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Progressive Ears.com - Gather close and Secret Green will lead you on the path through the hedgerow leading to a secret, mystical place where Merlin lives, the wind is on the Moor, and where we can conjure up the summer. Here "sinister shadows creep", "the hag and hungry fiend look to rend one into rags", and "Tom O'Bedlam spits a curse at the meek around him". But fame and honor is welcome, five Goddesses dance, and will be well as the King awakens. (From the album's lyrics). If you can make the jump of pure imagination, Secret Green have created this marvelous escape into a certain state of mind. And they have done so without resorting to juvenile fairy stories or beasts. The album's setting is in an alternate universe of England's past, where all is yet unspoiled by the modern world. This album tells no operatic tale, but paints a large scale picture in full flower of music of the Albion of Celtic legend. Beginning this album with “Prelude”, one starts off watching the sun rise over an English village, then you follow the minstrel through the village, his flute keeping up a jolly tune on his way to the "Beltane Fair, a dancing day..." in the mystical place of "Albion, Avalon of the Heart". Over the course of the next almost hour of music, you meet the denizens of this place in stories of realistic people exhibiting courage, fear, joy and feelings of loss. It all makes sense and makes a worthwhile diversion. The performances of Francis Lickerish (guitars, bass,etc), Jon Beedle (guitars), William Gilmour (keyboards) and Matt Hodge (drums and percussion) along with six supporting musicians are flawless. Hilary Palmer's voice is a winner, with just enough Celtic lilt to make the album's transformation believable, but without the operatic drama of Agnieszka Swita of Caamora or the modern angst of Christina Booth of Magenta. Palmer is a ringer for Candice Night of Blackmore's Knight, but with even more voice control. Although it plays a prominent role in many of the songs, the orchestra is not credited anywhere except that it is played by Francis Lickerish. To Wake The King is a fully symphonic picture, although not in a form one would recognize outside of the rock and folk worlds. Folk guitars, a beautiful solo lute, flutes and woodwinds place the music squarely in Celtic England. To understand the music, one should be acquainted with the music of The Enid from Robert John Godfrey on symphonic keyboards and the same Francis Lickerish on that sustained guitar style that must have been taught to Mike Oldfield. The orchestra supports the folk and rock musicians, especially on the tracks “Camlann” and “Nimuë” where the orchestra ebbs and flows, almost to being lost, then returns with a huge pipe organ in tow creating all sorts of drama and tension. When compared with other recent symphonic excursions such as the rock opera Her by Caamora or Magenta's Metamorphosis, To Wake The King has much to offer and is very satisfying if you let yourself go and believe in Albion. There are no overwrought operatic binges, wild guitar solos, or huge choral blasts. The music stays within bounds, and lets the melodies and lyrics work. The full color CD booklet helps to prolong the fantasy with costumed band members in settings of "Albion" (one is sporting his kilt) and provides complete lyrics. A really masterful package. MissingPiece.net - Band leader Francis Lickerish will be well known to fans of The Enid having been one of the founding members back in the seventies and into the eighties. He's gathered together an excellent band featuring the ethereal vocal talents of Hilary Palmer. Helping out Lickerish in the guitar department is Jon Beedle and on drums is Matt Hodge. William Gilmour plays keyboards and Lickerish also plays some keyboards, lute and bass. Not surprisingly Lickerish has brought his Enid influences into the music which is a refreshing blend of classical, symphonic prog and medieval folk. The music is brilliantly executed, the band creating an album of immense beauty. The sound is incredibly dynamic from powerful symphonic bombast to as quiet as you can imagine. A beautiful mix of Blackmore's Knight, Renaissance, Strawbs and of course, The Enid. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Prog-Nose.com - Francis Lickerish is back with a new band. His name should ring a bell, because he was a founder member of The Enid. And he surrounded himself with some very fine musicians. Guitar player John Beedle already performed with Sir Cliff Richard and Steve Morse (Deep Purple) and many others. William Gilmour played the keyboards with The Enid from 1977 till 1980 and Matt Hodge already played the drums with numerous artists including Ray Davies, Brian May and The Nolan Sisters. They were lucky to find Hilary Palmer who has the perfect voice for this music and also plays the flute and Secret Green was born. The links with The Enid don’t stop here because current members of The Enid (Robert John Godfrey, Jason Ducker and Dave Storey) all make guest appearances on this CD and Max Read (ex The Enid) co-produced the album. The album opens with a prelude which stays too quiet for the first three minutes. (I thought my CD player was broken). It very slowly grows towards “Ecchoing Green”. During this prelude you can already hear the specific guitar sound which returns during the whole album and makes me think so much of the Mike Oldfield sound in “Moonlight Shadow”. The sound of Secret Green is a mix of the early Mostly Autumn, Blackmore’s Night, Mike Oldfield and of course the early Enid. It’s not easy to get into the music because the vocal lines contain some strange, unexpected twists, but this makes the Secret Green sound special. Once you get used to it, you will love the album. The whole album contains a lot of folk references but progressive rock is never far away. Just take a look at the length of the tracks and you know this is a treat for progrock fans. It’s fine to have a great musician as Francis back with a new release.
