion and Haggard. Violins, they could not miss, huh! On lap cos Gods literally.
07. Pyramania Pyramania begins with a keyboard and a voice (both legal and funny and well), line of low and very well built solid base. A well Pagannini instrumental part (of a strange way) and la la las take account of the speakers, a song you tell us relaxed on the paranoid piramidescos (laughter).
08. Hyper-Gamma-Spaces This is instrumental in the way of Pink Floyd (the band's big influence), more or less in line On The Run, a footprint of synthesizer not to, will only modulates the notes while another does the melodies. I love these instruments. Travel without leaving the armchair or sofa.
09. Shadow Of A Lonely Man It is beautiful here, if I had to pick a song would be in doubt between What Goes Up ..., and Shadow Of A Lonely Man, two songs and beautiful without equal on all disks as the band always has. The top orchestra, the piano always in front, the perfect voice, emocionanal in a simple and beautiful melody, I respond to heart if it is not just beautiful? Every disc that would have a final as good as this.
The disc is fairly short, but all discs of the band are well and also do not need a disc that a disc has more than an hour for being good (by contrast, sometimes too long disks get boring). A great band that should be remembered more than usually.
www.progshine.com
APP continues its pattern of an instrumental opener and "Voyager" is decent if a trifle short. "What Goes Up" is interesting but also somewhat under-developed. This is even more so for "The Eagle will Rise Again", which is highlighted by sumptuous verses, only to be undone by a lackluster chorus. From here things go downhill. "One More River" is musically a mundane rocker and lyrically rather lightweight, and "Can't Take it With You" flirts with Parsons' winning formula while ultimately failing to execute. "In the Lap of The Gods" is probably the best overall cut, actually sounding somewhat Egyptian and tastefully orchestrated. But "Pyramania" is worthy of SPARKS, which isn't saying much, and the closer, "Shadow of a Lonely Man" is a rather unconvincing string heavy ballad.
"Pyramid" marks a decline for APP from which they never quite recovered. Although several much stronger efforts followed, their glory days, like the achievements of the pyramids, were relegated to the past. Barely 2 stars.
What I mean, is that I showed little interest for these type of recordings at the time of release and I discovered this one almost twenty-five years later. And I'm not very much impressed.
This album is full of ballads, pop oriented and mostly dull songs although there are as usual an impressive guest list (Colin Blunstone and John Miles being the best known). While changing directions; it is to display such a song as ''One More River''. Press next type of stuff: poor melody, string arrangements and so on. Great saxing though (for about forty seconds).
Most of the tracks aren't really memorable, and even if the listening is not a bad experience, it is not thrilling either. This is easy listening music that could be played on ''The Night Of The Proms'' easily (''In The Lap Of The Gods''). But not during the night of the prog if you see what I mean.
The ''Buggles'' plastic ''Pyromania'' sounds as ''r�chauff�'' (rehashed). Way behind what had been achieved by the former. The best track (and also the best known) is by no doubt ''Hyper- Gamma Spaces''. As C�sar mentioned, there is a strong ''Kraftwerk'' feel in here. A nice and jumpy electronic pop track. But it is not enough to make this album a good one. Just average as far as I am concerned.
Two stars (or five out of ten).
Nevertheless, it can't be considered at the very same level of its predecessor. Music is slightly predictable, without any pure flash of genious.
Ok, there are many interesting instrumental songs as the excellent opener "Voyager" and the hypnotic "Hyper-Gamma Spaces" (in the vein of "I Robot" and a killer instrumental), sumptuous symphonic arrangements as in "Shadow of a Lonely Man" or "In the Lap of the Gods" (superb number), but not enough for a full musical pleasure.
Nothing that really stands out in the memory quite like some moments on a couple of other albums. It's music easy to digest yet still very interesting and deep. Still recommended.
