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AERIE FAERIE NONSENSE (1983)

The Enid

Symphonic Prog


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The Enid Aerie Faerie Nonsense (1983) album cover
3.62 | 122 ratings | 18 reviews | 30% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

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Studio Album, released in 1983

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. A Heroe's Life "Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came" (7:09)
2. Ondine "Dear Sweet Thing Of Wonderful Beauty, Roland's Childe" (3:47)
3. Interlude (1:00)
4. Bridal Dance "Mayday Galliard" (6:39)
- Fand :
I - 1st Movement :
5. Isle Of Brooding Solitude (2:51)
6. The Silver Ship - Landfall (5:02)
7. The Grand Loving (9:37)
II - 2nd Movement :
8. Love/Death...The Immolation Of Fand (12:09)

Total time 48:14

Bonus tracks on 2002 reissue:
- Fand (1999 rough demo):
9. Isle of Brooding Solitude (2:27)
10. The Silver Ship-Landfall (4:19)
11. The Grand Loving (10:06)
12. Love/Death - The Immolation of Fand (8:13)

Line-up / Musicians

- Stephen Stewart / guitars, bass, co-producer
- Francis Lickerish / guitar
- Robert John Godfrey / keyboards, co-producer
- Terry Pack / bass
- Chris North / drums, percussion
- Dave Storey / drums, percussion

With:
- Grant Jamieson / guitar (9-12)
- Max Read / bass (9-12)

Releases information

1983 partial re-recording and remix of the 1977 album, with tracks renamed

Artwork: Maldwyn Reece Tootill

LP self-released - Enid 6 (1983, UK)

CD Inner Sanctum ‎- ENID002CD (2002, UK) With 4 bonus tracks and new cover art

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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Buy THE ENID Aerie Faerie Nonsense (1983) Music



THE ENID Aerie Faerie Nonsense (1983) ratings distribution


3.62
(122 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(30%)
30%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(36%)
36%
Good, but non-essential (21%)
21%
Collectors/fans only (7%)
7%
Poor. Only for completionists (5%)
5%

THE ENID Aerie Faerie Nonsense (1983) reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by lor68
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars Another jewel, a must-have, for which I like to remark the same considerations as for their first progressive debut "In the Region of the Summer Stars" (actually it is not their first issue, but the debut album "The Enid" is not labelled as a progressive album). The quality of this work is very high and they keep on maintaining a very powerful approach to the crowd, by means always of their theatrical acts and their symphonic excursions as well!!

Highly recommended and very important too... as another important reference!!

Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
1 stars Sorry but this is no rock, nor prog but a pure classic symphony. It is really difficult to listen to the whole CD. It simply does not work for me.

I should have been noticed that since one of their key members (Robert John Godfrey) was responsible for the invading orchestrations on several early BJH recordings, that we would get the same over here. But not to this extent!

As Collin mention, their newer works might be worth a try. I will do that and hopefully be more enthusiastic about their work than I am now.

One little star is the only rating I can think of. It is a long and dull experience that can only be of interest if you deeply into classic music IMO. It is not my case at all.

Review by Fitzcarraldo
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Picture yourself at the Royal Albert Hall, the Concertgebouw or Carnegie Hall. Hear the excited murmur of the audience, the orchestra tuning up, the applause as the conductor walks to the podium, and the descending hush as he turns to the orchestra and lifts the baton. You are now in the perfect state of mind to listen to "Aerie Faerie Nonsense". THE ENID used synthesizer, guitar, bass, drums and other percussion to create a lush, convincing orchestral sound on this captivating instrumental album. Some of the sounds are sublime. It's not a live album, but I really get the feeling I'm listening to an orchestra performing to a live audience.

Sounding like a mixture of the Last Night of the Proms and a John Williams soundtrack, 'Childe Roland (A Heroe's life)' (sic) is a musical romp par excellence. Echoing electric guitar, drums, 'horns', 'strings', 'flute', 'fairground organ', tinkling percussion and concert piano certainly make for an interesting sound. It was inspired by Robert Browning's poem Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came or by the legend of the childe (untested) knight Roland who, guided by Merlin, rescued his sister who had been carried off by fairies to the castle of the Elfland king.

