Spilt Milk

I still remember when I bought the CD in a Virgin Megastore, in the bargain bin, practically for free. I don't know if I maybe was intrigued by the cover? Either case, I didn't expect what the band had in store for me. Before I knew what power pop was, I was fascinated by all those suggestive melodies, those sweet arrangements; it's true that they sometimes bordered on the cloying... but the album became one of my most listened to CDs for years, and a personal secret, since no one around me had the slightest knowledge of the band. I'm glad to see it here so many years later, and a pleasure to rediscover these beautiful songs

It's like Supertramp for the 90's! I dig it.

Loved this album. Very poppy sound, without deviating too much from the traditional rock-vibes. Some folk and big-band parts are to be found also. I'll keep this one in my favorites!

This is actually a masterpiece. It's made me respect some artists who came out afterwards less, because this may actually be the best version of the thing. And I'd never heard it before. I'm gutted that this is the end of this band... I'd have devoured more of this.

I actually really liked this album; loved the orchestral nature of it. I was all set to give it a 3, then the album ended with Brighter Day, which I loved. Bumped up to 4 stars. Never heard of Jellyfish before and I thought I knew most alternative from the 90s.

I’ve been waiting for an excuse to listen to this album ever since New Mistake showed up in my discover playlist sometime in 2022. The depth in production throughout this entire album rivals plenty of the classics, and the power pop feel made it an overall fun listen. However, it wasn’t as mind blowing as I had hoped. 7/10

7/10. Can any musical career truly be complete without a song about masturbation?

It sounds like they tried really hard - I’m proud of them

Nice record. Ambitious and different from what was out at the time.

Surprisingly good! I thought based on the cover it was gonna be 90s trash, but it was refreshingly interesting.

An American 90s Queen album; Hardly an original take on Spilt Milk, but blinding. The music surpasses pastiche, leaving the loudness of its context behind while preserving something or other essential. Jellyfish is among the Stateside groups who turn the studio into something unopposed to rock and roll.

Surprenant dans le style Rock, prog ? pas certain.. mais j'ai aimé l'orchestration et les arrangeements. Vraiment bien fait, je pensais pas qu'il y avait ce type de musique encore d'un band un peu inconnu dans les années 90. 3.90

I remember this (and the preceding album) being big for a while in my college radio scene in its original era (just to date myself). Hearing it now I'm not sure I'd ever actually listened to it. Not sure what I was expecting- typical alt rock of the 90s I guess- and this definitely isn't that. The kind of cabaret glam vibe isn't generally my thing but this is objectively good, if maybe a little derivative of its influences.

This is great, glad I got to hear this! It's too bad the band only lasted for two albums. 4 stars.

Sometimes the songs fall apart due to the complexity, most of the time all juggling with styles and tempo just works. Somewhere between Supertramp and Queen is not the worst place to be.

This was very 1990s but also not quite. Like if the Lemonheads mixed with the Beatles and Queen - lots of English influence but still very clearly an early 90s American rock band. Enjoyable for one listen at least. 3/5.

Power-pop-we-have-Queen-at-home.

I have to respect the maximalist approach. The structures and arrangements are a rollercoaster ride.

This was kind of nice. I'm not sure I have anything else to say about it.

I didn't really know what to make of this. At first I heared a alternative version of Queen but later it shifted to more classic rock sound. But somehow I was intruiged by it and listened all the way through without thinking to turn it off. So kudos for Jellyfish

1 just for the cover But the music is not that bad 3

This was pretty good. It gave me vibes of Queen. It was eccentric at points but still good.

Disgusting

Decent album, really struggled through it though.

It's interesting how diverse musical tastes are. And that's a good thing! If everyone would just like everything equally, it would be a very very boring world. So if you're into Jellyfish: awesome! For me it was a huge struggle to make it through to the last track. I think it sounds like a half-decent attempt at trying to be like Queen. And I don't like Queen. So a half-decent Queen doesn't do it at all for me. Sorry.

