Ambrosia

• Artist: Ambrosia
• Rating:
• Release Date: 1975
• Total Time: 38:40
• Type: Lyrics are included with the album
• Genre: Rock

Review

Although they would become better known for smooth AOR ballads like "How Much I Feel," Ambrosia first made their name with this album of progressive rock with a pop music twist. Its songs skillfully blend strong melodic hooks and smooth vocal harmonies with music of an almost symphonic density. Good examples of this crossbreeding are "Drink of Water," which sounds like the Beach Boys tackling a Pink Floyd space rock epic, and "Nice, Nice, Very Nice," which utilizes a combination of stately close-harmony vocals and dynamic instrumental breaks to put forth a clever lyric derived from a Kurt Vonnegut novel. The complexity of the music is further highlighted by its crystal-clear sonic landscape, mixed by Alan Parsons, which highlights unique touches like the use of a Russian balalaika ensemble and 300-year-old Javanese gongs on "Time Waits for No One." Despite this prog rock ambitiousness, the group is smart enough to avoid letting their instrumental chops take precedence over their music's melodic content: They keep their songs succinct and punchy (nothing extends over six-and-a-half minutes) and they infuse tunes like "Lover Arrive" and the radio favorite "Holdin' on to Yesterday" with a delicate sense of pop songcraft that makes the group's cinematic sound easy for listeners to assimilate. The end result is an album that is intricate enough to please prog rock addicts but catchy enough to win over a few pop fans in the process. Though Ambrosia would go on to score bigger hits later in their career, this is definitely their most cohesive and inspired album. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Nice, Nice, Very Nice (Lyrics)	Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.	Ambrosia	(5:49)
Time Waits for No One (Lyrics)	Christopher North, Burleigh Drummond, Joe Puerta, David Pack	Ambrosia	(5:01)
Holdin' on to Yesterday (Lyrics)	David Pack, Joe Puerta	Ambrosia	(4:19)
World Leave Me Alone (Lyrics)	David Pack	Ambrosia	(3:17)
Make Us All Aware (Lyrics)	Joe Puerta, Christopher North, David Pack, Burleigh Drummond	Ambrosia	(4:28)
Lover Arrive (Lyrics)	David Pack	Ambrosia	(3:12)
Mama Frog (Lyrics)	Joe Puerta, Burleigh Drummond, David Pack, Christopher North	Ambrosia	(6:06)
Drink of Water (Lyrics)	David Pack, Joe Puerta, Burleigh Drummond, Christopher North	Ambrosia	(6:28)

Credits

Freddie Piro (Engineer), Chuck Girard (Violin), Joe Puerta (Bass), Joe Puerta (Guitar), Keith Blake (Digital Mastering), Us (Orchestration), Ruth Underwood (Marimba), Burleigh Drummond (Drums), Christopher North (Keyboards), Michael Granger (Synthesizer Programming), Chuck Johnson (Engineer), Billy Taylor (Engineer), Ian Underwood (Saxophone), Alan Parsons (Mixdown Engineer), Doug Sax (Mastering), Michael Manoogian (Cover Lettering), Jim West (Violin), Joe Puerta (Vocals), Burleigh Drummond (Vocals), Daniel Kobialka (Violin), Fletch Wiley (Violin), Eddie Douglas (Cover Photo), David Pack (Guitar), Burleigh Drummond (Percussion), David Pack (Keyboards), Keith Johnson (Violin), Freddie Piro (Producer), Joe Puerta (Guitar (Bass)), David Pack (Vocals), James Newton Howard (Synthesizer Programming), Christopher North (Vocals), Tom Trefethen (Engineer), Us (Arranger), Splash Price (Violin), Alan Parsons (Engineer), Andy Toth (Violin)