Given your love of The Beatles and Jellyfish, I have a story that might amuse you. I attended the wedding of Rich Robinson (of The Black Crowes) in Atlanta Georgia, in I think 1993 or could have been 1994. I was a friend of the bride's family. A nice, mostly traditional wedding in an old mansion venue with outside grounds. Rich had booked Jellyfish to play during the reception. He said it was one of his favorite bands. They did in fact play, but the highlight for me was when Chris Robinson joined Jellyfish at some point during the night and they did a long set of nothing but Beatles songs. It was a loose, fun, fantastic performance. Postscript: Rich and the bride are no longer married, but do have two, now grown, children.
I met Andy Sturmer in 1993 on the Spilt Milk Tour. It was the 4th of July in Columbus Ohio. My friends and I got off a parking garage elevator and found that we were backstage! Haha. We thought we were in a dream. I found a piece of trash on the ground frantically and ran to Andy and had him autograph it for me. I still have it!! One of my favorite stories. One of my favorite bands.
These might have been my most anticipating new releases ever…this video conveys so accurately what I feel - disappointed, outraged and heartbroken! it is totally unacceptable. These true masterpieces needed Analogue Productions to be involved not a kid with Mac skills. Such a wasted opportunity that should never happened! Somebody should lose their job over this - or learn from it and do it again - correctly this time.
Spot on with the Lemon Twigs comparison. Your mention of Wings reminded me of a Jellyfish promo CD that featured live covers of Wings' "Jet" and Badfinger's "No Matter What." Wish I'd kept it! And yes, the original CDs still sound really good.
Oh dear. 😰 I just got both of mine in the mail. Very disappointing to hear that these fell short. Probably my two most anticipated reissues of the year. I’ll be listening this weekend. Thanks, Mazzy! ✌🏻
For those who want to dive deeper, prior to forming Jellyfish, Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning were in a quartet named Beatnik Beach, who had one album released in 1988 on Atlantic Records (I have it on LP). Mazzy, Sturmer and Manning contributed one song on Ringo's Time Takes Time album. After Jellyfish, Roger Manning and Jellyfish guitarist Eric Dover formed Imperial Drag, which is a sort of Glam Band iirc. More recently Roger has been in a band named The Lickerish Quartet. Andy Sturmer has been working behind the scenes, producing and playing drums on some great albums. He plays drums on the Merrymakers' 1999 Bubblegun (sic) album on Big Deal Records, and produced four of the album's songs. In 2003 he was heavily involved in an album by a female Japanese duo named Puffy AmiYumi. He co-wrote many of the songs on their Bar None Records album Nice, also producing the album and playing drums. The album is pure, infectious Power Pop. Mazzy, you'll get a kick out of the front cover; it's a pastiche of John & Yoko's Bed-In pic!
How did I make it to 63 and not hear of this band? During the 90's I immersed myself in all the classical and jazz I felt I had missed out on during my obsession with 60's and 70's rock and pop in the years previous to that. So apart from the likes of Radiohead and the sparse offerings of the likes of XTC and The Blue Nile I remained pretty ignorant of that decade's contemporary rock. After your recommendation I have been streaming those two albums all morning. What a revelation! So mucho thanks Mazzy for introducing them to me. I hear a lot of aforesaid XTC, Big Star, Flaming Lips and even Brian Wilson (sans that wanker Mike Love of course) in their music, but in no way are they copyists. Sad they did not last a lot longer than '93 but they have certainly procured new fan down here. Cheers✌
I got the two Jellyfish albums on LP at the time of their release, both on Charisma Records. My copy of Bellybutton is a promo (I was a product buyer at Tower Records), and both the cover and center paper label read "Manufactured by WEA through arrangement with Atlantic Records." The cover has a half-width fold-over, and one side of the inner sleeve a pic of a belly and bellybutton (a nice innie ;-). My Spilt Milk, while on Charisma, was manufactured by Virgin Records in the UK. Both LP's sound magnificent. I don't know about the rest of the U.S.A., but Jellyfish were huge in Los Angeles amongst Pop music enthusiasts. They did a late-afternoon in-store appearance at Tower on Sunset for the release of Spilt Milk (performing acoustically, acoustic guitar and vocals "only", with incredible 3-part harmonies), and packed The Palace Theater that night. Everyone in the L.A. Pop community was there, and they sounded unbelievably great. I say that as someone who saw The Beach Boys and The Beatles live.
I was introduced to Jellyfish by a fellow coworker at a hifi shop. He was going to Berklee and was going for production. He was so enamored with Spilt Milk and its production. My first listen I was blown away. It’s sad to hear the reissues aren’t great but I secretly am happy as I missed these and they are sold out. Great video thanks!
Spilt Milk was the first CD I bought back in 1993. Such a great sounding album. I still regularly play that original CD - probably the last time about 2 months ago - and it sounds incredible. Great song writing and pristine production.
Thanks for the PSA & saving me some dough, Mazzy. Was really jazzed for these two & was,up until now, desperately trying to figure out ways to score them.
I got mine yesterday as well and I was a bit disappointed with the sound as well. I had to crank mine last night. But it was great to hear this music again. It’s been years since I’ve heard Jellyfish. Overall, I am happy to have Spilt Milk finally on vinyl. Cheers, Brian☘️
My journey with Jellyfish started when I bought a CD of a band called Beatnik Beatch (Andy Sturmer/Roger Manning Jr.). It was from a Dollar Store in 1988. This was something my friends and I would do, mostly as a joke, we called it - "CD Roulette". Surprisingly we discovered some truly talented musicians this way (this, Stress, King's X, The Grays, and Toy Matinee, to name a few).. Beatnik Beatch, was of course, Andy Sturmer, and Roger Manning. Two of the songs (Worthless Heart, Watching the Rain) would later be recorded by Jellyfish themselves, and could be found on the New Mistake Japanese CD Maxi-Single, as well as the later released, NotLame Fan Club 4 CD deluxe set. How do we feel about the sound quality of the original vinyl presses for Bellybutton and Spilt Milk? I have just ordered the new Listener Editions, but honestly I don't ever see myself listening to anything other than the Japanese imports for those. To me, that is the definitive way to listen. They sound incredible, and might just be two of the best examples of amazing CD mixes. (Along with the DDD recordings of Robert Plant - Now & Zen and Todd Rundgren - 2nd Wind). The Japanese import of Bellybutton is very special because it, not only has the entire studio recording, but also 6 bonus live tracks. The Japanese imported CD Maxi Single for New Mistake is loaded with extras. It has New Mistake (radio edit) + 4 Spilt Milk recording demo tracks + 4 songs from other compilations and projects (Worthless Heat, Watching the Rain, Ignorance is Bliss, and Family Tree). Definitely worth the pickup IMO.
