The Weirdest Pop Group of the 1970s?
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- FURTHER READING/VIEWING
Simon Jeffes biography: web.archive.or...
Penguin Cafe Orchestra on the Southbank Show, with Simon Jeffes interview: • The South Bank Show - ...
Penguin Cafe (revival group) Tiny Desk Concert: • Penguin Cafe: NPR Musi...
MUSIC
'Penguin Cafe Single'
'The Sound of Someone You Love Who's Going Away And It Doesn't Matter'
'Milk'
'Telephone and Rubber Band'
'Music for a Found Harmonium'
'Perpetuum Mobile'
'Chartered Flight'
'Organum'
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I do not own any of the clips used.
This video is a review for critical and educational purposes and is protected under article 15 and 105 in the United States Fair Use code, as well as Fair Dealing in UK copyright law. My use of both the footage and music from this work is for the sake of analysis. This video is NOT an infringement on copyright.
#penguincafeorchestra #videoessay #music #70srock #70s
PCO made my favourite instrumental music of all time. Found Harmonium is a work of genius.
The Wow! Scenario
John Hughes famously used it for the trailer of She’s Having A Baby
Penguin Cafe Orchestra, inventive, innovative, musically unique. So refreshing for so many years.
We're so back
💯💯💯💪
Who's we?
My Mum and Dad liked Penguin Café Orchestra and listened to it a lot when I was a kid. And this little charming second album of theirs has become an easily refreshable childhood memory. I loved "Telephone and Rubber Band" when I was little to the delight of my mum since it is also one of her favourites. And I still do because later as a teen, I re-discovered them for myself, as sort of an old childhood friend, who hasn't changed. In my eyes, "Perpetuum Mobile" and "Music for a Found Harmonium" are among some of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.
Fun Fact how my parents discovered Penguin Café Orchestra: My got a self-recorded cassette tape that had half a Tom Waits album on one side and half of Pengiun Orchestra on the other. At first he was a bit mad at not getting the full Waits experience but at the same time something about it catched him. And so he showed my mum and she liked that even more.
Wow, I love this group and this is the 1st video talking about them I've ever seen. Their music is so quirky and original
Lovely video! I haven't listen to PCO in probably 12 years, but thanks for reminding me of how special there music was.
I listened to their second album when going on a hike. I had never listened to these guys, but I felt like it was so familiar. Like it had the soundtrack to my childhood. One of the best bands ever. Thank you for making this great video man!
Thank you for the reminder. I must find my DVD of Still Life at the Penguin Cafe, bought after seeing it at the ROH.
Great job !!
You got me with the bit from 1:40 t0 1:55, intoning "The Twilight Zone to Pink Floyd's Echoes ," followed by an impressionist-painted woman's face giving side-eye to a cubist-painted woman's face.
I discovered the PCO in the mid-to-late-1980's, during my days of CD buying binges. I found them "all at once" and had no context for them, they were just their own weird unique entity.
The Sid Vicious version of "My Way" was a highlight of "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video." Thanks for connecting them ~~~
My father was and still is a musician and my early memories are of him writing music and group practices and I remember this album being in his record collection and listening to it thinking how sinister. It wasn’t until I started listening to John Peel religiously that I rediscovered it again.
JUST THE VIDEO I NEEDED. I bought a CD of theirs some weeks ago purely because I liked the artwork (it was Preludes, Airs and Yodels). Great timing and I'm glad this band is well known because I adore the weirdness and abstract quality of their music.
So glad this popped up in my feed. They were the soundtrack to a long ago period in my life which I’d almost forgotten. I’ll have to put them back into my rotation. Will be good to listen to them again with fresh ears…
What PCO's music makes me feel is very similar to what your videos do. It is good! Please continue.
Thanks so much! More things on the horizon...
