Please could somebody suggest a simple command line application for me that can rip audio CD tracks into WAV format files. I could then try ripping an audio CD via a command line and encode the resultant files into MP3 using Lame.exe. Thanks.

It depends on what operating system you are using. if you are on Linux then I would look into Rubyripper and cdparanoia. I don't know if any standalone command-line rippers exist for Windows though.

the "Lame.exe" in his posts points to WIN32...

i don't know of a CLI WIN32 ripper - but many for *NIX


later

The *nix CDRTOOLS package has been ported to windows. You need a cygwin dll and some version of ASPI (the nero winaspi works).
http://www.sbox.tugraz.at/home/t/tplank/

Don't ask me how to use it though, I only know it because burnatonce uses these components. I do know that for the last while the cdrtools reader includes cd-paranoia reading modes.