@@jjuriz Heh.. I was kind of wondering if anyone would even know of them. Thanks for letting me know that other fans actually exist! I felt badly that it only cost me a dollar for such a great album, so I have been telling people about them for the past 35 years, when the opportunity presents itself.
I was the General Manager of Modern Rock KWOD 106-5 Sacramento California (after a very brief stint at KITS Live 105.3 San Francisco) from 1992 to 2003. At KWOD “New Mistake” was in medium rotation. Got to see them live and go backstage and meet them. Great band. Really cool music. Nice guys. They went a little downhill after one of the members left to form a new group which name escapes me.
Any conversation about Jellyfish deserves the mention of Jason Falkner. He’s too fuckin excellent not to talk about. He was on the bellybutton album. Has a stellar solo career.
I got the original vinyl of 'Bellybutton' when it first came out and it always sounded tremendous to me, though I never got the CD. With Spilt Milk it was the other way round - got the CD but never heard the original vinyl. It's a shame these two reissues don't cut the mustard. Looks like they're available in the UK.
Hi Mazzstro. I have the 24/96 high resolution versions of both these albums and they are an improvement on the original CD's but not by a large distance. The volume of these new albums are at a good level about the same as the 24/96 of the Beatles Red album that I've been overdosing on. On your recommendation a few months ago I investigated the Lemon Twigs and they are great, thanks for that!
I was bummed I missed out on these, but sounds like i missed out on the slight regret of getting them. Thanks for the honesty, gonna stick with the cds.
So if there are no hand etchings in the deadwax and only a machine etching, there is a good chance GZ took digital files and put them on vinyl. In a case, I am betting it wasn’t mastered for vinyl given your description. Also, given most 90s albums exceed 40 minutes in length, compression has to be applied to put in on one disc. It why I am always cautious about any record from the 90s, especially albums on one record.
As a DJ who has spun records for the past 25 years, I would suggest to vinyl enthusiasts and audiophiles to invest in a nice analog DJ mixer to incorporate into your home stereo setup. Numark has great options that are fairly inexpensive. I have one in my living room system. With a good mixer, you can easily correct a lot of mastering issues on the fly with really great results. Hell, I’ve gotten good sounding results with those crappy K-Tel compilations from the 70s with just a bit of tweaking and gain boosting. Just something you might consider. Us DJs tweak the sound all the time when we are spinning our sets.
😂 audiophiles are never going to put a dj mixer in their signal chain, they wont even use tone controlls and would rather spend 5k on a cable to try to achieve that.
Was lucky enough to see them at a small club in Seattle called The Rock Candy, "maybe 1995". Without a doubt, the most perfectly performed, best sounding show by the best band I've ever seen. They had this cool Willy Wonka kid like vibe on stage.. Giant Crayons standing here and there, a Lite Brite that said Jellyfish sitting atop one of the amps, time machine clothing, and harmonies of the gods. I still can't understand why the place was barely half full. They were astounding... Like you said, maybe they didn't fit in with the times..... Too bad!
i knew of these guys when first record came out but apparently didn't know 2nd record at all. i can see why you're pissed off because it's right up my alley and certainly worthy of the star of "24"'s devotion. i liked the velvet crush record that roger manning was on and jellyfish reunited for a live record at a place not too far from from me about a decade ago. thanks for this video. i met the other musician named roger manning cited by wikipedia and was wondering why he never mentioned his abiding love for the beach boys!!
Personally I felt that universal classifying it as “listener edition” should have been a warning sign. Having said that I’m still glad I got them even if it’s just to look at the art
When a CD of an analog recording sounds way better than a decently pressed LP with an all analog chain, that is the epitome of failure. Thanks for helping me save my money, there's always tidal.
This man speaks the truth!! I have both of these vinyl editions and they are seriously lacking in the mix. I love this band. They only made 2 albums. Why crap the bed on this? I bought em cause I love Jellyfish, but eff you, Capitol, for not giving a sh1t.
My big 180 gram mistake was the 2xLP reissue, remastered, gatefold version of Definitely Maybe by Oasis. It’s in pristine condition but the sound is awful, even with cleaning. I could not in good conscience even consider selling this to someone else. I didn’t even put it in my discogs collection. A huge disappointment, but an important lesson learned. I am going to check out Jellyfish though on CD!
Mazzy take a tablet calm down! I have the two albums on cd! Jellyfish did well in the UK! I was so excited to see the vinyl then your semi rant! Damn! Let's hope we get a proper vinyl version! I will wait for that! Anger Management for Mazzy! 😂
I have the 2011 Omnivore vinyl reissues of these. Nothing else to compare them to but they sound pretty damn good to me..Dont understand why guys who have the Omnivores are purchasing these new reissues
I agree. I bought the CDs first and they were excellent. Then I bought the Omnivore LPs and they sound even better. There is no excuse for the new versions to sound subpar other than ignorance and greed.
I have a 1990 OG of the first Jellyfish album (it sounds great), and the Omnivore version of the 2nd LP sounds fine to me. My CD's sound great as well. I haven't heard these two new releases yet. It's a shame to hear this about these two fantastic albums. Take care...
I have kept all my CDs, however in most cases, on my rig, the vinyl versions frequently win out sonically. Sometimes CDs are fantastic, and other times very brittle. This time the CDs are superior.
