The Penguin Café Orchestra- Music From the Penguin Café (1976)
Best Tracks: Penguin Café Single, From the Colonies, In a Sydney Motel
Weakest Tracks: Milk, Pigtail
I can see how Trollheart was looking forward to reviewing this one.
Brian Eno is listed as a producer (executive producer actually), and his influence is heard throughout the album. The album starts off with a classical sounding piece that goes into a dreamlike state in the middle. It’s one of my favorites on the album.
The following seven tracks, all at about two minutes each, are listed as from a band known as Zopf. Some of these are vocal compositions with the Penguin Café backing. These tracks are especially Eno influenced. Did I happen to mention I happen to like Eno a lot? In a way, these tracks play like one of McCartney’s medleys in Abbey Road; it’s certainly creative, and I mean that in a good way.
Side two starts with the melancholy ‘The Sound of Someone You Love Who’s Going Away and It Doesn’t Matter.’ Try saying that one three times. Anyhow, it’s very sad and beautiful. It continues on side two in a similar vein.
I guess what I got out of it was a brilliant avant-garde piece. Is it perfect? Is anything? Milk and Pigtail, while not bad short tracks, maybe have been a little too avant-garde even for me. But overall, I really like the album, in fact I think I’m going to say I love it.
And I saw Neo didn't like it. I guess that proves that the Avant Garde is something you'll either love or hate. As for me, it led me to listen to a little bit of John Cage who was also something of an experimental artist.
8.5/10 (The Word has spoken
)