Somewhere I've Never Travelled
View on Discogs
View on Wikipedia
Album Summary
Somewhere I've Never Travelled landed in 1976 on 20th Century Records, and baby, it was something special from the moment those grooves hit the needle. The Los Angeles-based Ambrosia — a band that never got enough credit for how deep their musicianship ran — brought in the one and only Alan Parsons to sit behind the boards, and that pairing was nothing short of inspired. Parsons, who had already shown the world what he could do in the studio, wrapped Ambrosia's sophisticated compositions in a sonic warmth that felt both grand and intimate at the same time. The result was a record that captured a band fully in command of their craft, weaving together progressive rock ambition and lush melodic sensibility in a way that felt uniquely Californian yet timeless.
Reception
- The album earned genuine respect from rock critics who recognized Ambrosia's technical sophistication and the richness of Alan Parsons's production, even if the mainstream charts didn't fully reflect that admiration.
- Commercially, the record performed modestly, consistent with Ambrosia's standing as a critically appreciated act with a loyal cult following rather than a band chasing pop crossover glory.
- The album solidified the band's reputation on album-oriented rock radio, where adventurous listeners and late-night disc jockeys gave it the kind of deep, respectful spins it deserved.
Significance
- Somewhere I've Never Travelled stands as one of the finer examples of mid-1970s American progressive rock — a record that proved you didn't have to come from England to conjure music of real orchestral ambition and emotional depth.
- Alan Parsons's production brought an audiophile-grade sonic craftsmanship to the album that resonated with the era's growing appreciation for the studio as an instrument, making this record a genuine artifact of 1970s recording artistry at its most refined.
- The album deepened Ambrosia's legacy as one of the most musically literate American bands of the decade, helping to lay the groundwork for the soft prog movement that would find broader commercial footing as the 1970s gave way to the 1980s.
Tracklist
-
A1 And... 104
0:47
-
A2 Somewhere I've Never Travelled 103
4:09
-
A3 Cowboy Star 109
6:20
-
A4 Runnin' Away 132
3:27
-
A5 Harvey 79
1:27
-
A6 I Wanna Know 100
5:58
-
B1 The Brunt 140
5:26
-
B2 Danse With Me George (Chopin's Plea) 144
7:47
-
B3 Can't Let A Woman 123
4:18
-
B4 We Need You Too 123
5:31
Artist Details
Ambrosia was a smooth, sophisticated rock outfit that came together in the early 1970s out of Los Angeles, California, blending progressive rock complexity with lush, soulful pop sensibilities that set them apart from everything else on the dial. These cats had the chops to hang with the prog crowd but the heart to write love songs that made you pull somebody close, scoring major hits like *How Much I Feel* and *Biggest Part of Me* that kept them spinning in heavy rotation through the late seventies and into 1980. Their willingness to walk that tightrope between art rock ambition and accessible, deeply felt melody made them a beloved cult favorite and a quiet cornerstone of the West Coast sound that defined an era.
