San Francisco power-pop legends Jellyfish will be releasing vinyl reissues of their two seminal albums Bellybutton (1990) and Spilt Milk (1993). Vinyl editions of the former will be released on November 3, and the latter will arrive on November 17. While new 96khz/24bit remastered versions of albums will hit streaming services on November 3.
Both Bellybutton and Spilt Milk received a limited vinyl release in the U.K. upon release, but only Bellybutton was released on vinyl in the U.S.
Both vinyl editions originally released in the U.K. had inserts with lyrics and photos, which have been converted into a gatefold for these new reissues. Additionally, the labels on these LPs are meant to match the original Charisma Records labels from the original releases.
The band was formed in 1989 by Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning, and produced by none other than the legendary Jack Joseph Puig (The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, U2) and Albhy Galuten (Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, The Bee Gees).
The duo was celebrated for their defiance in the grunge era, crafting deliriously sunny pop jams. In a Newsweek feature highlighting the Best Summer Albums from 1985-1997, Zach Schonfeld wrote a blurb on Spilt Milk, saying, “God bless Jellyfish for releasing this lost power-pop masterwork at the height of the grunge explosion. With angst on the airwaves, Andy Sturmer and Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. (with help from soon-to-be-star-producer Jon Brion) crafted 12 unfashionably sunny and remarkably well-built pop gems.
“It’s the colorfulness of it all that makes it such a great summer record; nods to peak Queen, 80s metal, and The Beatles at their sugariest abound, but Spilt Milk couldn’t have been made by anyone but Jellyfish. Shame they didn’t copyright the title ‘Bye Bye Bye’ before NSYNC nabbed it.”
The history of Spilt Milk is legendary in Jellyfish circles. When they began writing in 1992, Brian Wilson paid them a visit to the studio, having been impressed by their debut Bellybutton. The duo showed off their electric harpsichords and clavinet, which left Wilson unimpressed. He wanted to see something new. This sparked an idea in the duo.
As explained in PopMatters, “‘This whole idea of retro,’ he [Puig] decided, ‘is baloney.’ He was now on a mission to go beyond that retro baloney and ‘use all the things’, he said, past and present: both harpsichords and digital samplers; timpani set up right next to rock drum kits; new ways of working alongside old, each informing and improving the other.
“All the things, including time: beat by beat, second by second, he wasn’t going to let a moment on Spilt Milk go by that hadn’t been thought all the way through, tried every which way, and then expanded to its fullest sonic proportions.”
