The Enid (Part 2 1980-2000)
page 4

Album Reviews
Albums reviewed here are:

• Live At Hammersmith (Volumes I & II) (1983)
• Something Wicked This Way Comes (1980)
• The Stand 1984 (1984)
• The Stand 1985 (1985)
• The Spell (1985)
• Fand (1985)
• Salome (1986)
• Liverpool (1986)
• Lovers And Fools (1986)
• The Seed And The Sower (1988)
• Final Noise (1989)
• Tripping The Light Fantastic (1994)
• Sundialer (1995)
• Anarchy On 45 (1996)
• Members Of One Another (1996)
• Healing Hearts (1996)
• White Goddess (1998)
• An Alternative History Volume 1 (1998)
• An Alternative History Volume 2 (1998)
• An Alternative History Volume 3 (1998)
• Tears Of The Sun (1999)

The Enid - Live At Hammersmith (Volumes I & II)

This recording was made on 3rd March, 1979 in a packed house at Hammersmith Odeon. The sound is live, which means that nothing has been subtracted from the original sound. Some additions have been made to enhance the overall effect of the heavier passages - i.e. extra percussion on Fand and extra brass on Judgement.
Judgement and In The Region Of Summer Stars are actually one piece of music consisting of two movements with a bridge passage linking the two. The first part describes the very last hours on planet Earth as prophesied in the Revelation of St. John. The second part is a vision of eternity.
From North, South, East and West the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse make the final ride. Gradually the music gathers up the drama until all the four horsemen converge on Bethlehem. The great trumpets of the angels are now heard against thunderous drums. The Archangel Michael majestically appears with sword in one hand and firebrand in the other. As he strikes the five great hammer blows, the Light Of The World stands above all the clamour shining with the radiance of a thousand suns. Suddenly, all is calm - a lone trumpet calls in the wind....
The Region of the Summer Stars is a place of paradise where all souls live forever as members of one another, and in a state of such peace as passes all understanding.
The Song Of Fand is the same story but from a personal point of view. It is a message of hope for each one of us who can make friends with grief and despair, disease and old age, and above all with love and death. Anyone who will go down this road will surely find that personal peace of mind and spirit which is utterly unassailable.

Though recorded in 1979, when the band were still promoting their third album, Touch Me, these series of concerts recorded by the BBC would be the cause for the renaissance of The Enid. With backing and play listing by legendary DJ, John Peel, the live version of Fand began to attract a fair amount of attention and this was what prompted The Enid to release the live concert on their own record label. The CD release included both live albums on one disc, though the track list order was modified slightly.

If there is one thing that strikes the listener is the ability of the band to manage to play their music in a most faithful way live on stage, a feat that must be tremendously difficult to achieve. Furthermore one also realises that though the band play their music in a most serious manner, they never lose their tongue in cheek British humour which also includes the playing of the British national anthem as well as Land Of Hope And Glory as an encore! One of the pleasures of hearing a live Enid album is the fact that they were much more of a rock band when playing live than when in the studio. Thus tracks that would tend to more classical in nature end up having much more of a rockier edge to them on albums such as these. Possibly it is on albums such as these that one can really make the correlation between The Enid and the progressive rock scene.

Basically albums such as this are what one should start off with if you are afraid that The Enid might be too classical sounding in their studio environment.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Something Wicked This Way Comes

The first independent recording for the band was also their most successful album to date. Without any pressure from outside parties, the band could present an album once again in a concept format, something they were not allowed to do for their previous album Six Pieces. This time round the concept revolved around the destruction of the world because of nuclear weapons. More importantly this album, and concept, was conceived at the height of the band's tensions with EMI and Thorn EMI. The band was trying to apply pressure on the company to release the master tapes of their first albums and were asking for the company to be boycotted for its involvement in nuclear weapons.

Furthermore, one must note that this was the first album not to feature fellow founder member Francis Lickerish, and was also the first album that featured vocals, courtesy of both Robert John Godfrey and Stephen Stewart. This is immediately evident from the opening track, Raindown. Admittedly, however, the presence of vocals also diminishes the classical and orchestral nature of the band's music though at the same time allowing them to be rather more accessible. Furthermore the vocals also add that foreboding touch that pervades the whole of the album, due to the nature of the subject tackled.

Jessica is much more of the classical Enid, though the music lacks that orchestral touch and tends to rely more on the creation of moods via the keyboards. Once again the guitar work of Francis Lickerish is sublime with that unique touch of his. And Then There Were None is the track that least impressed me on the album. For all the humour and tongue in cheek attitude the band possesses, I felt that this track lacks that normal complexity of The Enid. At times there is a hint of Godley and Creme, especially with the playful nature of the lyrics and the overall folksy melody line.