I had the privilege of attending Arthur Jeffes’ ensemble, Penguin Cafe, a few months ago. It was lovely to hear some of his father’s compositions along with some of the very different newer ones. One day in the 1980s I picked up the phone in my office to make a call. Somehow there was a crossed line and I heard the juxtaposed ring and engaged tones. I was thrilled and I hoped the phone wouldn’t be answered and the spell broken before I could find a rubber band in my desk drawer, attach it to the back of a chair and strum along. Luckily the person I was calling didn’t pick up. I listened to that sound for several minutes before the phone cut off. I mentioned this to Arthur after the concert and he said he’d never met anyone else who had actually heard those crossed line signals for real. He hadn’t known whether his father had actually heard the sound or made it up. The Penguin is real! ❤
when recovering from a brain tumor 15 years ago, perpetuum mobile was the song I played every day to re-learn the piano. only 9 fingers work now, but I can ALMOST do most of the legiti etudes now. PCO is definitely on my faves list. and this may have been a hallucination, but around the same time when driving from Santa Cruz to San Francisco along highway 1, my driver and I found an upright piano on the side of the road, on a cliff, overlooking the ocean below. I tried playing scriabin, but it was already gone. rachmaninoff? gone. swing the cat was still there though... but half the keys made no noise and the ones that did made the wrong sound. maybe it means something... as the neoplasm rewired my mind, PCO was one of the last things to go.
Thank you for sharing that! Quite the story, hallucination or not - like Jeffes’ dream! I hope you’re doing well, keep playing :)
Thank you for this lovely video, which I will share widely. I listened to PCO back in the 80s, then stopped (various non-reasons), then reconnected with them shortly before the pandemic. I think pieces like Numbers 1 to 4, and Southern Juke Box music are magical and deserve to be more widely known. "When in Rome " is a perfect live album and showcases the band at their late 80s peak.
Probably my favourite group ever, at least in terms of how often I’ve listened to their records over the years. Way more than any other group. By a factor of 10.
I’ve just finished a deep-ish dive into to my PCO collection..
Still sounds like sound-beds for film documentaries or TV ads that didn’t get made..
Still one of my touch stone artists..
Thanks for introducing me to a group I mistakenly ignored when they were active.
Had the pleasure of seeing “Penguin Cafe” (Not PCO) - An off shoot by Jeff’s son I believe. Very much keeping the original vibe alive. Both cracking bands.
Thanks so much for this! I adore PCO. I was so sad when Jeffes passed away, I want to hear so much more music by him.
Fwiw, I think their album Concert Program is a good place to start listening to them. Kind-of a "best of" but all new recordings with really great performances.
Discovered PCO sometime in the very early Eighties possibly following the release of the eponymous second album. I really enjoyed the soundscape created when listening to this album and subsequent especially in headphones, which was often the only way I was allowed to play it. I did manage to persuade a few friends to join me when they performed at what I seem to recall was a small concert hall somewhere in North London probably around 1986/87.
Sadly several of my friends departed at the interval having not experienced the same enjoyment as me. After which I decided that my tastes in music was not something to be shared and mostly continued to attend live gigs solo.
I am pleased that these LPs remain in my collection and have formed such a reliable constant over the years.
I had no idea how many songs in my subconscious mind were made by this group
This is such a good video, I look forward to seeing what you do in the future!
thank you so much for all this info, i've never heard of them so i'll give them a listen. Great video man!!
My pleasure, hope you get something out of them!
I have Melvyn Bragg to thank for introducing me to the PCO. I subsequently, and improbably, seen them play live in a marquee on Glasgow Green.
Thank you Simon Jeffes you wonderful person.
Thank you for this, Reframed. It just popped up and it immediately sparked up a dormant interest in this engagingly odd music.
Thank you for producing this splendid video! I'm a massive fan of the PCO and the Penguin Cafe and am happy to report from their latest concert that the folk continues mutating (Perpetuum Mobile especially is always evolving).
Thanks especially for covering Sound of Someone [...]. It isn't particularly famous among their repertoire, but it is truly a gut-wrenchingly powerful piece, exactly in the way you described it. I've had many a good conversation regarding interpretations of it! Keep it up, and I look forward to watching more of your content.
