Jellyfish's "Joining a Fan Club" -- Brilliant Metapop or Turgid Imitation?

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I want answers...

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 26 June 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

That song, like that album, was *a lot* more impressively produced/arranged than it was listenable.

dleone (dleone), Thursday, 26 June 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

classic

Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 26 June 2003 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Jody, you really think Sturmer's voice is boy-bandy, though? If anything, it's Power Poppy-galore...

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 26 June 2003 17:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I do. He sounds like Dennis De Young run through the Mickey Mouse Club machinery.

Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 26 June 2003 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow, that's a beautiful concept.

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 26 June 2003 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, I think Sturmer has done quite a bit of background singing on LA pop records.

dleone (dleone), Thursday, 26 June 2003 18:59 (twenty-two years ago)

He has? I downloaded some of his stuff, demos I guess, a few years ago -- a lot of it was strikingly unmemorable, though there was one song that was incredible. Can't remember which, though.

Sturmer/Manning also did that terrible Ringo Starr album, as I recall...

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 26 June 2003 21:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Another thought: that bridge -- it's all Brontosaurus-era Move w/ the saxophones and banging piano. Love it.

Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Saturday, 28 June 2003 02:46 (twenty-two years ago)

seven years pass...

love this song so much

acoleuthic, Thursday, 11 November 2010 23:06 (fifteen years ago)

A great song in many ways, but the debut album was stronger IMO. "Spilt Milk" had fantastic production, but the actual songs were better on the debut.

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Thursday, 11 November 2010 23:53 (fifteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BTqSv9J4_s
Wonderful song, wonderful video. Can't understand it flopped.

In 2006, The Feeling conquered the world with largely the same musical style, only weaker songs. But in 1990-91, the world sadly wasn't ready for Jellyfish.

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Friday, 12 November 2010 04:00 (fifteen years ago)

Andy Sturmer is all over the theme and soundtracks of Disney's newish "Super Sleuths" versions of Winnie the Pooh.

Kim, Friday, 12 November 2010 17:09 (fifteen years ago)

Not that I don't love Jellyfish but I can totally understand how it flopped...has anything that stylized and textured ever hit it big? Their music is just too complicated. Bohemian Rhapsody is an obvious possible counterexample but even that's sliced up into little digestible pieces. On "King" there is a solid near-minute of dissonance in the middle and you can't boil the track down into something easy to listen to or follow along. Which is of course what makes it so interesting.

skip, Friday, 12 November 2010 21:24 (fifteen years ago)

Their debut album was considerably less proggy than "Spilt Milk". Yes, it has middle-eights that are often very contrasting, but so did a lot of Beatles and Beach Boys hits too.

I think it had more to do with the fact that their kind of music was considered old fashioned in 1990. If you looked at the hitlists, the only traditional pop songs with empasis on melody and verse and chorus were usually MOR ballads by Elton John and Phil Collins, there were few young and upcoming acts having success with music written in a traditional way. Crowded House had slightly more success, but even they struggled commercially in the late 80s.

You're Twistin' My Melody Man! (Geir Hongro), Friday, 12 November 2010 21:34 (fifteen years ago)


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