Where do I even start with Jellyfish? Maybe the best place is by saying they are by far one of my all time favourite bands…and they only released two albums. My first exposure was back in 1990 with the song That Is Why which got some modest radio play on CFNY. It was this bubblegum pop sounding song in the middle of hair metal days and it was like a breath of fresh air from the 1970s. At the time I was fully immersed in World Party’s Goodbye Jumbo album and when the played Toronto on that tour at The Danforth Music Hall, Jellyfish was the opening act. They were all dressed up in crazy fun costumes, had a bubble blower showering the stage with bubbles while they played this amazing set of music that included covers of Let Em In by Wings and the McDonalds Big Mac Song. Totally captivating and I became a fan for life that night. The date was September 23 1990.
The band was originally formed in San Francisco in 89 by Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning Jr. after the dissolution of their previous band Beatnick Beach. Jason Falkner joined them and they recorded the album Bellybutton which is truly one of the greatest debut albums ever released. It is a masterful melting pot of influences ranging from The Beatles and Beach Boys to Supertramp and The Raspberries, from Queen to The Partridge Family.
The singles released from the album were The King Is Half Undressed, That Is Why, Baby’s Coming Back and I Wanna Stay Home. Every song on the album is beautifully produced with amazing instrumentation, sounds and effects. Ten perfect songs that cover a vast amount of musical styles and influences. It is a remarkable achievement in every way for a fist effort by any band.
Then as noted they toured with World Party and The Black Crowes building a strong cult following. After the tour Falkner left and was replaced by Tim Smith for the band’s second and final studio album Spilt Milk. If Bellybutton was their Rubber Soul, Spilt Milk was their Sgt. Pepper’s. As amazing as their first album was, their second one somehow managed to eclipse it by doubling down on every idea. It is a truly iconic record, lush and clear and clever and ridiculous and poppy and bombastic and harmonic and inspiring and everything music can and should be. It is as total and concise a realization of a band’s vision as there has ever been and it is a truly spectacular album. I’m not going to describe the songs. Just trust me when I say that if you have never heard this album or Bellybutton do yourself a favour and listen to them. I am not being overreaching or hyperbolic when I say they are both among my all time favourite records and not a lot of people have ever heard of them. It is a shame but over time their legacy and influence has grown dramatically. I think of them as the 1990’s equivalent of what Big Star was to the 1970’s and The Velvet Underground were to the 1960’s. Impactful to music well beyond their short lifespan and output. If I could write a single song as good as any of the 22 songs released on their two albums I would consider myself an exceptional artist.
On top of the albums they also had a whole slew of amazing bsides and live tracks all of which were compiled on a now rare, fan inspired, 2002 4 CD box set called Fan Club which also included pristinely realized demos from both albums. It is one of cherished music possessions.
The band toured Spilt Milk with the addition of Eric Dover and then split up. To this day every Jellyfish fan wishes they would get back together at some point. The band members have had a ton of solo releases that are pretty much all great. They also formed several offshoots in the form of the bands Imperial Drag, Logan’s Sanctuary, The Moog Cookbook, The Grays and TV Eyes. This past year Manning, Dover and Smith reunited and have released several EPs under the name The Lickerish Quartet which is also super fun and right up the Jellyfish alley. Manning has also been the keyboard player for Beck for many years as well. So much amazing music to discover from these super talented artists but the best of it all are the two albums by the stellar 90’s band known as Jellyfish. Two of my all time favourite albums by one of my all time favourite bands. Check them out. You won’t be sorry. I promise you.
For any Jellyfish fans here is a really interesting interview with Roger Manning about the making of Bellybutton – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTvNjPFjlNE
and one about Spilt Milk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3-z_mRl13s
PURCHASE Bellybutton and Spilt Milk
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