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Ambrosia - Life Beyond L.A. (CD)

User Reviews: Life Beyond L.A.

Life Beyond L.A.
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4 out of 5.0 stars 2 Ratings (2 Reviews)

  • Overall:

    Ambrosia's Finest Album

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Dec 14, 2001

    I love every record Ambrosia has ever made. And it's difficult to really say which one is their best because each one is unique. Yet they all have that identifiable Ambrosia sound. Those fans who prefered the more arvant-guard type of sound of the fi...rst 2 albums may have been slightly dissapointed in their 3rd: "Life Beyond LA". "Life.." is slightly more mainstream which is not necessarily a bad thing. This album needs to be rated for it's own merits. The title song has a complex, alternating time-signature riff which is probably the most intricate and compelling riffs ever conceived by a jazz-fusion-rock band. Here for the first time is where the band's lyrics get more in depth and personal than some of the lyrics on previous records. Here we get to see the price Joe, David and Burleigh are paying from being in the music business trenches. The unfortunate departure of Christopher North showed that North gave the group it's 'classical' sound on Ambrosia's previous albums. North's musical influence would be noticeably missing on all future Ambrosia records including "Life Beyond LA". The 3 remaining members should be applauded for coming back with such a strong disc. If you love the marriage between jazz's sophistication and rock's rhythms and youthful passion, then "Life Beyond LA" will do it for you. I'm always impressed by an album when it's Top-40 hit is not the best song on the album. Although "How Much I Feel" is a worthy Top-40 hit, I never thought of Ambrosia as being a Top-40 band. I'm not surprized that it's the last song on side A. Certainly a most unusual position for the record's biggest radio hit. But not unusual for a group with such diverse songwriting strengths as Ambrosia. I've played this album a million times. I've learned how to play every song on the guitar. This is truly what I think a great album should be. Read more Less

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  • Overall:

    Life...

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Sep 30, 2001

    This album was quite the change in style. Whether it was Ambrosia's decision or their manager's, the album pales in comparison to their predecesors. However they did get back on the pop music wagon forever being labeled as "soft rock" with their hit ..."How Much I Feel." Of course their first album and last were anything but soft rock, but that is alright. Fans of the Eagles and Steely Dan who had no idea what their lyrics were REALLY about probably enjoyed this album. Fans of early Ambrosia when they were still playing in the small clubs of L.A. before 1975 probably didn't. It does have some great moments notably Dancin' by Myself and Ready for Camarillo. I feel the biggest change came when Chris North left before the release of this album only to have guest appearances. It gave them a trio sound that made this album sound very hollow before they allowed David Cutler Lewis more exposure later on. Warner Bros., also their new label at the time wanted a "hit" record, and it sounds as though a lot of pressure was on the band to release something that would appeal to a larger audience. Evidently, it was always David Pack and his compositions that won the larger exposure, not to mention his voice. I still believe that Joe Puerta was a better song writer than David though. Having said that, there have certainly been worse albums put out, there just isn't anything on this and also the bands next album One Eighty that grabs me, although One Eighty was certainly an improvement over this one. I rate this album about on par with Genesis and their album And Then There Were Three... which happaned to be released the same year as Life Beyond L.A. It shows both bands trying to find themselves. If you are looking for heavier rock, look no further than the bands debut, one of the best rock albums ever released in my opinion. Read more Less

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