Sunday Carvery, by emperor penguin

Sunday Carvery

by emperor penguin

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
2022 CD release on Kool Kat Rekords. Made of genuine plastic! Recorded in glorious stereo! Comes with a gorgeous sleeve created by Nigel Winfield evoking the golden age of British roadside dining menus.

Ranked #5 best album of 2022 by International Pop Overthrow.
Ranked #8 best album of 2022 by Powerpopaholic.com.
Ranked #8 best album of 2022 by Mi Tocadiscos Dual.
Ranked #32 best album of 2022 by I Don't Hear a Single.

David Bash of IPO says, (and he should know), “Wow, on their latest album, ‘Sunday Carvery’, London’s Emperor Penguin really toughen up their sound, borrowing a few shillings from late ‘60s UK psych and ‘90s Britpop, all the while retaining, and perhaps even bettering, their well-honed contemporary melodic sensibilities. A very pleasant surprise!”

“A cracking listen... a fabulous album.” I Don’t Hear a Single

"Sunday Carvery is a 13 course meal that you simply do not want to miss.”Powerpop News

'EMPEROR PENGUIN comes out of the lockdown with their best record. SUNDAY CARVERY is British through and through, like The Kinks, Elvis Costello, or XTC, but don’t expect a retro sound; the band is firmly rooted in the present tense.' Sweet Sweet Music

“If you love rock and roll... you WILL want a copy of this.” Michael L DeAngelis, There Once Was a Note.

"Space-age sonics meet new-wave psychedelia...Crowded with electrifying moments, Sunday Carvery finds Emperor Penguin bingeing on an assortment of musical condiments aimed to satisfy audiences with adventurous appetites." Something Else Reviews

Includes unlimited streaming of Sunday Carvery via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

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Full Digital Discography

13

releases

Get all 13 emperor penguin releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Gentlemen Thieves, Sunday Carvery, Corporation Pop!, Barbed Wire and Brass E.P., Palaces and Slums EP, Taken For A Ride E.P., Talk To Me, Soak Up The Gravy, and 5 more. , and , .