The first side of the album comes to a close with Evensong which has a nostalgic touch to it, and a style the likes of which we had not previously witnessed in The Enid. For some reason one feels that the lengthy wrangling with various record companies seems to have taken the sting out of their music and one senses that the music has moved towards a more placid and languid feeling. One of the main characteristics that was so endearing to me on their earlier works was the sharp contrast between the orchestral compositions and the rock sound the remaining members of the band would infuse into the music.

Bright Star seems to pick up from where Evensong left off, though it does tend to slowly pick up and introduce a plaintive melody line in the background. With Song For Europe, the band seem to introduce more power into their music, though once again there is a distinctive lack of orchestral feel. The keyboards lack that overall larger than life touch while the music, due to the keyboard sound takes on a distinctive eighties sound.

The album comes to a close with the title track, Something Wicked This Way Comes which also sees a return to the use of lyrics within the band's music. For the first time on the album the band seem to reach a balance between the traditional Enid sound and the use of vocals. The harmonies created by Godfrey's and Stewart's vocals create a fantastic atmosphere that help make up for void created by the lack of orchestration while once again Stewart's guitar work, coupled with North's drumming make this track the most outstanding on the album.

The independence from the constraints of a record label also seemed to have given The Enid a new lease of life. This also meant a change in musical direction with the inclusion of vocals, a stronger emphasis on the guitar/rock sound and overall a stronger appeal to a wider audience of people who like progressive rock.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - The Stand (1984)

Country of Origin: UK Format: LP Record Label: The Stand Catalogue #: STAND1 Year of Release: 1984 Info: Website

Tracklist: The Sun, Jessica, Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, Evensong, Then There Were None, Nimrod, Letter from America, Raindown, Wild Thing

The first album to be released for The Enid fan club, The Stand was a professional 24 track live recording that featured both old and new Enid material. Recordings took place at The Band on The Wall in Manchester on 24th, 25th and 26th October 1983. One of the more interesting features of the album is the inclusion of their classic encore, and well known cover version, Wild Thing.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - The Stand (1985)

Country of Origin: UK Format: LP Record Label: The Stand Catalogue #: STAND2 Year of Release: 1985 Info: Website

Tracklist: 665, Fool, Golden Earrings, Tallest Dwarf in the World, Skye Boat Song, Fanfare and March, Cathedralaise, Jig Fugue, Jingle, Hyperion

The second fan club release featured a number of tracks that were originally out takes from previous albums as well as unavailable singles and pieces from RJG's now deleted debut album, Fall of Hyperion. Amongst the rarities we find two remixed tracks from RJG's Fall of Hyperion, Tallest Dwarf in the World is an unfinished track that was meant to be on Six Pieces, Fools was a single released with Malcolm Le Maistre, Golden Earrings is present in a special remixed version while Jig Fugue was originally a Bach composition arranged by RJG

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - The Spell

The Spell was released shortly after Something Wicked This Way Comes, yet it saw a return to the grandeur of classically based music. In fact the album is more of a classical work than a rock album, though as always there are strange twists and turn within the overall structure to make this album appeal to all fans of progressive rock.

The album itself was a double album, but playable at only at 45rpm, the speed of a conventional single. The reason for this as twofold. First of all the sound at 45rpm was much more superior than at 33rpm. Furthermore, in Japan, albums were already being released on CD, which also meant that more music could be included on a single album and so The Enid opted to include a larger volume of music by creating a double album, with the Japanese market in mind.

Once again the album is based on a concept, this time that of the circle of life from birth thru death with the seasons depicting "the cyclic and seasonal nature of all things". Early in 1985, prior to the release of the album “The Spell”, Robert John Godfrey produced the following article for “The Enid” newspaper, which was also published on The Enid site. Possibly one of the better ways to fully describe an album would be to hear it directly from the composer himself. Thus I have taken the words of RJG and included them here as a description of the album The Spell.

I have been asked to go into detail with regard to the structure and meaning behind the title track of our album The Spell. First of all, it is important to realise that the whole album is part of the concept, and not just the first three sides. Elephants Never Die and The Sentimental Side of Mrs James are also relevant. As was said in the brief synopsis contained in the programme for last year’s tour; “The Spell is a musical allegory in which we have used the seasons to depict the seasonal nature of all things. A single heart-beat is a cycle of life as is a lifetime itself.” In other words The Spell has been created out of the deep realisation that death is not the worst thing we have to face up to but only the last thing. In any case, the “last thing” is only the subjective way in which we see things from the vantage point of our own lifetime. In another context Winston Churchill said “this is not even the beginning of the end, but rather the end of the beginning”.

