Last November I loved Union Cafe so much that I went off to eBay and saved a search for Penguin Cafe Orchestra items to see if anything unusual or interesting came up. Bad idea. This is one of two purchases since then. It's the same album as this one but the front cover is different. Yeah, I know: woo-bloody-hoo!
But, trainspotters, listen up! This cover is the same template as used for other releases from Brian Eno's "Obscure" imprint, such as Michael Nyman's Decay Music and Hobbs/Adams/Bryars' Ensemble Pieces. The label of the record itself has Simon Jeffes' name prominent, as though he were the album artist and the "members of the Penguin Café Orchestra" credited on the cover were just the performers — in other words, it's a composer's album rather than a band's album. Note also the use of the acute accent in "Café", used in titles of both album and ensemble, which never appeared on subsequent PCO releases — including the reissue of this one. Trainspotters, are you happy now?
My copy, as you can see, is showing its age — and there's plenty of authentic 1970s surface noise on the record too. The seller quite possibly said it was "Ex" or "N.M." quality, but I wasn't in a mood to argue. I won the auction at "only" six quid.
As for the music, Side 1 is a curate's egg, but Side 2 remains unique in the Orchestra's catalogue; three neatly sequenced instrumentals that make up an informal suite. Though there is nothing particularly remarkable about either their composition, arrangements or production, they don't sound like anything else by anyone, ever, actually.
MusicBrainz entry for this album
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