| 1. (On My Way) Providence |
| 2. Are You Coming Back To Me? |
| 3. Ambrosia |
| 4. Unseen World |
| 5. What's Your Style? |
| 6. Unconditional Love |
| 7. Silence In Heaven |
| 8. Traveling Soul |
| 9. One Hundred Eleven Rasons (To Be Happy) |
| 10. Sometimes I Do What I'm Told |
| 11. Satellites |
| 12. Tears Along The Way |
| 13. Smokey Mountains |
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Experimental House. Includes: Silence in Heaven, Traveling Soul (Featuring Nicole Graham), Satellites, Smokey Mountains and More.
For those of you who like the so-called "cheesy ballads" (Hey, I love them!) and gorgeous harmonies, you'll find the three aforementioned hits, as well as "Heart to Heart," "I Just Can't Let Go," and "Livin' on My Own," several of which have a bit of R&B flavor. (Yes, that IS Michael McDonald on "I Just Can't Let Go.") "Holdin' On to Yesterday" was their first hit, (I think) and is a great soulful rock song. The only thing that bugs me about it is that they sing, "I keep HOOOOLLLLL....-pause-....DIN' on to yesterday," breaking up the word with a breath. Interestingly, the last chord of this song always seems to hint vaguely at the final chord of "Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group.
Looking for more of a prog rock feel and unusual instrumental parts? "Time Waits for No One," "And...Somewhere I've Never Travelled," "Still Not Satisfied," and "Life Beyond LA" are tracks that will make you check the liner notes to see if ELP or Yes are playing along. "Cowboy Star" is also a break from the expected; it seems to be more of a narrative song that employs an orchestral interlude to help tell the story, almost reminiscent of the Moody Blues.
"Nice, Nice, Very Nice" and "Angola" are pretty stupid, as far as I'm concerned, although I know a lot of diehard fans enjoy them. They're just not my taste. "Sky Is Falling" and "Mama Just Don't Understand" are probably the weakest tracks; the first seems pretty blah to me, and the second is just rather odd. But all the others are very solid, with flawless vocals, unusually cool rhythms, beautiful instrumentation, and excellent songwriting.
I love that Ambrosia can immerse themselves so totally in both Adult Contemporary and Rock styles. And David Pack has the most achingly sweet voice I've ever heard. The kind that is so beautiful, there's a lump in your throat when he sings. Couple his voice with the amazing harmonies of the other band members and gorgeous instrumentation, and you have a CD that will be worn out within weeks!
The hits still sound good a few decades later. "Biggest Part of Me" and "You're the Only Woman" are prototypical "adult contemporary" ballads that have held up well. But there's a surprising amount of depth and insight to the other songs that our younger selves may have missed when Ambrosia was getting radio airplay.
Back in the day, I thought "How Much I Feel" was a by-the-numbers love song. No. It's one of the saddest statements of missed opportunity and regret resulting from an oh-too-cool pose in the past. "Life Beyond L.A.," the title track from one of their 70s LPs, is an extraordinarily cynical song that punctured the California myth long before that was fashionable. And "Angola," a devastating deconstruction of the U.N. and NGO do-gooders, is, without a doubt, one of the greatest conservative political manifestos in the California mellow rock canon. (But liberals might like it too!)
Professional. Timeless. Deep. Everything you'd want in a 1970s/1980s "best of" type compilation.
2. Biggest Part Of Me
3. You're The Only Women
9. How much I feel
These were 'monster' songs back in the late 70's/early 80's, simply huge!
I rate those songs 5+ stars, overall, the disc rates 4 stars!
As it is presented on this album, the music of Ambrosia was clearly influenced by English progressive rock although it is presented in a very accessible format - sort of a progressive/pop blend. Lush vocal harmonies and acoustic textures are balanced by tasteful Hammond organ, electric guitar, and synthesizer work; and it is all supported by a very creative rhythm section. Melodies and harmonies are all used a lot and there are some very nicely played instrumental passages in amongst the vocal sections (all pieces feature vocals). In short, the songs on this album are some of the tightest, best-written, and performed rock songs I have ever heard - this is especially impressive in that they say a great deal in the short time that it takes for each track to unfold (about 3-7 minutes). The sound quality and attention to detail throughout is also simply unbelievable and this debut is certainly worthy of the Grammy it won for Best Engineered Album (thanks to the recording wizard Alan Parsons).
I suppose that it is worth mentioning that the track Nice, Nice, very Nice was authored by none other than Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - he was my favorite author while in high school and the lyrics he contributes here are very...well...Vonnegut.