Musically the title track The Spell is based upon a musical device which first appeared during the 18th century and was particularly brought to prominence in the operas of Richard Wagner. This device is called “lite motif”. A lite motif can be a musical theme, either a melody or melodic phrase. Alternatively it can be a rhythmical idea or again a particular shift of harmony. The important thing is that lite motifs are the building blocks of musical language at a psychological level. Each lite motif is identified with an emotion or an idea or a person or a particular time or place. In fact a lite motif can be used as a musical “flag” for anything. Some examples would be jealousy, love, fate and destiny; in the case of Richard Wagner’s Parsifal there is a motif which is attached to The Spear. In turn The Spear represents a phallic symbol and is used to demonstrate the repressed but uncontrollable sexual passion which motivates the character Klingsor. Thus the apparently noble, reasonable but purely intellectual grounds given in the libretto for his behaviour are seen for what they really are because the music reveals through the use of lite motif the underlying reasons and indeed the real reasons for his behaviour.

Obviously Richard Wagner is a far greater composer than I can ever hope to be and his use of lite motif is incredibly complex. There are people occupying academic positions in the artistic world who spent an entire lifetime analysing the compositions of Richard Wagner and probably very often seeing things that are not there at all, at least not by design. For inspiration is its own handmaiden and often the music just pours forth without reference to any intellectual understanding or appreciation. Such appreciation has to be “invented” after the event.

To return to The Spell: I have mentioned Parsifal for a reason. The very first bars of The Spell are derived from the so-called “Dresden Amen” originating from medieval times. Richard Wagner uses this same idea in his Parsifal. To those who would say I have “nicked this, that and the other” from various classical sources, I would respond by saying that all composers, painters, writers and other artists have persistently and willingly borrowed from their peers. In the context of individuality such as is possessed by The Enid, it is a compliment to any artist who has inspired us.

The Spell begins with a motif which represents the idea of creation. “In the beginning there was the Word, and the Word became flesh” - so says the beginning of St John’s Gospel. You don’t have to be religious to understand the significance. You could equally well say “first there was the idea of the universe, and afterwards the universe became material”. It implies that anything which “is” is the result of a creative force. The “is-ness” of a thing is the result of a pre-requisite idea. One of my compositions cannot “be” until I have thought of it.

It is for this basic reason that those who have thought deeply about not merely the nature of the universe in physical terms, but how and why it has come about, have turned to the idea of a creator. Therefore the music begins with “The Casting of the Spell” where “The Spell” means “The Word” with all the implications contained in St John’s Gospel.

The second theme to be heard is a cold bleak and brooding motif which describes the “face of the void”. It represents that gulf between the idea [ideal] and the time taken to implement, mould and ultimately create the material thing which flows from the idea. This same motif is used much later on in the section dealing with Summer over which appears the lyric “Oh, let me believe in love, believe in love”. One can immediately see the implications. The motif is one which is ambiguous and whilst being about love in the way that a creator loves his creation, it is also about the lack of it. Thus “the gulf” is described as that area in our lives where our expectations are not met. Where ultimately we must fail to realise our ideals - where the noble idea can end up in ignominy. For it is because we are free as individuals to choose that we have the possibility to fail.

This second motif would aptly be called “the gulf motif”. It is like the stem of a flower, the means by which the flower and ultimately the seed containing its own immortality is joined to its roots and thereby to the earth which nourishes it. However, the stem is also the means by which the flower can never be part of the earth and is the thing which separates it.

After the gulf motif there is a tract of sound which is in itself a lite motif but which has no discernible melody or rhythm. It is the “texture” which in this case is the motif. This third motif represents the first glimmer of dawn - the first melting of the ice. It is like the universe clearing its throat before it bursts into song. It is, if you like, the pre-dawn. I cannot properly name this motif. There are some things which cannot be said and this passage of music is one of them. It occurs just once more in The Spell, during Autumn.

The fourth motif is a well defined musical phrase of great beauty and represents the actual process of creation. It is continuously repeated over and over again but each time with a different purpose. It has the continuity of a potter at his wheel. Whilst he makes the same movements using the same technique each turn of the wheel develops the shape of the vessel in a new way. Another way to imagine this motif is like a painter at the easel with a palette in hand of like the sculptor who gradually fashions a shape of things to come.