Queen vibes, not my thing.

Great start to these!

Nice finding! Good choice, dude!

I was excited and a tad worried when this came up. A close friend submitted this… I’ve never listened to it before …nor anything else from Jellyfish. What if I hate it? The opening was wonderfully theatrical. I opened the user reviews while I listened on… I understand the comparisons to Queen, especially on Joining A Fan Club, which definitely did have the vocal theatrics, harmonies and rock that one might expect from Queen. But it is very misleading to summarize this album as that. Unmistakeable influences from the Beach Boys and Beatles influence also come through in the arrangements and wild collection of sounds and instruments (some seen in the background of the cover art). There are so many musical references peppered throughout that I heard, and no doubt much much more that I missed. I certainly don’t have the musical depth to unearth it all. I feel compelled to mention the cover art that instantly had me inventing backstories for the scene… absolutely loved it. What an interesting and delightful addition to the list. So much here for the intrepid listener. Terrific!

This album sits very high on my top shelf of albums. It makes me very happy.

I didn't need to listen. Love it!!

Here's another album and group I'd never heard of, much less heard. The cover and year of release made me a little nervous about what I would be in for. Turns out it was silly to have any doubts about this recommendation. It evokes the best of power pop from a half-century ago, while at the same time feeling much more modern than 1993. Each song is a distinctive, grand theatrical creation and the whole thing is just goddamn fun. Thank you for sharing this! xx

Superb. It got a 5 less than 10 minutes in.

Wonderful addition. Exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for when I signed up to this project… like 5 years ago. Apparently Robert Dimery isn’t capable of surprising me under exposures gems like this, but big thanks to OP and SidledsGunnar for making it all worth while with little discoveries like this one.

So very similar to stuff before and after. It's decent, very listenable and I'm glad to have heard it. Going to give this a bit of a boost because it seems like far too long since I've had a five star album.

It sounds a bit like Queen at times... I think that's might be a good thing.... Standouts: The Ghost at Number One, Glutton of Sympathy, Joining a Fan Club, Sebrina, Paste and Plato, New Mistake, Rating: 4/5

This is just my taste. Thanks for selecting this. I like Beatles, Beach Boys, Steely Dan, 10CC, Supertramp, Tears For Fears, Crowded House. Jellyfish unashamedly sound like all these great bands. It's great to hear the obvious Beach Boys harmonies and Beatles melodies and instrumentation. Nothing at all wrong with copying gilt-edged former heroes! Wonderful pop and easy on the ear (except for the obviously different and noisy All Is Forgiven - perhaps to remind us that grunge was the order of the day in 1993). Even the puerile He’s My Best Friend is just about acceptable if you don’t think too much!

This was a fun album. The glam influence is front and center but what’s fascinating is how this album sounds like stuff that came out a decade later and to an extent is still being made. At first I thought this album was made in the early 2000s but was blown away by the fact that it was made in 1993. I enjoy chamber pop and power pop quite a bit so this was a great listen for me.

Queen + Beach Boys + Beatles x 1990s = Jellyfish. To be fair, it's a very listenable equation with lovely pop melodies and harmonies. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: Sabrina, Paste and Plato Date listened: 21/07/24

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The ghost at number one, Bye bye bye

Cool 90s pop!

A surprising little gem nestled in here. Very much enjoyed. Vocals akin to manic street preachers front man, but lyrics very different.

One of the great 90’s albums, should really be on the original list.

This is one of the weirdest albums I've heard not because it's experimental or anything but because it somehow pulls off combining a billion different sounds and eras of popular music. Sometimes it sounds like the Beatles, sometimes it's high school musical, sometimes it's queen, sometimes it's a barbershop quartet but it all mostly ended up working for me. A couple songs were a bit too much but the picking up a falling star song was really good.