I bought the Spilt Milk original CD shortly after it was released was mastered by Doug Sax, but not sure what the original vinyl record was Discogs says deadwax info TOWN HOUSE DMM so was not TML. Weird the vinyl was originally in 1993 only available in UK & Europe. The 2012 Omnivore reissue on vinyl was definitely mastered by John Golden and pressed at RTI. The BellyButton album is a more difficult one to dig up for the info but there are blips of internet info that the CD and maybe the Vinyl was mastered possibly by John Golden but not sure. I was extremely lucky and fortunate enough to get the rare BellyButton vinyl record trifold cover Promo (NM) copy from my friend who was moving back to Detroit area from Chicago and he worked at Music Direct. He was trying to sell a lot of his extra copies of records so he did not have to move as much stuff and I think I paid $30 or $40 which now today with what this exact version goes for was a gift! My promo copy of BellyButton is a DMM cut etched in the deadwax and also SP1-1 which I believe means pressed at Specialty Records. I was given the original CD of BellyButton for free by another friend as he had a ton of CD copies just giving them away who wanted, who I worked with as he was also the booking agent for them here in the Chicago area when they first toured, along with him being the full booking agent for Mind Bomb and Disturbed. The older pressings (1993 & 2012) of Spilt Milk go for big time bucks now. I agree that the original CDs of both albums sound absolutely fantastic and love both albums! I am happy with the copies with what I have now. It would never ever surprise me that Capitol Records and Universal Music screwed this all up as they (both) have a long history going back for many many many years of doing this.
Jellyfish: ca 1975 Ambrosia meets Queen. A little histrionic at times, but great melodies and musicianship, lots of fun, and hooks galore. You took the nails so that all of us might be spared. I'll stick to my Japanese CD issues.
Though I'm not at all surprised by your assessment (sadly), given the crapshoot/hit or miss nature of vinyl pressings these days, I am however still supremely bummed to hear that, whoever was at the helm of these releases dropped the ball. If there ever were two records that were worthy of, if not demand the very best and highest quality, in regards to vinyl pressings, mastering, etc.. it'd be these two recordings. Like you touched on, aside from the brilliance of the music itself, the production is equally stellar, absolutely two of THE best sounding albums I have in my collection, straight up. And yes, musically.. utter masterpieces! What a fucking missed opportunity (gross understatement). I do actually have the original pressings of both (cd & vinyl) as well as the Omnivore lp reissues. It's been a while since I listened to em' and compared. But from what I remember, I was definitely very underwhelmed with the latter. The OG vinyl press, sounds really good, kind of like how you described these being, in regards to someone that has never heard the cds i.e. they sound great for what they are and can still be an enjoyable listen, for the most part. BUT, once you throw on and experience the CD, it's game over i.e. the CD absolutely smokes all vinyl pressings. And yes, once that happens, it's nearly impossible to settle for anything less from that point on. All that's lost on the LPs, sonic details/nuance - wise is all hugely integral to the listening experience, in my opinion. What a shame. It's hard to fathom that, in 2023, any vinyl pressings would sounds so weak, if not, unlistenable. Anyway, thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure to bypass these pressings. Sorry you had spend your hard earned cash on such dreck, especially being a big fan of these records and band, what a drag, huh? Peace.. DC
Lol wtf does “Listener Edition” even mean…? Aren’t all records created for… listeners? For people to, you know… listen to them? I guess they’re trying to say that this is the edition for the people who actually care about sound quality rather than buying it as a merch item to hang on their wall… but then the sound sucks, soooo yeah. Way to go, marketing team!
Hi Mazzy, I had a reissue copy of Spilled Milk and always felt disappointed in the sound quality compared to my CD copy. Both Spilled Milk and Bellybutton sound great on CD, but the vinyl sounded much like you’re reporting. I ended up having a friend of mine offer me $200.00 for my Spilled Milk so I happily let it go. I’ll stick with my CD copies.
How many copies of spilt milk were pressed? It still seems very expensive. I’m in the uk but all copies seem to be over in the US only meaning I’m still paying over the odds for a copy. 😳
There is a vid on UA-cam of a guy pulling the master tapes out of storage for this reissue. I'm in the UK and have ordered both from the US - they are pretty cheap considering today's vinyl prices, and the shipping wasn't alarming either. I guess the sound quality will be reflected in the price although it really shouldn't be that way. Jellyfish were advocates of analog and getting the best sound possible from songs. I wonder what they think of these?
That was in Fremer’s video at iron mountain where the tapes were stored. It seems one master for streaming was successfully done, but the cut mastered for vinyl by someone else is a big fail imho
I also recently bought a few clunkers , REM - Reveal and Oasis - Masterplan, horrible pressings, REM should have been on a double album because of the length. Oasis was just bad mastering, I still have my cds and will continue playing them. Never through out your cds, they still sound great. The Johnny Marr best of that recently came out is much better on cd and comes with extra bonus tracks in a book style case.
I bought the albums and saw the band twice back in the day. Perhaps they did not fit into the "scene" at the time, but good music is good music and whatever is "in fashion" should not deter one from that.They were excellent, a dream band and they should of been a huge success. The Omnivore releases were great with lots of liner notes and unreleased material. Do you have the versions of the albums with the vocals taken off so you can hear the sonic wonder of these albums in a different way? Personally, I was always intrigued as to how long it took to record the Spilt Milk album and how much it must've cost to make. A real kitchen sink job. Someone should be fired for producing sub-standard versions of these recordings in any form.
Thanks Mazzy. I’ve wanted a vinyl copy of Spilt Milk for a long time. Maybe someday. As an aside, jellyfish fans would also enjoy The Grays. They made one album called Ro Sham Bo. I think it’s only available on CD but it is a winner and worth having.
I don't have these therefore can't say who cut the masters. But if GZ was involved they cut everything using Direct Metal Mastering, which is okay. But they also use a compluter algorithm to streamline the cutting process, which isn't okay. Humans have ears for a reason. If you want to know more, there is a Michael Fremer on UA-cam in which he visits the factory and their cutting room. George Harrison's 'All Things Must Pass' 'remix' was cut and pressed at GZ, and we all know how flat it sounds.
I have an OG Bellybutton vinyl as well. It's a fine pressing. I really hoped this would curb the need to spend the big bucks one day on an OG Spilt Milk. Once again, ugh.