I am today years old when I realized that "Telephone and Rubber Band" wasn't written by Stewart Copland as originally thought. In fact, I now learn that it wasn't a one-off for the "Talk Radio" soundtrack. This song is etched in my memory, and I thank you for offering a history behind it.
It’s also sampled by Spacehog in ‘In the Meantime’! Such a simple but captivating sound
Why didn't you just look at the songwriter credit?
@olafbigandglad on what, a barely readable credit that was on a screen for a few seconds? This movie came out before Google. And by the time it did, the curiosity about who wrote this kind of faded into the background, so maybe think about what you're talking about first?
@@tonypayson8306 You know the name of the song. You think the songwriter info isn't on the internet? Get tae fuck with ye.
@olafbigandglad so you're saying I shouldn't have watched this video? Or are you saying I shouldn't have replied at all?
A group very special to me and one in which I hope many more discover through the years. Look up Arthur Jeffes son's group Penguin Cafe. It's lovely to see the overlay.
It’s a lovely continuation, isn’t it? I sort of wish I had included more stuff about Arthur at the end, but I was worried about overstuffing the video. Penguin Cafe is such a wholesome project, though, I hope I get to see them live some time.
I listened to PCO's first album earlier this year when I decided to listen to every album released on Brian Eno's Obscure Records. Great stuff!
The algorithm really scored with this one. One of my favorite groups (more of a project, I guess?) of any era.
One of many fine albums UA-cam algorithm gods gifted to me
dude youre so amazing, keep at it, and keep music alive!!
Months ago I stumbled upon a stash of CDs from my late uncle and PCO's debut album stood out to me for its seemingly zany and innocuous cover art, only to insert the disc and being overwhelmed by its range of emotions and tones. It all made sense when I found out that Brian Eno was one of the producers of the album, allowing for this wild album to find its place in history.
Yeah, he did... and you got to wonder if "Music for Airports" wasn't at least a little inspired by "Chartered Flight". They're not similiar musically, but they capture the feel of an airport in the 70s 80s in an uncanny way.
Another outstanding essay mate! Your videos always provide such deep insights and are meticulously crafted. I genuinely appreciate the effort and passion you put into your work. Hope you will be back soon!
That made my day, thanks so much! Means a lot that people watch and enjoy these, so plenty more on the horizon, don’t you worry!
Really loved this! And you've got a whole back catelogue to check out! Hope your channel continues to grow 💜
Forgotten how much I loved PCO. Thanks for the reminder!
I think one of the first songs I’ve heard by them was “cutting branches for temporary shelter”, a very nice song
My introduction to the PCO was through a compilation album called Angels in the Architecture, a very early CD, and I was immediately hooked.
The album included two PCO tracks and the sound of someone you love who is going away and it doesn’t matter was one of the tracks. If you listen to the music it definitely does matter.
I met Simon Jeffes had a small jam with him, sadly passed away now.
I had never heard of this band, but now I'm hooked
I actually know this music from a song called 'salty bean fumble'
Thanks for the info!
Full hearted sincere exploration is always great 👍
the sound of someone you love.. has haunted me for 20 years... what a masterpiece
Such a wonderfully joyful group. Nothing out there quite like it.
Thank you for this wonderful documentary. And thanks to the UA-cam algorithm that put you in my feed!
outstanding work on some of the most unique music i've ever heard. 'bout time the pc gets some retro love. good work!
I've heard of PCO, but I've never heard their music (or if I have, I never knew it was them). This video has prompted me to rectify that situation. Thank you!
So great that you remind me about them. Beautiful music.