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1.	Desdemona 02:12 video	lyrics	buy track
Desdemona She never lacked for gold But she could not be sold She’s never proud She’s never loud She never looks behind She never was so frail Bit off the salmon’s tail She’s very nice Take my advice You’ll never read her mind Chorus: Is it true that foul is fair? Tell me that you love me, Desdemona Never gonna cut my hair Are you fed up of me, Desdemona? She says she’s rich enough She doesn’t want your stuff Don’t be confused She gets to choose She’s a Venetian blind Chorus: Are you gonna waste my time? Tell me that you love me, Desdemona Am I still the first in line? Are you fed up of me, Desdemona? And now they speak of me and say my love’s unwise They whisper secretly, the ones who would advise
2.	Sputnik Sweetheart 04:35 video	lyrics	buy track
Sputnik Sweetheart The day That you left home You slipped away From the Cosmodrome. That night Among the spheres Another light: the flying ear Companion, beloved one We’re on our way around the sun Hello, hello Can you hear me call? When you’re near me, I can see you fall You blacked out, your batteries died You fell to earth and you fried Sputnik sweetheart Sputnik sweetheart Tonight We lie awake No book to read No pills to take And now Another day Unsleeping fate Is on its way This is what we fear no sight, no sound, nothing to hear The power fails, and we wait in the night One by one we start to see the lights The milky way and our silent satellites Floating with us Floating with us
3.	You Don't Know What You're Missing 03:16 video	lyrics	buy track
You Don't Know What You're Missing He said, as she went up to bed, “I’m going to my shed, I need to clear my head ...not that you’d care” He thought, sat in his underwear, “How come she’s never there, she doesn’t even care ...if I snuff it." “I remember when she used to read me like a book, nowadays I’m lucky if I get a second look!” Cos you don’t know what you’re missing, even now I can tell you’re not listening! All I have to do is walk down that street, you’ll be sorry...I’ll be on my way. (The next day) He’s off down to the bookies where, 100-1 seems fair, ‘bout time he had some fun, no such thing indoors she sits with phone in hand, sinking into quicksand (though no one ever knows about it) The ball and chain tightens again, she knows what he’ll say next: “Cos you don’t know what you’re missing, even now I can tell you’re not listening! All I have to do is walk down that street, they’ll come flocking...and you’ll rue the day” “DON’T WALK AWAY!” Now she knows what she’s been missing, since she left him, she was listening. When she closed that door and walked down that street with a purpose ...she was on her way!
4.	The Shallows 03:39 video	lyrics	buy track
Heading to an unforgiving place With readings from the book of your disgrace When you take your final ride Proud boys standing at your side Sweat and makeup streaming down your face You may learn the meaning of regret Like every creeping jesus that you’ve met Who walks the stations of the cross But really doesn’t give a toss Sinking ever deeper into debt When you swim in the shallows Never think you could drown With your feet on the bottom As you go down One more chance to put your house in order Before your nightmares swarm across the border You couldn’t cheat them after all So bang your fist against your wall And tell it to a sympathetic warder
5.	On the Motorway 03:24 video	lyrics	buy track
On the Motorway Blue Boar Services, nearly six o’ clock At Watford Gap Egg and sausages, Yorkie from the shop Consult the map He left home just after dawn Hit the road, radio on Leaving it all behind Following the signs  He’s on the motorway Concrete artery, exit to history At Plackett Lane Try the carvery, taste prosperity Avoid the rain Abandoned towns and county lines Barren fields, and petty crimes What will remain of this? A bottle filled with piss Thrown on the motorway There are flowers on the soft estate In the brambles by a broken gate Landmarks and greenery The passing scenery here on the motorway Time will put an end to you and me Promenades will sink into the sea When a thousand years have passed us by Still the motorway will never die
6.	Let Me Take You On Holiday (Feat. Lisa Mychols) 03:48	lyrics	buy track
We’ve been under the weather, looking for comfort despite the cold We can make it together, turn a silver lining to gold Scrimp and scrape, life’s a struggle these days, let’s escape - maybe that would help “Let me take you on holiday” That’s what you said in your stupid way Did you think I’d melt in the sun, and our troubles would fade away to none? “Let me take you on holiday” You promised me we would get away And now I’m stuck in a cheap hotel, it looks like hell, I wish I was at home New York or Paris, the moon or Atlantis. You choose, I really do not mind As long as I’m with you then please understand this It’s all the same, I know your game come rain or shine Cheer up love, there’s a barbecue by the pool I’m sick of sausages and you... “Let me take you on holiday” You’re only here for the Beaujolais You only wanted to hit the bar, three San Miguels and you’ll bid me au revoir “Let me take you on holiday” I didn’t want to come anyway And now I’m burnt like the barbecue, I’m red and blue, I wish you were not here... “Let me take you on holiday” Oh lucky me and I get to pay Two lousy weeks by the sea with you, to be honest I’d rather be alone “Let me take you on holiday” maybe you should just go a-way You can send me a postcard, with your fond regards, next time I’ll stay at home
7.	The Ballad Of Billy Farthing 03:41 video	lyrics	buy track
The Ballad of Billy Farthing Young Billy Farthing came into the world at the turn of the cen- tu- ry Giving voice to the scream they were bound to ignore, adding insult to in-ju-ry He shivered in fright and he blinked at the light as his blue eyes looked around They will wrap him in cotton and cod liver oil ‘til they send him underground Where has he gone? Great Grandpa Billy in second best boots With a shine at the knees of his grey flannel suit Mackeson breath from a working man’s thirst Stands in a queue where the last will come first Thirty five years on the bike by the gate With his snap tin and lamp every morning at eight To drop in the dark at the end of a cable, a duchess and eight scruﬀy tykes at the table Oh Billy didn’t like to grumble Oh Billy, salt of the earth, he was humble, where has he gone? Clutching the knot in his red handkerchief Three ha’pence in change and a small piece of beef He lies in the grocer’s shop breathing too fast All of his eggs in one basket at last After thirty five years in the dark and the danger there’s no friendly face in amongst all these strangers. Slates on the church shining bright after thunder, finally granted some rest six feet under Oh Billy didn’t like to grumble Oh Billy, salt of the earth, he was humble, where has he gone?
8.	Fran Times a Zillion 03:35 video	lyrics	buy track
