For many years I scoffed at the notion that Ambrosia were somehow one of America's finest progressive rock bands. Which if we were to compare to bands like Cathedral, Yezda Urfa, and Mirthrandir, that would still hold true. But for the general buying public, the US didn't offer much in that way. There was Starcastle of course, which met its own chorus of derision, for an entirely different reason. The type of groups that got a foothold here were the ones that had a strong commercial sensibility. If the mindset moves towards Styx, Alan Parsons Project, Supertramp, Klaatu, FM, Saga, and early Journey - then Ambrosia has a seat at that table. Of course the previous aren't all American groups, but it's that particular style that the A&R guys were interested in signing. The arrangements go way beyond trivial pop slop, and there's genuine progressive rock hidden in these grooves. As I've gotten older, I'm appreciating more and more this kind of sound - a combination of nostalgia and objective evaluation I'd submit. So yea, this one stays.
Ownership: LP: 1975 20th Century. Single sleeve. I'd been on the lookout for this album in the wilds for the last 3 years, but it's been surprisingly scarce. If couch surfing, you can score a copy cheap and easy. This one came from the Denver Record show a couple of months ago out of someone's $1 bin (2021). The record is in EX shape, but the cover is VG- and it's missing the lyric insert, so I'll keep looking for a better copy.
12/28/21 (new entry)
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