There is an interesting anecdote about Michelangelo. He had obtained a huge slab of marble which had a flaw running through it. His friends and contemporaries told him he was foolish to purchase this imperfect slab of marble on which he had spent all the little money he had. Michelangelo rebuffed them and said that an angel was imprisoned within the slab waiting to be released. Out of this deformed and imperfect rock he created David.

Motif four is therefore a fashioning of the universe. There are many religious examples of this allegory. The one best known to our readership is bound to be contained within the book of Genesis where God is described as creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh. However, there are many other beautiful analogies, not least of which is the one contained in Richard Adams’ book Watership Down, which I think is just as good. Richard Adams, like so many great novelists, has used what is superficially a commercial medium to write about something which contains very profound ideas. For example the character of the Black Rabbit, which during the early part of the book is seen to be a figure of fear almost to the degree of malevolence - a kind of “grim reaper”: this same archetypal being appears at the end of the book as the creator himself. An object of absolute love and wisdom. For those of you who have not read Watership Down or seen the film based on the book it is hard to describe. This fourth motif can properly be represented as the “key motif”. It unlocks the door and enables us to pass across the threshold into life - into the albeit primeval waters where life began. You may choose to see those waters in prehistoric terms or as the foetal waters in which all living things begin. Even plants begin life in the same way. In fact it is both things - it is the invitation to take part in the celebration of life.

Musically speaking, I feel that this album was the apex of RJG's musical creativity with the classical compositions achieving heights that had not been attained previously in his career. This combined with Stewart's immaculate guitar work allows this album to rank amongst my favourite Enid works. It may not be the easiest album to digest, though it (in my opinion) is the album that has the band coming out with all guns blazing.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Fand

Country of Origin: UK Format: LP CD Record Label: The Enid Mantella Catalogue #: ENID9 MNTLCD6 Year of Release: 1985 1985 Info: Website

Tracklist: Introduction, 1st Movement, 2nd Movement, 3rd Movement, 4th Movement

Musicians: Robert Godfrey, Chris North, Terry Pack, Stephen Stewart, Dave Storey

Recorded at The Lodge Studio
Produced for THE STAND by THE ENID

Once again a version of Fand was represented to the fans, this time in 45rpm format, for much the same reasons that The Spell was recorded in the same format.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Salome

With Salome, The Enid seemed to break away from the classical dominated mould that encased the music they had always presented previously. It seems that with the advent of the eighties and the increase in popularity of synthesizer dominated music, The Enid did not feel that the synth-sound had to be masked behind that of the orchestra. So in essence what we get is the traditional Enid album with the orchestral sounds replaced by those of the synthesizer.

Once again, the album is based on a concept, that of the beheading of John The Baptist and the sexual undercurrents that were present in the relationship between him and Salome. Furthermore, one must bear in mind that the album was originally scored as a ballet and was performed as such at Hammersmith Odeon later during the year.

From the opening O Salome, one realises and feels that there is a shift in style. For starters there is a dark feeling prevalent through most of the album, and is accentuated by the almost spoken vocals on this track. Surprisingly the guitars seem to be lacking on O Salome, with the musical brunt taken up the synthesizers. Even more surprising is the fact that this track was composed by both Godfrey and Stewart whereas the following track, Sheets Of Blue, which has a fair amount of guitar work is a Godfrey composition. At times there are hints of the past Enid, but one would more readily compare them to the Genesis of those days than what they originally were!

The second side starts with The Change, which has an uncannily similar rhythm to O Salome, and creates the dark mood, once again thanks to Godfrey's vocal intonation, in the build up to John The Baptist's beheading. The Jack, which is reached following a crescendo of percussion and vocal effects, is an impressively moving piece of music instilling a sense of panic into the listener. Moving into Flames Of Power, the falsetto vocals as well as the violin drenched keyboards give the music an incredibly sad and nostalgic touch. No one wonder that RJG is considered as one of rock's most underrated composers as this piece (and so many others from The Enid repertoire) would have fitted magically on most soundtracks.

