Bellybutton | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 27, 1990 | |||
Studio | Schnee; Studio 55; Ocean Way | |||
Genre | Power pop [1] | |||
Length | 39:32 | |||
Label | Charisma | |||
Producer | ||||
Jellyfish chronology | ||||
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Bellybutton is the debut album by American rock band Jellyfish, released on July 27, 1990, on Charisma Records. It was recorded after Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning's departure from Beatnik Beatch and Jason Falkner's departure from the Three O'Clock. The album was recorded in Schnee Studios in North Hollywood and produced by Albhy Galuten and Jack Joseph Puig. [2]
Bellybutton was released to critical acclaim and peaked at No. 124 on US charts. "Baby's Coming Back" was covered by the British band McFly in 2007 which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. [3] An expanded deluxe edition was released by Omnivore Recordings in 2015. [4]
Before the formation of Jellyfish, Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning were in the group Beatnik Beatch. Sturmer was the group's drummer, singer, and songwriter. Manning was the groups' keyboardist. Jason Falkner during this time was the lead guitarist for the Three O’Clock, a Los Angeles-based Paisley Underground band. [5]
Manning and Sturmer had known each other since high school. Sturmer had initially become the group's drummer but transitioned into one of the group's vocalists and songwriters. Manning joined Beatnik Beatch after the band's keyboardist had quit. Manning and Sturmer soon began collaborating, writing compositions that were stylistically different from the songs the band was producing at the time. Soon after the group released its eponymous debut album in 1989, Manning and Sturmer left the group to continue songwriting with one another. [6]
Falkner had originally put a newspaper advertisement looking for “like-minded musicians”. Manning responded to Falkner's ad and the two met to collaborate. Nothing initially came out of the meeting. However, once Manning and Sturmer had left Beatnik Beatch, Manning got back in touch with Falkner to see if he was interested. Falkner was persuaded by the prospect of a major-label deal. [6]
Despite the recent major-label deal, the songwriting sessions were tumultuous in nature. Falkner describes not getting along with Sturmer. Falkner claims Manning had warned him about Sturmer's strong personality. He also claims that Manning and Sturmer's relationship was difficult despite the songwriting partnership. Falkner recalled Manning going up to him in tears and exclaiming, “Screw this, It’s too hard.” [6]
The album was recorded at Schnee Studios in North Hollywood. Falkner performed the majority of the bass tracks on the album; the group was also accompanied by Steven Shane McDonald. The album was produced by Albhy Galuten (who achieved fame for his work producing the Bee Gees' album Saturday Night Fever) and engineer Jack Joseph Puig. [6]
Bellybutton was released on July 27, 1990, on Charisma Records. [1] The band embarked on a yearlong tour in support of Bellybutton with Roger Manning's younger brother Chris joining as the band's bassist. While on tour, the band opened up for the bands the Black Crowes and World Party. [6]
The album spawned the singles "The King Is Half-Undressed" (which reached No. 19 on Billboard's Modern Rock Chart and No. 39 on the UK Singles Chart), [7] [8] "That Is Why" (which reached No. 11 on Billboard's Modern Rock Chart), [9] "Baby's Coming Back" (which reached No. 62 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and No. 54 on the UK Singles Chart), [10] [11] and “I Wanna Stay Home” (which reached No. 59 on the UK Singles Chart). [12]
An extended play was released in support of Bellybutton, titled The Scary-Go-Round E.P. which reached No. 49 on the UK Singles Chart. [13]
The home-video Gone Jellyfishin' was also issued with the promo videos from Bellybutton ("The King Is Half-Undressed", which was nominated for Best Art Direction at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, "That Is Why" and "Baby's Coming Back"). [14] The band's music videos were heavily aired on MTV. [6]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Classic Rock | 8/10 [15] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [16] |
MusicHound Rock | [17] |
Q | [18] |
Shindig! | [19] |
Select | [20] |
The State | [21] |
Uncut | 9/10 [22] |