Prog Archives.com - What an unexpected pleasure it was to hear that Francis Lickerish had a new project on the go and was to release a new album as Secret Green. Lickerish will be well known to fans of The Enid having been one of the founding members back in the seventies and into the eighties. He's gathered together an excellent band featuring the ethereal vocal talents of Hilary Palmer who had briefly played with Lickerish back in the eighties in Rutterkin. Helping out Lickerish in the guitar department is Jon Beedle and on drums is Matt Hodge. William Gilmour plays keyboards and Lickerish also plays some keyboards, lute and bass. Not surprisingly Lickerish has brought his Enid influences into the music which is a refreshing blend of classical, symphonic prog and medieval folk. The music is brilliantly executed, the band creating an album of immense beauty. The sound is incredibly dynamic from powerful symphonic bombast to as quiet as you can imagine. This is no better demonstrated than on opener Prelude with its orchestral and extremely long fade in coming from total silence to a climatic crescendo topped by Lickerish's distinctive guitar sound. It's straight into the powerful opening of Ecchoing Green, a track of enormous breadth and containing all the grandeur of The Enids music with the added bonus of Hilary Palmers beautiful voice. It's an album full of highlights over its 74 minutes though the first 3 tracks set a high standard that is never beaten but sometimes equalled. Palmers St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow chorister experience is put to good use, multi-tracking her voice to great effect on the excellent On Merlin's Ground, another track of extreme dynamics. Tom O'Bedlam by contrast is a relatively simpler piece with more of a folk influence than the more classically inspired tracks preceding it, though not abandoning the set tone altogether. Without going into every track individually and repeating myself, you probably get the idea by now of the breadth and scope of this excellent album where the folk elements sit comfortably alongside the largely orchestrated music. If you have ever enjoyed the work of The Enid then To Wake The King is an album you'll almost certainly want to own. It's an album of immense originality with few if any parallels in music today apart from the inevitable Enid comparisons of course. An album destined to be one of the highlights of 2009.
New Horizons - "In the mid to late 70's Francis Lickerish was one of the driving forces behind one of Britains most eclectic bands 'The Enid'. He played guitar on the band's first four studio albums, as well as appearing on a couple of live releases, and then left the music scene altogether. Now I'm delighted to say he's back with a brand new band, and what's more he's brought another former Enid member, keyboardist William Gilmour, along with him for this exciting new project, Secret Green. Unsurprisingly there is much here musically that reminds one of the Enid. The classic Enid work 'In The Region of the Summer Stars' is referenced several times; 'On Merlins Ground' (4.30) features a brief passage from 'Under the Summer Stars' (2.10) while Camlann (4.55) contains what is essentially a reworking of 'The Last Day, The Flood' ... and there is more besides that makes one remember what the Enid were as well as think of what they might have been had things worked out differently. Coupled with the obvious references in the music it is worth also noting that current members of The Enid (Robert John Godfrey, Jason Ducker and Dave Storey) all make guest appearacnes on this album! But this work is much much more than a retrospective, or a rehash of past glories. The inclusion of Hilary Palmer on vocals takes the project into altogether new areas, adding to the mix something that contains a dash of folk and a dash of medieval music, along the lines of Blackmore's Night perhaps. At first I was a little unsure as to whether this was what I wanted to hear, as the music really is excellent in its own right, but I have to say that Hilary's voice really is superb and I quickly warmed to the fact that her clear tones added something to the sound that really made this new project quite unique. Secret Green certainly has an identity of it's own that sets it apart from other bands. Additionally there are also elements in the music that have what I can best describe as having a strong Christmas flavour. The joyful exuberance in 'Ecchoing Green' for example is spiritually uplifting as well as beautifully orchestrated, and certainly contains more than a touch of seasonal warmth. But there is probably a good reason for this ..... in terms of content the band's website describes the album as being about the much-looked-for return of the sleeping king. The website states 'Who is the King? Some might like to say it is Arthur, and if that pleases you, all well and good'. And here perhaps is the explanation for my observation, after all what is Christmas if not a celebration of the coming of the King! The songs featured on this album often have straightforward melodies which you can easily carry in your head, but the beauty comes in the intricate musical variations that are woven around these themes. Francis' distinct style of guitar playing is a pleasure to listen to, whether of the electric or acoustic variety, and the keyboard playing along with the level of orchestration throughout this work is faultless. Bass and percussion also provide