Penguin Caf Orchestra

Simon Jeffes, Helen Liebmann, Steve Nye, Gavyn Wright plus Neil Rennie, Emily Young.

1976 MUSIC FROM THE PENGUIN CAF
A1.Penguin Caf Single A2.ZOPF: A2a.From the Colonies A2b.In a Sydney Motel
A2c.Surface Tension (Where the Trees Meet the Sky) A2d.Milk A2e.Coronation
A2f.Giles Farnabys Dream A2g.Pigtail B1.The Sound of Someone You Love Whos
Going Away and It Doesnt Matter B2.Hugebaby B3.Chartered Flight

(orig lp) UK Obscure OBS-7, GER Editions EG 2311 041, JPN Editions EG 25MM-0138
(reiss lp) February 20, 1990: US Editions EG EGED-27
(reiss cs) UK Vigin OVEDC-431
(reiss cd) 1987: GER EMI 787 448, February 20, 1990: UK/US Editions EG EEGCD-27, US Caroline
1544

Which of these instruments is out of place: violin, cello, harmonium or ukelele? If you said
ukelele, youre wrong. Its right at home in the music of Penguin Caf Orchestra, the
brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Simon Jeffes. How they found a home on Editions EG is a
mystery to me, though the Eno connection obviously had something to do with it. Their music is
childlike, playful, not at all the studied minimalism of Harold Budd or brain-crunching music of
Lounge Lizards. Songs like Penguin Caf Single and In A Sydney Motel are disarming in the
extreme, and most of the Editions EG artists came heavily armed with their own erudite ambitions.
Not that Music From The Penguin Caf doesnt succumb to its own artiness sometimes: Milk,
Pigtail, the middle section of The Sound of Someone You Love Whos Going Away and It Doesnt
Matter. Blame it on the orchestra in their name. Theyre really not an orchestra but rather a
quartet of cello, violin, Steve Nye doing a modest Eno impersonation and Jeffes. Their music
could be described as Anthony Phillips Private Party and Classical Pieces, as it presumes
acoustic music is just as mesmerizing as electronica. Honestly, their second album is the one to
own; its way more fun. But their debut is an interesting stake in the ground, one they would fly
a flag from with songs like The Ecstasy of Dancing Fleas and Pythagoras Trousers.
Unfortunately, Penguin Caf Orchestra didnt prove to be a prolific outfit. Theyve contributed
some unique moments to the canon, like Penguin Caf Single and Telephone and Rubber Band,
which are worth hearing at some point in your life. Preludes, Airs And Yodels contains both, so
you may want to start there. Theres also a review of this on All Music Guide, if youre so
inclined.

Now with extra guests Braco, Giles Leaman, Geoffrey Richardson, Julio Segovia, Peter
Veitch.

1981 PENGUIN CAFE ORCHESTRA
A1.Air a Danser A2.Yodel 1 A3.Telephone and Rubber Band A4.Cutting Branches for
a Temporary Shelter A5.Pythagoras Trousers A6.Numbers 1-4 B1.Yodel 2 B2.Salty
Bean Fumble B3.Pauls Dance B4.The Ecstasy of Dancing Fleas B5.Walk Dont Run
B6.Flux B7.Simons Dream B8.Harmonic Necklace B9.Steady State

(orig lp) UK Editions EG EGED-11, US Editions EG EGM-113, JPN Polydor 28MM-0065
(orig cs) UK Editions EG EGEDC-11
(reiss cd) UK Editions EG EEGCD-11, 1987: GER/NET EMI 787 449, 2000: RUS ArsNova 8932

