The Penguin Café Orchestra was the brainchild of the English freelance producer and arranger Simon Jeffes. The booklet text of ‘A History’ describes his eclectic musical tastes as being Beethoven‚ Bach‚ Erik Satie‚ John Cage‚ Abba‚ Wilson Pickett‚ Zimbabwean mbira‚ Cajun fiddle‚ Venezuelan cuatro‚ West African choral‚ the Rolling Stones and Stravinsky – and this is apparent in the music. The PCO’s work is beautifully played and beautifully heard. Yet – as befitting the group’s title – its early albums constantly flirt with the notion of ‘background music’. The originality of its style‚ like Philip Glass‚ lies not only in what has been included but what has been taken away. Some of the earlier tracks could be accompaniments to pop songs waiting for a vocalist to arrive at the studio‚ so unobtrusive is the melodic content in places. The playing suggests that individual players have been co­opted into the process of finding a particular sound or tone colour. Indeed‚ the main creative impulse to be found here lies not in the compositions‚ which can sound trite and in the weaker performances invariably do; it is the creative imagination of the playing that is so special and makes for compelling listening. The PCO’s output falls into four different stages of evolution. In the first album‚ Music from The Penguin Café‚ which is a phase in itself‚ you can hear the gradual coming together of the Penguin Café Orchestra sound. Several pieces‚ ‘Penguin Café Single’‚ ‘Pigtail’ and ‘Hugebaby’‚ are interesting departures from this model that Jeffes chose never to follow up again. In the second‚ third and fourth albums‚ Penguin Café Orchestra‚ Broadcasting from Home and Signs of Life‚ the orchestral line­up has become established and the group’s most well­known pieces‚ such as ‘Telephone and Rubber Band’ – famous from countless BT adverts – and ‘Music for a Found Harmonium’ begin to emerge‚ the dawning of the Penguin Café’s golden age. Gradually the Orchestra began to perform regularly in concert and this had an energising effect on the way the music was played‚ notably in pieces such as ‘Giles Farnaby’s Dream’ and ‘Beanfields’. For this third phase‚ Jeffes seemed content for the band to concentrate on its existing repertoire and two records‚ When in Rome and Concert Programme‚ celebrated for two different record labels the extraordinary energy of the PCO in concert. Although separated in time‚ Union Café and Piano Music form a fourth phase‚ the slightly disappointing epilogue to Jeffes’ career. Jeffes’ new compositions for Union Café do not seem to have the pungency of his ‘classic’ second phase or to attract the energy in performance of the ‘live’ third phase. Indeed‚ some of them‚ ‘Pythagoras on the Line’ for instance‚ seem to revisit old ideas without a compelling reason for doing so. The solitary­sounding piano solos of several pieces seems to presage the world of Piano Music‚ Jeffes’ final album before his tragic death in 1997 at the age of only 50. These two new compilations complement each other both in content and in character. The two ‘Historys’ have been cleverly planned to avoid any duplication of tracks. ‘A Brief History’ is basically the ideal introduction to the Penguin Café Orchestra. Here are the definitive versions of each of Jeffes’ most popular pieces‚ presented in a way likely to convert even the most hardnosed of critics. ‘A History’‚ on the other hand‚ consists of four CDs in book form and‚ one feels‚ is aimed at established PCO devotees. It traces the development not only of the PCO but of its most popular pieces‚ which are represented here in several different arrangements‚ some of which seem to me of only (pseudo­)academic interest. But what should a total newcomer make of this feelgood yet at times somewhat bland music? Having listened to all five CDs‚ I confess that I don’t find the differing interpretations of the same pieces sufficiently compelling in order to justify buying ‘A History’ unless you are a serious addict. There are several beautiful pieces which deserve a hearing here – ‘Air’â ‘Oscar Tango’ and ‘Isle of View (Music For Helicopter Pilots)’â but I would recommend that you buy them on one of the original albums instead‚ namely When In Rome if you can find it‚ which features the Penguin Café Orchestra at its very best. However‚ if you were to buy only one album – and anybody who loves the sound of ‘fluffy’ tonal music on acoustic instruments should consider such a purchase‚ especially for long car journeys – then you should look no further than ‘A Brief History’. There are around seven to eight pieces here of undeniable strength – especially ‘Beanfields’‚ ‘Perpetuum Mobile’‚ ‘From The Colonies’ and ‘Numbers 1­4’ – and they repay repeated listening.