''Pyramid Landing (and Other Favorites)'' is the debut album from

Robert Schneider Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk ...

's solo project,

Marbles A marble is a small spherical object often made from glass, clay, steel, plastic, or agate. These toys can be used for a variety of games called marbles, as well being placed in marble runs or races, or created as a form of art. They are ofte ...

, containing songs written and performed, usually in their entirety, by Schneider on his

4-track recorder Multitrack recording (MTR), also known as multitracking, is a method of sound recording developed in 1955 that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources or of sound sources recorded at different times to create a cohesive who ...

. The songs date from a period before the concrete formation of

The Apples in Stereo The Apples in Stereo are an American indie rock band associated with The Elephant 6 Recording Company, Elephant 6 Collective. The band is largely the project of lead vocalist/guitarist/producer Robert Schneider, who writes the majority of the ba ...

in the early 1990s, while Schneider was sharing an apartment with

Will Cullen Hart William Cullen Hart (June 14, 1971 – November 29, 2024) was an American musician, singer, songwriter and visual artist. He was a co-founder of the Elephant 6 Recording Company, as well as the rock band the Olivia Tremor Control. Following that ...

and

Hilarie Sidney Hilarie Sidney is an American musician best known as the longtime drummer for The Apples in Stereo. She was previously married to Robert Schneider, the band's frontman and Elephant 6 co-founder. Their divorce was announced in 2004. She was half ...

, a period that also saw the recordings of the first Apples releases, and Sidney's material as Secret Square. It was eventually released in 1997 on SpinArt. In the liner notes, Schneider dedicates the album to the following: :"Tom, Chris, David (my little brothers); :Hilarie, Sean, Jim, Will, Jeff, Bill, Mike (my best friends); :Ben Rogers,

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Until his departure in 1968, he was Pink Floyd's frontman and primary songwriter, ...

(my heroes); :and all my cats."

Track listing

All tracks written by Robert Schneider except where noted. #"Top of the Morning" – 2:10 #"Swimming" – 3:50 #"Sun to Shine" – 1:40 #"Death My Bride" – 3:22 #"Get Together" – 2:31 #"Pyramid Landing" (R. Schneider/ W. Cullen Hart) – 2:35 #"Rather Be a Scarecrow" – 3:13 #"Laughing" – 1:35 #"Bottom of the Sea" – 1:20 #"Kite" – 3:57 #"Hidden Curtain" – 1:36 #"Play/Fair" – 3:09 #"Go Marilee" – 2:39 #"Grant Me the Day" – 2:11

Personnel

Marbles

* Robert Peter Schneider - vocal melodies and harmonies, Sears Silvertone acoustic and electric guitars, Fender bass guitar, sleigh bells, melodica, Casio SK-1 keyboard, Sears Silver Rhythm toy drums, flute, magic no.10 can, Dimension IV, maracas (or sand-filled envelope), Electro-Harmonix Octave Fuzz, recorder, Vox Repeat Percussion tremolo, jaw harp, Casio organ, Jay-Mar toy piano, drum-machine-for-a-metronome, percussive drinking glasses, Fisher-Price xylophone-piano, slide whistles, castanets, and sound effects from old records.

Also featuring

* W. Cullen Hart - tambo-drumming on "Pyramid Landing", clapping on "Go Marilee", double lead and backing vocals on "Top of the Morning", "Pyramid Landing", "Go Marilee", "Grant Me the Day", and others *

- toy drums on "Go Marilee", inspiration for "Grant Me the Day"

Production

''Pyramid Landing (and other favorites)'' was produced, arranged, and conducted by Robert Schneider. Recorded on a four-track cassette deck from March 1992 - May 1993, at the Elephant 6 Recording Co. H.Q. (Robert's apartment), Denver, Colorado; except "Pyramid Landing," recorded in W. Cullen's bedroom, Athens, Georgia, June 1992. Mixed by Robert S., December 1996, at Pet Sounds, Denver, through an Empex tube four-track and Roaldn Space Echo tape delay. Sequenced and mastered with Park Peters at Audio Park, Denver. All selections composed by R. Schneider, except "Pyramid Landing" chord progression by R. Schneider / W. Hart.

References

{{Authority control 1997 debut albums SpinART Records albums Marbles (band) albums