RIDING ON A TEAR

Instead of adding your sixty-seventh copy of the latest reissue of `In the Court of the Crimson King' or `Close to the Edge' to your collection, why not look into the wealth of underappreciated prog-related albums lurking in obscurity out there? A fine case in point - German band Zomby Woof. In their early Seventies heyday, the band performed alongside other German progressive music notables such as Embryo, Birth Control and Kraan, and despite taking their name from a Frank Zappa tune, the Woof were firmly planted in the Symphonic prog style. Their sole release came in 1977, and `Riding on a Tear' is a melodic and vibrant English-sung prog gem, that reminds of everything from Camel, Yes, Pink Floyd and Eela Craig, with little touches of Novalis, Eloy and Grobschnitt worked in as well.

After the opening `Introduction's dramatic and fancy spiral of piano and low-key organ, the eclectic `Suicide' surges with up-tempo bursts of Yes-like acoustic fancy and thickly grumbling bass, and the reaching Pink Floyd-like guitar strains and sobering vocals both hold a thoughtful compassion. The title track is mostly whimsical and warm with only fleeting darker flourishes, and a delirious instrumental break in the middle full of wild Moog races and snappy tempo changes could have popped up on a Camel LP. Side A then closes with the first section of `Requiem', the two-parter bristling with funky bass, rattling drums and wild Hammond organ whirls that briefly call to mind `Six Wives...'-era Rick Wakeman.

The flip side's instrumental second part of `Requiem' floats with evocative sax musings, and the introspectively rumbling bass, haunting choir and trickles of spacey electric piano remind of legendary German rockers Eloy. The schizophrenic `Dora's Drive' is one of the lengthier cuts on the disc, and this relentless and propulsive rocker with plentiful instrumental breaks glistens with an eclectic variety of playful, funky and grandiose touches.

The two-part, eleven minute `Mary/Walking Through the Woods' is a symphonic stunner with expertly executed reprising themes, where delicate Steve Hackett-like acoustic strains, sparkling piano and whirring Moog fancy are all wrapped between a warmly sung and lyrically romantic tune blessed with a gloriously silken chorus (although the classical-aping `Finale' in the final seconds of the LP sounds a little out of place!).

Part of the band would go on to record a follow-up with a reworked line-up and the involvement of singer David Hansellman, who had history with German prog-related acts Message and Triumvirat, but no interest from record companies led to it remaining mostly unreleased (save for popping up as a few bonus tracks on CD reissues of this one) and the group imploding shortly after. It just helps to make `Riding on a Tear' even more special, and this underappreciated German rock treat is long overdue for some more attention from prog fans.

Four stars.