'Ondine' provides a calm, pleasant breather after the first track. There's a ballet of the same name, which I have not heard. The folksy tune seems familiar, though. According to German mythology, the water nymph Ondine and a young knight fell in love and married, but he cruelly betrayed her and she cast a spell on him that would stop him breathing as soon as he slept. The piece starts off sounding slightly medieval but then moves into Hollywood soundtrack territory and would make the perfect backing for a fantasy story or romance. I get a picture of a fairy glade, especially when the ethereal synthesizer and glockenspiel play, or of Audrey Hepburn in autumnal Paris. Quite lovely. Come to think of it, I'm slightly reminded of the music of Satie.

'Prelude (Interlude)' is precisely both: just under a minute of Wagnerian 'horns' between 'Ondine' and 'Mayday Galliard (Bridal Dance)'. The latter made me chuckle on first hearing: Caractacus Potts meets Mary Poppins? It sounds rather like a Yorkshire colliery band, complete with chintzy electric piano, playing at a tea dance. The tinkling tune of the 18th Century English nursery rhyme "Boys and girls come out to play, the moon doth shine as bright as day." ends the piece. Gorgeous.

At just under 30 minutes, the epic 'Fand' begins with deep, menacing 'tuba' and 'cello' and could easily be the backing music to Frodo's arrival in Mordor. Initially reminding me slightly of the music of Wagner, Elgar and Tchaikovsky, an electric guitar (lute?) riff then strikes up to introduce synthesizer sounding like horns, strings and harp. As the piece progresses the musicians begin to sound like a colliery band again and, later, like a symphony orchestra. The guitar riff returns and the whole thing jollies up and transforms into something reminiscent of a sailors' hornpipe. Finally I imagine ISAO TOMITA or VANGELIS playing Elgar: the music mellows, orchestral 'strings' ebb and flow to the accompaniment of 'horns' and timpani, and the music becomes a full-blown orchestral piece complete with majestic ending. I half expect to hear someone coughing during the performance. According to Celtic mythology, Fand was queen of the fairies. I'm no expert on early 20th Century British classical composers, but The Garden of Fand and other symphonic poems by composer Sir Arnold Bax were the inspiration for the piece.

The whole thing feels very British (the romanticised images of the Pre-Raphaelites spring to my mind), although there are parts that make me think of Wagner, Tchaikovsky and the ballet (and My Fair Lady, come to that). When 'Fand' ends I feel as if the lights should go up and an audience should start applauding. The music is over-the-top, yet delightful: aerie faerie nonsense, indeed. Talented guys. The group must have had a blast doing it, with collective tongue in collective cheek, and I would love to have seen it performed live.

How does one rate an unusual sound such as this? To me it's worth at least 4 stars (excellent addition to any progressive music collection), but I suspect it may leave some Progressive Rock fans nonplussed. It's pleasant listening and very evocative but I can't say I regard it as essential, so 4 stars it is. Nevertheless I strongly doubt that anyone who enjoys symphonic Progressive Rock, classical music or West End musicals (not necessarily in that order) would regret owning it. The next best thing to being at the Proms, methinks, and best turned up LOUD. Next time I listen to this I think I'll have a bottle of bubbly (or should that be Pimm's?) at the ready for the interval.

Review by Trotsky
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
1 stars Let's get one thing straight ... I do not rejoice in the fact that I find The Enid's music to be really lame. The Robert John Godfrey-led band always looked good on paper, and I never expected that I would develop such strong negative feelings for it. But I can think of no other acclaimed 70s prog-rock band that has let me down as much. I certainly need no convincing about the third word that makes up the title of this particular album!

The problem lies in the overly lush aimless classical elements that make up the bulk of this recording. Childe Roland (A Heroes Life) isn't really a bad beginning, combining a rollicking rock theme with some classical fanfares, although the neo-prog sound of the guitars and drums set off warning bells in my mind, and Ondine is a delicate ballad that wastes a good introduction (come to think of it, that just about sums up the whole album).

The real disasters however are the sickly sweet Mayday Galliard (Bridal Dance) and the epic half-hour long Fand. Rich, romantic and mind-numbingly dull, Fand reminds me of the worst excesses of Mahler (one of those composers who always manages to lull me to sleep). Or perhaps Mantovani is a more accurate comparison. Except that are loads of layered, tinny synths to create a cheap sound to match the uninspired composition (the first moment of excitement crops up at the 11:40 minute mark).

This stuff is simply too fey for my liking, and it will be a long, long time before I give The Enid another chance (I actually listened to this horrid album 7 times in the month after buying it!).I have this vague urge to punch someone every time I think about the CDs I passed on to buy this tedious work. If you don't like classical music (and by the way, I do like a wide range of composers from Handel to Berlioz) I am sure you won't enjoy this album at all.

