RIDING ON A TEAR

This wonderful lost gem is one of my recommended German symphonic albums I suppose because the dramatic flair of the composition along with the wonderful piano reminds me of many Italian albums. Thank goodness for Garden of Delights records for rescuing classics like this one from history and doing them up with such informative booklets. The band formed in Reutlingen in the early '70s and played their final gig there in 1980. A second album was made but not re-released by Garden because the material was deemed more pop than progressive. This material was taken from the original master tapes and sounds remarkable good.

The music is dramatic, extroverted, energetic, big and bold. It begins with a huge cascading solo piano introduction leading ironically to a piece called "Suicide" as the album apparently deals with the suicide of a friend, but is not a downer album in any way. For those who can't handle foreign vocals, you can relax as they are in very clear English. The album has something for everyone: mellotrons, piano, plenty of guitars, solid bass and drums, Hammond, even a little sax. Actually there is some monster bass presence on this album which I'm a big proponent of! Composition is quite varied and interesting throughout from the bouncing opening of the title track to the flat-out rocking of "Dora's Drive" to the funky bass sections of "Requiem." "Mary Walking Through the Woods" is a favorite with its sentimental melodies and dreamy synths, even if a bit melodramatic. There are a couple of spots where the jams tend to freebird a bit longer than they need to but this is a minor complaint. Four rare bonus tracks are included and as mentioned the booklet is awesome with complete bio and many incredibly rare photos of this lost band. Fans of big '70s symphonic showy feasts cannot miss hearing "Riding on a Tear" even if it did come a bit late in the game and broke no new ground. There's a very high probability you'll be pleased as punch. 6/10

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