solid underpinning to the music and nothing here seems out of place. To try and cover the album on a track by track basis would be impossible, there is so much here that really has to be heard as words just cannot do the music the justice it deserves. Suffice it to say that 'To Wake the King' certainly marks a triumphal return to form for Francis Lickerish after so long an absence. He has pulled together a team of top notch musicians who seem to know how to make music that should appeal to a very broad fan base. The music seems to embody a true sense of Englishness, in every good sense, and it has an uplifting quality that honestly makes you feel glad to be alive! Packaging too is first class, and a lot of trouble has been clearly been taken with the album artwork. The accompanying booklet has also been beautifully put together and in addition to the usual photographs and song lyrics some of the songs are presented with a short narrative piece which helps set the scene - Francis always was known for his story telling on stage, and it's nice to see this carried over to the album booklet! The attention to detail throughout all adds up to a real quality product. As you have probably gathered by now this is, in my opinion, a really wonderful album and one which deserves to be heard by a wider audience than it will probably reach. I love everything about this work and genuinely cannot think of any negative points at all! So, do yourself a favour, visit the band's website, check out the samples, buy yourself a copy and spread the word ... the time may indeed have come 'To Wake The King!'."
Menno von Brucken Fock (Dutch Progressive Rock Page) - "This is almost a fairytale. Once there was this great outfit called the Enid who produced absolutely gorgeous music combining classical, folk and progressive, sometimes a bit like Gryphon but much more classically orientated and very, very bombastic. In spite of the loyal fan base (The Stand), eventually the band split up in the late nineties. The year 2008, however, welcomes four members of the Enid back to the musical front: Godfrey and Ducker in the newly reformed Enid - Lickerish (some twenty years out of the music scene!) and Gilmour in Secret Green. Obviously the main influences for both composers (Godfrey and Lickerish) are about the same: classical music and folk. The one name that is missing is the name of Stephen Stewart, who is probably still working as a sound engineer. Francis Lickerish is an established counsellor and group therapist and he is known to use his music and abilities to play a wide range of instruments, for his work as a therapist. About the album: the Prelude consists of subtle orchestral sounds; from hardly detectable it goes crescendo and after some 3 minutes the bombastic sounds reach their climax when Lickerish’s and Beedle's guitars join in and produce the sound we know so well from the band Lickerish (& Willie Gilmour) used to play in: The Enid. Then heraldic trumpet sounds take over, adding a medieval (or even earlier) atmosphere and their outburst is followed by track two, Ecchoing Green a classically orientated composition with lots of orchestral sounds and flutes. Former Enid-member Dave Storey participates in this track. The atmosphere of folk music is clearly there when Hilary Palmer starts to sing. A folk tune alternated by somewhat heavier music played by the band, same melodies though and maintaining that orchestral feel, a beautiful combination of classical and (very) early Middle Ages. Classical combined with New Age and here and there a bit of Renaissance in On Merlin’s Ground, beautifully sung by Hilary, especially the parts where she sings triple vocals which are really awesome. The next track is also featuring Hilary’s voice but next to some ‘folky’ passages, the music leans towards Mike Oldfield’s Moonlight Shadow atmosphere, so a bit more ‘prog-pop-rock’. Pavan (an ancient English dance) is a mixture of pop and folk music, with mainly ‘strings’ and ‘horns’ and just a few a bit more bombastic interludes. Very nice proggy orchestral rock in Galliard with pretty cool guitar solos, alternated by a pure folk tune sung by Hilary. In Louré we hear sounds as from an old musical box and the ‘orchestra’. With the addition of kettledrums and more orchestral power plus guitars, the last part is tastefully majestic! Back to medieval folk in Allemande, a short tune featuring the acoustic guitar and the ‘orchestra’. The beautiful combination of early folk (using percussion, flutes, electric guitars and strings), prog and classical music returns in Bransle. The song Camlann features the return of another member of the Enid: Jason Ducker on guitar. The first part is folk-music, followed by a piece of haunting dark music by primarily horns and sounds of contrabass; gently the first electric guitars are playing a melody line while more orchestral sounds are added. The atmosphere remains dark except for the parts with contributions by harp-samples, flutes and gongs. In the last part the strings and flutes prevail, thus more relaxing and folk oriented music, also because of Hilary’s singing. The music in the last track Nimuë features the contribution of the godfather of the Enid: Robert John Godfrey on church organ. The characteristic and powerful combination of folk and classical returns once more and partly due to Godfrey’s organ, the sound is much like the Enid. Beautiful melodies, carefully arranged instrumentation and sounds and a good story too.
