In the canon of obscure 1970s prog-rock, Wally stand out from the pack. Many of these short-lived bands were skilled players but lazy songwriters, pilfering from the genre’s elite. But this sprawling British outfit were unique in the sounds and styles they borrowed: “I wish I could sing like David Crosby/ Or play guitar like Garcia,” frontman Roy Webber tenderly croons on “Right by Me,” a newly unearthed B-side on this Esoteric reissue. And that earnest lyric offers some insight into Wally’s savvy prog approach: melding the European and the American, the symphonic and the twangy, synths and pedal steel, The Byrds and Yes. The band’s two LPs, 1974’s Wally and the following year’s Valley Gardens , occupy a space that feels both natural and slightly bizarre—few other prog acts were willing to tap into country-rock, let alone with such sincerity and vulnerability. The self-titled, record—co-produced (and championed) by former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman—opens with “The Martyr,” a cinematic wash of classical harpsichord, stately violin and melancholic vocal harmonies. But the songs captivate even in their smallest moments, like the pedal-steel weepiness of “Nez Perce” and the dreamy 12-string balladry of “I Just Wanna Be a Cowboy.” On both albums, Wally’s expansiveness gave them an edge: Take “Valley Gardens,” a dizzying instrumental prog workout that recalls Yes’ Tales From Topographic Oceans , or the space-rock soundscapes of “The Reason Why.” Webber may have wanted to sing like Crosby and play like Garcia, but he was selling himself short: In their brief existence, Wally nodded to their heroes but sounded like no one.