Just as the band Firefall inherited some members from The Flying Burrito Brothers, so did Ambrosia. When The Burrito Bros split, Ambrosia was formed in Southern California in 1970. We are going to look at some of their music as we choose the Top 10 Ambrosia songs.
The late 60s in Southern California was a hotbed of music. Some would say, if you were in America, it was “the place to be.” There is some truth in that, but there was a downside to being in “the place to be.” The competition.
And that competition was serious…
All musical areas in the Western music world had their bragging rights. For instance, in London in the mid-60s, The Who reigned in West London, The Yardbirds in South West London, and The Small Faces in East London. Fleetwood Mac, the original blues band, ruled everywhere. Later came Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, and Pink Floyd.
Southern California was no different. The Beach Boys had moved on to bigger things, of course. But, now Ambrosia was competing in their early days with The Eagles, Crosby, Stalls, Nash and Young, Spirit, and the mighty Jefferson Airplane. Good luck with that one.
A Copycat Band?
The tendency with some bands and musicians was to see what was making others successful and try and copy it. Not a good idea. It never worked. Take influences, of course, but do not copy.
Ambrosia didn’t make an impact until 1975 and their first album. By this time, The Eagles were international stars, and ‘Airplane’ had gone.
They were still developing in a Progressive Rock style. And their influence after their initial infatuation with CSN and Y came from the UK. They had found King Crimson. And as most did, they were impressed. Their early influences came from Bob Fripp and Greg Lake, and the rest. So, let’s see how the band developed and find Ambrosia’s Top 10 songs.
20 Best Ambrosia Songs of All Time
1 For Openers (Welcome Home)
Seems an appropriate place to start this list in some ways. Appropriate for the song’s title, but as it was from the last album they recorded, Road Island, maybe not so. The album was released in 1982 when they were not making many impressions on the chart anymore. Road Island peaked at #115. This song was the third single taken from that final album, but it also failed to make a chart appearance.
After listening to this song again, I thought it probably wasn’t suitable as a single. So, just what the “powers that be” were thinking is beyond me. As we shall see, they had changed their style from previous albums. Maybe this was an attempt to return to a more Progressive Rock style.
It is a decent track with some heavy drumming and decent guitar work. But, with all the tempo changes, it hardly makes it radio-friendly. For those that like a bit of basic Progressive Rock, then it is worth a listen.
2 Can’t Let a Woman
Let’s go back in time a little for this song from their second album, Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled, released in 1976. The contrast between this and the first song could not be more marked. A steady Rock beat carries it most of the way through, with some creative organ playing for the mid-song solo. There are some quiet moments, but it doesn’t lose its energy.
This was the third single they released from the album. The first was a cover of The Beatles’ song “Magical Mystery Tour.” We won’t be including that one. “Can’t Let a Woman” was written by guitarist and singer David Pack.
In some respects, this was an important album to get right. They had seen some unexpected success with their first which had reached 22 on the American album chart. They had to create a decent follow-up. Most of the music on Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled was good. But, something didn’t happen in the eyes of the record-buying public, and it stalled at #79.
3 Somewhere I Never Traveled
Let’s stay with their second album for the title track. It wasn’t released as a single, but it is interesting to include it here for other reasons. We talked earlier about the difference between copying and being influenced by other bands. This seems to be an attempt to create an early Yes track, maybe from The Yes Album Expanded.
Some of the harmonies are quite nice, and the arrangement is very similar to Yes in its design. But the problem is that they haven’t got Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, or Chris Squire. Without those three, it doesn’t work. They were the big reasons why Yes was better than everybody else at this style of music at the time.
The disappointing thing is that this track does indicate that they should steer away from creating ‘clone’ songs. And, if they had, there was enough in the band to create their own form of Progressive Rock.
4 Life Beyond L.A.
After a commercially disappointing second album, they had to get the third album and its associated singles right. I think we can say in terms of the album that they managed to do that.
The album Life Beyond L.A. became their most successful and reached #19 on the Album chart. The single, “Life Beyond L.A.,” though, was the second from the album and had to follow one of Ambrosia’s most successful songs, which we will look at later. Needless to say, it didn’t do so well.
Again, the song probably isn’t single material. It has a very prominent keyboard part that carries most of the song. And, for fans of simple Progressive Rock, this is going to be a track you will appreciate.