Bellybutton was acclaimed by contemporary music critics. [6] However, despite a promotional tour and heavy rotation on MTV, the album failed to reach a wide audience[ clarification needed ] and was a commercial disappointment. [6] The album peaked at No. 124 on the Billboard 200. In a review for the newspaper The State, staff writer Michael Miller gave the album five stars and called the album "the best pop album of the year." He describes the album by saying that it incorporated "the inventive melodies of the Beatles, the vocal harmonies of 10CC and contemporary rhythms of XTC and Crowded House". He concludes by saying that "this attention to detail should help Jellyfish float to the top." [21] Reviewer Mat Snow in magazine Q also gave the album a five-star review calling it 'an outstanding debut'. [18]
In a retrospective review for the album, Mark Deming of AllMusic says that the band "had all the key ingredients of classic power pop down cold—the sweet but biting melodies, the addictive hooks, the gorgeous stacks of harmonies, and the '60s-styled musical accents—and then revved them up with rock star-proportioned drums and guitars on tunes...". He cites the songs "All I Want is Everything", "The King is Half-Undressed", "I Wanna Stay Home", and "Baby's Coming Back" as album highlights. He concludes by saying that the band "left behind a great pop record that also rocks hard, no small achievement." [1]
The song "I Wanna Stay Home" was covered by Rod Stewart on his box set, The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971 - 1998. [23]
In 2007, Burning Sky Record released a track-by-track tribute under the title Sensory Lullabies: The Ultimate Tribute To Jellyfish.
All tracks are written by Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Man I Used to Be" | 4:33 | |
2. | "That Is Why" | 4:16 | |
3. | "The King Is Half-Undressed" | 3:46 | |
4. | "I Wanna Stay Home" | Sturmer | 4:06 |
5. | "She Still Loves Him" | 4:30 | |
6. | "All I Want Is Everything" | Sturmer | 3:44 |
7. | "Now She Knows She's Wrong" | 2:35 | |
8. | "Bedspring Kiss" | 5:03 | |
9. | "Baby's Coming Back" | Sturmer | 2:57 |
10. | "Calling Sarah" | 4:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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11. | "No Matter What" | Pete Ham | 2:48 |
12. | "Let 'Em In/That Is Why" | Paul McCartney (Let 'Em In), Manning, Sturmer (That Is Why) | 4:58 |
13. | "The King Is Half Undressed" | 3:38 | |
14. | "Jet" | Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney | 3:08 |
15. | "Now She Knows She's Wrong" | 2:45 | |
16. | "Baby's Coming Back" | Sturmer | 3:05 |
Tracks 11-15 are live tracks appearing on the UK Limited Edition release.
Track 16 is a live acoustic track appearing on the Japanese Reissue Edition release.
Chart (1990) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [24] | 124 |
Jellyfish was an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1989. Led by songwriters Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning, the group was known for their blend of 1960s classic rock and XTC-style power pop. They released two albums, Bellybutton (1990) and Spilt Milk (1993), that proved influential to many subsequent acts in a similar vein.
Marvin Andrew Sturmer is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and composer who co-founded the rock band Jellyfish in 1989. He was the group's lead vocalist, drummer, and primary songwriter. Following their break-up in 1994, Sturmer became involved with Tamio Okuda, as writer and producer for the Japanese pop duo Puffy AmiYumi. Although Sturmer maintains a low public profile, he continues working as a songwriter for cartoons produced by Disney and Cartoon Network.
Spilt Milk is the second and final studio album by American rock band Jellyfish, released on February 9, 1993, by Charisma Records. It features a harsher and more ornate sound than their previous, Bellybutton (1990). As with Bellybutton, Spilt Milk was written and co-produced by founding members Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning. Albhy Galuten and Jack Joseph Puig also returned as producers.
Jason Falkner is an American songwriter, musician, and guitarist who was a member of the bands Jellyfish, the Three O'Clock, and the Grays. Since 1996, he has released six solo albums, starting with Presents Author Unknown. He is also a session musician and producer who has contributed to dozens of recordings by other bands and musicians as well as a touring guitar player for Beck for decades.
Beatnik Beatch were an American pop rock band formed in San Francisco in the 1980s. They consisted of Chris Witt Ketner, Andy Sturmer, and George Cole (guitar). They also featured keyboardist Se Padilla, later replaced by Roger Manning.
