''Jenny Ondioline'' is a 1993 EP by the Anglo-French band

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...

, which served as the lead single from the album '' Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements''. It was released on CD and 10" vinyl. Its tracks were later re-released on the ''

Oscillons from the Anti-Sun ''Oscillons from the Anti-Sun'', released in April 2005, is a three-CD, one-DVD box-set collection of Stereolab tracks culled from eight of the group's EPs ('' Jenny Ondioline'', ''Ping Pong'', '' Wow and Flutter'', '' Fluorescences'', '' Cybel ...

'' compilation. In the UK, some copies were stickered with the message "Includes ''French Disco''", due to that track receiving an unexpected amount of

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

on British radio. "French Disco" was also given co-billing with "Jenny Ondioline" on the

UK Singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, on which it was Stereolab's first entry, peaking at number 75. The EP was the first Stereolab release on

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

in the USA. At the group's request, and in keeping with their "retro" aesthetic, the artwork for this and most subsequent Stereolab releases used the 1970s Elektra logo (a slightly revised version of which was subsequently reintroduced and remains in use today) instead of the then-current logo. "Jenny Ondioline" was voted #39 in

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

Festive Fifty The Festive Fifty was originally an annual list of the year's 50 (though the exact figure varied above and below this number) best songs compiled at the end of the year and voted for by listeners to John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. It was usually do ...

for 1993. The re-recorded version of "French Disko" (see below) was voted #5 in the same poll, and #36 in the All-Time Festive Fifty broadcast in January 2000. "French Disko" was later covered by

Editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, or ...

as a bonus track on their single "

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

". Other acts to have covered the song include

Theoretical Girl Theoretical Girl (Amy Turnnidge) is a female songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Southend on Sea signed to the Memphis Industries record label. On her Myspace page, she describes her music as "Electro / Folk / Classical". Discography ...

, Cineplexx and

The Raveonettes The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals. Their music is characterized by close two-part vocal harmonies inspired by The Everly Bro ...

Track listing

# "Jenny Ondioline" – 3:53 # "Fruition" – 3:50 # "Golden Ball" – 6:26 # "French Disco" – 4:26 "Jenny Ondioline" is subtitled "(Part 1)" on the US release.

Re-recording

In March 1994, new recordings of "Jenny Ondioline" and "French Disko" (with the spelling altered) were issued as a limited-edition 7" and CD in the UK only. Given the limited pressing, the single did not chart. "French Disko" later appeared on the group's rarities collection ''

Refried Ectoplasm ''Refried Ectoplasm (Switched On Volume 2)'', released in July 1995, is a compilation by Stereolab of singles and rarities. Reception Along with ''Aluminum Tunes'', the ''Rolling Stone Album Guide'' referred to ''Refried Ectoplasm'' as being ...

''. The alternative version of "Jenny Ondioline" appeared along with the original single version on ''

''. # "French Disko" (new version) # "Jenny Ondioline" (new version)

Name origin

The

Ondioline The Ondioline is an electronic keyboard musical instrument, developed and built by Frenchman Georges Jenny. Sometimes referred to as the "Jenny Ondioline," the instrument is considered a forerunner of the synthesizer. First conceived by Jenny i ...

was a pioneering electronic keyboard invented by

Georges Jenny Georges Marcel Charles Jenny (29 April 1913 – 23 September 1975) was a French musician, poet, and electronic instrument builder. His best-known invention was an electronic keyboard instrument called the Ondioline (sometimes referred to as the ...

in 1938 and commonly called the Jenny Ondioline. The instrument was a predecessor to the modern electronic synthesizer.

Charts

References

* * {{Authority control 1993 EPs Stereolab EPs