Well there you have it - a fantastic album by musicians who took their craft very seriously and it shows in every shimmering note on this album. Very highly recommended to folks that like the prog/pop side of things. One other album that comes to mind is Black Noise (1977) by the Canadian band FM which is roughly similar, although a bit further on the prog side of things.
Ambrosia was a four piece, Los Angeles-based band consisting of bassist Joe Puerta, guitarist David Pack, keyboardist Christopher North, and drummer Burliegh Drummond. All had classical training. They were different from your typical LA bands of the time, such as The Eagles, because they were an art rock band, something that city wasn't exactly known for. The band relied heavily on vocal harmonies, but the Yes or perhaps Styx comparisons are more valid here. I believe the Styx comparison comes from the fact some of the vocals remind me of Tommy Shaw. But then the band don't clone the sound of any band. They really had some very ingenious vocal arrangements which shows throughout this whole album.
The album was produced by Alan Parsons, which means that you get youself some top-rate production. "Nice, Nice, Very Nice" is the opening song, based on a Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. poem. I have always wondered, what was up with those fake foreign accents? "Time Waits For No One" is total genius, especially with the vocal arrangements. This stuff is definately more complex and elaborate than what the Alan Parsons Project was doing. "Holdin' On To Yesterday" was the album's hit, it was also the most straightforward number on the album, which went well over the AM dial. "Mama Frog" is a bit different from the rest of the album, it has an almost jazz rock/fusion feel, even the vocalist sings in the style of a jazz rock vocalist, but then the band goes off the deep-end with the droning synth and narration of "Jabberwock" from "Alice in Wonderland". "Drink of Water" ends on a excellent note, with lots of great synth and organ solos.
Not too long after this album came out, Alan Parsons started working on Tales of Mystery & Imagination, which launched The Alan Parsons Project, and none other than Ambrosia helped some on that album!
I can very easily recommend this album.
start to finish. It is a must have for anyone who likes great creative art rock songs.
The mix by Alan Parsons is amazing. Just a wonderful collection of songs.
It's an assortment for the ears to be sure and has enough songs that if combuned with some of the first album/CD's would make for a sonci killer!
Starting off with "And..." & rolling into the title track this is a good start. The closing "We Need You To" was on par with the final sone on their last album (Road Island) in the tune of "Fool Like Me".
Unfortunately after this second effort the prog was dropped for pop (although the 1-2 punch of "Art Beware" & "Apothecary" with it's blues then jazz motif is very tasty) on Life Beyond LA.
Well worth addition in a collection. To say that's it is a huge drop from the debut and holds less musicianship is put to rest with a listen to Danse, The Brunt, Can't Let A Woman, Cowboy Star, and the title track.
They did ressurect some of the magic with the final release, Road island but by then it was just as well they moved on.
BTW, "Harvey" is about a retarded elderly man who hung around the studio where the LP was recorded. It is his voice heard on the LP saying..."And my front brain, would not accept, my thanker(thinker)...see...no kid.."
The opening song sounds very much like Pink Floyd (probably because the album is produced by Pink Floyd engineer James Guthrie). A tiny bit bland compared to the rest of the album, but it's an acceptable opener to this album. Very heavy song.
Still Not Satisfied is a very good song, just prog rock enough to make it interesting. Good harmonies and awesome groove.
Not A Kid Anymore is a bit 80s huey lewis style cheesey, but the manic marimba solo (and top notch playing) redeems it. If they had made this a bit heavier or something it might have sounded better. It's still better than most of the stuff off the previous two albums. The screaming parts in the middle would work better if the whole thing was more heartfelt, instead it just comes off as silly.
Feeling Alive Again is a beautiful McCartneyish ballad. Outstanding vocals by David Pack. When this song is fading out it sounds absolutely majestic. This is what music is about.
How Can You Love Me is an good song, not particularly original but with good harmonies and playing. A bit dated sounding, the 80s crept into this track too.
Fool Like Me is an achingly beautiful song that sounds vaguely like Genesis on Then There Were Three, with a soaring guitar and a wistful, noodling keyboard solo, and some of the most reflective lyrics Joe Puerta has written.
Ice Age is a very creative prog rock song with innovative (for the time) use of technology. Synchronized echoing vocal lines and a very heavy drum sound, and of course time signature changes.
Endings is a good song to close the album with, a bit of a Beach Boys sound to the vocals and a haunting electric piano break.
If you liked their first few albums but wondered what happened after that, you'll definitely like this album!