I'm not sure, incidentally, if the fact that I bought the re-recorded version in the mid 80s has had an effect on my enjoyment of this album, but since my main grouse is over composition, I don't really believe that to be the case. Loads of people will tell you that The Enid is a wonderful band, but let this review serve as a warning that not everyone feels that way. ... 19% on the MPV scale

Review by Zac M
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars I think that this album may just be the most controversial album in all of Progarchives. So many differing opinions, and in most cases, I can see where each reviewer is coming from. If you don't like classical (particularly Romantic a la Mahler or the like), then you most likely will not like this album. On their first release, The Enid created a masterwork, blending traditional rock aspects with classical music, but in that case, the album certainly "rocked." On Aerie Fairie Nonsense, there is very little "rock music."

I would say that Aerie Fairie Nonsense (by the way, the first album is also a masterpiece for me as well, just for the record) is much more ambitious than its predecessor, and obviously, it's typically a love it or hate it kind of experience. I remember I was once turned off from ever checking out who are now perhaps my favorite band because of very negative reviews for this album. It turns out, I was obviously VERY wrong to do so.

The album opens with "Childe Roland (A Hero's Life)." The epic guitar and keyboard sweeps are enthralling and engaging. Godfrey and crew were off to a magnificent start. The next piece is very Renaissancean (no, not the band) sounding. While shorter than most of the rest of the album (bar the interlude), it still stands out as a perfect instrumental piece by the band."Bridal Dance" is another classic; it was also one of the Enid tracks that made me realize how much I really needed to hear more of their stuff. The only problem I have (albeit too minor to even mention perhaps) is that on the intro on the rerecording, the keyboards sound a bit too 80s, which is very untypical of Godfrey, even for the 80s.

Then, the magnum opus begins, Fand (or the shorter Song of Fand, which was on the original recording of the album; it's shorter and only available live on CD format). This just may be my favorite epic piece of music ever, in any genre. Like I said at the beginning, it's hard to define this as rock music, and that may not sit well some listeners (see some of the above reviews), but for me, it's absolutely perfect. My personal favorite movement would be "The Grand Loving." All I can say is, "Wow." Fand certainly took a while to appreciate for me, and I would think that this would be the case for most people, so if you don't like it on first listen, you are not alone.

The Inner Sanctum rerelease has a 90's version of Fand performed by the new Enid lineup ('99). It doesn't beat the rerecording or the Song of Fand, but it is interesting in its own right. As some people have mentioned, the CD version isn't the LP version, but I have to say that if it's better, than it must be 10 stars because the rerecording is worth 5 at least. This album is more than just music, it is an experience, one I hope more people will delve into, a true masterpiece of modern music. Thank you, Mr. Godfrey.

Review by Atavachron
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars From the title of this album and the write-ups it tends to get, one's expectations can be mixed... this reviewer's certainly were. Grand masterpiece or pompous nightmare? I was afraid, very afraid. Add to that a reissue with an apparently rearranged tracklist, two different versions of their 'Fand' opus, and a string of record company horror stories and bad luck I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. It was a bit much to digest all at once. Thankfully, the music is good. A pompous nightmare to be sure, but good.

After trying his hand as a classical pianist, Robert Godfrey was a Barclay James Harvester till 1971. While working on a theatrical production with guitarists Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish, they formed The Enid in '73 and began work on a concept album (ultimately rejected by Charisma) which, according to them, Steve Hackett later used for inspiration on his Voyage of the Acolyte. This went on to be released as their debut In the Region of the Summer Stars. After a rocky few years and several member changes they finally recorded this material, some of which originated before the first release. Godfrey's talents are clear if a bit Liberace-like and this stuff does go over the top more than once. On the other hand, I can see Keith Emerson brimming with envy upon hearing this, Wakeman too. 'A Hero's Life' is more romance than reality and 'Ondine' is rather pretty pastoral rock that echoes the butchered Beethoven themes in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. But 'Bridal Dance' can easily nauseate. Godfrey imitates the acoustic orchestration masterfully on his keys and this is no better heard than on centerpiece 'Fand' from 1985, a thirty minute syn-phonic voyage based on Parsifal's myth originally put to music by Wagner.

There is perhaps too much here, some of it highly successful but drowned in the size of this project. Eventually one begins to feel like they're ten years old at the symphony with their parents, squirming and constantly asking if it's over yet. Impressive but only partly listenable. Which part is up to you.

