THE ENID.
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.
What is interest is that the original title for The Enid's first album was to be "The Voyage Of The Acolyte" with a concept based on
tarot cards. Thus even though The Enid did not sign to Charisma, the idea seems to have remained at the label as Steve Hackett's
album would in turn be based on the same concept, and the title The Voyage Of The Acolyte! To further add to the controversy,
the group's initial keyboardist Nick Magnus also worked with Steve Hackett. For a while the group also had a vocalist,
Peter Roberts, who committed suicide on New Year's Day 1975 and in RJG's own words "We were instrumental
ever after, he was impossible to replace".
In the Region of the Summer Stars (1976)
Robert John Godfrey - Keyboards
Stephen Stewart: - Guitars and Bass
Francis Lickerish - Guitars
Glen Tollet - Bass
Chris North - Drums and Percussion
Dave Storey - Drums and Percussion
Dave Hancock - Trumpet
Angus Boucher - Executive producer
John Sinclair - Producer
The album was released in three versions over a 2 year period. 1976 saw the album released distributed by BUK Records
(BUK BULP 2014) with a white label and insert clearly stating that it was a first issue. There is no mention of The Enid
on the front cover and currently has a value of BS 20.00. In 1977 the album was released in two different versions. The second
issue (BUK BULP 2014, BS 15.00) had the album with a black label and Enid and CDS added to the front cover. The third issue had
a brown label (Honeybee INS 3005; BS 15.00/10.00) with some of the albums carrying a poster, and distribution was through
EMI International.
Aerie Faerie Nonsense (1977)
Robert John Godfrey - keyboards
Stephen Stewart - guitars and bass
Francis Lickerish - guitars
Glen Tollet - bass (only on re-recorded version)
Chris North - drums and percussion (only on re-recorded version)
Dave Storey - drums and percussion
Charlie Elston - keyboards (on original release only)
Terry Thunderbags Pack -bass (on original release)
Touch Me (1978)
Robert John Godfrey - Keyboards,
William Gilmour - Keyboards,
Francis Lickerish - Guitars,
Stephen Stewart - Guitars, Percussion,
David Storey - Drums, Percussion,
Terry Pack - Bass Guitar
Guest musician:
Tony Freer - Cor Anglais, Oboe
Six Pieces (1979)
Robert John Godfrey - Keyboards,
Stephen Stewart - Guitars and Bass,
Francis Lickerish - Guitars,
Martin Russell - Keyboards and Bass,
William Gilmour - Keyboards,
Robbie Dobson - Drums and Percussion
Godfrey and Stewart relocated to Clare in Suffolk where they set up their own recording studio, The Lodge which hosted a number of
musicians amongst whom Kim Wilde who used The Enid as backing band on her first albums until the album Cambodia.
Something Wicked This Way Comes ('81).
Robert John Godfrey - Keyboards,
Stephen Stewart - Guitars and Bass,
Chris North on drums and percussion.
This was also the first album to feature vocals by the group.
Fand ('85)
Tracklist: Introduction, 1st Movement, 2nd Movement, 3rd Movement, 4th Movement
Musicians: Robert Godfrey, Chris North, Terry Pack, Stephen Stewart, Dave Storey.
Salome ('86)
Robert John Godfrey - Keyboards,
Stephen Stewart - Guitars and Bass,
Chris North - drums and percussion
Dave Storey - drums.
The Seed And The Sower ('88)
Robert John Godfrey - Keyboards,
Stephen Stewart - Guitars and Bass,
Niall Feldman - bass,
Damian Risdon - drums, percussion,
Troy Donockley - low whistles and
Geraldine Connor - vocals.
The Final Noise ('89)
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.
By 1991, the group changed name to Come September and RJG no longer appeared on stage with the band though he continued to support them and write material.
Later he set up "Aerire Faerie Nonsense". The lineup of RJG together with Nick May (guitar) and Steve Hughes (drums).
White Goddess which was completed on 20th November 1997.
Robert John Godfrey - Keyboards,
Grant Jamieson - Guitar,
Max Read - Guitar, Bass and Choir,
Dave Storey - Drums and Percussion.
Nowadays:
Robert John Godfrey (Member since 1812 ;-)
Dave Storey (Original Member 2)
Jason Ducker (Member since 2003)
Max Read (Member since 1997)
Nic Willes (Member since yesterday)
Time Out described The Enid as:
"The Orb Meets Pink Floyd Meets The Berlin Philharmonic"
The Guardian said that The Enid were:
"The only band on the planet to have successfully fused rock based music with the power, dynamics and scale of symphonic classical music. They are the absolute masters of their art and their achievements over more than twenty years of creative work set them apart from everything else which calls itself progressive".
Tommy Vance – said on BBC Radio One - Friday Night Rock Show that:
"Robert John Godfrey is one of the greatest composers Great Britain has ever produced"
New studio album in the pipline!
Said Robert John Godfrey in a recent newspaper interview:
"This not the Robert John Godfrey show anymore. This is like the 1970's all over again. Journey's End is the best thing I have ever
had the honour to be part of and my contributions are just that - contributions."
SOLO SESSIONS;
Robert John Godfrey:
Resident Musical Director of the Barclay James Harvest (Orchestra)('69 -'71)
Caravan And The New Symphonia
Siddartha
The Fall Of Hyperion ('74) a solo album [Cover and Design by Hipgnosis
Dedicated to the life work and memory of George Aubrey Lyward OBE
Music composed, scored and conducted by RJG
Poetry by Christopher Lewis Musicians: Robert John Godfrey (keyboards), Christopher Lewis (vocals), Neil Tetlow (bass),
Jim Scott (guitars), Tristan Fry & Ronnie McCrea (percussion), Nigel Morton (Hammond organ)
Alexei Rhynikov's opera Juno And Avos ('87)
New Model Army
Christian Death
Conflict
Glen Tollet had left in'77 and nowadays he works as a dentist in London (or maybe he's retired now.
Stephen Stewart devoted his time to studio engineering working mainly with Katrina And The Waves.
New Model Army
Christian Death
Conflict
News from the Malvern Gazette that legendary prog rock band The Enid are to appear with members of the Malvern’s Chandos
Symphony Orchestra in a one-off performance at Birmingham Town Hall at 7.30pm on Friday, April 16th. 21 musicians from the orchestra’s brass and percussion section will take the stage for the special presentation. Orchestra member David Etheridge organised the unique collaboration when he interviewed one of the members of The Enid. “This is a very unique event and definitely a first for the orchestra,” he said.