But by then however, Ambrosia fans were beginning to notice a rather disconcerting change in their beloved, "intelligent-rocker-audiophile" quartet's musical direction. To put it mildly, Ambrosia was beginning to show signs of "mellowing out." Worse yet, they seemed to be "selling out." You could say that the worry began to settle in with 1978's adult-contemporary hit single, "How Much I Feel." With this song, Ambrosia started to gain a whole new audience, while undermining their faithful base of progressive-rock worshippers.
That loyal base could have forgiven Ambrosia their 1978 commercially-driven faux pas, were it not for their fourth offering and the album reviewed here, "One Eighty" (released, not coincidentally enough, in 1980). Two more hit singles reminiscent of "How Much I Feel," namely "You're the Only Woman" and "Biggest Part of Me," nailed the coffin lid shut on Ambrosia (as rock-and-roll pioneers) forever, typecasting them as "easy listening" to the masses of listeners right up until the present day.
Tragically enough, being typecast as easy-listening was never what band members and erstwhile audial imagineers David Pack, Joe Puerta or Christopher North ever had in mind. But something happened between "Somewhere I've Never Travelled" and "One Eighty." Perhaps it was the fact that David Pack was (literally) losing his hearing in both ears. Or maybe the reality was best summed up in the lyrics to the outstanding, progressive-rock swan song "Life Beyond L.A." (from the album released 2 years before "One Eighty"): "Living out here you soon come to know that it ain't how good you are as much as who you know ... now you fake it."
They did. And they made a lot of money doing just that.
But surprisingly (or perhaps not, at least to the legions of "true" Ambrosia aficionados), just as Ambrosia began to be recognized in a rather major fashion by the Billboard Pop Chart, rather than "ride the success wave" to further pop popularity, "One Eighty" marked both the apex (commercially) and the collapse (artistically) of Ambrosia's career. Their followup album, "Road Island," sank into the ocean of oblivion like Krakatoa. And along with "Road Island," Ambrosia itself disappeared beneath the waves.
I recall vividly in 1980, leafing through an issue of Billboard Magazine shortly after "One Eighty" and its attendant, light-on-the-ears, soft-on-the-brain hits dolloped onto the scene like so much hospital-vanilla pudding, amazingly and amusingly enough (and ostensibly as a kind of "sop to Cerberus" to their "hard core" audience): Ambrosia posted a full-page, full-color, heavy-text "disclaimer" in the industry-standard rag, defending their new album and insisting vehemently that "Ambrosia still rocks!" All humor aside, most implicit in this defense was, "please, please don't judge us by our hit songs; buy our new album and you'll hear for yourself - all the REALLY GOOD HEAVY stuff WHICH YOU LOVE and which the radio ISN'T playing! It's in here TOO!!" So I bought "One Eighty."
And I kind of had to agree with the guys. I love the thickly-layered, power-rock opening track, "Ready" (reminiscent of their equally power-driven "Can't Let a Woman" off "Somewhere I've Never Travelled"), and I also thought "Kamikaze" jammed effectively enough. But the rest of the album?
Hmmmmm ...
In any case, I had purchased the LP. And when the CD of "One Eighty" finally made it to market, yup - I bought that as well. So, like it or not, if I was upset with the way Ambrosia had declined artistically, I still feel, even to this day, that the band's definitive oeuvre just isn't complete unless all four of their albums (up until "Rock Island" which, although I do own it, confessedly, I couldn't tell you any of the names, let alone hum any of the tunes, of a single one of the songs from this album off the top of my head).
Thus, "four" seems to be a kind of "magic number" for Ambrosia, which is why, albeit semi-reluctantly, I give "One Eighty" four stars, even though (intellectually) I might wish to assign it merely two, or two-and-a-half. Maybe I give "One Eighty" 4 stars because their opening song "Ready" redeems the rest of the album. That and "Kamikaze." Or perhaps because ... ummmm ... "je ne sais quoi" (*sigh*) as the French say - I just don't know why.
Call it a "lifetime achievement award" to a band I once loved to pieces, and still do - for their aboriginal, brilliant work early on. Fortunately, you can still hear vestiges of that work here on "One Eighty."
I've been an Ambrosia fan since the 70's and agree with other reviewers that this release falls short without Pack. Musicianship and sound quality are good but I prefer listening to the originals. I'm sorry to say that this one probably won't get much play in the future.
That being said, if this lineup came to town I would consider seeing them. It would be a fine live show, IMO.
