Ambrosia: Nice, nice, very nice

I had Ambrosia pegged as schlocky prog boffins. Not at all. This is is tight, melodic, certainly proggy, but more like Pink Floyd at their most focused. The opening track 'Nice, nice, very nice' is sung with a heavy Spanish accent by Joe Puerta: I hadn't read up and thought this was a Latin American psych number like Peru's Telegraph Avenue. In fact, Ambrosia are an LA quartet produced by Alan Parsons: this is one of those rare occasions where I'm hooked by a genre I often cringe at.

I picked up their LP with a whole stack of excellent finds last night after Alejandro Escovedo's live show in Northampton MA.

The other winner from this batch is Stevie Wonder's Music of My Mind. Another artist that I had yet to 'get', having found his classic albums cloying. The moog and more introspective tone are sounding really contemporary where Talking Book or Innervisions have yet to grab me.

Ambrosia - Ambrosia [Mastered by Doug Sax at Mastering Labs] $2
Shakti with John McLaughlin - Natural Elements [Columbia white label pressing] $2
Sonny Rollins - Sonny Rollins [Prestige twofer reissue mastered by Rudy Van Gelder] $8
Spirit - Clear [Ode] $4
Spirit - Spirit [Ode yellow label original] $3
Spirit - The Family That Plays Together [Ode yellow label original] $4
Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind. $5
Suzi Quatro - Your Mama Won't Like Me [Mastered by Chris Blair at Abbey Road] $2
Terry Reid - River [AT/GP] $3
Various - Best of Chess Vocal Groups [Two disc set cut by Greg Fulginiti at Artisan from Doug Schwartz' digital masters] $3

All these were $0.50 each:

Bobby Bare - Where Have All The Seasons Gone
Elvin Bishop - Live! Raisin Hell [Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound]
Elvis Costello - The Only Flame in Town [12" promo stamped]
Heaven 17 - The Luxury Gap [Mastered by Frankford/Wayne]
Human League - Mirror Man [UK 12" mastered at the Townhouse]
Ian Matthews - Discreet Repeat [Mastered at Tone Audio]
Johnny Hodges - At the Sportpalast Berlin [Pablo Live two disc promo stamped
KC and the Sunshine Band - Who Do Ya Love [in shrink]
Kotch - Kotch [Sly Dunbar production mastered at Sterling Sound and cut at Speciality]
Modern English - Mesh and Lace [Canadian pressing]
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
Sheena Easton - Best Kept Secret [Future Disc. In shrink]
Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel - Face to Face [Mastered by Ken Perry at Capitol]
Suzi Quatro - If You Knew Suzi [RSO reissue]
Thelma Houston - Ride to the Rainbow [Mastered by Jo Hansch at Kendun]
Thompson Twins - Into the Gap [Mastered at Sterling Sound]
Tubes - The Completion Backwards Principle [Sterling]
Willie Nelson - To Lefty From Willie