PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA: biography
cds in stock
British group formed in late 70s by multi-instrumentalist/composer Simon Jeffes (born London, 1948 - died, Somerset, 1997, brain tumour). He studied music in London in the 60's and visited Japan in 1972. A friend gave him a tape of African music in '73. Along the way he arranged the strings for Sid Vicious' My Way and tutored Adam Ant on Burundi drumming. Said PCO is for "people capable of enjoying Wilson Pickett, Beethoven, the Rolling Stones, choral music from West Africa, Bach, Stravinsky, Irish bagpipemusic and even Abba on the odd occasion". Album Broadcasting From Home included Music For A Found Harmonium, used in TV ads for The Independent in 1986. The music sounded "roughly like a string quartet letting its hair down at some mysteriously-located barn dance of the future," wrote Robert Sandall in the Sunday Times.
String band included Helen Liebman on cello, Gavyn Wright, Elizabeth Perry and Bob Lovejoy on violins, Steve Nye on keyboards, Neil Rennie on cuatro andukelele.
Simon Jeffes with Helen Liebman were the only constants throughout the history pf PCO. Musicians came and went.
In 1972 Steve Nye met up with Simon Jeffes and the Penguin Café Orchestra was formed. Nye played keyboards on and co-produced five PCO albums.
Steve Nye introduced Jeffes to Brian Eno, and through his newly formed label Obscure Records released Music From the Penguin Cafe in 1975.
To define or pigeon hole the music of PCO is to destroy and kill it. It isn't new age, ambient, light classical...it's PCO music and that alone should be enough. Beautiful music without words which can conjure up a myriad of memories is my attempt at pigeon holing nonetheless. A beginner's guide to their music is the best of cd, Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Buy it and discover the uniquely British treasures of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
PCO Film & Advertising Credits:
Films
- The Good Girl (2002)
- Chuck and Buck (USA 2000)
- Oskar and Leni (Germany 1999)
- All the Little Animals (UK 1999)
- Hear my Song (Ireland 1991)
- Malcolm (Australia 1989)
- Stesso Sangue (Italy 1989)
- Nightshift (UK 1981),
Advertising
- Mercury One to One
- IBM USA
- Volvo USA
- Eurotunnel
- Knorr foods
- Hob Knobs
- Hewlett Packard
- Sunday Independent Newspaper
Steve Nye Producer Credits:
- In Your Mind (Bryan Ferry)
- Tin Drum (Japan)
- Brilliant Trees (David Sylvian)
- Gone To Earth (David Sylvian)
- Secrets of the Beehive (David Sylvian)
- Mummer (XTC)
- Macalla (Clannad)
- The Walk (The Cure)
- Storyville (Robbie Robertson)
CDS IN STOCK: (Penguin Cafe Orchestra)
-
A Brief History
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK sacd album
(2003)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Virgin
Catalogue Number: 8128482
Track listing:
-
Bean fields (live)
- Telephone and rubber band
- Music for a found harmonium
- Perpetuum mobile
- From the colonies (live)
- Giles Farnaby's dream (live)
- Surface tension
- Air a danser
- Yodel 1
- Numbers 1 to 4
- Steady state
- Paul's dance
- Prelude and yodel (live)
- Heartwind
- White mischief
- Dirt
- Rosasolis
- Organum
- Lullaby
cd available:
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-
Broadcasting From Home
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK cd album
(1987)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: EG Records
Catalogue Number: EEGCD38
Track listing:
-
Music for a found harmonium
- Prelude and yodel
- More milk
- Sheep dip
- White mischief
- In the back of a taxi
- Music by numbers
- Another one from the colonies
- Air
- Heartwind
- Isle of view (music for helicopter pilots)
- Now nothing
cd available:
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-
Concert Programme
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK 2 cd set
(2003)
Track listing:
Disc: 1
- Air A Danser
- Cage Dead (Version 2)
- Organum
- Southern Jukebox Music
- Numbers 1-4
- Air
- Perpetuum Mobile
- Nothing Really Blue
- Telephone And Rubber Band
Disc: 2
- Beanfields
- Vega
- Surface Tension (Where The Trees Meet The Sky)
- Oscar Tango
- Music For A Found Harmonium
- Lifeboat (Lovers' Rock)
- Steady State
- Scherzo And Trio
- Giles Farnaby's Dream
- Salty Bean Fumble
- Red Shorts
Review:
Jazziz (9/95, p.33) - "...As an introduction to the band, Concert Programme is a good enough collection, but taken as part of a larger body of work, and coupled
with their previous album, Union Cafe, it indicates that the Penguin Cafe Orchestra is in need of refurbishing..."
