I can remember studying Penguin Cafe Orchestra CD, intrigued by their artwork, but I never bought one. I wish I had.
Borderless explains what inspired the band's formation by the classically trained guitarist and composer Simon Jeffes:
In 1972, food poisoning confined Jeffes to bed where he dreamed of a Kafkaesque residential block full of people with empty lives. The following day a voice in his head said distinctly, "I am the proprietor of the Penguin Cafe. I will tell you things at random." Jeffes tried to imagine what the house band of that cafe might sound like. When he recovered, he transformed his dream into truth and invented the PCO.
Perpetuum Mobile comes from Signs of Life, the fourth of the PCO's five studio albums, and is one of their best-known tracks. I don't set out to impress you with my esoteric taste on this blog, but I may steal "I will tell you things at random" for its slogan.
Jeffes died in 1997, aged only 48. His legacy is two groups inspired by his work. Penguin Cafe is led by his son Arthur, while a loose group of old PCO hands play as The Orchestra That Fell To Earth.
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