L-E-B-O-W-ITZ NYC original, opinions unequivocal, tourist-dodging, nicotining, “What the hell is wrong with people?!” L-E-B-O-W-ITZ Hardworking, book-devouring, culture vulture commentating, straight-talking raconteuring, savage wit in cowboy boots L-E-B-O-W-ITZ Widespread and legion are the subjects that annoy her From ineffective presidents to rich Manhattan lawyers Cellphones and computers are unnecessary to her But she’s the kind of character the world-could-do-with-more-of Fra- a- a- a- an times a zillion, though I’m certain she’d disagree entirely, more than likely And look out coz she’s never ever wro-ong Fra- a- a- a- an she’s one in a million, just don’t get in her way or she’ll cut you down with a single swipe of her razor tongue and she will not give a da-mn L-E-B-O-W-ITZ She only loves one thi-ing but the Marathon’s in rehab, it’s absolutely pristine but the fuses cost a fortune L-E-B-O-W-ITZ Prolific public speaker on the way to put the world back-to-rights, should be a shoe-in for a job as a Supreme Court Judge L-E-B-O-W-ITZ Fast-talking, entertaining, fellow human being-avoiding, Papal Office so enticing, pets in clothes are rage-inducing party-going, socialising, dead against suburbanising, Savile Row apparel-wearing, wise-cracking, sleep-deprived A true one-off, a singular observer, what’s the worst could happen if we find a way to clone her? Fra- a- a- a- an times a zillion, though I’m certain she’d disagree entirely, more than likely And look out coz she’s made of common sense Fra- a- a- a- an fascinating civilian, we need to pay more attention to this pearl of a woman, only human adored by many for the absence of pretence Fra- a- an times a zillion, times a zillion, t-t-t-times a zillion, HEY! cos she’s one in a million, Fran times a zillion, (WE WANT) Fran times a zillion, (WE WANT) Fran times a zillion WHAM BAM THANK YOU FRAN!
9.	How I Won The War 03:46 video	lyrics	buy track
How I Won The War I know you’re out there waiting And your plans are dark as night I know you’re calculating How to draw blood when you bite We didn’t plan for this scenario This might be victory, it’s too soon to know What do you want it to be? That’s how I won the war How I won the war You’re weak when you are strongest And you’re strongest when you’re weak I endured the siege the longest I’m the champion of defeat You built a golden bridge for me to cross I didn’t even know that I had lost When I surrender to you That’s how I won the war How I won the war When we are serene and sober Peace and love will conquer fighting When at last the battle’s over Get the terms agreed in writing I’m lying in the pasture where I fell And in the distance I can hear a bell Will you lie here next to me? That’s how I won the war How I won the war Loser, I’m a lo - ser  That’s how I won the war How I won the war
10.	Extraordinary Years 04:30	lyrics	buy track
It’s astonishing and painful to walk through the halls of this place Where they told you to be grateful, and talked of your fall and disgrace you discover that it’s never been easier to leave her,  the teacher who taught you that ignorance goes on Chorus Nobody needs your questions. You’re lucky that you are here. The answers are known Don’t try to go it alone Or we will grind your bones Through a kaleidoscope of tears In the extraordinary years You’ll find out who you really are V2 In the playground it’s a jungle, you struggle, they love to taste fresh meat Before the spider in the tangle you dangle, ‘til you’re big enough to eat Fascinating that’s it’s never been better, you float like a feather You left here for ever and moved on Chorus 2 Now you can ask your questions We’re happy that you are here Now that you’ve grown You are not on your own And the future’s unknown In the extraordinary years The extraordinary years You’ll find out who you really are Are we moving in a new direction? Do we threaten to approach perfection? (Solo) Now that you’ve grown You are not on your own And the future’s unknown In the extraordinary years The extraordinary years You’ll find out who you really are
11.	Love Is The Worst 03:13 video	lyrics	buy track
Love is the Worst My diplomat’s immunity Won’t save me in the end and care in the community Will drive me round the bend. Heartbeat irregular a sudden rise in temperature - The signs suggest I’m sickening, again I may go out tonight And meet someone who’ll change my life. Oh, it’s not impossible You’re damaged goods, but aren’t we all You know what comes before a fall. Oh, it’s not impossible The hand of fate may finger great and small Ridicule the naked ape His arms hang down, his knuckles scrape Don’t make a monkey out of me, my dear. Your take on evolution Only leaves me in confusion now Unnatural is how I must appear Chorus You may go out tonight And meet someone who’ll change your life. Oh, it’s not impossible Your special subject was yourself A mastermind in mental health Oooh, you’re impossible You’ve started so you’ll finish me as well. Stop it for a minute - I’m afraid my heart could burst. Though it’s fine when you begin it, In the end love is the worst. They say the best is yet to come The worst is almost gone They say the best is yet to come, Your worst has all been done
12.	The Magic Gang 03:58 video	lyrics	buy track
The Magic Gang In a little shop on Christmas steps With playing cards and cabinets I met a man in evening dress Who wasn’t there but nonetheless He told me of his crazy plans In camouflage on burning sands With paper tanks and paper guns A desert fox that’s on the run. We’re the Magic Gang We make it come true We’re the Magic Gang And we’re coming for you We’re coming for you Upper class and strange I was steeped in lore From the west end stage, to Theatre of war Oh oh oh, oh oh oh We’re the Magic Gang From here to Kathmandu We’re the Magic Gang And we’re coming for you We’re coming for you I was the third in line Of the brotherhood With a tank command Made of earth and wood. We’re the Magic Gang We oversee the weird We’re the Magic Gang The mystery you feared We’re coming for you The Indian sword basket! The amazing crystal casket! Catching bullets in our teeth Mystic powers beyond belief Hiding Suez with false trails Making Rommel chase his tail. We’re the Magic Gang We flatter to deceive We’re the Magic Gang With nothing up our sleeves We’re coming for you We’re the Magic Gang We have a secret lair And when the war was won We vanished in thin air We’re coming for you
13.	A Gun and a Badge 04:45 video	lyrics	buy track
A Gun and a Badge I could be a special agent with a wooden heart of oak In snow-white lizard loafers and a purple velvet cloak Underneath the desktop, you pressed a secret switch The tape recorder came to life, the King became a snitch A gun and a badge for Elvis, is what the doc prescribed And fifty shiny yellow pills to make him feel alive I’ve got ideas by the dozen, and deep fried pink eyed kissin’ cousins Standing brave and loyal here with me We’ll send the San Francisco hippies, floating down the Mississippi And drive the redcoats back into the sea They won’t be burning draft cards, they’ll all respect the flag And wave me through security with my special doctor’s bag The limousine passed out of view, down Pennsylvania Avenue at noon I’m not sure what just happened but y’all come back and visit us real soon A gun and a badge for Elvis, is what the doc prescribed With Purple Hearts and Angel Dust to make him feel alive