First-heard them on the Various Artists sampler album Angels in the architecture
Beautiful avant garde music. Simon Jeffes was a musical genius.
my drummer stumbled upon the self-titled album on youtube months ago -- it was so good. i didn't expect for a video about them to pop up though ha. after doing a wikipedia dive on them when i first listened, it was nice to hear some more background and perspective.
one of my favorite bands of all time is a band from Allentown, PA called Zen for Primates. PCO makes me think of them. it's more straightforward in general, but the whimsy is there, the unique instrumentation; i dunno, thought i'd throw that one out there to anyone else cruisin' around out there.
subscribed! cheers from Alaska
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll check them out
You had me at Penguin. Frisson is what I feel when listening to PCO.
Honestly calling it pop is such a stretch
Pop's quite a loose label -- lots of elements of their music are derived from pop and rock so I still think it's broadly applicable. By no means mainstream, though!
@@ReframedYT everything is derived from other things. That doesn't mean labeling the derivations by their origins is useful
I’m not the only person to think of them this way, but to each their own :)
There was a special flavor of "prog-pop" from the time and this works for me. Geoff Richardson (viola) was in one of those bands previously--Caravan.
Pop is short for the word "popular" so avant garde music is stretching the term somewhat.
This was super cool!
Album Art looks very Hieronymus Bosch - Garden of Earthly Delights
If you never heard it, listen to "The sound of someone you love who is going away and it doesn't matter" by the band.
It’s a great track, which is why I highlight it!
I'm aware of a lot of avant garde music from rhe 70s bur I've never heard of PCO but the blend of organic, structure, chaos, clockwork found sound repitition really speaks ro my sensibilities and a culture in transformation
I'm glad you've found them!
Loooove PCO. Remeber when all of a sudden Avicii sampled the melody from Perpetuum Mobile for his song Fade Into Darkness and I just couldn't stand it since no one else knew the genius origins of where it came from. I should've shown appreciation I suppose, but I thought the beauty of the original song deserved that recognition.
Someone should do a video on the writers and musicians that were part of the "Blank Generation", including the Clubfoot Orchestra.
Now I'm struggling to remember which I heard first - Telephone And Rubber Band or Space Hog's In The Meantime.
That was beautiful. Thank you.
Nice. Please post more I like your channel.
I really enjoyed this vid!
I would love to look at your sources for this essay... I love PCO but I can't find enough online
Mostly interviews with Jeffes - lots available on UA-cam, plus the biography on their old website, link in the description :)
I’ve always been fascinated with his work with McClaren and Vicious for My Way. Doesn’t seem to be much info about it out there other than he arranged the strings. I wonder if members of Penguin Cafe played on it?
By the way: The album covers were painted by Emily Young - which is the one from Pink Floyd’s early hit single „See Emily Play“.
ua-cam.com/video/7c0EDM-Yu9o/v-deo.html
I just love them so much..
thank you
Wonderful commentary, thanks so much! Sadly, Simon's son is no spiritual successor, the all-important attitude and ethos are just not the same, and he got rid of all the original members. Very occasionally a number of them get together and play as 'The Orchestra That Fell To Earth' - unmissable (they are playing in Whitstable next month but long since sold out).
Art is alive
really well done
this is the first time i've heard of pco but i'm into it. i like weird stuff. how did i miss this?
Great video, keep going!
This is how I first heard of PCO, and I haven't been the same since
For the better, I hope…
@@ReframedYTAbsolutely. I've been wanting to try my hand at instrumental music, and this was the push I needed
@@CandyPossum Glad to hear it! Enjoy :)
Wonderful band. Never thought of them as weird though, at least not in the context of the time.
I love this, I had several on vinyl
this is awesome, i'd never heard of them, do you know the film Ravenous and its soundtrack? i think Albarn and that other guy had heard this stuff
I hadn’t heard of that, no! I see Michael Nyman’s involved also, so that could account for the minimalist stuff (I haven’t listened yet, so that’s just an assumption…). Wouldn’t put it past Albarn though
@@ReframedYT the folk and classical are well used in a loop based manner like hip hop or industrial
interesting title as they only had one album in the 70s lol
Very interesting video about a very interesting group!
at 6:56 what's the classical bit being played? I have heard before but never knew the name.