This was incredibly fun. I was expecting a grunge or more R.E.M-ish ‘90s indie album but this was like… if Queen did a kind of grungy R.E.M-ish 90s indie album? Lavish production and great hooks with a bit of fuzz and attitude that resulted in a really interesting and unique listen

Quirky college alt rock with some definite pop harmonies and melodies. It is colorful and creative and there are some really strong songs with New Mistake, Ghost at Number One, Bye Bye Bye. Enjoyed!

pretty good. Reminds me a bit of ben folds. the Ghost at number one is a great song.

Very solid and melodic rock songs!

April 8, 2025 I knew a LITTLE Jellyfish before today, just from letting the Algorithm guide me. Spotify gave me “Russian Hill”, and Apple Music has an “Inspired By Queen” playlist that features “Joining a Fan Club”. Both are from this album, so it’s no surprise that I enjoy this. I’ll have to ponder on this further, but it may be genius. *May* If I was in a band and released this 4 years after forming, I’d also maybe think ‘where do you even go from here’

They said that the band took inspiration from Queen, Supertramp, and Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys but dear God it’s like they were possessed by those bands on different tracks. Truly this is a lost pop classic, completely overshadowed by the grunge/Britpop movement of the early 90s. It’s sad to hear that the band didn’t survive the lacklustre reception of this album but it makes sense and makes for a good story. The cover art for the album screams Blind Melon - a contemporary for Jellyfish. I wonder why?

4.5

They are all in on Queen and Beach Boys. That's for sure. Not a bad listen.

At first glance, this sounds like a straightup Queen cover band, which is offputting enough, but then the polish and quality comes through and one gets to liking it, rather in spite of the heavy production hand, but then one gets to not liking it again for its insistent maximalism. Excess and great craft aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, but they make the latter hard to achieve and sustain. Being kaleidoscopic is hard enough, and the goal of trying to appeal to all tastes works about as well as trying to be everything to everyone. This is simply too much – borderline showoffy – to be truly one's thing, alas. There's sweetness in the melodies – one woulda like more or "Russan Hill" and "He's My Best Friend" [near Queen ttile] and much less of the stupid alt-rockiness– and an overall richness. A case could be made that this probably belongs on list proper but only just. Rounding up because one supposes this has been underappreciated enough.

Really appreciated the craftsmanship and production on this record. Great sounding, with a ton of layers and interesting instrumentation. The music isn’t always 100% for me, but there were enough unexpected twists and turns to keep my attention throughout. It’s a pretty wild and enjoyable record.

New to me. An inescapable Queen vibe to open, which is A-OK with me and disposed me to enjoy the rest of the album, which I absolutely did. Incredibly fun.

The catchiness of Teenage Fanclub combined with the stylistic flair and songwriting of Supertramp, and also they're American. Massive sprawling songs of maximalist production that often come close to Bohemian Rhapsody levels of anthemic eclecticism without going completely overboard. Several songs on here dazzle and wow me with their impressive melodic moments backed by unstoppable momentum like All Is Forgiven and Joining a Fan Club. Further, the album ends on a climax that brings a lot of sound together for a finish that leaves you hanging....woah what? It's no surprise that this album was overbudget and behind schedule. It's almost as if they had to end it that way just to get it out the door. Easy to forgive though considering how much this feels like an honest-to-god love letter to pop music in many senses of the word: Sgt. Peppers, Pet Sounds, Out of the Blue, Ziggy Stardust, English Settlement, So all rolled up in a mess of influences that comes out kinda messy but in a fun way. Hard not to enjoy. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Jellyfish burned bright but short. Their legacy was left lingering as a cult classic for ambitious pop songwriters to pull from rather than for wider public appreciation. Could see a connection to Fun. followed by the explosion of Jack Antonoff in 2020s pop, but that might be too much of a stretch so, no.

Interesting LP, sounded almost like a 90s refresh on Queen. The instrumentals are executed well, and even though the arrangements feel a bit homogenous by the end I considered myself entertained for the most part.

very reminiscent of Supertramp 3.4

Fun and all over the place

Rock, power pop. Ni fu ni fa.