Hmmmmm Could a VTA adjustment be in order Worth a try if you have the ability Possibly why some love it and some don’t. Adore JELLYFISH, have the original lps they sound fabulous Fun “meeting” you on Rachel’s show
Great albums I've only recently discovered, totally passed me by 30 years ago. Oh well! On a side note, I'm convinced ^the Belly Buttons^ would have been a better name for a band than Jeĺlyfish Of course that's my personal opinion and I'm basically stuck with it Maybe there is or was a band out there called the Belly Buttons. Not here in the UK I don't think
Both of these arrived yesterday and I’ve only heard Spilt Milk. This time Mazzy you’re correct with your assessment regarding the sonic quality of these releases. Haven’t heard Bellybutton yet but I’m sure I’ll be just as disappointed. You were dead wrong though with the VMP Miles anthology. All of those titles smoke their MoFi counterparts. Sorry not sorry 😎
What you are saying about the low gain level on the records sounds familiar to the recent Scofield A Go Go reissue. I saw yesterday's roundtable. Are any of the sides on the Jellyfish albums over 24 minutes?
I agree, though I will say Bellybutton is better spatially than Spilt Milk in these reissues. I have the US and UK original pressings of both and they stand head and shoulders above these unfortunately. Stick with the CD if you're a casual fan or get an original or omnivore version used if you are a bigger fan. Whoever approved the vinyl mastering and lacquers must not have had the CD or original vinyl copies or care to compare them before approving them.
What a shame! Must be such a huge disappointment. I bought Pat Metheny and Charlie Hayden's "Beyond the Missouri Sky" on vinyl a few years ago and it was the worst pressing ever. The CD was a million times better sound-wise. Luckily I was able to return the vinyl for a refund and just stuck with my cd of that album. Great video.
Spilt Milk CD has the reputation of being the prime example of how awesome digital mastering can sound if done properly. do these really sound that awful that you can't enjoy listening to the vinyl?
Tom at Better Records is laughing his arse off and has his "listening team" looking for OG copies to test....rumor has it copies will be north of 5 figures....
The new Universal pressing of John Scofield’s A Go Go is the exact same story. It’s crazy bad. Super disappointing after how long people have wanted this reissue.
I agree with you - I got my copy of A Go Go - and after 2 minutes - I could not continue listening - another wasted opportunity to give a truly great recording the treatment it deserves. Shame…
I’m still waiting for my yellow copy. It got delayed for everyone. I would love for it to sound better than the regular but it’s going to be the same exact pressing.
If I don't have those records on vinyl or CD should I buy them on CD because they did such a poor job remastering them on vinyl ? I guess you asked my question just before the video ended.
@TheAudioGeek67 Does it say somewhere online that it is Kevin Reeves that cut these? In the deadwax info? Looking at Discogs it should say “KEV” in the deadwax.
Any Beatles fan needs to familiarise themselves with Jellyfish. Such a shame the vinyl reissues suck. Am sure the original issues sound good..if only they were available.
Well that sucks. I did see them live back in the day and they were fantastic. Maybe some guy cut the master while wearing a sailor hat and dirty nails?
Glad that you missed out on a great band? Well they are known as a musician's band... But I know some squares that like them too! Cheers... -dugair PDXtc
Mazzy, thank you for the critique. These are such disappointments. I have the original vinyl and omnivore reissues of both. These sound like a towel is thrown on the speakers. The CDs are outstanding compared to these pressings. No one listened to the CD beforehand as a reference?!? I think an intern did the mastering and cutting. Epic fail!
@@tediarocci6629 I wonder that myself. These are two of my favorite albums and I thought these would be so great that my other copies would be a joke, jokes on me. They are limited so they will probably still increase in value.
Given your love of The Beatles and Jellyfish, I have a story that might amuse you. I attended the wedding of Rich Robinson (of The Black Crowes) in Atlanta Georgia, in I think 1993 or could have been 1994. I was a friend of the bride's family. A nice, mostly traditional wedding in an old mansion venue with outside grounds. Rich had booked Jellyfish to play during the reception. He said it was one of his favorite bands. They did in fact play, but the highlight for me was when Chris Robinson joined Jellyfish at some point during the night and they did a long set of nothing but Beatles songs. It was a loose, fun, fantastic performance. Postscript: Rich and the bride are no longer married, but do have two, now grown, children.
Jellyfish toured as support for the Black Crowes around that time. Andy & Roger from Jellyfish would sit in with BC during their set.
-dugair PDXtc
I met Andy Sturmer in 1993 on the Spilt Milk Tour. It was the 4th of July in Columbus Ohio. My friends and I got off a parking garage elevator and found that we were backstage! Haha. We thought we were in a dream. I found a piece of trash on the ground frantically and ran to Andy and had him autograph it for me. I still have it!! One of my favorite stories. One of my favorite bands.
These might have been my most anticipating new releases ever…this video conveys so accurately what I feel - disappointed, outraged and heartbroken! it is totally unacceptable. These true masterpieces needed Analogue Productions to be involved not a kid with Mac skills. Such a wasted opportunity that should never happened! Somebody should lose their job over this - or learn from it and do it again - correctly this time.
Spot on with the Lemon Twigs comparison. Your mention of Wings reminded me of a Jellyfish promo CD that featured live covers of Wings' "Jet" and Badfinger's "No Matter What." Wish I'd kept it! And yes, the original CDs still sound really good.
Never heard that. Wow.
Oh dear. 😰 I just got both of mine in the mail. Very disappointing to hear that these fell short. Probably my two most anticipated reissues of the year. I’ll be listening this weekend. Thanks, Mazzy! ✌🏻
You may like them. But I think the CDs are much better. Which is rare for me here.
For those who want to dive deeper, prior to forming Jellyfish, Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning were in a quartet named Beatnik Beach, who had one album released in 1988 on Atlantic Records (I have it on LP). Mazzy, Sturmer and Manning contributed one song on Ringo's Time Takes Time album. After Jellyfish, Roger Manning and Jellyfish guitarist Eric Dover formed Imperial Drag, which is a sort of Glam Band iirc. More recently Roger has been in a band named The Lickerish Quartet.
Andy Sturmer has been working behind the scenes, producing and playing drums on some great albums. He plays drums on the Merrymakers' 1999 Bubblegun (sic) album on Big Deal Records, and produced four of the album's songs. In 2003 he was heavily involved in an album by a female Japanese duo named Puffy AmiYumi. He co-wrote many of the songs on their Bar None Records album Nice, also producing the album and playing drums. The album is pure, infectious Power Pop. Mazzy, you'll get a kick out of the front cover; it's a pastiche of John & Yoko's Bed-In pic!
Yeah I mentioned Beatnik Beach. Saw them a couple of times in SF. Neglected to mention the Ringo collaborations
The Omnivore SM is from orig analog masters and sounds great to my ears. Pressed at RTI.
