Rock bands’ flirtations with classical music haven’t always been entirely convincing over the years. But The Enid’s composer-in-chief Robert Godfrey was always the real deal, and his band’s blend of classical soundscapes and rock operatics earned them a fiercely loyal cult following, particularly in prog circles.
Many of those ‘Enidi’ were out in force for a tireless run of 1984 shows the band played to promote their first vocal-accompanied album, Something Wicked This Way Comes.
This CD is the soundtrack to a concert film long available on VHS and DVD, featuring two live sets. And it has its moments: the stuttering theatricality of Raindown is as engaging as ever, but can’t overcome the poor audio quality that dogged the original recordings. The same problem also dampens the quiet-loud dynamics of Jessica, while a clearly pretty stirring reading of the sublime Under The Summer Stars sounds like said constellation has been covered by a thick cloud formation.
Meanwhile, Godfrey’s Goons-style inter-song chatter hasn’t aged well either, none of which helps remove the feeling that, well, you kind of had to be there.
