Penguin Eggs is the fifth and final studio album by English folk musician and singer Nic Jones, released by Topic Records in 1980.

This was consistent with Jones "turning his back" on his audience if he felt they were not paying attention, where in such instances he would sing gibberish or play the same song two times in a row to see if people would notice, which he later claimed they didn't.

[13] As with Jones' previous work, an integral aspect to his intricate playing style is the recurring percussive sound achieved by striking downwards using the middle or ring fingers on his right hand onto damped bass strings near or above the guitar bridge, a technique similar to the 'frailing' of a banjo.

[14] His modern guitar arrangements on Penguin Eggs display a contemporary feel,[9] and he makes inventive use of progressive open tunings on the album,[15] including DADGAD,[12] though he generally preferred tunings in C and G.[12] Although Jones' guitar work forms the basis on the album, musical support is provided on several tracks by Tony Hall on melodeon and Bridget Danby on recorder.

[10] According to Bruce Eder of AllMusic, Jones' singing, "some of the most expressive to emerge from the English folk revival," bare a richness that recalls young Martin Carthy but also hints of a roughness that is reminiscent of A.L.

[13] The albums opens with Jones' arrangement of the English folk ballad "Canadee-I-O," a recording cited as "iconic" by the BBC and the Guardian.

"[9] By 1982, Jones was fully embraced in contemporary song and, strongly influenced by Bob Marley, even contemplated making folk-reggae fusions.

Returning home by car after a gig at Glossop Folk Club, a tired Jones inadvertently drove into a lorry pulling out of Whittlesea brickworks.

He suffered serious injuries, including many broken bones and brain damage, and required intensive care treatment and hospitalisation for a total of eight months.

[30] In a very positive retrospective review, Bruce Eder of AllMusic named Penguin Eggs an "Album Pick" and called it Jones' magnum opus.

He wrote that the album "stands in a virtual class by itself -- a folk record built on playing of such virtuosity that anyone who enjoys guitar, of any type or style, should hear it; a body of traditional songs played with an immediacy and urgency that transcends any dry notions of scholarship; and a record that stands astride the opposing virtues of youth and antiquity, in its execution and source, respectively.

"[13] He felt the musicianship makes the album "truly special" and "alluring to modern listeners" and noted: "Penguin Eggs is one of those rare records were not just every song, but each instrumental part is worth hearing.

"[33]Penguin Eggs is listed as Jones' finest album in the Rough Guides book World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, where it is referred to as a "seminal album from the English revival" which marks Jones' "sudden transformation from accomplished but more or less straightforward interpreter of folk song, to innovative arranger and intricate performer.

[35] Colin Irwin of The Guardian called Penguin Eggs "groundbreaking,"[36] writing that it took British folk music "to a new level, with Jones channelling his inner rock psyche into the unlikely format of a solo singer playing mostly traditional songs on an acoustic guitar.

[17] Stuart Maconie reflected: "Before folk became hip with preening trendies, and indeed at the height of punk rock, the now wheelchair bound Jones [...] made this heartbreaking, plangent album of originals that sound ancient.

[40] In a 2001 poll conducted by Mike Harding of BBC Radio 2, Penguin Eggs was named the second best folk album of all time, after Fairport Convention's Liege & Lief (1969).

[38] Journalist Peter Paphides named it the 7th best English folk album ever in 2005, saying it "has deservedly continued to feed Jones’ legend".