Instead of purchasing "Live at the Galaxy Theatre" I'd recommend you complete your Ambrosia collection and/or get Pack's "The Secret of Movin' On" and "Unborn".
Moreover, David Pack isnt there. There is no reason to make a live cd if the original members arent participating. If you are willing to buy an obviously low budget, poorly produced, "pack"less Ambrosia then you are the sucker they are looking for
review! He obvioulsy has never heard this cd. I HAVE!
It contains wonderful versions of Ambrosia Classics like
Time Waits For No One, Nice Nice Very Nice, Drink of
Water, Biggest Part of Me, and You're The Only Woman.
This cd is a must have for every Ambrosia fan. You will be
surprised how great it sounds.
Experimental House. Includes: Silence in Heaven, Traveling Soul (Featuring Nicole Graham), Satellites, Smokey Mountains and More.
Ambrosia,A Reminiscent Drive,F Communications,Dance
Average customer rating: 
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Anthology
Ambrosia Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Pop
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Soft Rock
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ASIN: B000002MHV Release Date: 1997-05-20 |
Tracks:
- Mama Don't Understand
- Biggest Part Of Me
- You're The Only Women
- Nice, Nice, Very Nice
- Life Beyond L.A.
- Livin' On My Own
- Holdin' On To Yesterday
- Angola
- How Much I Feel
- Time Waits For No One
- I Just Can't Let Go
- Heart to Heart
- And...Somewhere I've Never Traveled
- Sky Is Falling
- Still Not Satisfied
- Cowboy Star (Edit)
Customer Reviews:
I NEVER get tired of this album..........2007-07-08
For those of you who like the so-called "cheesy ballads" (Hey, I love them!) and gorgeous harmonies, you'll find the three aforementioned hits, as well as "Heart to Heart," "I Just Can't Let Go," and "Livin' on My Own," several of which have a bit of R&B flavor. (Yes, that IS Michael McDonald on "I Just Can't Let Go.") "Holdin' On to Yesterday" was their first hit, (I think) and is a great soulful rock song. The only thing that bugs me about it is that they sing, "I keep HOOOOLLLLL....-pause-....DIN' on to yesterday," breaking up the word with a breath. Interestingly, the last chord of this song always seems to hint vaguely at the final chord of "Frankenstein" by the Edgar Winter Group.
Looking for more of a prog rock feel and unusual instrumental parts? "Time Waits for No One," "And...Somewhere I've Never Travelled," "Still Not Satisfied," and "Life Beyond LA" are tracks that will make you check the liner notes to see if ELP or Yes are playing along. "Cowboy Star" is also a break from the expected; it seems to be more of a narrative song that employs an orchestral interlude to help tell the story, almost reminiscent of the Moody Blues.
"Nice, Nice, Very Nice" and "Angola" are pretty stupid, as far as I'm concerned, although I know a lot of diehard fans enjoy them. They're just not my taste. "Sky Is Falling" and "Mama Just Don't Understand" are probably the weakest tracks; the first seems pretty blah to me, and the second is just rather odd. But all the others are very solid, with flawless vocals, unusually cool rhythms, beautiful instrumentation, and excellent songwriting.
I love that Ambrosia can immerse themselves so totally in both Adult Contemporary and Rock styles. And David Pack has the most achingly sweet voice I've ever heard. The kind that is so beautiful, there's a lump in your throat when he sings. Couple his voice with the amazing harmonies of the other band members and gorgeous instrumentation, and you have a CD that will be worn out within weeks!
Not just another "California mellow" band.......2007-06-30
The hits still sound good a few decades later. "Biggest Part of Me" and "You're the Only Woman" are prototypical "adult contemporary" ballads that have held up well. But there's a surprising amount of depth and insight to the other songs that our younger selves may have missed when Ambrosia was getting radio airplay.
Back in the day, I thought "How Much I Feel" was a by-the-numbers love song. No. It's one of the saddest statements of missed opportunity and regret resulting from an oh-too-cool pose in the past. "Life Beyond L.A.," the title track from one of their 70s LPs, is an extraordinarily cynical song that punctured the California myth long before that was fashionable. And "Angola," a devastating deconstruction of the U.N. and NGO do-gooders, is, without a doubt, one of the greatest conservative political manifestos in the California mellow rock canon. (But liberals might like it too!)
Professional. Timeless. Deep. Everything you'd want in a 1970s/1980s "best of" type compilation.