I use this album as an aspirin, literally, by listening to it when I have a migraine. The
simple, childlike melodies whoosh through my head like a cool breeze, their optimism
irresistible. Its a wonderful antidote to most of the intellectual music youll find on the E.G.
label, minimalist in intent but delightfully earthy in execution. Led by Simon Jeffes, Penguin
Caf Orchestra started out with some arty intentions, but dropped the pretense on their second,
eponymous effort. Accordions, ukeleles, penny whistles, telephones and rubber bands are only some
of the disarming delivery mechanisms for Jeffes upbeat melodies. Listeners were given a taste of
this in Penguin Caf Single, but their second album breaks open a whole bottle of the playful
spirit. The Ecstasy of Dancing Fleas, Pythagoras Trousers and Pauls Dance are as giddy as
Snoopy before the dinner bowl, as refreshing as Paul McCartneys Hot Sunglasses. The orchestra
also puts their unique spin on Walk Dont Run and the traditional Cutting Braches For A
Temporary Shelter to fine effect. Sometimes, their unconventional approach to instrumentation
leads to wonderful discoveries, like Telephone And Rubber Band, which transforms a mundane
phone signal into a thing of beauty. You can point to some precedents for this sort of music --
Simons Dream is similar to Clusters toy melodies, for example - but its Penguin Caf
Orchestras uniqueness that ultimately defines them. Their second album is a masterful work of
whimsy, a readily edible apple that fell (from all places) off a musical branch (E.G.) not known
for its light snacks.

1981 A1.MUSIC FOR A FOUND HARMONIUM B1.Air a Danser
7: UK Editions EG EGO-22 [ps]

1983 MINI ALBUM (EP)
1.The Penguin Caf Single 2.Air a Danser 3.The Toy 4.Numbers 1-4 5.Salty Bean
Fumble 6.Piano Music

(orig ep) US Editions EG EGMLP-2

1984 BROADCASTING FROM HOME
1.Music for a Found Harmonium 2.Prelude and Yodel 3.More Milk 4.Sheep Dip
5.White Mischief 6.In the Back of a Taxi 7.Music by Numbers 8.Another One from
the Colonies 9.Air 10.Heartwind 11.Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots)
12.Now Nothing

(orig lp) US Editions EG EGED-38, JPN EG Records 28MM-0382
(orig cs) US Editions EG EGEDC-38

1987 SIGNS OF LIFE
1.Beanfields 2.Southern Jukebox Music 3.Horns of the Bull 4.Oscar Tango 5.The
Snake and The Lotus (The Pond) 6.Rosasolis 7.Dirt 8.Sketch 9.Perpetuum Mobile
10.Swing the Cat 11.Wildlife

(orig lp) UK Editions EG EGED-50

1987 A1.DIRT B1.?
7: UK Editions EG EDS-2

1988 WHEN IN ROME...
1.Air a Danser 2.Yodel One 3.Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter 4.From
the Colonies 5.Southern Jukebox Music 6.Numbers 1-4 7.Telephone and Rubber Band
8.Air 9.Beanfields 10.Pauls Dance 11.Oscar Tango 12.Music for a Found
Harmonium 13.Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots) 14.Prelude and Yodel
15.Dirt 16.Giles Farnabys Dream

(orig lp) UK Editions EG EGED-56

1993 UNION CAF
1.Scherzo and Trio 2.Lifeboat (Lovers Rock) 3.Nothing Really Blue 4.Cape Dead
5.Vega 6.Yodel 3 7.Organum 8.Another One from Porlock 9.Thorn Tree Wind
10.Silver Star of Bologna 11.Discover America 12.Pythagoras on the Line 13.Kora
Kora 14.Lie Back and Think of England 15.Red Shorts 16.Passing Through

(orig cd) Peregrina Music 50091
(reiss cd) March 18, 2003: US United States of Distribution 183

1995 CONCERT PROGRAM
A1.Air a Danser A2.Cage Dead (Version 2) A3.Organum A4.Southern Jukebox Music
A5.Numbers 1-4 A6.Air A7.Perpetuum Mobile A8.Nothing Really Blue A9.Telephone
and Rubber Band B1.Beanfields B2.Vega B3.Surface Tension (Where the Trees Meet
the Sky) B4.Oscar Tango B5.Music for a Found Harmonium B6.Lifeboat (Lovers
Rock) B7.Steady State B8.Scherzo and Trio B9.Giles Farnabys Dream B10.Salty
Bean Fumble B11.Red Shorts

(orig 2-cd) US Zopf/Windham Hill 11169
(reiss 2-cd) March 18, 2003: US United States of Distribution 182