How did I make it to 63 and not hear of this band? During the 90's I immersed myself in all the classical and jazz I felt I had missed out on during my obsession with 60's and 70's rock and pop in the years previous to that. So apart from the likes of Radiohead and the sparse offerings of the likes of XTC and The Blue Nile I remained pretty ignorant of that decade's contemporary rock. After your recommendation I have been streaming those two albums all morning. What a revelation! So mucho thanks Mazzy for introducing them to me. I hear a lot of aforesaid XTC, Big Star, Flaming Lips and even Brian Wilson (sans that wanker Mike Love of course) in their music, but in no way are they copyists. Sad they did not last a lot longer than '93 but they have certainly procured new fan down here. Cheers✌
Well now you have. So enjoy music ✌🏼
I love it when a new listener discovers Jellyfish! They should have been huge.
Own both original and deluxe edition cd's, it's all I need. Fell in love with cd's again.
I got the two Jellyfish albums on LP at the time of their release, both on Charisma Records. My copy of Bellybutton is a promo (I was a product buyer at Tower Records), and both the cover and center paper label read "Manufactured by WEA through arrangement with Atlantic Records." The cover has a half-width fold-over, and one side of the inner sleeve a pic of a belly and bellybutton (a nice innie ;-). My Spilt Milk, while on Charisma, was manufactured by Virgin Records in the UK. Both LP's sound magnificent.
I don't know about the rest of the U.S.A., but Jellyfish were huge in Los Angeles amongst Pop music enthusiasts. They did a late-afternoon in-store appearance at Tower on Sunset for the release of Spilt Milk (performing acoustically, acoustic guitar and vocals "only", with incredible 3-part harmonies), and packed The Palace Theater that night. Everyone in the L.A. Pop community was there, and they sounded unbelievably great. I say that as someone who saw The Beach Boys and The Beatles live.
absolutely amazing, my friend! Wish I could have been there :)
I was introduced to Jellyfish by a fellow coworker at a hifi shop. He was going to Berklee and was going for production. He was so enamored with Spilt Milk and its production. My first listen I was blown away.
It’s sad to hear the reissues aren’t great but I secretly am happy as I missed these and they are sold out.
Great video thanks!
A band that deserved so much much much more
Spilt Milk was the first CD I bought back in 1993. Such a great sounding album. I still regularly play that original CD - probably the last time about 2 months ago - and it sounds incredible. Great song writing and pristine production.
Thanks for the PSA & saving me some dough, Mazzy. Was really jazzed for these two & was,up until now, desperately trying to figure out ways to score them.
Don't miss them on his account. Mine sound great.
I got mine yesterday as well and I was a bit disappointed with the sound as well. I had to crank mine last night. But it was great to hear this music again. It’s been years since I’ve heard Jellyfish. Overall, I am happy to have Spilt Milk finally on vinyl.
Cheers,
Brian☘️
I’ll vouch for the cds! 😎
My journey with Jellyfish started when I bought a CD of a band called Beatnik Beatch (Andy Sturmer/Roger Manning Jr.). It was from a Dollar Store in 1988. This was something my friends and I would do, mostly as a joke, we called it - "CD Roulette". Surprisingly we discovered some truly talented musicians this way (this, Stress, King's X, The Grays, and Toy Matinee, to name a few).. Beatnik Beatch, was of course, Andy Sturmer, and Roger Manning. Two of the songs (Worthless Heart, Watching the Rain) would later be recorded by Jellyfish themselves, and could be found on the New Mistake Japanese CD Maxi-Single, as well as the later released, NotLame Fan Club 4 CD deluxe set.
How do we feel about the sound quality of the original vinyl presses for Bellybutton and Spilt Milk? I have just ordered the new Listener Editions, but honestly I don't ever see myself listening to anything other than the Japanese imports for those. To me, that is the definitive way to listen. They sound incredible, and might just be two of the best examples of amazing CD mixes. (Along with the DDD recordings of Robert Plant - Now & Zen and Todd Rundgren - 2nd Wind). The Japanese import of Bellybutton is very special because it, not only has the entire studio recording, but also 6 bonus live tracks. The Japanese imported CD Maxi Single for New Mistake is loaded with extras. It has New Mistake (radio edit) + 4 Spilt Milk recording demo tracks + 4 songs from other compilations and projects (Worthless Heat, Watching the Rain, Ignorance is Bliss, and Family Tree). Definitely worth the pickup IMO.
This is the first reference to the band Stress I have ever seen in the wild. Love that album.
@@jjuriz Heh.. I was kind of wondering if anyone would even know of them. Thanks for letting me know that other fans actually exist! I felt badly that it only cost me a dollar for such a great album, so I have been telling people about them for the past 35 years, when the opportunity presents itself.
Mazzy is the coolest dude on UA-cam..outstanding content and a great way to take a chance on discovering new music.
I was the General Manager of Modern Rock KWOD 106-5 Sacramento California (after a very brief stint at KITS Live 105.3 San Francisco) from 1992 to 2003. At KWOD “New Mistake” was in medium rotation. Got to see them live and go backstage and meet them. Great band. Really cool music. Nice guys. They went a little downhill after one of the members left to form a new group which name escapes me.
Imperial Drag.
@@jimbrock1441
Or you may be thinking of
"The Grays".Great album check UA-cam! Cheers.
-dugair PDXtc
They sound pretty damn good.
As long as you like it. That’s all that matters. But they should have sounded better. ✌🏼
They were a great band saw them live twice at the Milkyway in Amsterdam. I went because they had Left Banke influences too.
Any conversation about Jellyfish deserves the mention of Jason Falkner. He’s too fuckin excellent not to talk about. He was on the bellybutton album. Has a stellar solo career.
The Three O Clock. @@TheJcburke68
Universal Music Group needs to pick-up their game on reissues.
Absolutely ✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼
😢that's such a shame, a big missed opportunity there such great sounding CDs, thanks for the heads I'll keep my CDs
Must pull out my cds... As always making sense Mazzy. Thx
Will seek out cd or original vinyl. Thanks Mazzy for saving me some money
I got the original vinyl of 'Bellybutton' when it first came out and it always sounded tremendous to me, though I never got the CD. With Spilt Milk it was the other way round - got the CD but never heard the original vinyl. It's a shame these two reissues don't cut the mustard. Looks like they're available in the UK.
