Monday, July 19, 2010

God's gift to oxygen

Jellyfish could do no wrong in my book. Yet they barely dented the charts during their regrettably short two LP career. Grunge was ruling the airwaves in the early 90s so there was no large audience for a band with killer chops, Beach Boys harmonies, and complicated melodies. Pity because if there is any band that I wish had hung together for more recordings, it would be this one.

Listen to the impeccable harmony work in The Ghost and Number One. I have no idea who the "knappy superstar" is who inspired the rant in the lyrics but there is real venom exuding here.
Sure life's no cherry but a cupcake for the meek
So he shoots up his poison until the frosting tastes so sweet
At 1:23 the song enters a Pet Sounds-inspired musical universe. And again at 2:40, what with the banjo, chimes, and bass line, the spirit of Brian Wilson lives on.
Mrs.Lynn the fruit of your labour
Gives us a savior, nappy superstar.
To you we bid congratulations, to him adulation.
A blessed life begun, for the ghost at number one.

4 comments:

blackleatherbookshelf said...

Oh how I love their albums. I even have my copy of "Belly Button" signed after seeing them open for the GoGo's in Philly way back when.

Mister Pleasant said...

Tim - lucky you. They were together during a time I was not attending many shows, and before I knew it they were gone.

Who Am Us Anyway? said...

Man for a guy who loves PowerPop I don't know much of anything! All these great bands that rose and fell during my long lost weekend of making babies and working crazy jobs ... i missed a ton.

On first listen to this I at first heard real good Bad Finger morphing into real good Queen -- although now that you mention it, maybe it IS more Pet Sounds ...

I wonder could the ref to the fruit of Mrs. Lynn's labor be pointing us to ... Jeff Lynne?

Mister Pleasant said...

Who am Us - I definitely get the Queen reference. That reference is much more on the surface of some other Jellyfish songs. But not sure that I hear so much Badfinger, maybe a bit more Nazz in the opening salvo.

As for the Mrs. Lynn reference - that is a good theory. Jellyfish lyrics are chock full of arcane references and in-jokes so it very well could be Mr. ELO that they are refering too.