Jellyfish
This US band from San Francisco broke into the '90s by brilliantly re-packaging the most gaudy elements of the '60s and '70s pop with irresistible kitsch appeal. The band's dress sense was particularly colourful, one critic observing that it could have been drawn from the wardrobes of colour blind charity shop consumers. The group is composed of Andy Sturmer (b. Pleasanton, San Fransisco, California, USA; drums/vocals), Jason Faulkner (guitar), along with brothers Chris Manning (b. Pleasanton, San Fransisco, California, USA; bass) and Roger Manning (b. Pleasanton, San Fransisco, California, USA; keyboards). This hometown they describe as ‘ "Twin Peaks" without the Tree’. Members of the band were previously in Beatnik Beach, a short-lived funk pop outfit on Atlantic. Their debut single, The King Is Half Undressed, was a classy slice of retro-pop. Allied to their childlike dress sense, the formula guaranteed immediate television exposure. An album followed shortly after, which was assured and close to outright Beatles pastiche with strange overtones of Earth Opera. It was produced by Albhy Galuten, his first job since SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER. However, subsequent highly commercial singles; Baby's Coming Back, I Wanna Stay Home, and Now She Knows She's Wrong, failed to build on a strong chart platform. Jellyfish were more than happy to be able to play with at least two of their heroes, Ringo Starr and Brian Wilson, following introductions from Don Was from Was (Not Was). Their debut album remains one of the more exciting debuts of the '90s and was followed in 1993 by a similarly crafted SPILT MILK. More complex arrangements and sometimes breathtaking harmonies showed definite influences of 10cc, Queen and Badfinger. The line up in 1993 included Eric Dover (guitar) who replaced Faulkner and Tim Smith (bass), who took over from Chris Manning.