Anthology - Ambrosia..........2007-06-02
2. Biggest Part Of Me
3. You're The Only Women
9. How much I feel
These were 'monster' songs back in the late 70's/early 80's, simply huge!
I rate those songs 5+ stars, overall, the disc rates 4 stars!
Beautiful Voices Good CD!.......2007-04-15
Brings Back Great Memories.......2007-04-11
Average customer rating:
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Ambrosia
Ambrosia Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
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ASIN: B00003TKGH Release Date: 2000-02-01 |
Tracks:
- Nice, Nice, Very Nice
- Time Waits For No One
- Holdin' On To Yesterday
- World Leave Me Alone
- Make Us All Aware
- Lover Arrive
- Mama Frog
- Drink Of Water
Customer Reviews:
Very Nice Indeed.......2007-05-27
Nice, nice, very nice.......2007-01-23
As it is presented on this album, the music of Ambrosia was clearly influenced by English progressive rock although it is presented in a very accessible format - sort of a progressive/pop blend. Lush vocal harmonies and acoustic textures are balanced by tasteful Hammond organ, electric guitar, and synthesizer work; and it is all supported by a very creative rhythm section. Melodies and harmonies are all used a lot and there are some very nicely played instrumental passages in amongst the vocal sections (all pieces feature vocals). In short, the songs on this album are some of the tightest, best-written, and performed rock songs I have ever heard - this is especially impressive in that they say a great deal in the short time that it takes for each track to unfold (about 3-7 minutes). The sound quality and attention to detail throughout is also simply unbelievable and this debut is certainly worthy of the Grammy it won for Best Engineered Album (thanks to the recording wizard Alan Parsons).
I suppose that it is worth mentioning that the track Nice, Nice, very Nice was authored by none other than Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - he was my favorite author while in high school and the lyrics he contributes here are very...well...Vonnegut.
Well there you have it - a fantastic album by musicians who took their craft very seriously and it shows in every shimmering note on this album. Very highly recommended to folks that like the prog/pop side of things. One other album that comes to mind is Black Noise (1977) by the Canadian band FM which is roughly similar, although a bit further on the prog side of things.
Unbelievably great debut album.......2006-07-19
Ambrosia was a four piece, Los Angeles-based band consisting of bassist Joe Puerta, guitarist David Pack, keyboardist Christopher North, and drummer Burliegh Drummond. All had classical training. They were different from your typical LA bands of the time, such as The Eagles, because they were an art rock band, something that city wasn't exactly known for. The band relied heavily on vocal harmonies, but the Yes or perhaps Styx comparisons are more valid here. I believe the Styx comparison comes from the fact some of the vocals remind me of Tommy Shaw. But then the band don't clone the sound of any band. They really had some very ingenious vocal arrangements which shows throughout this whole album.
The album was produced by Alan Parsons, which means that you get youself some top-rate production. "Nice, Nice, Very Nice" is the opening song, based on a Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. poem. I have always wondered, what was up with those fake foreign accents? "Time Waits For No One" is total genius, especially with the vocal arrangements. This stuff is definately more complex and elaborate than what the Alan Parsons Project was doing. "Holdin' On To Yesterday" was the album's hit, it was also the most straightforward number on the album, which went well over the AM dial. "Mama Frog" is a bit different from the rest of the album, it has an almost jazz rock/fusion feel, even the vocalist sings in the style of a jazz rock vocalist, but then the band goes off the deep-end with the droning synth and narration of "Jabberwock" from "Alice in Wonderland". "Drink of Water" ends on a excellent note, with lots of great synth and organ solos.
Not too long after this album came out, Alan Parsons started working on Tales of Mystery & Imagination, which launched The Alan Parsons Project, and none other than Ambrosia helped some on that album!
I can very easily recommend this album.
One Of My All Time Favorite CDs.......2006-03-24
start to finish. It is a must have for anyone who likes great creative art rock songs.
The mix by Alan Parsons is amazing. Just a wonderful collection of songs.
this music is weird.......2006-03-24
Average customer rating: 
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Greatest Hits
Ambrosia Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Alternative Rock
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ASIN: B0002J58M4 Release Date: 2004-08-24 |
Tracks:
- Mama Don't Understand
- Biggest Part of Me
- You're the Only Woman
- Nice, Nice, Very Nice
- Life Beyond L.A.