Mark Hughes (Dutch Progressive Rock Page) - "Secret Green heralds the welcome return of the Francis Lickerish, one of the two guitarists that gave The Enid their characteristic sound on their classic early recordings. Lickerish, who as well as writing the majority of the music and lyrics, plays guitars, lute, bass and keyboards is joined by Hilary Palmer (vocals and flute), Jon Beedle (guitars and balalaika), fellow ex-Enid member William Gilmour (keyboards) and Matt Hodge (drums). The associations with Lickerish's old band don't end with Gilmour as the album was recorded at The Enid's Lodge studios, was co-produced by Enid member Max Read, features Enid drummer Dave Storey on one song and the inimitable Robert John Godfrey on another and, more importantly, continues and expands on The Enid tradition of grandiose, orchestral music, albeit with a healthy dose of English folk blended in. Based on the tales of King Arthur and Merlin (think more Malory's Morte D'Arthur than Disney's Sword in the Stone!) the title refers to the legend that King Arthur will awake and rise again when Sacred Avalon is at the time of greatest peril... The striking thing about [the opening track] Prelude is its incredibly long build time, taken from sub-auditory levels and very gradually building taking well over three minutes until the crescendo. The effect of this extended introduction is anticipatory and I have to admit that when the very characteristic sound of Lickerish's guitar enters a smile crossed my face, just like The Enid in their heyday. Although Godfrey may have been the principal writer, it is obvious that Lickerish was a major component of the sound. Indeed, listen carefully and you may hear a familiar refrain before the trumpet fanfare, played by Raul D'Oliveira, awakens the birds and the church bells that lead into Ecchoing Green. [Not a typographical error, but reference to the poem of the same name by William Blake, which also explains the sound effects: The sky-lark and thrush, The birds of the bush, Sing louder around, To the bells chearful sound, While our sports shall be seen On the Ecchoing Green.] A jolly number and the first we get to hear from vocalist Palmer. Multi-tracked to provide her own harmonies, she sings in a folk style without overstepping the mark. The music incorporates a section of Sanctus from Six Pieces the last album by the Enid to feature the classic line up, including of course both Lickerish and Gilmour, but heads off in a variety of directions, at times almost sounding like it is going to break into the theme tune from BBC TV's The Antiques Roadshow! Very uplifting and nice that Dave Story gets to join in on drums. On Merlin's Ground starts more sedately and lets Palmer strike out hitting the high notes with perfect clarity. Some people may have problems adjusting to the vocal style but I think it is best not to overanalyse such things. Her singing does complement the music, and given the extended running time of album there are plenty of musical passages. Like the middle section of the song which is fantastically orchestrated and, once more, has an Enid tease, this time the slightest hint of In The Region Of The Summer Stars. Tom O'Bedlam takes on a more Celtic air in the first half and is, for me the least memorable bit of the album. However, a brief Baroque-like section leads into a tumultuous ending with Lickerish proving that he has lost none of his flare on the guitar. The Guinevere Suite, comprising the Five Courtly Dances, starts off with the slow processional Pavan with a majestic melody, the guitars and keyboards combining wonderfully. Galliard is a more athletic number with twin guitars kicking off the number, another fine and memorable melody and an ending that is completely over the top in the finest of traditions! Continuing with Louré is again a slower number but the glorious sound of the keyboards, what used to be racks of analogue synths in the Enid requiring up to three musicians, gives it a real rise. The instrumental Allemande, is, as the subtitle may suggest, a guitar piece played by Jon Beedle. The set of Baroque dances ends with Bransle, which, apparently, is thought to have been more of a dance favoured by the commoner. But no class distinctions here, as the music is sheer quality. Camlann, probably named for the Camlann Medieval Village, a living history type of museum, starts with another Baroque fanfare which is followed by an intense stretch of subdued musicality, setting the scene and not following conventions as such, but being as it is, for what it is. Things ramp up with revisitations of themes from previous pieces, albeit played on different instruments and in a different setting. It is almost 12 minutes before the vocals start, sung in Gaelic (?) and sounding very spiritual in nature, a flavour of mediaeval religious music. The end flows continuously into the last track of the album, Nimuë. For those not converse with Arthurian legend, Nimuë was a lady of the lake, who stole Merlin's heart and was ultimately the cause of his demise - even though he had foretold his own death at the hands of Nimuë, so smitten by her was he that he was unable