Search - Marbles :: Pyramid Landing

Bubblegum, bubblegum in a dish.

V. Berrini | NJ, United States | 08/10/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Retro-cool prehistoric apples

jack lippold | st. louis | 09/20/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These 1991 -1992 demo-tracks that head Apple Robert Schneider made for some friends got wider release because of some encouragement. Good thing too...this ranks up with some of the best Apples material."

Lost my "Marbles"

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 11/17/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."