At least, RJG closed off the album in a style none to dissimilar to his earlier works giving the album a sad touch, something that was none too common on Enid albums. Having said all this, Salome might not be one of the better albums from The Enid, but nevertheless it remains an interesting look into how a band that was playing from the early seventies, managed to tackle the ever changing musical ideologies and styles.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Liverpool

Country of Origin: UK Format: LP Record Label: The Stand Catalogue #: LIV Year of Release: 1986 Info: Website

Tracklist: Raindown, Sheets Of Blue, Then There Were None, Summer, Letter from America, Nimrod, Something Wicked This Way Comes

This album was specially pressed for the members of the audience that attended a famous Enid concert in Liverpool. It is of importance because it has the only known live recording of the track Nimrod.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Lovers And Fools

Country of Origin: UK Format: 2-LP Record Label: DOJO Catalogue #: DOJLP24 Year of Release: 1986 Info: Website

Tracklist: Fantasy on Scarborough Fayre, Hall of Mirrors, Sheets of Blue, The Lovers, Evensong, Bright Star, Flames of Power, Fool, The Falling Tower, Something Wicked This Way Comes [CD mix], Summer, The Flood, In the Region of the Summer Stars

This was a double LP compilation that featured tracks from all phases of The Enid history.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - The Seed And The Sower

Musicians: Robert John Godfrey (Keyboards), Stephen Stewart (Guitars, Synths and Vocals), Niall Feldman (Bass), Damian Risdon (Drums and Percussion), Troy Donockley (Low Whistles), Geraldine Connor (Vocals)

The Seed And The Sower was the last album recorded by both Godfrey and Stewart together. In fact the album was released both as a Godfrey And Stewart collaboration, as well as an Enid album, as can be seen from the different album covers. Musically the album picked up where Salome left off, though the story line is completely different. The album was based on the by Laurens Van Der Post, and his experiences in a Japanese prisoner of war camp in World War II. (The film Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence was based on the same book)

Musically the album is one of the most powerful releases from The Enid, and one feels that both Godfrey and Stewart knew that this would be their last collaboration and hence poured all their remaining efforts into making this album a memorable one. Stylistically the music has shifted somewhat to include rather more exotic influences with a definite nod to the Orient.

A band that does come to mind when hearing this album is Jade Warrior, especially on tracks like A Bar Of Shadow. The mood is a sombre one, and it seems that the imminent separation of the duo had its toll on the creative process in creating this album. Having said that the album, which could be a form of disappointment to traditional Enid fans, is a definite mature piece of work. Possibly the drastic difference between this album and previous works is what led to the album not be accredited to The Enid but rather Godfrey And Stewart.

The two main tracks that possibly deserve special mention and are found on this album would be the opening Chaldean Crossing and the closing Earthborn. Chaldean Crossing is the track that immediately shows the listener that there has been a shift in musical direction with the sound of the kalimba opening the track. The track on the other shows the most linkage with past material due to the way it builds up in a constant crescendo reaching a climax towards the end of the track.

On the other hand, Earthborn is the more traditional track o the album with some delicate harmony as the keyboards are joined by drums and guitars to give a rousing finale. Further effect is added by Geraldine Connor's dark vocals. The dark mood within the Enid camp seems to have percolated through the music on the album resulting in a dark and brooding piece of work. Nevertheless it still remains one of the more interesting from the final albums of The Enid.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Final Noise

Country of Origin: UK Format: LP CD Record Label: The Enid Mantle Catalogue #: ENID12 MNTLCD3 Year of Release: 1989 1999 Info: Website

Tracklist: Childe Roland, The Hall of Mirrors, Song for Europe, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Sheets of Blue, Reverberations, Chaldean Crossing, La Rage, Earthborn, Jerusalem
Musicians: Robert John Godfrey (Keyboards), Stephen Stewart (Guitars, Synths and Vocals), Niall Feldman (Bass), Damian Risdon (Drums and Percussion), Troy Donockley (Low Whistles), Geraldine Connor (Vocals), Robert Perry (Keyboards/Stage Design)

This live album was to be the final concert for the Enid as a partnership between Robert Godfrey and Stephen Stewart. The album was recorded over two sold out shows at the London Dominion Theatre in London.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Tripping The Light Fantastic

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Mantella Catalogue #: MNTLCD11 Year of Release: 1994 Time: 59:00 Info: Website

Tracklist: Ultraviolet Cat (10.41), Little Shiners (5.16), Gateway (4.03), Tripping The Light Fantastic (9.17), Freelance Human (5.57), Dark Hydraulic (14.16), The Biscuit Game (9.38)
Musicians: Robert John Godfrey (keyboards), Wayne Cox (drums on Tracks 3, 4 and 6), Steve Hughes (drums on Tracks 1 and 2), Max Read (vocals on Track 1, bass)
Liner Notes: We may think that we make rational choices and take reasoned decisions, but the bitter truth is that we are slaves to the Dark Hydraulic Forces of the Id, whose dominion over our often painful lives is utter and complete.

Six years had elapsed,yet with Tripping The Light Fantastic, Godfrey showed the musical world that there was still life left in The Enid, though out of the original founding trio he was the last remaining member. Once again the whole album revolves around a concept, this fuelled by his interest in Quantum Mechanics and the new ideas which place our human condition as conscious beings at the centre of science instead of on the outside as hitherto been the case.

