The Enid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Enid | |
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 The Enid at a live show in Derby, 1998 (Robert John Godfrey, Grant Jamieson, Max Read, Dave Storey)
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| Background information | |
| Origin | England |
| Genre(s) | Symphonic rock |
| Years active | 1975 - present |
| Label(s) | Various |
| Members | |
| Robert John Godfrey Jason Ducker Dave Storey |
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| Former members | |
| Francis Lickerish Steve Stewart David Williams Glenn Tollet Robbie Dobson Jeremy Tranter Nick Magnus Charlie Elston Terry Pack Willie Gilmour Tony Freer Martin Russell Nick May Steve Hughes Alex Tsentides Grant Jamieson |
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The Enid is a British rock band founded in 1975 by Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish. Another early member was William Gilmour, who subsequently founded his own band Craft and now plays keyboards in Lickerish's band Secret Green.
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[edit] History
The Enid's membership has since undergone several changes, always with Godfrey firmly at the helm, and its creativity seems to come in fits and starts. Godfrey is a diabetic, and has also described bouts of depression associated with periods of writer's block.
Godfrey also has a tendency to dismiss some of his ideas, such as a brief flirtation with dance music in the early 1990s, as juvenile or misguided, a view that is not always shared by the band's fans. Now more than 30 years old, the band is still recording sporadically although there have been no full-length album releases since 1997.
The Enid began recording at about the same time as punk rock burst upon the scene. Godfrey has said that he always regarded The Enid's ironic takes on classical music as being just as anarchic as anything by the Sex Pistols, but this did not translate into either musical or commercial recognition, despite their work being played frequently by Tommy Vance on BBC Radio One's Friday Rock Show. In 1981, the band played most of the music for Kim Wilde's self-titled debut album. After some unpleasant experiences with major record labels, which initially welcomed the band with open arms and then dumped them after failing to promote their records, the band relied on self-publishing and promotion, which was helped by the fact that their settlement with one of the labels included some recording equipment. The band used this equipment to establish The Lodge Recording Studio, hiring its facilities to other bands in between their own projects.
Robert John Godfrey has said that he does not regard The Enid as a progressive rock band and would rather not be associated with the term, but that has not stopped prog rock fanzines and websites from promoting the band. He has also been quite scathing in his criticism of "neo-progressive" bands like Marillion and Pendragon, accusing them of lacking charm, talent and originality.
[edit] Marketing innovations
In addition to traditional vinyl and CD releases, in the late 1990s the band also pioneered the production of "Bespoke CDs" - mail-order custom compilation CD-Rs containing rare tracks chosen by listeners from a catalogue. This service was discontinued after a couple of years.
In March 2006 Godfrey announced on the band's website that he would shortly be making its entire back catalogue available for free download on high-quality mp3s. This apparently includes all of the rarities previously available on Bespoke CDs.
Godfrey wrote: "The purpose of this is to make sure that The Enid's music reaches as many people as possible and does not entirely disappear when I am dead. The Enid represents my life's work and I want it and what it contains to live on in those who warm to it. Having taken this decision it may well influence the way I think about The Enid and may drive me to do some more."[citation needed]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- In the Region of the Summer Stars (1976) (BUK BULP 2014)
- Aerie Faerie Nonsense (1977) (EMI International INS 3012)
- Touch Me (1979) (Pye NSPH 18593)
- Six Pieces (1979) (Pye NH 116)
- Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) (ENID 3)[1]
- The Stand - Members One Of Another (1984) - No commercial release, available only to fan club members
- Live at Hammersmith (Vol 1) (Recorded 1979) (1984) (ENID 1)
- Live at Hammersmith (Vol 2) (Recorded 1979) (1984) (ENID 2)
- Aerie Faerie Nonsense (Recorded 1983) (ENID 6) - Band's own rerelease
- In the Region of the Summer Stars 1984 (1984) (ENID 7) - Band's own reissue of debut album
- The Spell (1985) (ENID 8) (originally released as a double-45 rpm album) (UK Indie #24)[2]
- Fand (1985) (ENID 9)
- Salome (1986) (ENID 10)
- Lovers And Fools (1986) (Castle Communications DO Jo LP 24) - Double retrospective compilation
- The Seed and the Sower (originally released as by Godfrey and Stewart for contractual reasons, but always regarded by fans as an Enid album and subsequently reissued under the band's name) (1988)
- Final Noise (1988) (live album)
- Tripping the Light Fantastic (1994)
- Sundialer (1995)
- Anarchy on 45 (singles compilation) (1996)
- White Goddess (1997)
- Tears of the Sun (1999)
Some albums have been issued on CD two or three times, sometimes with different bonus tracks and cover artwork.
[edit] Singles
- "The Lovers"/"In The Region Of Summer Stars" (1976) (Buk BUK 3002)
- "Jubilee"/"Omega" (1977) (EMI International INT 534) release cancelled
- "Golden Earrings"/"Omega" (1977) EMI (BUK) INT 540
- "Dambusters March"/"Land Of Hope & Glory"/"The Skyeboat Song" (1979) (Pye 7P 106)(PS, Blue vinyl with RAF roundel design)
- "Fool" (with Malcolm Le Maistre)/"Tito" (1980) Pye 7P 187 (PS)
- "Golden Earrings"/"665 - The Great Bean" (1980) EMI 5109 (PS)[3]
- "When You Wish Upon A Star"/"Jessica" (1981) (Bronze BRO 127)(PS)
- "Heigh Ho"/"Twinkle Little Star" (1980)(Bronze BRO 134)
- "Then There Were None"/"Letter From America" (1982) RAK 349 (PS)
- "Then There Were None"/"Letter From America"/"Raindown" (1984) (PS, 12")
- "Itchycoo Park"/"Sheets Of Blue" (1986) (7": Sedition EDIT 3314)(PS) - (12" - Sedition EDITL 3314, blue vinyl)
- "Salome"/"Salomee" (1990) (7" - Enid ENID 7999)(PS) (12"- Enid ENID 6999)(PS)
[edit] References
- ^ released in 1983, this was the first Enid album to feature lyrics, written by drummer Chris North and sung in a mock-operatic style by Godfrey. It deals with the threat of nuclear warfare and the various ways in which people respond to it.
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1997). Indie Hits 1980-1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.
- ^ Picture sleeve
