The reason being is Ambrosia for most of their years mid to late 70’s were not a soft rock band per se…they were what was called an “ArtRock Band”, the bandmembers, many of them classically trained..they were ‘Progressive” played on the cool FM album stations, and some of their tracks incorporated a very frinetic, pounding style that was anything but softrock.
I am listening to their debut album “Ambrosia” produced by Alan Parsons. Skip the Greatest Hits (although I too like their later 3 biggie love songs..I agree they are masterpiece tunes in their own right..especially vocally) Purchase their debut CD on Amazon..make sure and listen to it on a good system, and prepare to be blown away.

Now that they’re playing with Puerta/Pack that original sound is going on tour again. For those of us who bought vinyl/cassettes in the mid 70’s their original work stands the test of time as well as any.

However, I decided it really wasn’t fair of me to say that I liked the band so much and not have experienced all their music, so I reluctantly (I was sure I wouldn’t really like anything) downloaded all their albums, burned them onto CDs, and made myself listen. Wow. It did take about 2 listenings to get me interested, but now I can’t stop playing those CDs. And I didn’t really think I was into ‘prog’ either…but it’s really growing on me. I’m actually starting to feel like the ‘beautiful’ songs – the soft-rock hits – don’t have as much substance to them. They are gorgeous, and I still love them, but I am finding some of the other songs more satisfying musically (at least right now). Plus, I now respect them more as musicians. What variety and versatility! Actually, their lack of commitment to a specific sound has garnered many critical reviews…but I don’t agree with them. Granted, it does sound like they have an identity crisis from one song to the next because every song seems to imitate one or a combination of the following bands: Styx, Crosby Stills and Nash, Steely Dan, ELO, Moody Blues, Yes, Blood Sweat and Tears, Pink Floyd, etc., and that doesn’t even include the favorite soft-rock hits, BUT I think that just makes them really excellent musicians. They were able to do all those different songs wonderfully well. And you really miss out if you don’t get a chance to hear all the members sing. David Pack’s lead vocals are achingly sweet, but I enjoy listening to Joe Puerta just as much. You can kind of tell which songs are “Joe” songs and which are “David” songs – David tends to do the less ‘prog’ sounding songs. And obviously their voices sound different. I think Burleigh Drummond sings lead on a couple of songs, but I’m not sure whether it is him or Chris North. It’s definitely not David and I’m 99% sure it’s not Joe.

Yes, there are some weak songs on these albums, but for the most part, I listen to them in their entirety. I am not sure I would have chosen the same songs for the Anthology album that they did. First of all, why put “new” songs on there? I hate when those albums do that. It’s usually songs that they’ve recorded much later…after they are older and not so popular. So they don’t sound quite right, and they don’t fit with the original sound of the band either. Secondly, I would have chosen other songs that represented their ‘prog’ style better…including 1 or 2 among the soft rock doesn’t really do anything except confuse the listener. I would have cut Mama Don’t Understand, Livin on My Own, Heart to Heart, Sky Is Falling, and Cowboy Star. I would have replaced those with any of the following: World Leave Me Alone, Make Us All Aware, Art Beware, How Can You Love Me, Mama Frog, For Openers (Welcome Home), Ice Age, Not As You Were. But there are many more great songs on their albums. It’s also interesting to hear how their sound changes as they enter the 1980s.

Please give this band a second chance and try one of their other albums. I would suggest starting with their debut, “Ambrosia.”

Check out these Killer Live versions of Classic Ambrosia songs!!

Holdin On To Yesterday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j2BI3BHhII

Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled
http://www.youtube.com/user/AMBROSIABAND#p/u/1/Ovjc9CG0j18

Life Beyond LA
http://www.youtube.com/user/AMBROSIABAND#p/u/0/zfGDMQBiR6k

Time Waits For No One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry8tHxEWd1E

Nice Nice Very Nice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbEf5PIehes

Thank you for your thoughtful response and defense of Ambrosia. I think where we differ is that I love their MOR hits. And while I was a big Yes fan as a kid, Prog rock doesn’t really do it for me. So, no disrespect to the musicianship of Ambrosia (I love Puerta’s work with Hornsby) but I think they’re better as a soft-rock band. It’s the harmonies and the melodies.

It ain’t easy being cheesy!