5 Livin’ On My Own
This song was included in the band’s fourth album, One Eighty, released in 1980. It was written by Joe Puerta, Burleigh Drummond, and David Pack. This is a different type of song which is why it is included in this list of the Top 10 Ambrosia songs.
It has the feeling of a Soul or R&B song with its steady pace, funky drums, and growling ‘part slap’ bass line. Not what you would call Progressive Rock at all.
Plenty of harmonies and a tasteful guitar solo make this track a bit out of character, but it’s an interesting track. If you think it is a one-off “out of character” track, then stick around. It isn’t.
6 You’re the Only Woman (You & I)
Staying with the 1980 album, One Eighty, we have this track. This album was the last successful album they produced, reaching #25 on the American album chart. It also produced two successful singles of the three released off the album; this is one. “You’re the Only Woman (You & I)” reached #13 on the American chart and #15 in Canada. It is a song written by David Pack.
This is another song that is light years away from the Progressive Rock image they were trying to present. You could hear this song being covered by George Benson or maybe Jeffrey Osbourne.
7 Nice, Nice, Very Nice
It might be about time we took a look at a track from that first album, Ambrosia, in 1975. The song was the second single and the opening track from the album and was written by David Pack. It wasn’t as successful as the first single but still reached #63 on the American chart. The music is set to the words of a poem by Kurt Vonnegut.
It is particularly relevant to include it here. Not necessarily because it is one of the best Ambrosia songs, but to offer a comparison to the previous song. It shows how they changed their style in just seven years. This song has a much more Progressive Rock feel to it.
8 How Much I Feel
We are moving toward the end of this list and seeing the more successful singles. This is a song that was taken from the album Life Beyond L.A. from 1978.
The single reached #2 in Canada and #3 in America. It also managed to break into the Australian chart at #30. The album was their most successful, peaking at #19 on the American album chart.
Once again, you can hear the change in style from the previous track. This was moving towards the Soul Ballad feel they liked to produce towards the end of the 70s.
9 Holdin’ On To Yesterday
Back to the first album again for this track which was their first single released in 1975. It was written by David Pack and Joe Puerta. The album Ambrosia did quite well, reaching #22 in the album chart.
And for a debut track, this single also did well and reached #17 in America and #37 in Canada. In my view, this is one of the highlights of that first album. An almost Blues-style ballad with some nice vocals.
10 Biggest Part of Me
And so to the final track on this list and the song “Biggest Part of Me” from the album One Eighty. This was their second single to reach #3 on the American chart and also peaked at #18 in Canada. It proved to be the most popular Ambrosia song as well as their most successful.
The song stays with the formula we have been hearing in their musical direction as time passed. Very much a Soul-influenced track. The days of Progressive Rock and Yes and King Crimson-influenced songs, apart from a few exceptions, were long gone.
But, for those that preferred the latter incarnation of the band, this is a song that is going to be a favorite. Easy-going and with plenty of their trademark vocals, it is definitely a song for the 80s.
11Dancin’ by Myself
12Angola
13Not as You Were
14Mama Don’t Understand
15And…Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled
16Still Not Satisfied
17Kamikaze
18Fool Like Me
19Drink of Water
20Ready for Camarillo
Want to Discover More Music from the 70s and 80s?
Well, check out our thoughts on the Best 70s Songs, the Best 70s Rock Songs, the Best 70s Rock Bands, the Best 80s Rock Songs, the Best 80s Love Songs, and the Best 80s Rock Bands for more fantastic song selections.
Top 20 Ambrosia Songs – Final Thoughts
The band had gone through some changes, both in personnel and musical direction. That is a natural occurrence when new ideas come in, and the old ones leave. Some of the original members were still around, but the influences had clearly changed.
By 1981, they had reached the end of the road in terms of commercial success. However, the change had been quite dramatic. From Progressive Rock to Soul, and almost a Disco feel is a big jump. But, just listening to their later material, it does seem they couldn’t make their mind up about what they were. Perhaps that was a problem internally, I don’t know.
No doubt they lost some of their fans from the early days…
Maybe they thought they could pick up some new ones, but it didn’t happen. The songs and delivery were quite good, but many would have still associated them with their original style.
A good way to listen to those changes and appreciate them at both levels is on albums like Ambrosia – The Essentials. You will find some of the songs we have looked at here, as well as some classic Ambrosia songs you may not be familiar with. If you like what you have heard so far, then you will appreciate that album.
Until next time, happy listening.