Hmm, I have mixed feelings about this one, but it's quite good overall. Jellyfish has a genuine pop sensibility that I like a lot, and there's a level of creativity here that I miss hearing in music. But the band's attempts to be more ambitious or artful don't always work. It gets a little show tuney at times and there's sometimes too much going on at any given moment to the point of distraction. But the vocals are frequently lovely and there are some nice hooks to be found. Thanks for recommending it. Fave Songs: New Mistake; Too Much, Too Little, Too Late; Glutton of Sympathy; The Ghost at Number One

A very unique album that is kind of in its own realm of genre with being gery late 70s/80s like in the operatic theme but with the 90s introversion. This album started off a bit weird but gains some steam and is a pretty decent listen. Overall a different album from so many on this list. 6.4/10

Another band I've never heard of. Turns out there is a reason since they barely sold any records so no one has. They immediately gave Queen vibes (which others note) and since Queen is my favourite band of all time, I should be primed to like them. It started off strong but for me it never really gets to that next level. I read on wikipedia that a critic said this band was 15 years too late or too far ahead others haven't caught up. I'm leaning to the former, but I think here in 2024 such a band would find a niche. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? My gut reaction says no, but I wouldn't lose sleep if they were. There is already enough 80s/90s mediocrity so this replacing something on there wouldn't be a loss.

90s band with strong Queen, Supertramp and prog overtones, sprinkled with indie-rock / power pop shenanigans sometimes adjacent to Weezer. Very flourished and extravagant, with adequate production values for the music played. Yet oddly enough, not entirely memorable. At least for me. Nothing unpleasant. It's just that nothing really stood out either. Oh, and the artwork for the cover is downright horrible, but that's probably intentional. In that realm, see also Soul Coughing's *Irresistible Bliss*. 2.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 3. 7.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2.5). Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 4 Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 8 Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 12 (including this one)

Spilt Milk is mad, it's like 5 albums rolled into one where they can't really figure out who or what they want to be, so they decide to be everything. And it kind of works? It starts by sounding like a Queen tribute act, then goes into adjacent 70s stylings more in tune with Supertramp and the like, then towards the end it goes heavy and grungy of its early 90s time (All is Forgiven is a banger in this regard), then we return to the Queen influence with Too Much, Too Little, Too Late and Brighter Day. I don't think it's something I'd be desperate to listen to again but it's entertaining enough while it's here and it's a decent listen, 3/5.

It was OK

Nice

This was alright, nothing special to me though. Sounded a bit like the Darkness, I wonder if this album influenced them.

Perfectly fine rock album! Jaunty and upbeat. Easy listening. But wouldn't go back for more

Never heard about them and enjoyed it a lot. I don't think it's something essential, but it's worth it a chance on the list

This sounds like being strapped in the Clockwork Orange chair and getting brainblasted by every rock song recorded in the late-80s/early-90s at once. Sounds like Queen for a bit, then immediately sounds like Pearl Jam a few milliseconds later, then Cardiacs, then Supertramp, then [insert band here]. It's a bit silly.

Not what I was expecting- like a version of 10cc for the 90's Certainly deserves a listen though.

90s American Suburb rock, as depicted by some guys that really really seem to like Queen

I admire it's craft. It would massivly appeal to Queen fans IMHO. I dont like Queen.

Very “big” music. Lots going on.

I appreciate the effort.

Mmmmh ok

Ágætt á köflum, pínu litlaust á köflum.

It was OK. Basically a Queen rip-off and not as good.

overstuffed doesn't even begin to describe it.

I really couldn’t get into this one at all, just something about it fell flat for me. It’s definitely unique to the list for sure.

not for me

The list only had about 250 'American rock' groups playing the same indistinguishable stuff so we definitely needed another one.....

What made Jellyfish different from such bands as the Posies, the Wondermints and Redd Kross was their unapologetic penchant for all things retro, that helped throw some light on what was becoming a very crowded pop underground at the time... or something like that. did not enjoy tthis but good album