to defend himself against her charms. With Robert John Godfrey on church organ the instrumental sections of this piece are as grandiose, epic, stimulating, invigorating and exciting as anything The Enid did in their prime. A stunning end to a marvellous album. At the recent Enid re-launch concert in London, Godfrey expressed a desire to put on a full Enid show with multiple guitarists and keyboard players, just like in the old days. With Lickerish performing again and obviously back in touch with Godfrey (he and an acoustic version of Secret Green were support at the gig) one can but hope that he would be a part of such a venture, particularly as he still holds a lot of the musical ideas of his old band close to his heart. Until the new Enid album is released (and the new track on the recent 'rehearsal' CD suggests it could be worth the wait), fans of this type of classical, orchestrated prog will do well to fill the time by listening to Secret Green, and whilst at it take a listen to Lickerish's expert lute performances available on his MySpace page". Conclusion: 9/10
Classic Rock Magazine - " The brainchild of one-time Enid guitarist Francis Lickerish, this is a record that has actually taken a long time to come to fruition. And the result is an oddity, albeit one with its own worthwhile stature. Yet it gives the impression of being possessed of an agitated spirit trying to give meaning to the music. However, that’s probably the impression that Lickerish and his ensemble – vocalist Hilary Palmer, guitarist Jon Beedle, keyboard player William Gilmour and drummer Matt Hodge – want to convey. This isn’t a concept album, more one driven by the desire to celebrate old-fashioned values of English life, ones which are fast disappearing. Consequently, there’s a heavy nostalgia value here, which owes much to the approach of the early Enid , matched by a fascination with classical composers like Sir Edward Elgar and Benjamin Britten. The result is a record that has as much joy and melancholy, yet is as funereal as it is full of life. At times, Secret Green can’t seem to make up their mind whether to mourn the passing of old times, or to firmly believe they can be resurrected. But, thanks to the talent and commitment here, To Wake The King is ultimately interesting".
Background Magazine - "An old musician’s trick in order to get his music played loud is beginning an album with a very soft piece of music. That happened to me when I put the debut album of British band Secret Green for the first time in my CD player. The opening track of To Wake The King is entitled Prelude-Sunrise. At first, you won’t hear anything but singing birds. Indeed, just like sunrise, but then Prelude-Avalon bursts loose and the music gets very loud. The tempo fastens by the rhythm of a strong drumbeat. After waking up you will hear some wonderful orchestral tunes and a beautiful melody played on the electric guitar. The music strongly reminded me of one band in particular: The Enid, formed by Robert John Godfrey (keyboards) and Francis Lickerish (guitars) in the early seventies. They recorded a number of wonderful albums like In The Region Of The Summer Stars, Aerie Faerie Nonsense and Six Pieces. You can describe their compositions as classical music performed by a rock band. Instead of using real strings and brass, The Enid used keyboards and guitar synthesizers, but with the same atmosphere as the great classical composers. Founder member Francis Lickerish is finally back with his new band Secret Green. That explains the connection with The Enid I immediately heard. To Wake The King has a lot to offer. The use of several old percussion instruments, lutes, flutes and balalaikas give the music a medieval English folk character, a sound that evokes images of the days of King Arthur and the knights of the round table. The main theme on this album deals with England’s good old days when everything was assumed better than nowadays. Many people are wishing for an inspiring leader who leads us into a better world. So, time to wake the king again. Sometimes you also get the impression that you are listening to a movie score dealing with King Arthur or Henry VIII. Francis Lickerish is not the only one responsible for this album. He assembled a line-up that was able to create this beautiful piece of music. Hilary Palmer is an outstanding singer. Her voice often reminds me of Cathy Alexander (The Morrigan) and Annie Haslam (Renaissance). The drumming, mostly done by Matt Hodge, sounds like old Enid-drummer Dave Storey. You can hear fantastic drumming on Ecchoing Green. Jon Beedle is the extra guitarist in the band and former Enid buddy William Gilmour played together with Francis all keyboard parts, with the exception of ex-Enid member Robert John Godfrey. He gave the final piece Nimuë an impressive ending on a church organ. Francis Lickerish spent a lot of time on this project over the last three years. However, the results are remarkable. Secret Green have delivered a debut album of great quality. I think many prog heads will like this album that brings you back to the time when Guinevere, Morgan and Lancelot were well known in England".