Since the last Enid album, RJG had dabbled in the more modern aspect of music with bands such as Come September as well as various DJ's. This obviously left its effect on the music that one finds on this album which can be best described as an attempt to bridge the music from the seventies with modern day sounds and effects. Furthermore at times one can also link this album to The Seed And The Sower, the last studio album from the band, with the occasional inclusion of ethnic instruments as happens on tracks like Ultraviolet Cat.

The main noticeable change is the strong use of the synthesizer which gives the music a slightly more ambient effect yet detracts from the orchestral sound. This feeling surfaces on pieces such as Little Shiners and Dark Hydraulic which cab be likened more to music from Tangerine Dream than penned by RJG. On the other hand one cannot not mention that there are tracks rich in classical element as is the title track Tripping The Light Fantastic. However, the "traditional" is merged (successfully) with various percussive elements as well as the occasional guitar solo and even the odd effect. The possible pitfall for this album is the lack of coherency and definite structure that seemed to be a symbol of The Enid's music. However the album still remains interesting and more importantly, it marked a return to the limelight, at least for Enid fans, for Robert John Godfrey.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Sundialer

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Mantella Catalogue #: MNTLCD12 Year of Release: 1995 Info: Website

Tracklist: Sundialer, Chaldean Crossing [remix], Dark Hydraulic [remix], Ultra Violet Cat, Salome 95 [remix] >Musicians: Robert John Godfrey (Keyboards), Stephen Stewart (Guitars, Synths and Vocals), Nick May (Guitars), Steve Hughes (Drums and Percussion), Max Read (Vocal FX on UV Cat), Damian Risdon (Shaker on Chaldean Crossing), Troy Donockley (Low Whistles on Chaldean Crossing), Kes (Vocal FX on Salome 95), Tobey Horsenail (Vocal FX on Salome 95), Torin (Vocal FX on Salome 95)

Sundialer was an album that featured some new material together with remixes of vintage Enid material and was intended by RJG to demarcate the boundary between the music of the past Enid and the new musical direction The Enid were meant to be heading into.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Anarchy On 45

Tracklist: Disc I 1. The Lovers, Golden Earrings, Dambusters March - Land of Hope and Glory, Fool, 665 The Great Bean, When You Wish Upon A Star, Heigh Ho, Then There Were None, Itchycoo Park, Salome, Looking For Lillie Marlene Disc II In the Region of the Summer Stars, Omega, Skyeboat Song, Tito, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star [AKA Song For Europe], Jessica, Letter From America, Raindown, Sheets of Blue, Salomee, Truth Drug

This is the album for all Enid completists. As has been mentioned in their historical section, the band often found themselves in a position with the record company they were contracted to, to release singles to promote their new albums. This is indeed strange and difficult for a band that would devote a whole side of a record to just one track. Thus the band went on to record a spate of singles (and B-sides) throughout their career, many of which verge on the ridiculous, yet all of which are performed with great charisma and of course tongue-in-cheek humour (in true Enid style). This double album collects together all the A- and B-sides that the band had released till then and which had been previously unavailable on any other album.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Members Of One Another

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Mantella Catalogue #: MNTLCD14 Year of Release: 1996 Info: Website

Tracklist: Chaldean Crossing, Autumn, Mayday Galliard, Childe Roland, Judgement, Nimrod, Tripping The Light Fantastic, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Jerusalem

This compilation, once again only limited to members of The Stand, was created by a vote amongst members of The Stand who were asked to choose their favourite Enid tracks for inclusion on a compilation. Chaldean Crossing was voted the most popular of all the tracks, with Nimrod being included and presented for the first time on CD>

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Healing Hearts

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Mantella Catalogue #: NDCD15 Year of Release: 1996 Info: Website

Tracklist: The Biscuit Game, Reverberations, Chaldean Crossing, Sheets Of Blue (revised version), Seascapes (The Music Of William Arkle), The Loved Ones, The Flames Of Power

Matthew Manning, known for his work as a healer, had for some time been involved with the works of Robert John Godfrey. A few years earlier, RJG had written music, for a cassette only release, for Manning to promote in association with his work. this compilation was chosen by Manning himself, and also includes a 1968 composition by William Arkle whose work was also released on The Enid label. Arkle is mainly known for his work as a painter and he drew the cover of the remastered edition of In The Region Of The Summer Stars.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - The White Goddess

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Mantella Catalogue #: MNTLCD15 Year of Release: 1998 Info: Website