Hi Mazzstro. I have the 24/96 high resolution versions of both these albums and they are an improvement on the original CD's but not by a large distance. The volume of these new albums are at a good level about the same as the 24/96 of the Beatles Red album that I've been overdosing on. On your recommendation a few months ago I investigated the Lemon Twigs and they are great, thanks for that!
Thanks for the info! Didn't know they were available in hi-res at Qobuz.
I was bummed I missed out on these, but sounds like i missed out on the slight regret of getting them. Thanks for the honesty, gonna stick with the cds.
The Omnivore ones from 2012 sound excellent to me.
Love the Lemon Twigs shout out!
Hey Mazzy ...so do you know where I can get the non-listener edition?
Ha🤓😵💫🕺
So if there are no hand etchings in the deadwax and only a machine etching, there is a good chance GZ took digital files and put them on vinyl. In a case, I am betting it wasn’t mastered for vinyl given your description. Also, given most 90s albums exceed 40 minutes in length, compression has to be applied to put in on one disc. It why I am always cautious about any record from the 90s, especially albums on one record.
The records are not too long. One is 40 and another 46. I texted you some info ✌🏼
As a DJ who has spun records for the past 25 years, I would suggest to vinyl enthusiasts and audiophiles to invest in a nice analog DJ mixer to incorporate into your home stereo setup. Numark has great options that are fairly inexpensive. I have one in my living room system. With a good mixer, you can easily correct a lot of mastering issues on the fly with really great results. Hell, I’ve gotten good sounding results with those crappy K-Tel compilations from the 70s with just a bit of tweaking and gain boosting.
Just something you might consider. Us DJs tweak the sound all the time when we are spinning our sets.
😂 audiophiles are never going to put a dj mixer in their signal chain, they wont even use tone controlls and would rather spend 5k on a cable to try to achieve that.
Was lucky enough to see them at a small club in Seattle called The Rock Candy, "maybe 1995". Without a doubt, the most perfectly performed, best sounding show by the best band I've ever seen. They had this cool Willy Wonka kid like vibe on stage.. Giant Crayons standing here and there, a Lite Brite that said Jellyfish sitting atop one of the amps, time machine clothing, and harmonies of the gods. I still can't understand why the place was barely half full. They were astounding... Like you said, maybe they didn't fit in with the times..... Too bad!
That would have been great to see
i knew of these guys when first record came out but apparently didn't know 2nd record at all. i can see why you're pissed off because it's right up my alley and certainly worthy of the star of "24"'s devotion. i liked the velvet crush record that roger manning was on and jellyfish reunited for a live record at a place not too far from from me about a decade ago. thanks for this video. i met the other musician named roger manning cited by wikipedia and was wondering why he never mentioned his abiding love for the beach boys!!
Personally I felt that universal classifying it as “listener edition” should have been a warning sign. Having said that I’m still glad I got them even if it’s just to look at the art
When a CD of an analog recording sounds way better than a decently pressed LP with an all analog chain, that is the epitome of failure. Thanks for helping me save my money, there's always tidal.
This man speaks the truth!! I have both of these vinyl editions and they are seriously lacking in the mix. I love this band. They only made 2 albums. Why crap the bed on this? I bought em cause I love Jellyfish, but eff you, Capitol, for not giving a sh1t.
@@chadgaliano330 such disappointments. .
I have the original pressings of these and they sound amazing.
Saw Jellyfish open for Tears For Fears in Seattle in 1993. They were great. I love the albums.
Maybe they pushed the stampers on both to 5000 runs and you got pressing 4999 of each.
My big 180 gram mistake was the 2xLP reissue, remastered, gatefold version of Definitely Maybe by Oasis. It’s in pristine condition but the sound is awful, even with cleaning. I could not in good conscience even consider selling this to someone else. I didn’t even put it in my discogs collection. A huge disappointment, but an important lesson learned. I am going to check out Jellyfish though on CD!
Oasis will never sound good, their albums were poorly recorded, the bad sound is baked in, no remastering will improve them
😢. I was so looking forward to those thanks for the warning
Mazzy take a tablet calm down! I have the two albums on cd! Jellyfish did well in the UK! I was so excited to see the vinyl then your semi rant! Damn! Let's hope we get a proper vinyl version! I will wait for that! Anger Management for Mazzy! 😂
I have the 2011 Omnivore vinyl reissues of these. Nothing else to compare them to but they sound pretty damn good to me..Dont understand why guys who have the Omnivores are purchasing these new reissues
I agree. I bought the CDs first and they were excellent. Then I bought the Omnivore LPs and they sound even better. There is no excuse for the new versions to sound subpar other than ignorance and greed.
I have a 1990 OG of the first Jellyfish album (it sounds great), and the Omnivore version of the 2nd LP sounds fine to me. My CD's sound great as well. I haven't heard these two new releases yet. It's a shame to hear this about these two fantastic albums. Take care...
Same versions as you and yes they both sound great.
You just gave a 14 minute rant on why nobody should be throwing away their CD players!! Not all vinyl can match the sound of a good CD
I have kept all my CDs, however in most cases, on my rig, the vinyl versions frequently win out sonically. Sometimes CDs are fantastic, and other times very brittle. This time the CDs are superior.
I bought the Spilt Milk original CD shortly after it was released was mastered by Doug Sax, but not sure what the original vinyl record was Discogs says deadwax info TOWN HOUSE DMM so was not TML. Weird the vinyl was originally in 1993 only available in UK & Europe. The 2012 Omnivore reissue on vinyl was definitely mastered by John Golden and pressed at RTI. The BellyButton album is a more difficult one to dig up for the info but there are blips of internet info that the CD and maybe the Vinyl was mastered possibly by John Golden but not sure. I was extremely lucky and fortunate enough to get the rare BellyButton vinyl record trifold cover Promo (NM) copy from my friend who was moving back to Detroit area from Chicago and he worked at Music Direct. He was trying to sell a lot of his extra copies of records so he did not have to move as much stuff and I think I paid $30 or $40 which now today with what this exact version goes for was a gift! My promo copy of BellyButton is a DMM cut etched in the deadwax and also SP1-1 which I believe means pressed at Specialty Records. I was given the original CD of BellyButton for free by another friend as he had a ton of CD copies just giving them away who wanted, who I worked with as he was also the booking agent for them here in the Chicago area when they first toured, along with him being the full booking agent for Mind Bomb and Disturbed. The older pressings (1993 & 2012) of Spilt Milk go for big time bucks now. I agree that the original CDs of both albums sound absolutely fantastic and love both albums! I am happy with the copies with what I have now. It would never ever surprise me that Capitol Records and Universal Music screwed this all up as they (both) have a long history going back for many many many years of doing this.