Number of Discs: 2
Label: Zopf
Catalogue Number: ZOPFD2
cd available:
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-
History
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK 4 cd set. Original recording remastered
(2001)
60 tracks
Number of Discs: 4
Label: Emi Int'l
Album Description:
UK compilation represents the most comprehensive collection of the unique rock act's material available to date. 60 digitally remastered tracks including two previously unreleased tracks, Yodel 2 & In The Back Of A Taxi. The 4 discs are housed in a deluxe hardback book-style format (approx. 5.5 x 10 inches). Includes 48 pages of notes, color photographs & discography. 2001.
cd available:
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-
Music From the Penguin Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK cd album
(1987)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: EG
Catalogue Number: EEGCD27
Track listing:
-
Chartered flight
- Hugebaby
- Penguin Cafe single
- Sound of someone you love
- Zopf (From the colonies)
cd available:
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-
Oskar Und Leni
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK cd album
(1999)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Peregrina Music
Track listing:
-
Life Boat
- Anotherone from the Porlock
- Southern Juke Box Music
- Nothing Really Blue
- Silver Star of Bologna
- Steady State
- Oscar Tango
- Thorn Tree Wind
- Red Shorts
- Air Danser
cd available:
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-
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK cd album
(1990)
Originally released: 1981
Number of Discs: 1
Label: EG Records
Track listing:
-
Air a Danser
- Yodel 1
- Telephone and Rubber Band
- Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter
- Pythagoras's Trousers
- Numbers 1 to 4
- Yodel 2
- Salty Bean Fumble
- Paul's Dance
- Ecstasy of Dancing Fleas
- Walk, Don't Run
- Flux
- Simon's Dream
- Harmonic Necklace
- Steady State
cd available:
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-
Preludes, Airs & Yodels
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
US cd album
(1998)
Track listing:
-
Music for a Found Harmonium
- Perpetuum Mobile
- Penguin Cafe Single
- Air
- Telephone and Rubber Band
- Dirt
-
Giles Farnaby's Dream
- Oscar Tango
- Rosasolis
- Air a Danser
- Music for a Found Harmonium - Patrick Street
- Yodel 3
- White Mischief
- Prelude and Yodel
- Harmonic Necklace
- Steady State
- Nothing Really Blue
- Pandaharmonium
- Piano Music
Review:
Simon Jeffes's gravity-defying ensemble serves up a compilation of 19 tracks dating back to 1976. A great primer for beginners, this includes marvels of wit and construction like Telephone & Rubber Band and Music for a Found Harmonium (which is also heard here in a version by Celtic group Patrick Street).
--Jeff Bateman
Album Description:
Compilation of the best tracks from their six studio albums plus Patrick Street's performance of Music For A Found Harmonium and the exclusive Orb remix of it, entitled Pandaharmonium.
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Caroline
cd available:
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-
Signs of Life
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK cd album
(1987)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: EG Records
Catalogue Number: EEGCD50
Track listing:
-
Bean fields
- Southern jukebox music
- Horns of the bull
- Oscar tango
- Snake and the lotus
- Rosasolis
- Sketch
- Perpetuum mobile
- Swing the cat
- Wildlife
- Dirt
cd available:
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-
Still Life At The Penguin Cafe And The Penguin Cafe Orchestra - A Profile
The Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House Orchestra
UK pal video
(1990)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Decca
Synopsis:
A performance of the ballet Still Life At The Penguin Cafe performed by the Royal Ballet, narrated by Jeremy Irons. Music by the Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Isaiah Jackson. Also includes a profile on the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
cd available:
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-
Union Cafe
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK cd album
(2003)
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Zopf
Catalogue Number: ZOPFD1
Track listing:
-
Scerzo And Trio
- Lifeboat (Lover's Rock)
- Nothing Really Blue
- Cage Dead
- Vega
- Yodel 3
- Organum
- Another One From Porlock
- Thorn Tree Wind
- Silver Star Of Bologana
- Discover America
- Pythagoras On The Line
- Kora Kora
- Lie Back And Think England
- Red Shorts
- Passing Through
cd available:
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-
When in Rome Live
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
UK cd album
(1990)
Track listing:
-
Air a Danser
- Yodel 1
- Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter
- From the Colonies
- Southern Jukebox Music
- Numbers 1 to 4
- Telephone and Rubber Band
- Air
- Beanfields
- Paul's Dance
- Oscar Tango
- Music for a Found Harmonium
- Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots)
- Prelude and Youdel
- Dirt
- Giles Farnaby's Dream
Number of Discs: 1
Label: EG
cd available:
amazon.com (us)
amazon.co.uk (uk)
amazon.co.jp (japan)
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