Tracklist: Prelude, Fantasy, Riguardon, Sarabande, Waltz, Ballade, Gavotte, Chaconne, Gigue, Nocturne

Musicains: Robert John Godfrey (Keyboards), Grant Jamieson (Guitar), Max Read (Guitar, Bass and Choir), Dave Storey (Drums and Percussion)

White Goddess is a concept album recorded, mixed and mastered at the lodge studios during 1977
It was engineered by Max Read and produced by The Enid.
Notes from Press Release of album:

"The most endangered species on Earth is Man. Those who are worried that our race is spoiling the planet for future generations should stop to think a little longer because there will be no future generations if humanity cannot face its responsibilities as citizens of Earth.
Instead we should be mindful of what mother nature has in store for us.Eventually this loving, tolerant and long suffering mother of mothers will completely lose her rag. Then it will be time for early bed with no tea. It really will.
In the end she will rid herself of this tiresome plague, this nuisance we call the human race and reclaim what has been taken from her as easily as she let it go.
This is the price we will all pay if we allow short term greed and long term blindness to dominate our political and financial institutions.
This is the great challenge and our survival as a species depends on it.

With White Goddess, RJG returned to a concept work with an ecological theme. This time the album was inspired by the works of Robert Graves and has The Enid returning to the format that gave them such popularity in the seventies, that of a classicised work with less emphasis on experimentation with keyboards and synthesizers. In fact one could say that this album was a return to basics and could be compared to albums such as their second release, Aerie Faerie Nonsense.

Following some uncharacteristic keyboard work, Prelude suddenly breaks out into the lush orchestral sound, which merged with guitars gives the band that unique touch to allow such works to appeal to non-classical lovers as well as classical muses. As Prelude merges into Fantasy, the guitar solo suddenly breaks out and I was so reminded of the fabulous touches that Stephen Stewart would often add to the keyboard work of RJG.

At the time of composing the album, the musical world seemed to be taken over by an increased interest in Celtic music, a musical strain which seems to surface in both Riguardon and Gigue. Riguardon is a much more lighter composition though it is the sound of the twin guitars that give this track that special touch. Looking at the titles of the album, one cannot but notice that the music deals mainly with various dances such as Gavotte, Sarabande, and Waltz. The three give the album a certain light touch that has been absent for a long time from Enid albums. In fact a characteristic of earlier albums was that occasional foray into the medieval and Renaissance world. The traditional Gavotte, the mellow Sarabande and the waltzy Waltz all help crate that particular atmosphere.

Chaconne, on the other hand, includes come fantastic guitar work together with tense keyboards and sounds very much like straight out of a soundtrack while Gigue proves to all that the band can really rock when required. The official closing number, Nocturne, as its name implies is a very mellow piece of work recreating that lushness that is so characteristic of RJG's compositions.

The CD also features two bonus tracks, one of which sounds something more along the lines of Something Wicked This Way Comes while the final bonus track is very much a rock song and is possibly a Max Read composition.

After hearing this album, I realised that the flair and bombasticity of the seventies that characterised RJG's compositions has not died down. Thank God for that as it has regaled us with another fantastic Enid album.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - An Alternative History Volume 1

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Catalogue #: Year of Release: 1998 Time: 70:29 Info: Website

Tracklist: Mountains (7:01), Water Song (5:20), Wanderer (5:45), Death The Reaper (4:56), The Lovers (5:12), The Devil (5:35), The Devil (6:45), The Tower (5:10), Fool/Tower (6:19), Death The Reaper (4:01), The Lovers (5:20), In The Region Of The Summer Stars (9:05)

The first in a series of fan club releases from The Enid which included unreleased tracks, out takes, new live versions of classical tracks as well as unheard material from the band. The material on this release included compositions from the years 1973 - 1975.

The first set of recordings come from 1973, during RJG's solo album recording sessions of The Fall Of Hyperion. Both tracks, Mountains and Water Song were included on The Stand 2. Both tracks were recorded at Sarm Studios with Mountains having just RJG and Chris Lewis and Water Song also having Jim Honeyman-Scott and Nigel Palmer playing.

