The Enid
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The Enid is a British rock band founded in 1975 by Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish. The band'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 which suggest bipolar disorder.
He also has an unfortunate 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. As the band approaches its 30th anniversary new material is still being recorded.
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 at least in terms of sales it seems that the public did not see it that way. 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.
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.
Discography
- In the Region of the Summer Stars (1976)
- Aerie Faerie Nonsense (1977)
- Touch Me (1979)
- Six Pieces (1980)
- Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
- Live at Hammersmith (1984)
- In the Region of the Summer Stars (remixed and partly re-recorded) (1984)
- The Spell (originally released as a double-45 rpm album) (1985)
- Salome (1986)
- 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 (live) (1988)
- Tripping the Light Fantastic (1994)
- Sundialer (remixes) (1995)
- Anarchy on 45 (singles compilation) (1996)
- White Goddess (1997)
- Tears of the Sun (compilation) (1999)
Some albums have been issued on CD two or three times, sometimes with different bonus tracks and cover artwork.
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. However, this service has now ceased.
External Links
- The official Enid website (http://www.theenid.com/)
- The Enid: A Brief History - part 1 (http://www.dprp.net/forgotten/enid/index.html)
- The Enid: A Brief History - part 2 (http://www.dprp.net/forgotten/enid/index3.html)