SIX PIECES

Ah, The Enid. A group I still feel is so overlooked in the 70s prog realm that it pains me a bit. While still active today the lineup we're talking about here is long since gone, with the backbone being the always present Robert John Godfrey and guitarist Francis Lickerish, who would depart after this record was cut. I might also add the date for this record is not correct - it was released in 1979, probably near the tail end but I have not found a month or day.

Onto the review, though. This outing is certainly different from the past three records The Enid released. What we have are six pieces each written by one of the members. I'd love to know who wrote what, but anyhow, it works well, and each track feels different. Punch and Judy Man starts with a very ELP esque bombast that The Enid rarely showed after In The Region... but it works quite well, going quiet in it's middle part before going back to the rockier bit. We now fade into the beautiful Once She Was, a piece that definitely isn't rock, but is absolutely stunning with a great melody and perfect atmosphere. The Ring Master is a bit of a sprawl, doesn't go much of anywhere and it might fly right by you. Not bad, but not particular a standout track. Sanctus is a track ripe with keyboards, as always, but with some nice guitar flourishes here and there. Hall of Mirrors is a piece all about the atmosphere, and works well enough. I'll admit, the albums quiet bits borderline on sleepy time music. Not a bad record to fall asleep to. Mind you, that isn't a bad thing.

Finally, the last track, err, two? My pressing has "Intro" and "The Dreamer" as separate tracks but others seem to have it as one track. Either way, same music. It's a great somber piece, in line with a lot of the other songs on the record. As mentioned earlier, it's a very sleepy album. Perfect right before bed or falling asleep to. Great piano playing and atmosphere from Robert John Godfrey as is the case with many The Enid pieces. On the whole, I recommend this one to any symphonic prog fans looking for something on the lighter side. It's a very classically driven album, one that is best played at night, maybe with a glass of wine or two. Four stars easily.