Pyramid (The Alan Parsons Project album)

Pyramid
Studio album by The Alan Parsons Project
Released	26 May 1978[1]
Recorded	September 1977 – February 1978
Studio	Abbey Road Studios, London, England
Genre	Progressive rock art rock symphonic rock soft rock
Length	37:46
Label	Arista
Producer	Alan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project chronology
I Robot(1977) Pyramid(1978) Eve(1979)
Singles from Pyramid
"Pyramania"Released: June 1978 (UK) "What Goes Up"Released: September 1978 "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces"Released: January 1979 (EU)[2]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Mojo	[4]

Pyramid (stylized as Pyr△mid) is the third album by progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project, released in May 1978.^[5] 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.^[6]Pyramid was nominated for the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.^[7]

The book visible in the cover design is G. Patrick Flanagan – Pyramid Power: The Millennium Science (1973).^[8]

Pyramid was promoted in the United Kingdom through a nationwide cinema tour where the original master tapes were played in cinemas around the country.^[1] These playbacks, described as "simulated concerts" by Music Week, took place in 30 cities across the United Kingdom. Free tickets to these album playbacks were distributed via dealers and took place at local cinemas.^[9] Posters, shop displays, trade ads, and special media bios were created to provide the album with additional publicity and press advertisement was conducted in publications such as The Guardian and The Sunday Times.^[1]

Critical reception

Cashbox wrote that the band "finally delivered an album which goes beyond cracker -jack production techniques and delves whole-heartedly into the realm of 'identifiable sound'".^[10]Billboard said that the album "aurally interesting", with an emphasis on choirs and keyboards for a "spacey sound."^[11]

Record World called Pyramid "another immaculately produced album" from The Alan Parsons Project, saying that the creative contributions of musicians and vocalists on the record resulted in a "sometimes lush but haunting accompaniment".^[12] Tony Jasper of Music Week thought that the album was instrumentally varied and that the music was more likely to catch the attention of listeners than the lyrical themes, which he described as "sometimes banal".^[1]

Track listing

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

Side one

No.	Title	Vocals	Length
1.	"Voyager"	Instrumental	2:14
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:

10. "Voyager/What Goes Up/The Eagle Will Rise Again" (instrumental) – 8:55
11. "What Goes Up/Little Voice" (early version demo) – 4:07
12. "Can't Take It with You" (early version demo) – 1:45
13. "Hyper-Gamma-Spaces" (demo) – 2:21
14. "The Eagle Will Rise Again" (alternate version – backing track) – 3:20
15. "In the Lap of the Gods" (Part I – demo) – 3:14
16. "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.^[8]
• Can't Take It With You (early version demo) – Alan Parsons (unusually) played all the instruments.^[8]
• Hyper-Gamma Spaces – The name came from Eric Woolfson's brother Richard, whose Mathematics Doctoral Thesis carried the title Hyper-Gamma Spaces.^[8]
• 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.^[8]

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) Peakposition Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[13] 16 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 17 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[15] 34 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] 23 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] 3 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[18] 4 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[19] 13 Spanish Albums (AFE)[20] 4 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 22 UK Albums (OCC)[22] 49 US Billboard 200[23] 26

Year-end charts Chart (1978) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 8 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 18 Chart (1979) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] 2

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[27]	Gold	20,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[28]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
Germany (BVMI)[29]	Platinum	500,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30]	Gold	7,500^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31]	Gold	50,000^^
United States (RIAA)[32]	Gold	500,000^^
Summaries
Worldwide	—N/a	2,000,000+[33]
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Jasper, Tony (17 June 1978). "Music Week Fact Sheets"(PDF). Music Week. p. 40. Retrieved 15 November 2025 – via World Radio History.
2. "Alan Parsons Hyper Gamma Spaces". Dutch Charts.
3. DeGagne, Mike. Pyramid at AllMusic
4. Aizlewood, John (October 2024). "The Alan Parsons Project: Pyramid". Mojo. No. 371. p. 97.
5. M.C. Strong (1995). "Great Rock Discography". Edinburgh: Canongate. p. 616.
6. "Pyramid". Alan Parsons Project Official Website.
7. "Grammy nominations – Alan Parsons". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
8. The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid. CD Remaster liner notes (2008)
9. "Public previews for Parsons LP"(PDF). Music Week. 6 May 1978. p. 4. Retrieved 17 November 2025 – via World Radio History.
10. "Album Reviews"(PDF). Cashbox. 24 June 1978. p. 43. Retrieved 17 November 2025 – via World Radio History.
11. "Billboard's Top Album Picks"(PDF). Billboard. 24 June 1978. p. 104. Retrieved 17 November 2025 – via World Radio History.
12. "Hits Of The Week"(PDF). Record World. 24 June 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 17 November 2025 – via World Radio History.
13. 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.
14. "Austriancharts.at – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
15. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0013a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
16. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
17. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
18. "Charts.nz – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
19. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
20. Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
21. "Swedishcharts.com – The Alan Parsons Project – Pyramid". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
22. "Official Albums Chart on 18/6/1978 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
23. "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
24. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
25. "Top Selling Albums of 1978 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
26. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
27. "Recorld World International - Australia"(PDF). Record World. 28 October 1978. p. 80. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
28. "Canadian album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Music Canada.
29. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Alan Parsons Project; 'Pyramids')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
30. "New Zealand album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
31. Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
32. "American album certifications – Alan Parsons Project – Pyramids". Recording Industry Association of America.
33. "Top Sales – Arista Records". Billboard. 27 January 1979. Retrieved 19 September 2018.

• Pyramid, Alan Parsons Project. Arista Records AB 4180, 1978 (Vinyl LP)