‘Variations on a Theme by Thomas Tallis’ by Vaughan Williams!
@@ReframedYT Thank you very much! I have been looking for the name for decades. BTW, a very nice discussion on PCO. I will be subscribing.
Glad you enjoyed, thanks for subscribing!
Miracle music!
PCO! I had all their albums at one time.
0:03 Anthony Fantano Reference 🤓
@@Pikminze 🍉
penguins? random? I think there's some online fan of his group that set things in motion some decades ago we're still dealing with....
Raise your hand if you’re a USer introduced to PCO in the film Malcolm?
What Pink Floyd would’ve been like if they would’ve stuck with the “Atom Heart Mother” style….
Great connection!
makes me curious what your thoughts might be on the Residents.
I’ve just found out about them, will have a look and see what I can make of it!
The Original Members of the PCO still play together. I ran the music at a small festival at Middle Farm, Sussex. Booking them- at the time they were calling themselves "The Anteaters" - was a real dream come true - ua-cam.com/video/t-LjYLA4Y3g/v-deo.htmlsi=-BJhwFGNqEoazpqc
Simons Dream in fact :) ua-cam.com/video/l2knC7-R2So/v-deo.htmlsi=h2reaqVbyihNF29u
I had a.l.m.o.s.t. forgotten about the l'Orchestre du Café aux Penguins.
(why? I dunno. it sounds good in french though*)
thanks for the brain nudge.
I know I bought their stuff, but where those purchases are now is
unknown.
* it may be as a result of first hearing them on a french radio station, and the
announcer announcing them as that. but does my memory serve me or is it...
That does sound very classy haha
Simon Jeffes orchestrated the Sex Pistols version of My Way.
not to be that guy but the Residents are much stranger than PCO in regards to 70s pop bands
There have been a few of you haha, hadn’t heard of them before but will check them out
@@ReframedYTHow are you making a video on the strangest group of the 70s when you haven't heard of the residents who are almost the tip of the iceberg of strange music
@@elmphlemp like I said, I hadn't come across them. I'm definitely interested, though!
Nobody knows who The Residents are, they are always in disguise. Their huge eyeball heads are iconic. Rumours have it that The Residents are The Beatles in disguise, others believe them to be aliens. I tend to the latter.
Wendy Carlos sighting at 4:29
5:18 Was that song interpolated in Spacehog's "In the Meantime"? Anyone else hear this?
It was indeed!
wow never knew that, i love that song
Superb! 👏
And here I always thought PCO made normal earthling music. You tell me it's weird?
@@stephenspackman5573 I suppose I'm a normal earthling!
Weirder than The Residents?
I hadn’t heard of them! Where should I start?
@@ReframedYT start with "Third Reich n Roll", "Eskimo" or "Stab Duck"
@@ReframedYT TBH I wouldn't know. I have not heard a lot of their stuff.
Here is a link to a dvd featuring live performances by them down through the decades.
ua-cam.com/video/2Mbx1Lu_7nc/v-deo.html
I love PCO, but I think this is a really good example of an artist's vision not coming across to their audience. I don't think I've met a single person who gets the whole melody juxtaposed with fragility thing. In fact, going and having a look at some of their fan pages, people are really into the whimsy of the band. I'm not seeing a lot of chatter about the cold order of a dystopian future. Frankly, I'd think it was a lot of blather if you didn't have so many maudlin and melodramatic quotes to draw from.
I dunno. Maybe he needs to sit down with John Cale and get sorted out.
That’s interesting. From my point of view, the darkness of his compositions (the dissonance, the rough-around-the-edges bits) was what stood out to me when I first listened, and then when I started researching for this I was excited to see his comments about the balance of fragility and beauty. The way their music’s been used in adverts and films etc tends to bring out the cutesy-ness at the expense of the complexity, but that’s pop culture for you, I guess!
❤ 2095 ❤ attention grained ioiioii
There is no weird music.