- Livin' on My Own
- Holdin' on to Yesterday
- Angola
- How Much I Feel
- Time Waits for No One
- I Just Can't Let Go
- Heart to Heart
- And... Somewhere I've Never Travelled
- Sky Is Falling
- Still Not Satisfied
- Cowboy Star [Edit]
Average customer rating:
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Somewhere I've Never Travelled
Ambrosia Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Pop
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| Music
Soft Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
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Progressive Rock
| Progressive
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| Styles
| Music
CDs $7 - $10
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| Pop
| Today's Deals in Music
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All Bargain Titles
| Soft Rock
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4-for-3 Pop
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ASIN: B00003TKGI Release Date: 2000-02-01 |
Tracks:
- And...
- Somewhere I've Never Travelled
- Cowboy Star
- Runnin' Away
- Harvey
- I Wanna Know
- The Brunt
- Danse With Me George (Chopin's Plea)
- Can't Let A Woman
- We Need You Too
Customer Reviews:
A lot of genius lurking in this collection.......2006-12-31
On par with debut........2006-06-30
It's an assortment for the ears to be sure and has enough songs that if combuned with some of the first album/CD's would make for a sonci killer!
Starting off with "And..." & rolling into the title track this is a good start. The closing "We Need You To" was on par with the final sone on their last album (Road Island) in the tune of "Fool Like Me".
Unfortunately after this second effort the prog was dropped for pop (although the 1-2 punch of "Art Beware" & "Apothecary" with it's blues then jazz motif is very tasty) on Life Beyond LA.
Well worth addition in a collection. To say that's it is a huge drop from the debut and holds less musicianship is put to rest with a listen to Danse, The Brunt, Can't Let A Woman, Cowboy Star, and the title track.
They did ressurect some of the magic with the final release, Road island but by then it was just as well they moved on.
BTW, "Harvey" is about a retarded elderly man who hung around the studio where the LP was recorded. It is his voice heard on the LP saying..."And my front brain, would not accept, my thanker(thinker)...see...no kid.."
big disappointment.......2006-03-23
Very Complex.......2006-02-21
Art/Classical Rock Like It Should Be!.......2006-02-13
Average customer rating:
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Body Talk: Moonlit Nights (The Language of Love 1965-1995
Manufacturer: Time-Life Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Jazz
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General
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ASIN: B000HKC894 |
Product Description
CD1)~~1. Ooo Baby Baby~~2. I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)~~3. Baby, Come To Me~~4. Hold On To The Nights~~5. Nite And Day~~6. Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)~~7. Dreams~~8. Waiting For A Girl Like You~~9. Just The Two Of Us~~10. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)~~11. Time In A Bottle~~12. When A Man Loves A Woman~~~~CD2)~~1. At This Moment~~2. I Don't Have The Heart~~3. Glory of Love~~4. Break Up To Make Up~~5. My Eyes Adored You~~6. Sad Eyes~~7. Sea Of Love~~8. Don't Know Much~~9. How Much I Feel~~10. Love Won't Let Me Wait~~11. Just Remember I Love You~~12. I Honestly Love You.
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Road Island
Ambrosia Manufacturer: Wounded Bird Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Alternative Rock
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General
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ASIN: B0006Q0XW8 Release Date: 2005-01-18 |
Tracks:
- For Openers (Welcome Home)
- Still Not Satisfied
- Kid No More
- Feelin' Alive Again
- How Can You Love Me
- Fool Like Me
- Ice Age
- Endings
Customer Reviews:
They saved the best for last.......2006-10-26
Was This Too Little, Too Late?.......2006-02-12
"Road Island"...At Last!.......2005-12-11
Return to form.......2005-11-28
The opening song sounds very much like Pink Floyd (probably because the album is produced by Pink Floyd engineer James Guthrie). A tiny bit bland compared to the rest of the album, but it's an acceptable opener to this album. Very heavy song.
Still Not Satisfied is a very good song, just prog rock enough to make it interesting. Good harmonies and awesome groove.
Not A Kid Anymore is a bit 80s huey lewis style cheesey, but the manic marimba solo (and top notch playing) redeems it. If they had made this a bit heavier or something it might have sounded better. It's still better than most of the stuff off the previous two albums. The screaming parts in the middle would work better if the whole thing was more heartfelt, instead it just comes off as silly.
Feeling Alive Again is a beautiful McCartneyish ballad. Outstanding vocals by David Pack. When this song is fading out it sounds absolutely majestic. This is what music is about.
How Can You Love Me is an good song, not particularly original but with good harmonies and playing. A bit dated sounding, the 80s crept into this track too.
Fool Like Me is an achingly beautiful song that sounds vaguely like Genesis on Then There Were Three, with a soaring guitar and a wistful, noodling keyboard solo, and some of the most reflective lyrics Joe Puerta has written.
