1978 studio album by The Alan Parsons Project
Pyramid |
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Studio album by |
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Released | May 1978 |
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Recorded | September 1977 – February 1978 |
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Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London, England |
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Genre | - Progressive rock
- art rock
- symphonic rock
- new wave
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Length | 37:46 |
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Label | Arista |
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Producer | Alan Parsons |
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The Alan Parsons Project chronology |
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I Robot (1977) | Pyramid (1978) | Eve (1979) | |
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Singles from Pyramid |
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- "Pyramania"
Released: June 1978 (UK) - "What Goes Up"
Released: September 1978 - "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces"
Released: January 1979 (EU)[1] |
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Professional ratingsReview scores |
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Source | Rating |
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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 oneNo. | Title | Vocals | Length |
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1. | "Voyager" | Instrumental | 2:24 |
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2. | "What Goes Up…" | David Paton, additional vocals by Dean Ford | 3:31 |
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3. | "The Eagle Will Rise Again" | Colin Blunstone | 4:20 |
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4. | "One More River" | Lenny Zakatek | 4:15 |
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5. | "Can't Take It with You" | Dean Ford | 5:06 |
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Side twoNo. | Title | Vocals | Length |
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1. | "In the Lap of the Gods" | Instrumental | 5:27 |
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2. | "Pyramania" | Jack Harris | 2:45 |
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3. | "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" | Instrumental | 4:19 |
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4. | "Shadow of a Lonely Man" | John Miles; additional vocals by Colin Blunstone | 5:34 |
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Bonus tracks
Pyramid was remastered and reissued in 2008 with the following bonus tracks:
- "Voyager/What Goes Up/The Eagle Will Rise Again" (instrumental) – 8:55
- "What Goes Up/Little Voice" (early version demo) – 4:07
- "Can't Take It with You" (early version demo) – 1:45
- "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" (demo) – 2:21
- "The Eagle Will Rise Again" (alternate version – backing track) – 3:20
- "In the Lap of the Gods" (Part I – demo) – 3:14
- "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
Weekly charts | Year-end 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
- ^ "Alan Parsons Hyper Gamma Spaces". Dutch Charts.
- ^ DeGagne, Mike. Pyramid at AllMusic
- ^ Aizlewood, John (October 2024). "The Alan Parsons Project: Pyramid". Mojo. No. 371. p. 97.
- ^ M.C. Strong (1995). "Great Rock Discography". Edinburgh: Canongate. p. 616.
- ^ "Pyramid". Alan Parsons Project Official Website.
- ^ "Grammy nominations – Alan Parsons". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d e The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid. CD Remaster liner notes (2008)
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0013a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Charts.nz – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1978 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ "Recorld World International - Australia" (PDF). Record World. 28 October 1978. p. 80. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Music Canada.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alan Parsons Project; 'Pyramids')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
- ^ "American album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "Top Sales – Arista Records". Billboard. 27 January 1979. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- Pyramid, Alan Parsons Project. Arista Records AB 4180, 1978 (Vinyl LP)
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Studio albums | |
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Compilations | |
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Singles | |
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Related articles | |
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Authority control databases | - MusicBrainz release group
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