Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Andy Sturmer Demos

In 1990 and 1993, Jellyfish released two mind-blowing Power Pop classics, Bellybutton and Spilt Milk. Though years later we continue to feel the effcts of those amazing albums, Jellyfish was never (really) heard from again (...well not if you don't count Not Lame Record's excellent live and rare tracks compilation from a couple of years ago).

Band members have put out their own fine efforts. The Roger Joseph Manning Jr. cds have been great ... and obviously Jason Falkner and Eric Dover have gone on to find their own voices and to release Power Pop epics of their own. However we have heard almost nothing from the lead voice and major song writer of Jellyfish, Andy Sturmer. What follows are all the demos that Andy sings on that have leaked out over the years. (I get requests for this stuff often.)

For avid readers of this blog, these tracks are probably old news. Great songs all (at least until the end of the compilation where Andy's recent work on cartoon soundtracks is featured) but there is nothing new or different here. However, for the uninitiated, these tracks should be a revelation, very much in the spirit of Jellyfish. You have to wonder why finished versions never saw the light of day. If you haven't heard these songs, you'll want to get them immediately. The original songs are great and the cover versions bring you back to what was great about Spilt Milk and Bellybutton.


Thanks to the contributors from the Andy Sturmer Yahoo Group who remixed and extended some of the unfinished tracks. I really appreciate your work!

As the first track says, "we're holding out for something better..."

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanxalot! Jellyfish was quite an experience. Saw them in Hamburg, Germany. Quite a show it was. What a pity they didn't last longer.
Greetz,
Frank

KingSizeMong said...

Another excellent share!

Anonymous said...

Technical problem: I've downloaded the tracks, but can't get iTunes to play or import them. Is it the ".rar" extension, or something else? Any tips?

Thanks a lot.


p.s. enjoying the Pop Fair radio now

Anonymous said...

Oops. Meant the Absolute Powerpop radio. I get tired or iTunes shuffle play sometimes.

Anonymous said...

Interesting SOngs but not the ones for the COver included, some missing unfortunately :(

Anonymous said...

Thanks A Million!!

Pop Fair's Andy Sturmer Demos

1. Holding Out For Something Better
2. Angel Made Me Do It
3. Widower's Song
4. Turn Turn Turn
5. I Built Me A Bridge
6. Sweet Wingless Angel
7. Love So Pure
8. We Are The Champions
9. Beginning Of The End
10. Liquid Casanova
11. Gregory And Me
12. 4th Of July Parade
13. Marcel's Animal Friends Theme
14. Gregory And Me Underneath The Sea

Unknown said...

Jellyfish = super fantastic. I wish there were more people into music like this. I'm a songwriter and it's very frustrating to work so hard and just not have people get it/pay attention. I don't blame Jellyfish for calling it quits at all.

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for posting this! I am constantly turning friends on to Jellyfish and those two great albums from the early 90's. Probably my first blatant slap in the face experience of how frigging lame and idiotic and lowest common denominator the taste of the American public generally is. Rap, hip hop, grunge, tween pop, hair metal, melodicless "alt rock" - alternative to melody is what it is... all pure crap. Meanwhile a talent like Jellyfish can't get a break - some blame it on the leap between the first and second album - I liken it to going from Meet The Beatles to Sgt Pepper - both brilliant but perhaps some people weren't ready for such a great leap. I sure was. Spilt Milk was a masterpiece - as was Bellybutton. I saw them three times - Santa Cruz, SF Warfield, and SF Tower Records in store performance. Thanks for this great blog!

Derek in Santa Barbara

Anonymous said...

I'm thinking of selling the bass Andy Sturmer gave me on my birthday in May 2000, a Gibson Victory Standard Bass.

I used that bass, and I also played guitar, piano and organ on the song "Love So Pure" and two other songs that Andy produced on the japanese girl band Puffy's album "Spike".

Anybody interested? Bids?

/Thomas, Stockholm, Sweden.

pennie said...

I made anaccount to inquire about the bass possiy fir sale. Email me: lucky_pennie@yahoo.com

thanks

slackwave said...

Any chance for a re-up on the Andy Sturmer Demos?

Thanks!