about

Round off the week with the whole family in the best way — enjoy finest quality rock and pop brought to your table by Emperor Penguin.

credits

released March 28, 2022

Mains:
JT: Vocals, British farm-assured bass, guitar, keyboards, Ebow
NIGEL WINFIELD: Finest vocals, 12oz thick cut guitar, reduced fat bass, keyboard tiramisu
RICHARD WILSON: Beer-battered drums, piano from the trolley
NEIL CHRISTIE: Aged vocals, seared guitar with an Aberdeen beef dripping glaze, keyboards (two scoops)

Classic sides:
Lisa Mychols: vocal ‘Let me Take You on Holiday’.
Leandro Zilberberg: piano ‘On the Motorway’
Mike Snow: trumpet ‘On the Motorway’
Ruby Thorne: Backing vocal ‘Fran Times A Zillion’

Recorded at Highbury Fields Forever Studios and Baltic Studios, London, in the summer of 2021.
Engineered and produced by Jamie ‘Full Irish’ McEvoy.
All songs created and served hot by Emperor Penguin.

Our music is prepared in areas where cross contamination may occur. Credits may not include all ingredients. If you have any allergies or intolerances, please take care before listening. Photos are for illustrative purposes only.

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about

emperor penguin UK

Savage Frenzy Productions is proud to present those peerless purveyors of powerful pop: EMPEROR PENGUIN.
Nigel: guitar, bass, vocals
JT: guitar, bass, vocals, harmonica, ebow
Rich: drums
Neil: guitar, vocals, keyboards, computer stuff ... more

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