What ever happened to......Jellyfish

Posted almost 6 years ago
I use to like this band, in spite of their goofy garb. The singer had a great voice, the songs were poppy....with a bit of darkness hidden away in the lyrical content. Just good pop music. This is one of those bands people in the biz thought were gonna take off big time. It just never happened. I think it's cause their videos sucked....and maybe because of that, people just thought they were some weird silly bubblegum band.check out the vocals onn this one....

Comments (10)

  1. atman says Do you remember School Of Fish? "Three Strange Days?" I loved that song. I vaguely remember Jellyfish. One of those bads that everyone thought was gonna go far, then fizzled out. There's probalby a lot of bands like that, that I don't remember.
    Permalink posted 08/21/2006
  2. Dale says I still like a couple of their songs from their first album, but they got caught in the undertow when grunge came to be. Post-Nirvana, bands with "gimmicks", like Jellyfish, got shoved aside. Pity.
    Permalink posted 08/21/2006
  3. BobDobalina says I agree. I was (and still am) a Jellyfish fan. I think Ben Folds kind of picked up where they left off.
    Permalink posted 08/21/2006
  4. jpop12 says a year-or-two ago i repurchased the BELLYBUTTON cd. ---why did i ever get rid of it? the song "that is why" is great. --- i originally bought the cd somewhere around 1991- after hearing the song "i wanna stay home" in the film "career opportunities". finding out about JELLYFISH was the only redeeming part of the film. additional info courtesy of allmusic.com: Jellyfish seemingly had all the right ingredients for success -- catchy, melodic pop songs squarely in the Beatles/Squeeze mold, plus strong kitsch appeal in its retro sound and wildly colorful, clashing wardrobe. Founding members Andy Sturmer (drums, vocals) and Roger Manning (keyboards) previously played in the pop/rock quartet Beatnik Beatch; after that group called it quits, the Jellyfish lineup was rounded out with guitarist Jason Falkner and bassist Chris Manning, brother of Roger. Bellybutton, the group's well-received 1990 debut, produced a minor chart single in "Baby's Coming Back," but nothing made a major impact. The follow-up, Spilt Milk, followed the same style, adding more intricate arrangements and harmonies. Despite it being another stellar collection of tasty power pop, the album failed to live up to lofty expectations, and the band split up after an ensuing supporting tour wrapped up. In the wake of their breakup, the former bandmembers turned up on different projects -- including former bassist Tim Smith's outfit the Umajets, a pair of bands that include Roger Manning, Imperial Drag, and the Moog Cookbook, while Jason Falkner has issued a pair of critically acclaimed solo releases, very much in the style of his former band (Sturmer has appeared to have turned his back on performing and has produced such acts as the Merrymakers and Puffy). Although their career was short, a slew of Jellyfish-influenced bands began to crop up in their wake -- including the aforementioned Merrymakers, Ben Folds Five, the Hutchinsons, and the Excentrics, among others. A 14-track collection of Jellyfish's best-known material (as well as a smattering of rare live tracks) (Greatest) was issued in 1999.
    Permalink posted 08/22/2006
  5. babbellfish says what about "sebrina, paste, and plato" ahh, young love. or the way to a person is through their stomach.... or a real insight into the lunch box bartering that takes place in all elementary schools, hmmm.... think on it.
    Permalink posted 09/08/2006
  6. damianmannn says Should I be sober whilst pondering all this?
    Permalink posted 09/08/2006
  7. dragonhead says Yeah, the first album had them all dressed up in silly hats and shit. But then Jason Falkner and Roger Manning's brother (whose name escapes me) left the band for being too excellent and too rubbish respectively. The image was dropped and they got that little bit more "serious". I saw both incarnations live. Utterly fantastic. I really really really miss Jellyfish. I still have my "Shameless Jellyfish Promotional Device" shirt. It's a plain white shirt with "Shameless Jellyfish Promotional Device" on it in huge black letters. Genius.
    Permalink posted 09/11/2006

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