PRESS-TELEGRAM
Copyright (c) 1993, Long Beach Press-Telegram
DATE: Friday, May 14, 1993
PAGE:  W13
EDITION: AM
SECTION: WEEKEND
LENGTH: Medium
SOURCE: Associated Press -David Bauder  -Steven Wine

ALBUM REVIEWS
     ''Split Milk'' Jellyfish (Charisma):  The CD cover of ''Split
Milk'' shows a young red-head crying, presumably over the title. 
No gimmick is too obvious for the three-piece San Francisco band
Jellyfish, and therein lies their charm.
     Electric and acoustic guitars, drums, piano, organ, strings,
harmonica, harp, harpsichord, vibes, accordion, banjo, clarinet,
tuba, trombone, mandolin, tympani - Jellyfish finds a place for
them all on ''Split Milk,'' along with more hooks than your aver
age '90s pop band will come up with in a career.
     As a result, Jellyfish often doesn't sound like the 1990s at
all.  At times they sound like Queen, with layered vocals singing
irresistible melodies over grinding guitars and driven drumming. 
The first two cuts - an a cappella lullaby called ''Hush'' an
d the punchy ''Joining a Fan Club'' - could be outtakes from
''Bohemian Rhapsody.''
     At other times, ''Split Milk'' sounds like the record Beach
Boy Brian Wilson would have made if born 30 years later.  The
bridge to ''The Ghost at Number One,'' for example, is straight
from ''Pet Sounds.''
     Elsewhere the sampling is less obvious, but the melodies just
as sweet.  Highlights include the frothy ''Sebrina, Paste and
Plato,'' and the polka- flavored ''Bye Bye Bye,'' which constructs
a terrific hook out of just one word.  The lyrics get their tur
n to shine, too - ''He's My Best Friend'' takes self-admiration to
a new level, and ''New Mistake'' concludes with a wink:  ''The
ending turned tragic when, many years later, the baby had grown up
and married a pop singer.''
     Humor and hooks; those are good gimmicks.

THE STATE
COPYRIGHT (1993) STATE-RECORD CO.
(COLUMBIA, SC)
DATE: FRIDAY, March 5, 1993
PAGE: 10D
EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: WEEKEND
LENGTH: MEDIUM
ILLUSTRATION: Photos, bw
SOURCE: MICHAEL MILLER, Staff Writer
MEMO: MUSIC

     Since Christmas, new album releases have been few and far
between, but that will change this month.
     Already in stores are new discs from Dinosaur Jr., School of
Fish and Living Colour, and coming Tuesday are highly-anticipated
releases from Sting (''Ten Summoner's Tales''), Lenny Kravitz
(''Are You Gonna Go My Way''), Rosanne Cash (''The Wheel'') and b
luesman Buddy Guy (''Feels Like Rain'').  Mercury Records will
release ''The Best of Van Morrison, Vol. 2'' on Tuesday.
     Slated for March 18 is the release of the collaborative effort
by former Whitesnake singer David Coverdale and former Led Zeppelin
guitar hero Jimmy Page on Geffen Records.
     Techno-popsters Depeche Mode return March 23 with ''Songs of
Faith and Devotion,'' and Grammy award-winning rappers Arrested
Development release their ''Unplugged'' disc the same day.
     Also coming March 23 are new discs from Willie Nelson, Dwight
Yoakam, Hothouse Flowers, The Kinks and the American Music Club.
     NEW RELEASES (**** 1/2) Digable Planets, ''Reachin' (A New
Refutation of Time and Space),'' Pendulum/Elektra: Put all your
preconceived notions about rap away and step into the world of
Digable Planets, a New York trio who have a new agenda for the hip
h
op nation. Flutes, muted trumpets, acoustic bass and tributes to
Charlie Parker's Verve years and Herbie Hancock's Headhunter days,
with a healthy dose of psychedelia and slow, simmering funk. And
the Planets balance it all perfectly -- truly a rebirth of
 cool. (****) Drivin N' Cryin, ''Smoke,'' Island: Kevn Kinney and
his pals in Drivin N' Cryin have got this Southern metal thing down
cold. There are plenty of big, chunky guitar chords, bass lines
that rumble like a freight train and thunder drums from D
ixie. Layer Kinney's yowling caterwaul on top and you've got an
uncompromising rock 'n' roll package that's equal parts garage
spirit and aggressive attitude. ''Smoke'' is loose and loud, with
a touch of country blues. Drivin N' Cryin's best album to date
. (*** 1/2) Big Head Todd and the Monsters, ''Sister Sweetly,''
Giant: My granny says that the butter they used to churn in the old
days was a lot better than the whipped stuff they sell now. Same
with Big Head Todd. Before producer David Z and Prince's P
aisley Park corporate music factory got a hold of them, he and the
Colorado-based monsters released two homemade discs that rocked
with a real-world passion. ''Sister Sweetly'' may be slicker, but
the monsters' integrity somehow prevailed. It's a powerful
 album anyway. (***) Jellyfish, ''Spilt Milk,'' Charisma:  With all
their nifty vocal harmonies and lilting melodies, the retro-rockers
in Jellyfish are still fixing a hole where the rain gets in, but
''Spilt Milk'' disappoints more than it satisfies.  It
's a shame, too, especially since hopes were running so high after
the band's superb 1990 debut ''Bellybutton'' and its exuberantly
hummable songs.  ''New Mistake'' and ''Russian Hill'' come close,
but unfortunately, Jellyfish flops a bit on its second la
p around the pool.
 CAPTION: 1. Sting's New Album, 'Ten Summoner's Tales,' Will Be In
Stores Tuesday.  2-5. CD Covers: ''Reachin' (A New Refutation of
Time and Space),'' ''Smoke,'' ''Sister Sweetly,'' ''Split Milk''