Best! | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | May 6, 2006 | |||
Genre | Power pop [1] | |||
Length | 74:14 | |||
Label | Virgin | |||
Producer | ||||
Jellyfish chronology | ||||
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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. [1] "Think About Your Troubles" was drawn from a 1995 Nilsson tribute album.
All songs written by Roger Manning and Andy Sturmer, except where noted.
Tracks 6 and 12 are demo recordings.
Tracks 10, 11, 17 and 18 are live recordings.
Jellyfish was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1989. Led by songwriters Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning, the group was known for their blend of 1970s classic rock and XTC-style power pop. They released two albums, Bellybutton (1990) and Spilt Milk (1993), that proved highly influential to artists 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 last 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.
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi is a compilation album by pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, released in 2004. It was compiled to tie in with the group's animated series of the same name. There is also a Japanese version of this CD, of which contains the subtitle, "Happy Fun Rock Music from the Series" and includes two additional "TV Mix" tracks. The album peaked at #49 on the Japanese Albums Chart.
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.
Roger Joseph Manning Jr. is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands Jellyfish, the Moog Cookbook, and Imperial Drag. 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.
Francis Anthony "Eg" White is a British musician, songwriter and producer. He started his career in the cowpunk band Yip Yip Coyote in the 1980s and then formed Brother Beyond with his brother, David White, in the late 1980s. In 1990, Eg White recorded the pop album 24 Years of Hunger, and then in 1992 he produced the debut, self-titled album by Kinky Machine. He turned to songwriting in 1997, winning the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2004. In 2008 White worked with Adele on three tracks. In 2009 White was awarded his second Ivor Novello Award for 'Songwriter of the Year' and in 2010 he had a second UK number 1 with the Diana Vickers single "Once", a song he wrote with Cathy Dennis. White started his own record label in 2009.
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.
Nintendo: White Knuckle Scorin' is a compilation album licensed by Nintendo and released by MCA Records in 1991. It was dedicated to Bobby Brooks, a talent agent who died in the 1990 helicopter crash that also killed Stevie Ray Vaughan. The stated purpose of the compilation was to promote literacy among children and "tap the Nintendo youth market". Most of the artists featured on the record had employed Brooks in some capacity.
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.
"Ignorance is bliss" is a phrase coined by Thomas Gray in his 1768 "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College". The sentiment was already expressed by Publilius Syrus: In nil sapiendo vita iucundissima est.
"New Mistake" is a song by the American power pop group Jellyfish. It is the second single released in support of their 1993 album Spilt Milk.
"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.
"The Ghost at Number One" is a song by the American power pop group Jellyfish. It is the first single released in support of their 1993 album Spilt Milk.
Abhinanda was a Swedish hardcore punk band that was active from 1992 until 1999, releasing three albums. The band was part of the Umeå Hardcore scene and had close ties to influential hardcore band Refused, which members formed the supergroup Final Exit, which released two albums. All members of the group were straight edge and either vegan or vegetarian.
Omnivore Recordings is an independent record label founded in 2010. It specializes in historical releases, reissues and previously unissued vintage recordings, as well as select releases of new music, on CD, vinyl and digital formats. Omnivore Recordings is a part of Omnivore Entertainment Group LLC, which also incorporates sister companies Omnivore Music Publishing and Omnivore Creative, which provides A&R and art direction/design consulting for recording artists, artist estates, and other record labels.
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.
Mick Haggerty is an English graphic designer, illustrator, art director, video director and artist. Haggerty has received four Grammy Award nominations for Best Recording Package, and in 1980 was jointly awarded, with Mike Doud, the Grammy for Supertramp's Breakfast in America. He also received a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video in 1986 for The Daryl Hall and John Oates Video Collection.
The Lickerish Quartet is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 2017. The group consists of keyboardist Roger Manning, guitarist Eric Dover, and bassist Tim Smith, each of whom were former members of the band Jellyfish. They released the EP Threesome Vol. 1 in May 2020, Threesome Vol. 2 in January 2021, and have a third coming later in the year.