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands Jellyfish, the Moog Cookbook, Imperial Drag, and The Lickerish Quartet. He has also spent several years as a member of Beck's backing band, contributed to several recordings by the band Air, and toured or recorded with acts such as Jay-Z, Blink 182, and Johnny Cash. In 2005, he released his first solo record, Solid State Warrior, followed with Robo-Sapiens, Catnip Dynamite (2008), and Glamping (2018). He is usually credited by his full name to avoid confusion with the folk musician Roger Manning.
Albhy Galuten is an American technology executive and futurist, Grammy Award-winning record producer, composer, musician, orchestrator and conductor. He has numerous inventions and has produced 18 number 1 singles with songs and albums selling over 100,000,000 copies. He has won two Grammy Awards, a Dramalogue award, and a BMI Citation of Achievement.
"Shadow Dancing" is a disco song performed by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb. The song was released in April 1978 as the lead single by RSO Records from his second studio album of the same name. The song reached number one for seven consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. It was written by Andy and his older brothers, Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb and Albhy Galuten arranged the song with Barry Gibb. While Andy Gibb would have three more Top 10 hits in the U.S., this would be his final chart-topping hit in the United States. The song became a platinum record.
Best! is a greatest hits compilation by the 1990s pop band Jellyfish. The album was released in 2006 and featured twenty tracks. Twelve tracks were pulled from the band's two studio albums, Bellybutton and Spilt Milk. Four were live tracks, including a cover of Badfinger's "No Matter What," and two were demo recordings from the Spilt Milk session. "Ignorance is Bliss" was taken from a Nintendo games compilation entitled "Nintendo: White Knuckle Scorin'" and is inspired by the video game Super Mario World. "Think About Your Troubles" was drawn from a 1995 Nilsson tribute album.
"Baby's Coming Back" is a song by the American power pop group Jellyfish. It is the third single released in support of their 1990 debut album Bellybutton.
Jellyfish Comes Alive was a promotional EP released in 1991 by Jellyfish. It collected live performances of songs from Bellybutton and covers of songs by Badfinger and Wings.
Flowing Rivers is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb. The album was produced by Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson, with Barry Gibb on two tracks. It was released in September 1977 on RSO. Flowing Rivers was re-released by Polydor Records in 1998 in CD version.
Shadow Dancing is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter Andy Gibb, released by RSO Records in June 1978 in the United States and September 1978 in the United Kingdom. It was Gibb's highest charting album in some countries including America and in Canada. This LP was his only album to chart in the UK. Four singles, including the three US Top 10 singles, were released from the album.
"That Is Why" is a song by the American power pop group Jellyfish. It is the second single released in support of their 1990 debut album Bellybutton.
"The King Is Half-Undressed" is a song by the American power pop group Jellyfish. It is the first single released in support of their 1990 debut album Bellybutton.
"Buried Treasure" is a song written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers. It was released as the B-side of "This Woman" in January 1984 as the third single from the album Eyes That See in the Dark. The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and No. 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
"This Woman" is a song written by Barry Gibb and Albhy Galuten and was performed by American country recording artist Kenny Rogers. It reached No. 2 in the US Adult Contemporary Chart and No. 23 in the US Pop Chart. It was published by Gibb Brothers Music and Unichappell Music.
Gibb-Galuten-Richardson were a British-American record producing team, consisting of Bee Gees founding member and British singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, American musician and songwriter Albhy Galuten and American sound engineer Karl Richardson. They produced albums and singles for Andy Gibb, Samantha Sang, Frankie Valli, Teri DeSario, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Diana Ross.
"Now She Knows She's Wrong" is a song by the American power pop group Jellyfish. It is the fourth single released in support of their 1990 debut album Bellybutton.
Fan Club is a box set of demos, rarities and live performances by American power pop band Jellyfish. The box set was released in limited quantity by Not Lame Recordings in August 2002. Fan Club contains demos from the band's 1990 debut Bellybutton and their 1993 sophomore follow-up Spilt Milk. The box set also contains recordings of live performances, rehearsals, compilation track appearances, and interview snippets.