1997.04.22 PRELUDES, AIRS AND YODELS
1.Music for a Found Harmonium 2.Perpetuum Mobile 3.Penguin Caf Single 4.Air
5.Telephone and Rubber Band 6.Dirt 7.Giles Farnabys Dream 8.Oscar Tango
9.Rosasolis 10.Air a Danser 11.Music for a Found Harmonium 12.Yodel 3 13.White
Mischief 14.Prelude and Yodel 15.Harmonic Necklace 16.Steady State 17.Nothing
Really Blue 18.Pandaharmonium 19.Piano Music

(orig cd) US Caroline 1100

1999.10.12 OSKAR UND LENI
1.Lifeboat 2.Another One from Porlock 3.Southern Jukebox Music 4.Nothing Really
Blue 5.Silver Star of Bologna 6.Steady State 7.Oscar Tango 8.Thorn Tree Wind
9.Red Shorts 10.Air a Danser

(orig cd) US Peregrina 50161

Telephone And Rubber Band (tastic remix)
CDS: US 2000 label unknown

2001.11.12 A BRIEF HISTORY
1.Beanfields (Live) 2.Telephone and Rubber Band 3.Music for a Found Harmonium
4.Perpetuum Mobile 5.From the Colonies (Live) 6.Giles Farnabys Dream (Live)
7.Surface Tension 8.Air a Danser 9.Yodel 1 10.Numbers 1-4 11.Steady State
12.Pauls Dance 13.Prelude & Yodel (Live) 14.Heartwind 15.White Mischief
16.Dirt 17.Rosasolis 18.Organum 19.Lullaby

(orig cd) UK EG Records

2001.11.26 A HISTORY
1.Penguin Caf Single 2.From the Colonies 3.Giles Farnabys Dream 4.Pigtail
5.Hugebaby 6.Chartered Flight 7.Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter
8.Pythagoras Trousers 9.Yodel 2 10.Salty Bean Fumble 11.The Ecstasy of Dancing
Fleas 12.Walk Dont Run 13.Meditation Rag 14.The Toy 15.Numbers 1-4 (Live)
16.Salty Bean Fumble (Live) 17.Yodel 2 (Live) 18.Prelude & Yodel 19.More Milk
20.Sheep Dip 21.In the Back of a Taxi 22.Music by Numbers 23.Another One from
the Colonies 24.Air 25.Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots) 26.Now
Nothing 27.Bean Fields 28.Southern Jukebox Music 29.Horns of the Bull 30.Oscar
Tango 31.Sketch 32.Giles Farnabys Dream 33.Perpetuum Mobile (Live) 34.Surface
Tension (Live) 35.Dirt (Live) 36.Yodel 1 (Live) 37.Cutting Branches for a
Temporary Shelter (Live) 38.In the Back of a Taxi (Live) 39.Southern Jukebox
Music (Live) 40.Numbers 1-4 41.Telephone and Rubber Band (Live) 42.Air (Live)
43.Pauls Dance (Live) 44.Oscar Tango (Live) 45.Music for a Found Harmonium
(Live) 46.Isle of View (Music for Helicopter Pilots) (Live) 47.Air a Danser
(Live) 48.Bean Fields (Live) 49.Music for a Found Harmonium (Live) 50.Lifeboat
(Lovers Rock) (Live) 51.Steady State (Live) 52.Scherzo and Trio 53.Nothing
Really Blue 54.Cage Dead 55.Vega 56.Another One from Porlock 57.Pythagoras on
the Line 58.Kora Kora 59.Red Ahorts 60.Passing Through

(orig 4-cd) EMI/Virgin 811482

2004.06.28 THE SECOND PENGUIN CAF ORCHESTRA SAMPLER
1.Numbers 1-4 2.Salty Bean Fumble 3.Air 4.Lifeboat 5.Vega 6.Perpetuum Mobile
7.Silver Star of Bologna 8.Piano Sketch 9.Kora Kora 10.Lie Back and Think of
England 11.Red Shorts 12.Another One from Porlock 13.Pythagoras on the Line

(orig cd) Zopf