Wally

This album was co-produced by Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, but don’t let that fool you. What has all the trappings of an early ‘70s progressive-rock record—six elongated songs of varying complexity, other-worldly cover art and the always odd and somewhat creepy electric violin—is in fact a tastefully eclectic collection of English-based soft rock with a splash of country-flavored Americana (see: “I Just Wanna Be a Cowboy”). First released in 1974 on Atlantic Records, Wally is unique in its art-rock tendencies in that it often eschews overblown pomposity for gentler, more acoustic-styled influences. “Sunday Walking Lady” is perhaps the best example of the band’s melodic pop leanings and spot-on vocal harmonies (although this track also makes heavy use of the aforementioned electric violin… whose idea was it to plug in a Stradivarius anyway?). Wakeman fans will be happy to learn the band doesn’t stray too far from its progressive roots. “The Martyr” is a lengthy track that mercifully if only briefly abandons the strings for a much-needed jolt of power chord pyrotechnics, while “To the Urban Man” is a nearly 15-minute walk through a maze of psychedelic heaviness. Both interesting and unique, Wally probably deserved better. Sadly, the band managed to squeeze out just one more record—1975’s Valley Gardens—before calling it a day.

Notes: Look what I found! A YouTube clip of Wally performing "Sunday Walking Lady" on "The Old Grey Whistle Test," a UK-based television show that ran from 1971 to 1987: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=EmFvZE8-djc.