Line #38 Music/PenguinCafeOrchestra


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/penguincafeorchestra.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The SelfTitledAlbum.]]
3	Avant-garde chamber orchestra created by English composer Simon Jeffes. Even if you don't know the name, the chances are that you'll have heard their music in TV, film and advertising - especially the pieces which have become [[StandardSnippet Standard Snippets]], such as:
4	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWZ4pve5Mkc Telephone and Rubber Band]]
5	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPpRJoYISSQ Perpetuum Mobile]]
6	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQHfmiZBisg Music for a Found Harmonium]]
7
8	! Discography:
9	* ''Music From the Penguin Cafe'' (1976)
10	* ''Penguin Cafe Orchestra'' (1981)
11	* ''The Penguin Cafe Orchestra Mini Album'' (1983)
12	* ''Broadcasting From Home'' (1984)
13	* ''Signs of Life'' (1987)
14	* ''Union Cafe'' (1993)
15	!! Live albums:
16	* ''When in Rome...'' (1988)
17	* ''Concert Program'' (1995) [[note]]actually a live-in-the-studio recording of their then current set list[[/note]]
18	!!Other:
19	* ''Still Life at the Penguin Cafe'' (1990) [[note]]a full (rather than chamber) orchestra recording of previous [=PCO=] pieces performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, with Jeffes doing the arrangements.[[/note]]
20
21	There are also various compilations, as well as a posthumously-compiled Simon Jeffes solo album, "Piano Music".
22
23	! Tropes in the work of Penguin Cafe Orchestra:
24
25	* ArtifactTitle: Not in the PCO's version, but many of the covers of "Music For A Found Harmonium" substitute an accordion - if they even try to emulate the sound of a harmonium at all.
26	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
27	** The first issue of ''Music from the Penguin Café'' was described as "played by members of the Penguin Café Orchestra", but had four tracks (the ones recorded just by the core quartet) credited to Penguin Café Quartet, and the rest to an expanded version of the ensemble named Zopf. As [=PCO=] turned into a RevolvingDoorBand of variable size anyway, later reissues dropped the distinction.
28	** The original release of the debut album was the only time Café was spelled with an accent. They were the unaccented Penguin Cafe Orchestra forever after.
29	** Being on Brian Eno's Obscure label, the first edition had the same photo of a building on the front that all the other albums on the label used, quite unlike the surreal "penguin head" paintings their covers would become known for.
30	** Even weirder, some of the tracks had lyrics!
31	* EverythingIsAnInstrument: Notably, one of their most famous pieces "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Telephone and Rubber Band]]", which is built on a British Telecom "engaged" signal, and a bassline played on a rubber band.
32	* FunWithAcronyms: "Cage Dead" is built entirely from two four-note sequences: C-A-G-E and D-E-A-D.
33	* GenreBusting: The group's style is notoriously hard to describe, but it has aspects of minimalism, chamber music, folk and country, mixed with the influence of electronic bands, especially Music/{{Kraftwerk}}.
34	* IAmTheBand: It did have other long-term members, but was always Simon Jeffes' project, and [[DiedDuringProduction ended with his death]]. (The other members have since performed together under the names of The Anteaters and The Orchestra That Fell To Earth; the current Penguin Cafe is a new ensemble led by Jeffes's son.)
35	* IdiosyncraticCoverArt: All of their studio albums (apart from the first pressing of their debut, as noted under EarlyInstallmentWeirdness) had covers featuring paintings by Emily Young of people with penguin heads alongside actual penguins.
36	* LongestSongGoesLast: ''Signs of Life'' ends with "Wildlife" (10:58).
37	* NonIndicativeName: The live album ''When in Rome...'' was recorded in London. Only the group photo on the back was taken in Rome.
38	* TheOner: ''Concert Program'' was performed in the studio, but done as if it were a live concert.
39	* PosthumousCollaboration: Simon Jeffes' solo album ''Piano Music'' includes a final [=PCO=] track, "Lullaby", which was completed by the other members after his death. Several other tracks on the album were also intended as sketches for a future [=PCO=] album, but were just released unembellished.
40	* SequelSong: "More Milk" to "Milk", and "Another One From The Colonies" to "From The Colonies". There's also "Yodel 1", "Yodel 2" and "Yodel 3".

Context Music / PenguinCafeOrchestra