Thanks for these details. It’s such a shame how these two great albums have been treated. ✌🏼
Jellyfish: ca 1975 Ambrosia meets Queen. A little histrionic at times, but great melodies and musicianship, lots of fun, and hooks galore. You took the nails so that all of us might be spared. I'll stick to my Japanese CD issues.
Sounds like the same kind of treatment they gave the recent Tom Waits reissues. Bone Machine is a disgrace no matter what your turntable says. 😊
Though I'm not at all surprised by your assessment (sadly), given the crapshoot/hit or miss nature of vinyl pressings these days, I am however still supremely bummed to hear that, whoever was at the helm of these releases dropped the ball. If there ever were two records that were worthy of, if not demand the very best and highest quality, in regards to vinyl pressings, mastering, etc.. it'd be these two recordings. Like you touched on, aside from the brilliance of the music itself, the production is equally stellar, absolutely two of THE best sounding albums I have in my collection, straight up. And yes, musically.. utter masterpieces!
What a fucking missed opportunity (gross understatement). I do actually have the original pressings of both (cd & vinyl) as well as the Omnivore lp reissues. It's been a while since I listened to em' and compared. But from what I remember, I was definitely very underwhelmed with the latter. The OG vinyl press, sounds really good, kind of like how you described these being, in regards to someone that has never heard the cds i.e. they sound great for what they are and can still be an enjoyable listen, for the most part. BUT, once you throw on and experience the CD, it's game over i.e. the CD absolutely smokes all vinyl pressings. And yes, once that happens, it's nearly impossible to settle for anything less from that point on.
All that's lost on the LPs, sonic details/nuance - wise is all hugely integral to the listening experience, in my opinion. What a shame. It's hard to fathom that, in 2023, any vinyl pressings would sounds so weak, if not, unlistenable. Anyway, thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure to bypass these pressings. Sorry you had spend your hard earned cash on such dreck, especially being a big fan of these records and band, what a drag, huh? Peace.. DC
Yeah it’s disappointing ✌🏼
Lol wtf does “Listener Edition” even mean…? Aren’t all records created for… listeners? For people to, you know… listen to them? I guess they’re trying to say that this is the edition for the people who actually care about sound quality rather than buying it as a merch item to hang on their wall… but then the sound sucks, soooo yeah. Way to go, marketing team!
Hi Mazzy, I had a reissue copy of Spilled Milk and always felt disappointed in the sound quality compared to my CD copy. Both Spilled Milk and Bellybutton sound great on CD, but the vinyl sounded much like you’re reporting.
I ended up having a friend of mine offer me $200.00 for my Spilled Milk so I happily let it go. I’ll stick with my CD copies.
How many copies of spilt milk were pressed? It still seems very expensive. I’m in the uk but all copies seem to be over in the US only meaning I’m still paying over the odds for a copy. 😳
I ate jellyfish one time. It was chewy.
There is a vid on UA-cam of a guy pulling the master tapes out of storage for this reissue. I'm in the UK and have ordered both from the US - they are pretty cheap considering today's vinyl prices, and the shipping wasn't alarming either. I guess the sound quality will be reflected in the price although it really shouldn't be that way. Jellyfish were advocates of analog and getting the best sound possible from songs. I wonder what they think of these?
That was in Fremer’s video at iron mountain where the tapes were stored. It seems one master for streaming was successfully done, but the cut mastered for vinyl by someone else is a big fail imho
I also recently bought a few clunkers , REM - Reveal and Oasis - Masterplan, horrible pressings, REM should have been on a double album because of the length. Oasis was just bad mastering, I still have my cds and will continue playing them. Never through out your cds, they still sound great. The Johnny Marr best of that recently came out is much better on cd and comes with extra bonus tracks in a book style case.
What a bummer! I sold my 2012 reissue for these!
But why?
I bought the albums and saw the band twice back in the day. Perhaps they did not fit into the "scene" at the time, but good music is good music and whatever is "in fashion" should not deter one from that.They were excellent, a dream band and they should of been a huge success. The Omnivore releases were great with lots of liner notes and unreleased material. Do you have the versions of the albums with the vocals taken off so you can hear the sonic wonder of these albums in a different way? Personally, I was always intrigued as to how long it took to record the Spilt Milk album and how much it must've cost to make. A real kitchen sink job. Someone should be fired for producing sub-standard versions of these recordings in any form.
Hi Mazzy, is Eric Dover on those albums?
He’s on spilt milk
Ok, thank you, listening to it now.
Mazzy could you lease share where you purchased the LPs? I’d like a copy of Spilt Milk. I can’t find them anywhere
Directly from universal via Udiscover Store
Thanks Mazzy. I’ve wanted a vinyl copy of Spilt Milk for a long time. Maybe someday. As an aside, jellyfish fans would also enjoy The Grays. They made one album called Ro Sham Bo. I think it’s only available on CD but it is a winner and worth having.
Is that a typo in the title? Say "stink" if you mean "stink." It would save a lot of us time.
Sting as in Jellyfish sting 😎✌🏼
Ah. Missed the aquatic allusion.@@mazzysmusic
I don't have these therefore can't say who cut the masters. But if GZ was involved they cut everything using Direct Metal Mastering, which is okay. But they also use a compluter algorithm to streamline the cutting process, which isn't okay. Humans have ears for a reason. If you want to know more, there is a Michael Fremer on UA-cam in which he visits the factory and their cutting room. George Harrison's 'All Things Must Pass' 'remix' was cut and pressed at GZ, and we all know how flat it sounds.
I have an OG Bellybutton vinyl as well. It's a fine pressing. I really hoped this would curb the need to spend the big bucks one day on an OG Spilt Milk. Once again, ugh.
likewise! I did order this Listener Edition of Spilt Milk but not quite as excited to receive it anymore...
