1978's Pyramid was a conscious attempt to create a signature sound from the various strands of the first two Alan Parsons albums, Tales Of Mystery And Imagination and I Robot.
Much of that sound came from the innovative use of orchestra and choir by arranger Andrew Powell that provided a colourful backdrop for Eric Woolfson's songs and the variety of vocalists that were brought in to sing them - Colin Blunstone, John Miles, Dean Ford (from the Marmalade) and Lenny Zakatek. The result was a strong, cohesive album, despite the presence of so many different singers and the fact that Woolfson's songs are not among his best.
Meanwhile, Parsons' production is good enough to withstand the remixing and remastering it gets on CD and vinyl, and the surround sound mix it gets on the Blu-ray disc.
The real treasure trove for prog fans are the 67 bonus tracks – all but 14 previously unreleased – that meticulously unravel the album's complexities and trace them back to Woolfson's original demos. The 14-minute track of Colin Blunstone trying different treatments on The Eagle Will Rise Again while maintaining his own vocal character is a real revelation.