Review by Marty McFly
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars The Enid, this album is big (and shiny) example of love/hate opinions. Let me fore-shadow (I mean state) that I'm on of these "in love" guys (and girls). Because for me, this album is top of symphonic prog in its true meaning. Not having nice melody and complex arrangement, but more like classical music. Connection of this genre and rock has always been there since let's say early 70's (more like earlier, but mainstreamly, if this word can be used, it was not until 1970), but always more on the side of rock. Not that it's bad, it mostly worked, but some bands wanted to try other side too. For example "Beggars Opera". And The Enid always been on classical side. To everyone's pleasure (from collabs reviews, it seems more like "for everyone / (divided) by 2" [or multiplied by 1/2, the choice is yours]. I'll not deny that I love this music and am absolutely charmed by its beauty, orchestral feeling (I like classical music, most of its periods, centuries, styles). Because it's not classical music anymore, it's another level. It's not like nowadays, when you have pop with latin influences, this is far better and more complex combination. My two favourite styles together, helping each other to be better. More interesting, yet, as this genre/style allows, being absolutely melodic. It's symphony after all.

5(+), record without a flaw. Go on, find one, I wasn't able to. And that I'm talking about remastered version, so 70 minutes of this music. Symphonic paradise, really, Eden.

Review by AtomicCrimsonRush
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
2 stars "Aerie Faerie Nonsense" by The Enid followed up the excellent "In the Region of the Summer Stars". In a similar vein to this album the music is primarily orchestrated and symphonic throughout playing like the soundtrack to a movie. The electric guitars add a certain rock element but this is unmistakably layered with brass, violins and crashing drums; a rockhestra if you like. The opening track, 'A Heroes Life', does not waste time and locks immediately into a fast tempo symphony with majestic crescendos. Easily the best track on this.

'Ondine' is a slow paced piano driven piece with beautiful sweeping passages of woodwind, chimes and synthesizer. It feels like a fantasy romance and even melodies similar to Nutcracker Suite, or Beethoven. The harmonic guitars are definitely well played and enhance the overall atmospherics.

'Prelude (Interlude)' is replete with passages of horns similar to Wagner. This leads to the whimsical 'Bridal Dance' that is a ballet of pipes, electric piano, and synthesizers. The mood is frivolous and jovial, uplifting and pleasant.

'Fand' is a huge epic that is almost as long as half an hour, and features threatening powerful brass, changing the mood instantly to one of portentous doom. The deep tuba or euphonium blasts add a genuine atmosphere that doom will befall our hero. The dark forces close in as the horns fade out and then a lilting them chimes in, apparently a ray of light, a dance of colour amidst the murky blackness. A divine synth motif is heard, haunting and dreamy. The piece continues to build with loud crashes and staccato blasts of horns, and like sunlight bursting through clouds a huge orchestral arrangement is heard at 7:20, reminding me of Yes' 'And You And I'. The guitars are decidedly absent for the majority of the piece allowing the symphony arrangement to flourish. This for me was not necessarily a good thing as personally I prefer some rock to compensate for all the orchestra sounds. Vangelis sounds are heard on synth later in the piece at 10:22 and some Brian May sounding guitars but I was getting a little bored with it by this stage. There are some very quiet sections with little going on, and you will either love or hate these moments of breathing space. I was not a fan once again as the sparse arrangement was beginning to send me to sleep. There is no melody to hold onto and the ambience is extreme. It eventually builds towards the end, full on string sections of majesty are the order of the day here. It is definitely not my taste and I would not return to this epic often I can admit that. A simple guitar riff or synth motif would have helped but this is just violins, violins and more violins with a layer of brass; a real yawnfest.

So in conclusion the tracks on this album are satisfactory, I am especially fond of 'A Heroes Life', and 'Ondine', but the rest of this especially the second half of 'Fand' is in fact dull unless you are a huge fan of classical, which this reviewer is not. So I am going to pretend this is enjoyable to me. The Enid had an excellent release before this but they turned to full blown classical arrangements on "Aerie Fairie Nonsense" and I simply am not into this type of music. Consider yourself warned, it is not prog 'rock' in any sense of the word.

Review by ClemofNazareth
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk Researcher
3 stars Other reviewers have claimed that this isn't really a progressive rock album at all but rather a modern classical music indulgence, primarily on the part of keyboardist Robert John Godfrey. There is some merit to that argument but the rock elements of this music do come through albeit not all that often or strongly (come to think of it, mostly just on "Childe Roland").