The Killer tracks: "Voyager" is, as often the case with APP, a lovely overture, full of inspiration and mood. The sensational "In the Lap of Gods" is among the best instrumentals Parsons and Project have come up with, flush with abundant Andrew Powell orchestrations that defy the notion of brilliance. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" is a classic trance-dance-ambulance that has a riveting red-light beat and cool mood effects from the lush e-piano. The finale "Shadow of a Lonely Man" has Supertramp-like tendencies with some ELO style orchestrations and works well within those accepted confines.
The Pop tracks: "What Goes Up" is a typical time period musical anecdote, breezy rhythm and sultry lilt. T'was a minor radio hit. "The Eagle Will Rise Again" is an utterly ravishing melody, a lively chorus and deep emotion oozing from Colin Blunstone's expressive voice "Can't Take It with You" is enjoyable, with a hook chorus and some decent pop tendencies. "Pyramania" sounds like the Sparks, squeaky voice and quirky rhythms but it's brief and funny.
Clunker? "One More River", a totally uninspiring piece of formulaic nothing. A sax by numbers helps little to medicate the pain.
3.5 popular monuments
The third track is also excellent with soft tranquil vocals and gentle melodies on "The Eagle Will Rise Again". All three tracks feature on "The Definitive Collection" 2 CD compilation and are songs I have returned to often. After this killer opening things settle into contemporary AOR rock on the uptempo "One More River" and "Can't Take It With You", that received some airplay and is very poppy. It is a terrific side one so one would hope for more of this quality on the flip side.
Side two returns to APP at their best with a blast of prog on "In The Lap Of The Gods" that I adored on first listen with its Egyptian nuances. The beautiful melody is haunting and conjures Egyptian imagery; it works on the conscious level and again remains embedded in the memory with its simple synth lines and majestic vocals. "Pyramania" is a popular melody driven track singing of obsessions with pyramids with amusing lyrics, but I always look forward to the wonderful instrumental that follows.
"Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" is my favourite track on the album with a memorable keyboard phrase from legendary Woolfson, and it has a groove that locks in with bass and drums. It is certainly in my top 5 tracks of Alan Parsons Project. The melody is simple and repeated but it is totally effective, and it resonates along a fast tempo sequenced synth line. The album finishes with "Shadow Of A Lonely Man" that is lightweight and pleasant but is an anticlimax after all the progressive elements.
Overall, "Pyramid" is a solid album from The Alan Parsons Project. I can recommend it for at least 4 incredible tracks, and it feels very much like the incredible art rock on "I, Robot" that also opened with 3 brilliant tracks. My gut reaction on first listen was this was worth 3 stars, but it soon grew on me with every listen and I would rank this as good as "I, Robot" so 4 stars is well deserved on a very catchy melodic 1978 album; one of the best from this innovative artist.
The music of Alan Parsons Project is well produced and you can actually hear there's some form of quality in it. It had though gone some way from the fantastic debut album and also from "I robot" which had som marvelous pieces. "Voyager" introduces this album in an atmospheric way of beauty(7/10) and then comes a sweet pop song "What foes up..." which is both relaxed and special(8/10). "The Eagle will rise again" though is rather fatigue(5/10) but "One more river" is rocky and good(7/10). "Can't take it with you" has a nice vibrating vocak part(6/10) and "In the lap of the gods" is amongst the best features on the album. That composition is mighty, symphonic and well performed(8/10). Also the shorter "Pyramania" is clever and very funny(8/10), another favourite. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" doesn't get my attention unfortunately(6/10) but "Shadow of a lonely man" concludes the album rather delicate(7/10). This is 37:44 minutes of ell working music which touches the prog rock at some occations. Though do I feel the music a bit vague and it is not really enough for me. They could have taken the music much higher, right now it's just good music, but nothing more. Three stars! Listen to "Pyramia", it's the album's best track!