Ice Age is a very creative prog rock song with innovative (for the time) use of technology. Synchronized echoing vocal lines and a very heavy drum sound, and of course time signature changes.
Endings is a good song to close the album with, a bit of a Beach Boys sound to the vocals and a haunting electric piano break.
If you liked their first few albums but wondered what happened after that, you'll definitely like this album!
One step closer to breaking up.......2005-10-05
Average customer rating:
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Life Beyond L.A.
Ambrosia Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
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ASIN: B00003TKGJ Release Date: 2000-02-01 |
Tracks:
- Life Beyond L.A.
- Art Beware
- Apothecary
- If Heaven Could Find Me
- How Much I Feel
- Dancin' By Myself
- Angola
- Heart To Heart
- Not As You Were
- Ready For Camarillo
Customer Reviews:
Ouch.............2007-07-24
Surprisingly Good.......2007-01-28
Life Beyond Progressive Rock!!!.......2006-04-15
A "Good" Album.......2006-02-21
CLASSIC 70'S MELODIC POP.......2004-03-10
Average customer rating:
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Ambrosia
A Reminiscent Drive Manufacturer: F Communications ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Dance & DJ
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ASIN: B00004SPLA Release Date: 2000-04-10 |
Tracks:
- (On My Way) Providence
- Are You Coming Back To Me?
- Ambrosia
- Unseen World
- What's Your Style?
- Unconditional Love
- Silence In Heaven
- Traveling Soul
- One Hundred Eleven Rasons (To Be Happy)
- Sometimes I Do What I'm Told
- Satellites
- Tears Along The Way
- Smokey Mountains
Album Details
Experimental House. Includes: Silence in Heaven, Traveling Soul (Featuring Nicole Graham), Satellites, Smokey Mountains and More.Customer Reviews:
More than the title track.......2001-09-15
Average customer rating: 
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One Eighty
Ambrosia Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Pop
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Soft Rock
| Pop
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Pop Rock
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| Easy Listening
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General
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Progressive Rock
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CDs $7 - $10
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ASIN: B00003TKGK Release Date: 2000-02-01 |
Tracks:
- Ready
- Shape I'm In
- Kamikaze
- You're The Only Woman
- Rock N' A Hard Place
- Livin' On My Own
- Cryin' In The Rain
- No Big Deal
- Biggest Part Of Me
Customer Reviews:
Ambrosia definitely did a "180".......2006-10-26
Certainly NOT Their Best, But I Bought It Anyway.......2006-07-10
But by then however, Ambrosia fans were beginning to notice a rather disconcerting change in their beloved, "intelligent-rocker-audiophile" quartet's musical direction. To put it mildly, Ambrosia was beginning to show signs of "mellowing out." Worse yet, they seemed to be "selling out." You could say that the worry began to settle in with 1978's adult-contemporary hit single, "How Much I Feel." With this song, Ambrosia started to gain a whole new audience, while undermining their faithful base of progressive-rock worshippers.
That loyal base could have forgiven Ambrosia their 1978 commercially-driven faux pas, were it not for their fourth offering and the album reviewed here, "One Eighty" (released, not coincidentally enough, in 1980). Two more hit singles reminiscent of "How Much I Feel," namely "You're the Only Woman" and "Biggest Part of Me," nailed the coffin lid shut on Ambrosia (as rock-and-roll pioneers) forever, typecasting them as "easy listening" to the masses of listeners right up until the present day.
Tragically enough, being typecast as easy-listening was never what band members and erstwhile audial imagineers David Pack, Joe Puerta or Christopher North ever had in mind. But something happened between "Somewhere I've Never Travelled" and "One Eighty." Perhaps it was the fact that David Pack was (literally) losing his hearing in both ears. Or maybe the reality was best summed up in the lyrics to the outstanding, progressive-rock swan song "Life Beyond L.A." (from the album released 2 years before "One Eighty"): "Living out here you soon come to know that it ain't how good you are as much as who you know ... now you fake it."
They did. And they made a lot of money doing just that.
But surprisingly (or perhaps not, at least to the legions of "true" Ambrosia aficionados), just as Ambrosia began to be recognized in a rather major fashion by the Billboard Pop Chart, rather than "ride the success wave" to further pop popularity, "One Eighty" marked both the apex (commercially) and the collapse (artistically) of Ambrosia's career. Their followup album, "Road Island," sank into the ocean of oblivion like Krakatoa. And along with "Road Island," Ambrosia itself disappeared beneath the waves.