Anyone already familiar with the album has probably already stopped reading at this point unless they are wondering which side of the fence this review will land on. I'll make that clear by saying I like this record and that the band was every bit in the spirit of progressive music when they decided to take this Romantic/theatrical approach to a record that sounds every bit like its being performed live in a cozy and acoustically-balanced hall or pavilion in some tastefully gentrified downtown urban setting on a late autumn Saturday evening. Get the picture?

Like several of the early Enid pieces there are multiple versions of this recording out there, including at least one re-recording and one or more remasters. I'll speak mostly to the original.

"Mayday Galliard" is possibly the most controversial track on the album in terms of its appeal and general 'rock' credibility. And to be fair it isn't a progressive rock song at all; its more like modern classical with more than a hint of Wagner but not quite that level of dramatic panache. I love the work but it hardly belongs in a progressive rock collection. "Ondine" is more of the same although more subdued; here again Godfrey is the main character as he creates virtually an entire orchestra on his keyboards.

Like I mentioned earlier "Childe Roland" has its rock elements, particularly the percussion and rather simple rhythm but once again with more than enough classical elements to blend in well with the rest of the album.

The flagship of the album is the epic "Fand", 'epic' of course meaning that it's a really long song. The original version runs just short of eighteen minutes while a couple of remakes go well over twenty and one approaches a half-hour in length. I haven't heard those so am not sure what they add to the original, but I find it to be an engaging piece of music though certainly not something I would normally associate with prog rock. I've listened to it several times looking for hints of rock or even contemporary music but there really are none to be found. This is classical music to be sure, just done using rock instrumentation.

I'm on the fence with 'Aerie Faerie Nonsense', as are apparently many fans and was the band's record label when it released. The disc was deleted almost immediately from EMI's catalog, and has only now finally been properly re-released from the original masters after numerous and mostly poor quality reissues over the past thirty years (not to mention Godfrey's own re-recording of the songs in 1983).

In the end I have to say I like this record, although it's certainly not something that will ever spend a lot of time in rotation on my stereo. I'm going to say it rates three stars out of five as a solid addition to any collection, and a fairly high three at that ? more like 3.499. If you are a prog rock fan who is also open to classical music you may well find this appealing (Rick Wakeman solo fans take note); otherwise you may want to avoid it in favor of the band's 1980s catalog.

peace

Review by richardh
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars The version I am reviewing (remastered June 2010) has a different track listing and is a lot shorter than that given in the details (36 minutes!!).Mine has 6 tracks 1.Prelude 2.Mayday Galliard 3.Ondine 4.Childe Roland 5.Fand I 6.Fand II. Thought I better make that clear from the onset and it does affect my overall impression and marks awarded.

Listening to this and In The Region Of The Summer Stars back to back I like this a lot more.The question being posed by other reviewers seems to be whether this is actually prog rock or a symphony.Does it matter if its good? Anyway there is definitely a drummer on the album so it comes under prog rock! At pretty much the same time this was released ELP were recording the brilliant symphonic prog track Pirates(from Works Volume One) with the L'Orchestra Du Paris so I'm comfortable this comes with the genre we are discussing.

BUT is it any good? Certainly is! I found this overall a much more satisfying listen than In The Region Of The Summer Stars. The composition is more complete to my ears with more thought given to the flow of the music.I also really enjoy the use of orchestra and classical instrumentation. I have a tiny classical collection so my knowledge of such things is a bit sketchy. However I do know this is beautifully written and conceived. It is mainly orchestrated but drums,synths and guitars do figure along the way.All done for the benefit of the music to my ears.Despite the grandiose themes the music never sounds bloated or overdone. The creative vision reigns supreme.

Masterpeice then? Yes why not. Music like this is so rare it should be treasured.

THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN MOVED TO ORIGINAL RELEASE VERSION 27-6-17

Review by apps79
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Against the constant rise of the Punk and Disco movements, The Enid were determined to create high-quality music adventures and the 1977 sophomore effort of the band ''Aerie Faerie Nonsense'' is the best proof.However the release of ''In the Region of the Summer Stars'' brought also some line-up changes.Glen Tollet had left and the band welcomes Charlie Elston, who would spent short time with The Enid due to his difficulty to learn the keyboard parts.Neil Kananagh would also quit, replaced initially by Jerry Tranter and later by Terry Pack.The original vinyl LP was released on BUK Records/Honeybee.

