Search - Penguin Cafe Orchestra :: Music From Penguin Cafe (Mlps)

Something Rich and Strange

Mr. A. Pomeroy | Wiltshire, England | 03/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A unique and strange record, even by the standards of the pan-musical Penguin Café Orchesta, 'Music from the Penguin Café' was originally released on Brian Eno's 'Obscure' record label in the mid-seventies, by mail order only.'MFTPC' is hard to describe, and very few retrospectives of the group's career (sadly, leader Simon Jeffes died in 1997) give this more than a passing mention, as it's almost beyond criticism - a totally self-contained universe of music, mixing primitive electronics, Brian Eno-style ambient, classical and folk to form a side-step into a timeless, alien environment. Surreal and dreamlike, it has a very distinctive 'live' sound, with birdsong faintly audible in the background of some of the tracks. Imagine Michael Nyman's wiggiest moments, as produced by Brian Eno's second assistant tape operator, and you're half-way there.After this (and the similar follow-up, 'Penguin Café Orchestra') the PCO settled down and become much more conservative - their later work is tuneful, folky, and much less experimental."

Only Penquin you need on a desert island

Verne Robinson | Brooklyn, NY USA | 04/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hilariously excellent music. People this talented are impossible to explain. I saw the documentary about them on PBS light years ago. Bought CD, lost CD. Could not live without CD so came back to Amazon and bought it again."

Great songs, when they're not so bizzare...

klaymen | Nutty Hills Menatl Asylum, NY USA | 08/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great CD. Simon Jeffes is a musical genius (heh, that's an understatement :). There are some wonderful songs on this album, such as "Zopf" and "Chartered Flight," however, many of the songs are quite abstract. They could really give a person a headache. And some songs on this CD, like "Penguin Cafe Single" are great, beautiful, and relaxing, but they become abstract somewhere in the middle. If you are planning to by more Penguin Cafe CDs, none of the others are quite as bizzare as this one. But I still highly recomend this CD, for its creativity, originality, and variety. Byeeeeee ^__^"