Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites

Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites Artist: Marbles
Label: Spin Art
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 750078005321
EAN: 0750078005321
ASIN: B0000020ZB


Release Date: 1997-02-04

Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites


Related Categories:

General General
Categories | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Lo-Fi Lo-Fi
Categories | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Indie Rock Indie Rock
Categories | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Neo-Psychedelia Neo-Psychedelia
Categories | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

  1. Top Of The Morning
  2. Swimming
  3. Sun To Shine
  4. Death My Bride
  5. Get Together
  6. Pyramid Landing
  7. Rather Be A Scarecrow
  8. Laughing
  9. Bottom Of The Sea
  10. Kite
  11. Hidden Curtain
  12. Play/Fair
  13. Go Marilee
  14. Grant Me The Day

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Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Lost my "Marbles".......2004-11-18

Before the Apples in Stereo caught most of his attention, Rob Schneider played around with recording songs for the people around him. Several of his early 90s demos are now compiled in "Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites," a wispy but somehow endearing little album that sounds like the Beach Boys being kidnapped by aliens.

It opens with the upbeat, tinkly little pop melody "Top of the Morning." The same sound pops up in "Death My Bride" which is mostly vocals, sighs, and chimes, the spacey hymn "Play/Fair," and the experimental edge pops up in the almost a capella "Get Together." Most of these tracks aren't quite together enough to be considered songs, but have a sort of chirrupy appeal anyway.

Don't worry. Schneider can do actual songs as well. In fact it starts on the acoustic ballad "Swimming," the second track on the entire album, which is echoed in several other songs. "Kite" takes a different track, accenting organ with little chimes, as does "Rather Be A Scarecrow" with its eerie, wavery spacepop sound.

"Pyramind Landing and Other Favorites" is one of those albums that you simply cannot dislike -- it's too sunnily earnest and enjoyable, whatever its flaws. And when you consider that Schneider was simply messing around with these demos, they become somewhat more striking.

The instrumentation has a homey feel, rather than the polished quality of a studio recording. Guitar is generally the middle of the instrumentation, but Schneider also layers in some xylophone (or whatever that chiming noise is), keyboard, fuzz guitar, splashing water in a bucket (in the song appropriately called "Bottom of the Sea"), the occasional eerie woo-woo effect, some organ, and hand claps. Surprisingly, despite all this, the songs tend to sound very simple and stripped down in comparison to his later work in the Apples in Stereo.

Considering that the songs on "Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites" was meant only for Schneider's friends, family and cats, this is pretty good. Some of the melodies don't quite gel into real songs, but they have a certain charm anyhow.

2 out of 5 stars Good intentions not enough.......2002-07-15

Good singing but intrumental skills not up to par with those of average alternative band. Meldoies almost pleasing and lyrics a bit pretentious. This band could do so much more if it put its trust in the right producer who's willing to hire some good studio musicians to lend a hand. Sincere effort but better producing needed on next CD. Songs a bit typical of average Alt band- sincere and idiosincratic at best, second rate at worse. Also, cover art looks a bit amateurish - musicians should stick to music. Then again, this is not an art review.

5 out of 5 stars bubblegum, bubblegum in a dish........2000-08-11

This is a wonderful record...and combined with the Apples In Stereo's brilliant and essential Tone Soul Evolution, represents (so far) the peak of Robert Schneider's work.

This material was recorded by Schneider pre-Apples, at home...and it certainly has that "homey" quality...swirling water in a bucket as a percussive sound effect is not 'unusual' here. As for the songs, well...the sheer melodic joy of "Top Of The Morning", "Kite", and the insanely catchy "Go Marilee" is something to behold. And treasure.

If you like pop music and you like the Beach Boys "Smiley Smile", you will be playing this nonstop for months.

5 out of 5 stars

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