I recall vividly in 1980, leafing through an issue of Billboard Magazine shortly after "One Eighty" and its attendant, light-on-the-ears, soft-on-the-brain hits dolloped onto the scene like so much hospital-vanilla pudding, amazingly and amusingly enough (and ostensibly as a kind of "sop to Cerberus" to their "hard core" audience): Ambrosia posted a full-page, full-color, heavy-text "disclaimer" in the industry-standard rag, defending their new album and insisting vehemently that "Ambrosia still rocks!" All humor aside, most implicit in this defense was, "please, please don't judge us by our hit songs; buy our new album and you'll hear for yourself - all the REALLY GOOD HEAVY stuff WHICH YOU LOVE and which the radio ISN'T playing! It's in here TOO!!" So I bought "One Eighty."
And I kind of had to agree with the guys. I love the thickly-layered, power-rock opening track, "Ready" (reminiscent of their equally power-driven "Can't Let a Woman" off "Somewhere I've Never Travelled"), and I also thought "Kamikaze" jammed effectively enough. But the rest of the album?
Hmmmmm ...
In any case, I had purchased the LP. And when the CD of "One Eighty" finally made it to market, yup - I bought that as well. So, like it or not, if I was upset with the way Ambrosia had declined artistically, I still feel, even to this day, that the band's definitive oeuvre just isn't complete unless all four of their albums (up until "Rock Island" which, although I do own it, confessedly, I couldn't tell you any of the names, let alone hum any of the tunes, of a single one of the songs from this album off the top of my head).
Thus, "four" seems to be a kind of "magic number" for Ambrosia, which is why, albeit semi-reluctantly, I give "One Eighty" four stars, even though (intellectually) I might wish to assign it merely two, or two-and-a-half. Maybe I give "One Eighty" 4 stars because their opening song "Ready" redeems the rest of the album. That and "Kamikaze." Or perhaps because ... ummmm ... "je ne sais quoi" (*sigh*) as the French say - I just don't know why.
Call it a "lifetime achievement award" to a band I once loved to pieces, and still do - for their aboriginal, brilliant work early on. Fortunately, you can still hear vestiges of that work here on "One Eighty."
Different musicians and a different sound!.......2006-04-17
Let's Clear Some Stuff Up.......2005-02-04
The album that took a 180 degree turn.......2003-11-07
Average customer rating:
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Live at the Galaxy
Ambrosia Manufacturer: Coach House Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Alternative Rock
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General
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ASIN: B000068CTH Release Date: 2002-05-21 |
Tracks:
- Nice, Nice
- Livin' on my own
- You're the only woman
- Mama don't understand
- Somewhere I never....
- In my life
- Time waits
- How much I feel
- Magical Mystery
- Drink of water
- Holdin' on to....
- Biggest part of me
Product Description
Ambrosia came to national prominence in 1975 with their self-titled debut which featured the hits Holding On To Yesterday and Nice, Nice, Very Nice. Produced and engineered by Alan Parsons, their releases have been Grammy nominees several times over. They continue to tour to this day with three of the four original members. This is their only live recording, and it contains the songs they're known for.Album Description
2002 live album on Coach House Records. 12 tracks.Customer Reviews:
Wonderful!.......2006-04-10
Good, but not recommended........2006-03-02
I've been an Ambrosia fan since the 70's and agree with other reviewers that this release falls short without Pack. Musicianship and sound quality are good but I prefer listening to the originals. I'm sorry to say that this one probably won't get much play in the future.
That being said, if this lineup came to town I would consider seeing them. It would be a fine live show, IMO.
Instead of purchasing "Live at the Galaxy Theatre" I'd recommend you complete your Ambrosia collection and/or get Pack's "The Secret of Movin' On" and "Unborn".
Great To Hear Ambrosia Live.......2006-03-02
I Agree with "Ice Man".......2006-03-01
Moreover, David Pack isnt there. There is no reason to make a live cd if the original members arent participating. If you are willing to buy an obviously low budget, poorly produced, "pack"less Ambrosia then you are the sucker they are looking for
Great Live Recording that's Worth Every Penny.......2005-10-01
review! He obvioulsy has never heard this cd. I HAVE!
It contains wonderful versions of Ambrosia Classics like
Time Waits For No One, Nice Nice Very Nice, Drink of
Water, Biggest Part of Me, and You're The Only Woman.
This cd is a must have for every Ambrosia fan. You will be
surprised how great it sounds.
Album Review:
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