Destiny brought him back there, and what he found upon visiting was that Finchden was in the throes of closing up for good leaving many of the boys with nowhere to go. By this time, Steve Stewart and Francis Lickerish were both "students" there.

They were busy preparing the music for Finchden's final theatrical production, "The Quest For the Holy Grail". Robert, eager to pay homage to his alma mater, put his expertise to work in aiding the two young guitarists on the project.

He later reminisced on the whole venture as the most important religious and emotional experience of his life. Certainly it was important in that it signified The Enid was born - June 1973.

BIRTH AND A YOUTHFUL SPIRIT

Adding a fourth member, the band moved into a house together and eagerly commenced writing original musical material (some of which was based on the music for "The Holy Grail"): a concept album relating to tarot cards and psychology, to be called "The Voyage Of The Acolyte." Tony Stratton-Smith was approached with the idea, but Charisma had to balk at signing The Enid for what must have been financial reasons. Subsequently Tony Stratton-Smith told Steve Hackett about The Enid's concept, who based his own first solo work on it. (Another connection to Hackett is his one-time, keyboardist, Nick Magnus, who was also an early Enid member for a short time,).

Re-titled more poetically as "In the Region of the Summer Stars," The Enid's debut was recorded in late 1974 and early 1975, but not released until a year later. Joining them for this project were drummer, Dave Story; Glen Tollet, as second keyboardist; and bassist Neil Kavanaugh.

By this time they were signed to Buk Records, which was later distributed by EMI. EMI, and later Pye Records, would play a very implacable Goliath to The Enid's David in their early years. Furthermore the band would be dogged by internal and external problems that seem straight out of a Dickens novel. Unscrupulous managers, unfortunate timing and record company impropriety would all take their turn in trying to break the spirit of a group who steadfastly maintained their artistic integrity in the face of the reductionism of punk/new wave, even during the wasteland of the 80's. Few other 70's bands managed that feat.