Hmmmmm
Could a VTA adjustment be in order
Worth a try if you have the ability
Possibly why some love it and some don’t.
Adore JELLYFISH, have the original lps they sound fabulous
Fun “meeting” you on Rachel’s show
Sounds like lowering the back of your arm may help if you can
Mellotrons
Lemon Twigs may be my album of the year. Looks like I'll stick w/ my Jellyfish CDS, thanks dawg
corners may have been cut but i bet they are no cheaper...................jpj
Great albums I've only recently discovered, totally passed me by 30 years ago. Oh well! On a side note, I'm
convinced ^the Belly Buttons^ would have been a better name for a band than Jeĺlyfish
Of course that's my personal opinion and I'm basically stuck with it
Maybe there is or was a band out there called the Belly Buttons.
Not here in the UK I don't think
“KR” in the deadwax might mean Kevin Reeves from Sterling, although there is no Sterling stamp or credit. I agree they sound wimpy.
Thank you. I don’t know him but something went wrong. The tapes ???
Jellyfish were amazing! Too bad only 2 albums and done! Great band. Giles Martin should have remastered
Both of these arrived yesterday and I’ve only heard Spilt Milk. This time Mazzy you’re correct with your assessment regarding the sonic quality of these releases. Haven’t heard Bellybutton yet but I’m sure I’ll be just as disappointed. You were dead wrong though with the VMP Miles anthology. All of those titles smoke their MoFi counterparts. Sorry not sorry 😎
🤷🏻♂️💃🕺
actually only familiar with this band in name, never heard those. Good case here of when labels or consumers get carried away with AAA.
I couldn't agree more. The Tidal stream blows away the new vinyl.
Where are these available? I can’t find these to buy?
Udiscover site has them both available again - but be quick!
Sounds like they cut it DMM. GZ is notorious for it
What you are saying about the low gain level on the records sounds familiar to the recent Scofield A Go Go reissue. I saw yesterday's roundtable. Are any of the sides on the Jellyfish albums over 24 minutes?
40 and 46 minutes totals for each so that’s not it.
I agree, though I will say Bellybutton is better spatially than Spilt Milk in these reissues. I have the US and UK original pressings of both and they stand head and shoulders above these unfortunately. Stick with the CD if you're a casual fan or get an original or omnivore version used if you are a bigger fan. Whoever approved the vinyl mastering and lacquers must not have had the CD or original vinyl copies or care to compare them before approving them.
well, poop. I had high hopes for these…. Could someone please figure out how to turn Chad into to a Jellyfish fan?
Even I would vote for that ✌🏼
Was excited now I'm not..saw them at the metro in chicago .one of my all time favorite shows..the sound was great
I received my copies on Saturday and sold them on Sunday because they sounded like shit for twice the price
What a shame! Must be such a huge disappointment. I bought Pat Metheny and Charlie Hayden's "Beyond the Missouri Sky" on vinyl a few years ago and it was the worst pressing ever. The CD was a million times better sound-wise. Luckily I was able to return the vinyl for a refund and just stuck with my cd of that album. Great video.
Spilt Milk CD has the reputation of being the prime example of how awesome digital mastering can sound if done properly. do these really sound that awful that you can't enjoy listening to the vinyl?
Mazzy, when you unseal LPs, do you keep the stickers?
Not often. This time yes 😬😆
@@mazzysmusic I usually drop them into the outer sleeves for posterity. Always enjoy your videos, keep it up!
Jellyfish?....never heard of em ?...so I guess I'm not caring in the least...
After all this time hoping for reissues that's very bad news indeed.
I was afraid of this... I'll give mine a chance when they arrive.
Send them back, we end up with what we tollerate.
Dont tollerate sub par audio and we wont get it.
Tom at Better Records is laughing his arse off and has his "listening team" looking for OG copies to test....rumor has it copies will be north of 5 figures....
Kiefer Sutherland!!
The new Universal pressing of John Scofield’s A Go Go is the exact same story. It’s crazy bad. Super disappointing after how long people have wanted this reissue.
I agree with you - I got my copy of A Go Go - and after 2 minutes - I could not continue listening - another wasted opportunity to give a truly great recording the treatment it deserves. Shame…
I’m still waiting for my yellow copy. It got delayed for everyone. I would love for it to sound better than the regular but it’s going to be the same exact pressing.
If I don't have those records on vinyl or CD should I buy them on CD because they did such a poor job remastering them on vinyl ? I guess you asked my question just before the video ended.
It lacks the dynamic bloom one gets used to with a proper analog treatment. It’s weird. Kevin Reeves(?) cut the lacquer.
@TheAudioGeek67 Does it say somewhere online that it is Kevin Reeves that cut these? In the deadwax info? Looking at Discogs it should say “KEV” in the deadwax.
Discogs has many variations of what Kevin Reeves may etch. Mine has KR, which to me makes it pretty clear. He is a known mastering engineer at UM.
@@TheAudioGeek67 yes, just looked at that. He sure has alot of deadwax names lol
Any Beatles fan needs to familiarise themselves with Jellyfish. Such a shame the vinyl reissues suck. Am sure the original issues sound good..if only they were available.
Ouch!
I just ordered my Spilt Milk. Ugh. :(
Well that sucks. I did see them live back in the day and they were fantastic. Maybe some guy cut the master while wearing a sailor hat and dirty nails?
glad I never heard of them.
They never heard of you either ✌🏼😎🤠
Very true 😂😂😂
Glad that you missed out on a great band?
Well they are known as a musician's band... But I know some squares that like them too! Cheers...
-dugair PDXtc
I just got the Jellyfish "Bellybutton" album but haven't listen to it yet. I'm bummed that it isn't a prestine-sounding version. I had high hopes!
Mazzy, thank you for the critique. These are such disappointments. I have the original vinyl and omnivore reissues of both. These sound like a towel is thrown on the speakers. The CDs are outstanding compared to these pressings. No one listened to the CD beforehand as a reference?!? I think an intern did the mastering and cutting. Epic fail!
So why did you bother to buy them again?
@@tediarocci6629 I wonder that myself. These are two of my favorite albums and I thought these would be so great that my other copies would be a joke, jokes on me. They are limited so they will probably still increase in value.
No mention of The Waxed?
Did he cut these ?