This is an equal mixture of Classical Music and melodic Symphonic Rock with Robert John Godfrey showing his love for Wagner and Rachmaninov, featuring extended piano interludes and complicated orchestrations.The short ''Prelude'' gives rise to the nice ''Mayday Galliard'', which is a beautiful piece of soft Classical Music and Progressive Rock with some great and melodic guitar work by Stephen Stewart.The following ''Ondine'' is a mellow, dreamy, short instrumental, mainly based on soft piano and light keyboard parts, that hardly causes the attention of the listener.But the upcoming ''Childe Roland'' finds The Enid in their extreme venture.Bombastic, complicated and haunting Classical moves mixed with fiery guitar parts, including some lovely solos, and virtuosic piano arrangements by Godfrey, this track epitomized Classical/Symphonic Rock at its best.''Aerie Faerie Nonsense'' is of course highlighted by the long 17-min. epic ''Fand'' of the flipside, which is no more or less than an extended version of what The Enid presented so far, still pretty cohesive.Alternation between grandiose Classical overtones and melodic Symphonic Rock with excellent guitar parts, lots of well-crafted interplays and an overall tight mix of smooth Classical soundscapes with intense rockier moments is what ''Fand'' offers to a listener ready to face a unique cinematic experience.

The album was re-recorded and re-released in 1984 by a slightly different The Enid line-up, so the band could distribute the album on their own forces through The Enid label.It features an extended version of the album with sometimes different track titles.Due to the reworked and longer new versions, the tracks have a more apparent Classical influence, which maybe confusing for the traditional Prog listener, and thus the original 1977 version is stronger recommended as a more balanced work overall.

''Aerie Faerie Nonsense'' is a great piece of cinematic and grandiose Classical/Symphonic Rock.Fans of the style already own the album, the rest of the prog audience should give The Enid's a chance for their unique Prog stylings...3.5 stars.

Latest members reviews

5 stars A year after In the Region of the Summer Stars, came what was considered by critics and fans alike to be the group's masterpiece. Enter Aerie Faerie Nonsense. Ever-growing in popularity, The Enid stunned many with another concept album, this time based on the medieval legend of Roland, and his ... (read more)

Report this review (#1132018) | Posted by Sheets of Blue | Saturday, February 15, 2014 | Review Permanlink

2 stars Firstly I must say that there are two Aerie Faerie Nonsence recordings. The original dating from late 70's with a bit different cover with original tracks and this mostly new recording from 84-87. Here The Fand is 30 minutes long; almost double the size. My review is from the later release bu ... (read more)

Report this review (#86038) | Posted by pirkka | Monday, August 7, 2006 | Review Permanlink

5 stars The second work of THE ENID released in 1977 "Aerie Faerie Nonsense".The content is classic a simulation of the make by which it surpasses the former work. And, the sound of a new feeling that arises there. Rich melody beauty united with the rhythm feeling of classical polyphonic and the rock, ... (read more)

Report this review (#60289) | Posted by braindamage | Wednesday, December 14, 2005 | Review Permanlink

5 stars Another masterpiece by this underrated brittish band, who combines classical music with rock-attitude like no other band. First released in 1977 on a (later to become) sub-label to EMI. As is the case with their debut "In the region of summer stars", EMI still holds the rights to the original ... (read more)

Report this review (#42239) | Posted by progrocklover | Tuesday, August 9, 2005 | Review Permanlink

5 stars One of my favorite albums since 1971. This music is outer space. The atmosphere are so impressive and subtle that I can't help not to listen. Together with U.K.s - "U.K." and "Selling England .. " and "Close to the edge" it is my evergreen album. Fantastic music in the utmost sense of the word. H ... (read more)

Report this review (#25880) | Posted by jojim | Sunday, May 22, 2005 | Review Permanlink

2 stars Fantastic composition, stunning musicianship. If you like orchestral rock or the more arty side of rock then this wont be beaten.But it just doesn't do it for me and probably never will though some of their later stuff I find much better. ... (read more)

Report this review (#25876) | Posted by | Wednesday, April 28, 2004 | Review Permanlink

5 stars This is my favourite album of all times! The music of it is breathtakingly beautiful and majestic. The album's magnum opus "Fand" is alone enough to hail Robert Godfrey as one of Great Britain's greatest composers ever, or in the whole world, for that matter. ... (read more)

Report this review (#25872) | Posted by | Monday, December 29, 2003 | Review Permanlink

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