This CD begins with a Yes influenced number, “Nice, Nice, Very Nice.” It will be immediately clear that these musicians are extraordinarily talented and that the songwriting will be far above what is expected on a debut from an unknown (at that time) group of musicians and writers. Christopher North’s keyboards are sophisticated, and show the kind of stately bearing and understated elegance of Rick Wakeman’s best work. Burliegh Drummonds drumming is comparable to, and is seen as, a mixture of Bill Bruford’s tight jazzy style with some of the flair and power of Santana/Automatic Man drummer Michael Shrieve. The quartet was rounded out with the ubiquitous Joe Puerta and David Pack on bass and guitar. These two probably appear on more albums than Wakeman and half the studio pros of L.A. combined All the band members sang, and their vocal prowess was unrivaled within this genre. Their harmonies were the equal of those of the Beach Boys and the best work of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia. “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” had lyrics fron novelist Kurt Vonnegut, and a very catchy song structure that provides all the expected twists and turns of progressive rock, and the hooks and layers of vocals that fans of finely crafted pop music would love.

“Time Waits For No One” begins with tightly played acoustic guitar and piano, and features some nice additional touches like a ringing alarm clock, and tubular bells accenting the chorus. The chorus also lays out the bands powerful vocal style, with overlapping layers of harmony vocal lines. Acoustic instruments punch out some nice jazz inspired lines, and the bridge uses some balalaika, oddly used to cast a Latin tinge to the section, along with punchy hand claps, creating the sounds of a fiesta in this brief song within a song.

The third track “Holdin’ On To Yesterday,” shows the direction the group would later take. This was Ambrosia’s first single, and it received considerable airplay in the mid seventies. This song is a textbook of MOR essentials, and it can be compared to the kind of work that Paul Carrack would bring to the Squeeze with “Tempted” several years later, or the Crowded House favourite “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, which would appear five years later. The track has some very satisfying B-3 work, and a smooth, yet gutsy guitar solo that will remind the listener of the kind of guitar work that graced Joni Mitchell’s great Court And Spark album.

The fourth track, “World Leave Me Alone,” is another pop-rock gem. This number features crisp acoustic guitar rhythms and gritty electric leads in the style of George Harrison, and a glittering, spacey, Rundgren-esque bridge which leads to the finale, a Beatles inspired ascending progression with Lennon/McCartney/ Harrison style, soaring vocal harmonies.

This, and the preceding track are by no means symphonic progressive rock, but they are welcome nonetheless. These fine examples of pop songcraft are by no means out of place on a release such as this.

The next track is a beautiful work “Make Us All Aware.” It has a very classy, Wakeman like piano track, lovely vocals, and a Celtic inspired harpsichord bridge that leads to a brief Moog break, beds of vocal harmonies, and a gentle conclusion to it all. This tune has some Yes-like qualities, and is one of the high points of this CD.

The following track, “Lover Arrive,” is a peaceful piano piece with layers of symphonic backing. This calls to mind the romantic melodies of Brahms, mixed with the mid 70s sounds of Elton John.

Moving on to cut number seven, we have “Mama Frog,” an Italian sounding composition. This may remind the listener of some of the more straight forward and catchy music of Banco. It combines jazz/rock keyboards with some pulsing drum work, and provides an opportunity for North to show off some Nocenzi style, burbling Moog, and tasty B-3 work. The center section of this tune features a spoken verse from Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, which may strike some listeners as a bit corny, but in my opinion it comes off as ear candy, quite well done, and is, like all the additional sound effects, a wonderful treat. The end of this tune displays an impressive, syncopated drum and keyboards section with stop-start riffs, sounding almost like a passage from Il Balleto Di Bronzo’s Ys. This number displays a very, very tight band with chops to spare.

The album’s finale is the overpowering “Drink Of Water.” Featuring a huge sounding cathedral organ, soulful Hendrix inspired rhythm guitar work, and pristine vocal harmonies, this song is a powerful end to a great and inspired release. This song sounds like Yes meets Beach Boys meets Blood, Sweat And Tears. The organ work will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, and the lovely lyrics may bring a tear to your eye as well.

This is simply an outstanding effort from a band that would later make a name for themselves writing and recording easy listening hits such as “Biggest Part Of Me,” “You’re The Only Woman,” “Life Beyond LA,” and of course, “How Much I Feel.”

When there is such a brilliant work such as this self-titled debut waiting to be re-discovered, there can be no reason to subject yourself to that later, radio friendly repertoire.

“Holdin’ on to Yesterday” 17
“How Much I Feel” 3
“Biggest Part of Me” 3
“You’re the Only Woman (You & I)” 13

So, technically, Ambrosia had a 4th top 20 hit (‘Holdin’ on to yesterday’) but that song pales in comparison to the big 3. I’m really surprised that ‘you’re the only woman’ didn’t crack the top 10.

According to the wiki, TT is a two-hit band, but I don’t really consider hitting #38 a hit:

1980 “Angel Say No” Pop Singles 38
1982 “867-5309/Jenny” Pop Singles 4