One More River, however, steps in to turn things around - from this point on, there's occasional injections of New Wave ideas creeping in here and there to the band's sound which offer a bit more of a hard edge than anything offered on I, Robot. (Indeed, they hadn't rocked quite that hard since The Telltale Heart on the debut). Part of me wonders whether album might have been a favourite of early neo-prog group Quasar, since several sections of it sound like a bit like the sort of material they might have been deliver on their debut Fire In the Sky had it not suffered a truly horrible production job.
On top of that, the concept is rather clever - if you piece it together carefully, it's less a story about the Great Pyramids themselves so much as (as the cover art hints) a man who becomes fascinated with the supposed esoteric wisdom encoded in them and the whole Pyramid Power thing (a hot topic when the album was recorded), to the point where his life and personal relationships disintegrate and he has nothing to show for it but crank theories and a worrying obsession. (Comparisons between this and being a prog fan I suggest you keep to yourself!)
The start is promising and the second Beatles-oriented track does not expectations things down. "The eagle will rise again" is a typical APP ballad, powerful and effective. "One more river" goes a step closer to the late 70's prog-rock - instrumental changes, the break-up atmosphere. "In the lap of the gods" is the most complex track in terms of arrangements as it mixes strings, chorals and rhythm changes. Going through the next throwaway poppy track we come to one of the most famous instrumental APP tracks - "Hyper- Gamma-Spaces" - this one is the only progressive electronic echo on this record. As it became a habit on some APP records, the last song is dedicated to a melancholic heartbreaking ballad, this one could be even better than the "The eagle will rise again". Close your eyes and think of all your previous losses ;)
"Voyager" is a fantastic beginning (the name implies what awaits you) and then introduces the second part, "What Goes Up", which has fantastic lyrics ("How can you be so sure that the wonders you've made in you life will be seen by the millions who'll follow to visit the site of your dream?"). "The Eagle WIll Rise Again" is the highest point when it comes to meaning: A hopeful message through a melancholic, sad and religious melody.
The second song starts with "One More River", a remarkable song with a magnificent and very strong sax solo. "Can't Take It With You" follows as the second part, being a kind of place to rest after so much force. The third part of the second song, "In The Lap Of The Gods", is an instrumental with oriental overtones with a majestic power, ideal to close the middle of the album.
The third part starts with "Pyromania", a lively, danceable and fun piece but at the same time with little hidden wise messages sung happily. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" is an unremarkable instrument although not bad for that. Sounds really nice. The album closes with "Shadow Of A Lonely Man", a majestic work, learned in experiences and suffering. Almost depressing piano progressions and a voice and lyrics that beautifully reflect the feeling of loneliness and his imperative way of staying in the spirit despite being surrounded by so many people and so much material.
An absolutely wonderful, spiritual album that doesn't deserve to be forgotten.
Pyramid, The Project's third album, was released in 1978 and went on to chart at #26 on Billboard, building on the popularity of I Robot.
Starting with the meditative ambient instrumental 'Voyager,' the album moves smoothly (segues) into their single 'What Goes Up,' which features David Paton and Dean Ford on lead vocals. Even though the segue builds up a strong opening, the single being insistently repetitive makes some listeners flee. Especially those who are familiar with metronomes can easily guess where the album is going. Furthermore, this album is declared by many as a formulaic pop/rock album.
Considering their repeating themes of the Middle East, Egypt, and the Pyramids themselves, the following three songs can indeed be thought of as a trilogy. Moreover, the introduction to 'In The Lap Of The Gods,' a grandiose and bombastic instrumental that bursts into life with an orchestra and choir at the finish, kind of kicks things off.
Exquisite production is still in place, in addition to; superb musicianship, and mediocre tunes, as one would expect from Alan Parsons' production, and it is no surprise. Issue with this album is that it has a few bad songs in it. These bad songs are in my opinion are literally formulaic fillers, and they have no progressive value even though they are well produced. This album has the onerous task of following up on what was undoubtedly a career high with the magnificent "I Robot," and the standards are unmet in many respects, which is upsetting. Pyramid has a few treasures, a bevy of nice pop songs, and sadly, it also has garbage in it.
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