Copyright 1993 The Times Mirror Company Los Angeles Times April 6, 1993, Tuesday, Orange County Edition SECTION: Calendar; Part F; Page 1; Column 4; Entertainment Desk LENGTH: 381 words HEADLINE: O.C. POP MUSIC REVIEW; JELLYFISH JAMS WITH CHURNING, HARMONIC ROCK BYLINE: By RICHARD CROMELIN, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES DATELINE: SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO BODY: Listeners who tune in to the taped radio broadcast recorded on Sunday at Jellyfish's Coach House show will have a hard time believing there's been no post-production tampering. But those spot-on, four-part harmonies, the little refrains dashing through t he songs like cartoon characters, the decorative vocal fills perfectly placed into churning rock arrangements -- all were clearly and thrillingly live The vocal gymnastics weren't the least of the pleasures afforded on stage by a band whose diversity and principled adherence to classic pop-rock sources has kept it from being easily slotted into today's radio formats. For Jellyfish, the intense response from the packed house must have sounded like a ringing endorsement of its commercially difficult course. As it begins touring in support of its second album, "Spilt Milk," the group has scrapped much of the zany, "Sesame Street" attire and madcap antics that were tending to overshadow the music. Only a couple of nods to '70s ephemera remained -- a Lite-Brit e game sitting atop an amplifier, and an Olivia Newton-John tribute. The lineup is different, too, with bassist Tim Smith and guitarist Eric Dover supporting the core songwriting team of lead singer and drummer Andy Sturmer and keyboardist-guitarist Roger Manning. Jellyfish now attacks its richly melodic music with much m ore focus, letting the intended spirit of fun rise naturally from the grooves. At the Coach House, the usual game of name-that-influence ("Abbey Road" here, "Pet Sounds" there, the Who and the Small Faces etc., etc.) was secondary to the combination of rock drive and exacting pop craftsmanship. Sturmer, who sings while standing at his center-stage drum kit, also flashed a taut vocal style that infused many of the songs with a genuine soulfulness. While this is all pretty irresistible, you have to hope that the Manning-Sturmer team eventually builds enough thrust to escape the gravity of all those sources and breaks into a space all its own. They certainly have the gifts and the integrity. All the y need now is a vision all their own. As for the broadcast, no air date has been set, but it was recorded for Westwood One's syndicated "In Concert: New Rock" series, which airs locally on KROQ-FM's "Concert Vaults" program. GRAPHIC: Photo, Jellyfish's lead singer-drummer Andy Sturmer attacks group's richly melodic music with much more focus, letting the intended spirit of fun rise naturally. CHRISTINE COTTER / Los Angeles Times