I figured this could be on the main board because some of their tunes are somewhat proggy (Life Beyond LA for example) and David Pack was on Kerry Livgren's *Seeds of Change*. It's always puzzled me why David Pack didn't stay in the band. My sense is that he went on to do soundtracks etc and also was a guest musician in Prez Clinton's White House,... but it's not as if he became a household name. Most people in the day knew about Ambrosia. Why didn't he stay in the band?
I believe that he suffers from severe hearing problems.
I've never really comprehended what the adjective "proggy" is supposed to imply, but the first two Ambrosia albums are packed with song-form experiments, intriguing arrangements and twisted dispositions to warrant them a place in the grand canon of 70s US progressive rock music. Good stuff for sure.Originally Posted by ProgMusician
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
He's completely deaf in one ear but that hasn't stopped him as a musician. Wasn't always that way from what I remember reading.
He toured with them in the 90's some but had some sort of disagreement with the other members. Not sure what it was.
Apparently he found Gawd and went all Neil Morse on them.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
Yes, at some point Pack did find religion and I think that had at least some impact on the split. I believe he has done several Christian oriented solo albums. He also has done a lot of work as a producer for other artists over the past 25 years or so.
If you have never checked out Alan Parson’s “Try Anything Once” album, Pack does a couple of songs on it and is incredible especially the final track whose name escapes me at the moment.
And for the true completist, try Pack's tribute to West Side Story. It may be pure pop in terms of guest artists and arrangements, but it is so magnificently done that I can still highly recommend it. There are a few clunkers (Aretha's version of "Somewhere" comes quickly to mind), but all in all the vocal performances he coaxed out of people from Selena to Kenny Loggins to Little Richard still slays. And the Chick Corea/Steve Vai duel will make any progger happy.
Like "Progish"
or "Prog like"
some might ask do you have your "Prog Legs"?
or have you been swimming in the "Prog Pond"? or
Is that a Prog in your throat or is that just Jon?
You know...
Of course, not being of the daily persuasion in this opinion laden public prog bathhouse, my diatribe of recent lucubration is perhaps as welcome as a rats teat. One often is forced to weigh the desire to flash judgment within against the effort required as well as the value this knowledge will be to the greater good of all mankind or whatever inhabits the current spa. At best, its a slippery slope.
I have Ambrosia's first album. I like it. It's very proggy but their's a bit of that SoCal, soft/rock vibe to it. Yes, great vocals, harmonies, musicianship, etc. but beyond the first album I've never gone any further.
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