Pyramid (The Alan Parsons Project album)

Pyramid
Pyramid
Studio album by The Alan Parsons Project
Released	May 1978
Recorded	September 1977 – February 1978
Studio	Abbey Road Studios, London, England
Genre	Progressive rock; art rock; symphonic rock; new wave;
Length	37:46
Label	Arista
Producer	Alan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project chronology
Singles from Pyramid
	"Pyramania"; Released: June 1978 (UK); "What Goes Up"; Released: September 1978; "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces"; Released: January 1979 (EU);

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
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.	Title	Vocals	Length
1.	"Voyager"	Instrumental	2:24
2.	"What Goes Up…"	David Paton, additional vocals by Dean Ford	3:31
3.	"The Eagle Will Rise Again"	Colin Blunstone	4:20
4.	"One More River"	Lenny Zakatek	4:15
5.	"Can't Take It with You"	Dean Ford	5:06

Side two
No.	Title	Vocals	Length
1.	"In the Lap of the Gods"	Instrumental	5:27
2.	"Pyramania"	Jack Harris	2:45
3.	"Hyper-Gamma-Spaces"	Instrumental	4:19
4.	"Shadow of a Lonely Man"	John Miles; additional vocals by Colin Blunstone	5:34

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

David Paton – bass (all tracks), acoustic guitar (tracks 2, 4–6, 9) vocals (tracks 2–3, 5)
Stuart Elliott – drums (all tracks), percussion (tracks 1–2, 4–9)
Ian Bairnson – electric and acoustic guitars (tracks 1–7, 9)
Eric Woolfson – Projectron (track 1), Fender Rhodes (track 2), clavichord and virginals (track 3), piano (tracks 5–7, 9), organ (track 6), backing vocals (3, 5)
Duncan Mackay – synthesizers (track 1, 4–5, 7–8)
Alan Parsons – Fender Rhodes (track 1), acoustic guitar (track 5), Wurlitzer (track 8), Projectron (tracks 8–9), backing vocals (track 3)
John Leach – kantele (track 1), cimbalom (track 6)
Andrew Powell – autoharp (track 3)
Phil Kenzie – saxophone solos (track 4)
Dean Ford, Colin Blunstone, Lenny Zakatek, John Miles, Jack Harris – vocals
Choir: The English Chorale, Choirmaster: Bob Howes
Produced and engineered by Alan Parsons
Executive production: Eric Woolfson
Arrangements: Andrew Powell
Album cover design: Hipgnosis
Photography Aubrey Powell / Rob Brimson
Mastering: Chris Blair

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1978–1979)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[8]	16
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[9]	17
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[10]	34
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[11]	23
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[12]	3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[13]	4
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)^[14]	13
Spanish Albums (AFE)^[15]	4
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[16]	22
UK Albums (OCC)^[17]	49
US Billboard 200^[18]	26

Year-end charts

Chart (1978)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[19]	8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[20]	18

Chart (1979)	Peak position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[21]	2

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.^{[dead link]}
^ 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)

[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.

[LN-7] 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.

[ac_Austria_The_Alan_Parsons_Project-9] "Austriancharts.at – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[group=-10] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0013a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[ac_Netherlands_The_Alan_Parsons_Project-11] "Dutchcharts.nl – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[ac_Germany4_The_Alan_Parsons_Project-12] "Offiziellecharts.de – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[ac_New_Zealand_The_Alan_Parsons_Project-13] "Charts.nz – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[ac_Norway_The_Alan_Parsons_Project-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.

[ac_Sweden_The_Alan_Parsons_Project-16] "Swedishcharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[ac_UK2_-17] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2024.

[ac_Billboard200_The_Alan_Parsons_Project-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.

[CanadaAlan_Parsons_ProjectPyramidsalbumCertRef-23] "Canadian album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Music Canada.

[GermanyAlan_Parsons_ProjectPyramidsalbumCertRef-24] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alan Parsons Project; 'Pyramids')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

[New_ZealandAlan_Parsons_ProjectPyramidsalbumCertRef-25] "New Zealand album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 June 2019.^{[dead link]}

[Spanish_certifications_1979-1990-26] Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.

[United_StatesAlan_Parsons_ProjectPyramidsalbumCertRef-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.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

v t e The Alan Parsons Project
Alan Parsons Eric Woolfson Ian Bairnson Andrew Powell David Paton Stuart Elliott Stuart Tosh Richard Cottle Laurence Cottle Duncan Mackay Mel Collins Lenny Zakatek Chris Rainbow Geoff Barradale John Miles Colin Blunstone Jack Harris Dave Townsend
Studio albums	Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1976) I Robot (1977) Pyramid (1978) Eve (1979) The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980) Eye in the Sky (1982) Ammonia Avenue (1984) Vulture Culture (1985) Stereotomy (1985) Gaudi (1987) The Sicilian Defence (2014)
Compilations	The Best of the Alan Parsons Project (1983) The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Volume 2 (1988) The Instrumental Works (1988) The Definitive Collection (1997) The Essential Alan Parsons Project (2007)
Singles	"The Raven" "(The System of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether" "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" "Games People Play" "Time" "Sirius" "Eye in the Sky" "Old and Wise" "Don't Answer Me"
Related articles	Discography Keats Ladyhawke Freudiana