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The Enid - Something Wicked This Way Comes

Artist:	The Enid
Title:	Something Wicked This Way Comes
Label:	The Enid EnidCD3
Length(s):	63 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1983
Month of review:	10/1996

Line up

Robert John Godfrey - keyboards
Stephen Stewart - guitar
Chris North - drums, percussion
Francis Lickerish - bass
and then some

Tracks

1)	Raindown	5.33
2)	Jessica	4.14
3)	And Then There Were None	4.20
4)	Evensong	5.42
5)	Bright Star	3.56
6)	Letter From America	3.06
7)	Song For Europe	4.18
8)	Something Wicked This Way Comes	10.16
9)	The Sun (bonus)	4.40
10)	Judgment (bonus)	8.12
11)	The Dreamer (bonus)	9.04

Summary

This album, as can be judged from the cover, stands for the atomic destruction of our world. It will probably not come to that anymore, although we have to keep an eye out there, but armageddon has a way of forcing itself up. Anyway to the music now.

The music

Raindown is one of those few Enid track with vocals, by the way also 3, 6 and 8 also have vocals. The album is a reflection on nuclear armament and the seemingly inevitable end of the world and the need to cope with the dark side of man, giving it all a somewhat religious background.

The track starts out rather spooky and the vocals have an estranging quality, a lot of different high vocals being used, intertwining. Jessica is more relaxed and a lot more like the Enid one might have gotten used to through the years, classical phrasings and a bit romantic. And Then There Were None is a vocal track with harmonies and is a bit bouncy. The music has some tongue in cheekness to it and can be readily compared to Godley and Creme in that respect, although the subject is naturally serious enough.

Evensong starts out mysteriously with long drawn high tones. Then the chimes start in, a bit dissonantly. The continuation is very moody, slow and dramatic. The next is a little more playful and contains a tune familiar from the vocal melody of Singing in the Rain. Not so good. Letter from America is vocally a bit like the opener of the album and a bit chaotic. The music is nice with all kinds of keyboard sounds and a merry Christmas tune in the background.

The next one up Song for Europe is rather anthemic and loud, although after the bombastic opening the music subsides. The closer of the album is the long title track. The vocals are rather like earlier, a bit like Godley and Creme/10CC. After the vocal part we get into quiet waters with some piano and soft keyboard, which goes into a more bouncy part and the vocals return. The lyrics are on the one hand optimistic "what a wonderful world" but the title implies otherwise.

The Sun and Judgment are from the 1984 recording of In the Region of the Summer Stars, probably The Enid best album to date, while The Dreamer is a biographical track (according to the booklet) from Six Pieces. The Sun starts out quietly with possible synthetic trumpet/bugle in the distance. A flowing, melodic track.

Judgment is a small symfony in the line of Fand, with good melodies, dynamic and even "progressive" in the strong sense. Very classical, and a good track.

The Dreamer is a pianic piece, subdued and

Conclusion

Again, it's hard to tell anything about an album by this band, being so thoroughly original and still sounding so familiar. The music has of course many classical influences, but can be bouncy as well. The vocal parts can be likened to Godley and Creme. Still, as always some parts are to me a little to mellow, but it seems that comes with the Enid naturally.