Total Rock Radio - "A wonderfully evocative musical melange of folk, progressive and classical themes - this is classical Engish rock. Secret Green have no agenda - but they are celebrating the core values of a bygone age. And doing it remarkably well"
Alan Clark - "I really enjoyed the album; there are some very strong melodic moments and I especially like the inclusion of the riff from Summer Stars; it comes across as a very reflective moment. Some parts are reminiscent of 6 Pieces, in addition to the melody from Sanctus, which is fine by me as that is a superb album. I very much like that the album has a positive vibe and I look forward to future releases and catching the band live at some stage. Best wishes"
Peter Wood - "I have just received my copy of this wonderful new album and have to say - it is everything I was hoping for! Francis, it is without doubt 'you' and has some very strong moments throughout the 74 minutes of quality music. For me, I'm glad to say that there are little hints of early Enid here (Which one would expect) but the album has it's own very strong identity. There are some delightful tunes and instrumental interplay and I can't imagine anyone else out there coming up with anything quite like To Wake The King! I'm going to listen more but if you've stumbled across this site or this review and were wondering about buying the album - wonder no more! Go for it. It is also worth mentioning that the cover and package as a whole is beautiful!"
Richard Masters - "I received my copy of "To Wake The King" this morning and, already I've played it four times - it's that good. There are snippets of the music on this website but, to be honest, they understate the full glory of the concept and music to be found on the album. Regarding the music, there is, as you might expect, an Enid feel to a lot of it, but I also hear the influence of such great composers as Mahler and Puccini. I really don't think it's possible to categorise the music except to say it's a blend of English folk, progressive rock and orchestral power. It would be very difficult to name a favourite track, but if pushed, I might go for "The Track Of The Moon On The Water" or "My Lady Morgana's Orrery" If you're an Enid fan and fond of the 'big finales' you won't be disappointed. Neither will you be disappointed with the standard of musicianship or quality of recording. There are some CDs which are listened to a few times and then put away to gather dust. My copy of "To Wake The King" will never require the services of a duster!"
Keith Fleeman - "To Wake The King" is just magnificent, emotional, uplifting music which does what I think great music should do – it lifts you up and takes you on a journey – it is the musical equivalent of an epic movie. It retains the powerful meld of rock with orchestral style arrangements that The Enid had in their classic days while adding in a deceptively simple folky feel. The singer, Hilary Palmer, has a rather mannered classical/folk style which took me a moment to get used to, but actually fits the music and carries the songs beautifully. As for Francis Lickerish’s guitar work, I’ve always been a fan of his emotive, fluid style and it’s great to hear it again, both when perfectly meshed with the orchestral arrangement and when it breaks out in a climactic solo. I don’t want to sound too gushing here, but this is music that deserves to be heard and I’m very grateful music like this is still being made – it doesn’t try to fit any trend, it’s just music for music’s sake – it is an extraordinary production and you should really listen to it". ~~~
Andy Wells - "Well! What can I say, the power and reinforcment behind Robert John Godfrey's compositions was definately in early Enid days driven by Francis. You can hear this influence on "To Wake The King"; RJG had great passion on pianoforte as did Elgar but to lose the passion on guitar was sad, Secret Green bring back the sheer delight of the mixture "classic rock" and classical composition with mystic elements of folk music. Keep it up guys [Pure Magic]" ~~~
Nik - "I picked this up at the recent Secret Green/Enid (gig at Bush Hall - edit). An album by Francis Lickerish's new band Secret Green. I am typing this as I am listening to it - Before I go into the album the set I saw by the band was an unplugged set so mostly light and pleasant, this album is a total contrast to that. Very Progressive and full of surprises. With beautifully sung lyrics by Hilary Palmer and music by the rest of the band and the production by Max Read have blended an awesome album. Nothing dominates over anything else, The Keyboard work by William Gilmour is perfect for this album. Drums and percussion comes from the able talents of Matt Hodge, additional guitars by Jon Beedle. |
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