Musician and composer, formerly a member of the band Barclay James Harvest and a founder member of seminal 1970s (and present-day) classic / rock fusion band The Enid.

Godfrey is in many ways the classic model of the tortured artist. He is often unable to listen to his own compositions for months after writing them, and he describes his life as having "until recent times been characterised by such stuff as obsessive love, betrayal, rejection, sexual jealousy and loneliness."

The Early Days

Robert John Godfrey was born on 30 June 1947, and for a man whose reputation is founded on his skill with the keyboard it is remarkable that he didn't start to play the piano until the age of twelve. He discovered a hitherto unsuspected talent, sufficient for him to study at first the Royal College, then the Royal Academy of Music. He studied under concert pianist Malcolm Binns, and moved in circles which which included Sir Michael Tippett, Benjamin Britten and Hans Werner Henze.

His formidable intelligence and mental energy led to him being expelled from numerous schools, and indeed fomr both the prestigious musical institutions he attended. This was due at least in part to his refusal to join in the common practice amongst "serious" musicians of denouncing rock music as rubbish. Already, Godfrey was beginning to explore the fusion of classical and rock styles which was to become the central theme of his musical career.

Barclay James Harvest

It was this interest which drew him to the young Barcley James Harvest, where he was principally responsible for the orchestral arrangements which characterised their first albums. Sadly they appeared to underestimate his contribution, and when they parted in 1971 it was on acrimonious terms. In particular, they refused to pay Godfrey what he considered his share of royalties. This began a legal wrangle which lasted until 1995, when BJH were forced to pay Godfrey £200,000 in settlement. His legal bill was twice that¹.

The Enid

Godfrey says founded the Enid because he was lonely. This is believable; he is a six foot tall reclusive muscle-bound skinhead, whose IQ is comfortably in genius territory. His creative life is inextricably intertwined with that of his creation, The Enid, and it is this which has delivered him fame if not fortune.

After leaving BJH he made a solo album, The Fall of Hyperion, which marked the way his music was developing, In 1974 he joined with Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish, fellow alumni of the recently-collapsed Finchden Manor², to found a band which more closely matched the creative aspirations of those involved.

This group expanded slowly and became The Enid. And The Enid should have failed instantly. They were producing large-scale symphonic rock, just when punk was exploding on the scene. They were denounced simultaneously as fascists and leftists, and were even under investigation by MI5. The thing which held them together was the power and quality of their music.

At Enid concerts, punks, hippies and rockers would meet in mutual hostility. Then the music would start, and as the band worked their magic and the air became thick with the smell of exotic smoking substances, the barriers dissolved³. The music was king.

The music

Well known for their spirited rendition of Elgar's Nimrod and Land Of Hope And Glory, the bands repertoire draws heavily on classical themes. Elgar's First Symphony and Sursum Corda, and the March Au Supplice from Berlioz's Symhonie Fantastique, are clearly discernible in their works.

And much of the music is completely original. Godfrey's influence ensures that many of their tracks are long and complex, but they are generally well crafted and accessible. They have resisted the temptation to become caricatures of themselves through sel-indulgent concept material, as so many 1970s bands did.

Early records were released on the BUK label, part of EMI, to huge critical acclaim. Based on this they soon moved to Pye, for a huge contract (by the standards of the time). This turned out ultimately to be a disaster as Pye were in financial troubles and failed to adequately promote the records, but it provided enough money to buy their own studio (see below).

The problems

Long, symphonic rock pieces are low on the playlists of most radio stations. And once you've been banned from Glastonbury, and fought with the major record companies, the ways for a rock band to publicise their work are severly curtailed. Their live concerts have always been popular, due as much to word of mouth as anything, but they have had very limited success in the recording arena.

The departure from the scene of Pye led to a protracted series of wrangles over the rights to their deletd back catalogue, and in the case of EMI the re-release of older material thinly disguised under new names.

It was perhaps good fortune rather than good judgement which led to the acquisition of The Lodge recording studios, where the likes of Mari Wilson and Propaganda recorded, and Godffrey and Stewart both recorded and performed as the (uncredited) backing band on Kim Wilde's first album. Kids In America was recorded at the Lodge Studios. Without the studio it is likely that the band would have been bankrupt more than once.

The Enid formed their own record label to work their way out of these difficulaties, and much of the catalogue is on this label, distributed by The Stand, their fan club-cum-distribution co-operative.

Constant money wories and the sheer creativity of the individuals involved led to evolutions in the line-up of the band, and to its repeated dissolution and reformation. In 1988 Godfrey and Stewart took to recording under their own names; but the loyal fans of The Enid were not to be put off and the band began touring again in 1995, since when the band has produced new music at an incredible rate.

These days it is possible to buy, possibly uniquely, a bespoke CD of your chosen Enid tracks. This facility, along with the vast majority of The Enid's catalogue, is not available in the shops⁴, as they say, and can only be obtained from The Enid website

Conclusion

Robert John Godfrey is one of music's best kept secrets. His virtuosity on the keyboards is matched by the intelligence and vision of his compositions, which he regards as the children he has never had (Godfrey is gay). He takes his music more seriously than the money he might make from it, and has never sold out creatively - except by playing Elgar at his concerts, for which who could condemn him?

The Albums

• In the Region of the Summer Stars (BUK, 1976) - a concept (ish) album loosely based on the tarot and Jungian philosophy
• Aerie Faerie Nonsense (Honeybee, 1977) - the first settled Enid album, includes the original Song of Fand and Mayday Galliard
• Touch Me (Pye, 1977) - includes Gallavant, based on a theme by Bruckner
• Six Pieces (Pye, 1979) - principally classically infulenced, each piece being a porttrait of one member of the band
• Something Wicked This Way Comes (Enid, 1979)
• Live at Hammersmith (vol I & II) (Enid, 1983) - Includes "In the region of the summer starts", anda glorious two-part working of "The Song of Fand" - marks a high point in the band's history ⁵
• Aerie Faerie Nonsense (new version) (Enid, 1984)
• In the Region of the Summer Stars (new version) (Enid, 1984)
• The Spell (Enid, 1985)
• Salome (Enid, 1986)
• Lovers and Fools (DOJO, 1986) - compilation
• The Seed and the Sower [Godfrey & Stewart] (Enid, 1988)
• Six Pieces (new version) (Enid, 1989)
• Touch Me (new version) (Enid, 1989)
• Final Noise (Enid, 1989) - Live from The Dominion, Tottenham Court Road, spiritual home of The Enid's fans. Includes Something Wicked This Way Comes and Jerusalem
• The story of The Enid (Enid, 1991)
• Tripping the Light Fantastic (Mantella, 1994)
• Sundialer (Mantella, 1995)
• Anarchy on 45 (Mantella, 1996)
• Members, one of Another (Mantella, 1996) - includes Nimrod and Jerusalem
• Healing Hearts (Mantella, 1996)
• The White Goddess (Mantella, 1998)
• Tears of the Sun (HTD, 1999)

There are also some fanclub recordings, more or less official, including another recording from Hammersmith.

Recommended Listening

The real recommendation is to hear The Enid live. They are at their best on stage, and the experience is not to be missed

The live albums form the Hammersmith Odeon and the Dominion are therefore strong recommendations; however In the Region of the Summer Stars and Something Wicked This Way Comes are also exceptional even amongst the collection of breathtaking creativity which is The Enid.