The next set of recordings come from 1974 and are home recordings with the first Enid incarnation that featured RJG, Stephen Stewart, Francis Lickerish and David Williams. All these tracks or versions of these tracks (Wanderer, Death The Reaper, The Lovers and The Devil) were never released previously. Another demo version of The Devil from 1974 is also included with recordings taking place at Maidstone and David Williams giving way to Dave Storey, Neil Cavanagh and Glen Tollet. All remaining recordings come from 1975 at Sarm Studios. Only The Tower is in demo form, with Fool/Tower, Death The Reaper and The Lovers presented as the original vinyl versions, versions of which have never been previously been available on CD. The final track on the compilation is In The Region Of The Summer Stars and was recorded live in 1986 at Hammersmith Odeon and was previously available on a fan club cassette release. The lineup for the track included Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart, Francis Lickerish, David Storey, Terry Pack, Willie Gilmore and Tony Freer.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - An Alternative History Volume 2

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Catalogue #: Year of Release: 1998 Time: 70:32 Info: Website

Tracklist: The Sun (5:34), Judgement - In The Region Of The Summer Stars (15:37), In The Region Of The Summer Stars (6:23), Land Of Hope And Glory/Dambusters (5:36), Jig Fugue [Keyboards Only] (3:37), Jig Fugue (3:42), Francis - Story (Intro To Albion Fayre) (6:01), Albion Fayre plus Dambusters/Land of Hope and Glory (18:42), Land Of Hope And Glory/Dambusters (4:03), Cathedralaise (1:17)

The second in a series of fan club releases from The Enid which included unreleased tracks, out takes, new live versions of classical tracks as well as unheard material from the band. The material on this release included compositions from the years 1975 - 1979.

The first set of recordings come from 1975 rough mixes at Sarm Studios. These tracks (The Sun, Judgement - In The Region Of The Summer Stars and In The Region Of The Summer Stars) featured the lineup of Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart, Francis Lickerish, Dave Storey, Neil Cavanagh and Glen Tollet.

The lineup for the 1976 Marquee Club live recording of Land Of Hope And Glory/Dambusters involved Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart, Francis Lickerish, Robbie Dobson, Nick Magnus and Jeremy Tranter.

Both versions of Jig Fugue were previously available on the Stand 2 album with the second band version including Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart, Francis Lickerish, David Storey and Terry Pack. The unreleased performance of Francis - Story (Intro To Albion Fayre) was recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in 1979, when Albion Fayre plus Dambusters/Land of Hope and Glory were also recorded. The latter was also included in the Live At Hammersmith Volume II with Dambusters/Land Of Hope And Glory simply titled Encore. The lineup was the same as for Jig Fugue with Willie Gilmore and Tony Freer also included. A 1979 studio version, banned by Boosey And Hawkes, of Land Of Hope And Glory/Dambusters is included. This track was recorded with the same lineup as the live recordings at Lodge Studio in Hertford.

The final track is a 1979 studio recording of RJG and Willie Gilmore playing Cathedralaise. This track was the demo recording for a film and was also included on Stand 2.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - An Alternative History Volume 3

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: Catalogue #: Year of Release: 1998 Time: 68:31 Info: Website

Tracklist: Judgement and Region (14:34), Childe Roland (6:25), Fand (22:30), Fand Part One (16:50), Fand Part Two (8:12

The third release in this set of compilations can be divided into three sections. First we have 2 unreleased live performances (Judgement and Region and Childe Roland) from 1996 with a line up of Robert John Godfrey, Nick May, Steve Hughes and Alex Tsentides.

The second live performance involves the whole of Fand from a 1997 gig in Derngate. The lineup here included Robert John Godfrey, Grant Jamieson, Max Read and David Storey. The compilation also comes to a close with the two parts of Fand, this time as studio recordings. These recordings were made available free to Stand members in 1998. Recordings took place at the Lodge Studio in Northampton with the same lineup as the live Fand recording.

Nigel Camilleri

The Enid - Tears Of The Sun

Country of Origin: UK Format: CD Record Label: HTD Catalogue #: HTDCD89 Year of Release: 1999 Info: Website

Tracklist: Then There Were None; The Demon King; Elegy For Piano; Sundialer; Jessica's Song; Spring; Song For Europe; Tears Of The Sun; Sanctus; Evensong (Sax Arrangement); Gigue; In The Region Of The Summer Stars i.The Flood ii.Under The Summer Stars iii.Adieu; Land Of The Glory
Album compiled by Rob Caiger

This album was released to coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Enid with tracks spanning the whole of the band's recording career from In The Region Of Summer Stars to a specially composed new piece of music, the title track Tears Of The Sun. It remains a perfect introduction to the music of this eclectic band and founder member and composer Robert John Godfrey.

Nigel Camilleri

Related Websites

There does exist an official website belonging to The Enid. Late in 2003, Robert John Godfrey contacted DPRP letting us know that the band were "alive and well" and that the website had been updated.

Should you have any further information regarding The Enid that could be added to the site, do not hesitate to contact me.