Copyright 1991 The Chronicle Publishing Co.    
The San Francisco Chronicle
FEBRUARY 27, 1991, WEDNESDAY, FINAL EDITION
SECTION: DAILY DATEBOOK; Pg. E4
LENGTH: 505 words
HEADLINE: Jellyfish Treads Water at Slim's
BYLINE: Joel Selvin, Chronicle Staff Critic
BODY:

     With a supple, polished debut album that earned the band a
small fortune in a record company bidding war and a video in heavy
rotation on MTV, Jellyfish is poised to sting.
     Rising out of the remnants of Beatnik Beatch, a
South-of-Market club band that managed to get an album released on
a major label a few years ago, the Angloid pop-rock quartet drew a
full house Monday at Slim's, a clear sign of a genuine following in
deve
lopment. Alas, the gig was not impressive, and the band came off as
a shallow, contrived set of studio-bound popsters who put more
energy into costumes and set design than into performing.  
     Not that there weren't extenuating circumstances. Regular
guitarist Jason Falkner was missing in action, although substitute
Niko Wenner filled in admirably. Vocalist Andy Sturmer complained
of voice problems, almost like offering an excuse before he put
 on a lousy show.

DEEP-ROOTED PROBLEMS
     But the problems with the band ran deeper than an ailing
guitarist or a singer with the ague.
     Opening to strains of the old Argent hit, ''Hold Your Head
Up,'' the quartet appeared on a stage outlined by Christmas lights
strung along fence posts, ivy twined around the mike stands, flower
pots on the amplifiers and a bubble machine in the backgroun
d. The four musicians -- even the substitute -- wore Day-Glo
Carnaby Street campy costumes that evoked the psychedelic era of
''Sgt. Pepper.''
     With Sturmer positioned behind a stand-up drum kit of three
pieces and some cymbals, the band lined up like ducks in a row
facing the audience. Sturmer remained anchored to his minimalist
drum setup and none of the other musicians provided much animation
. The show had a static quality that did little to enliven the
music. Not only did percussion duties tie up the band's lead
vocalist, the three-note drumming grew monotonous and hardly
provided the rich percussive coloration the lush pop melodies
require.


CHIRPY CHEERFULNESS
     The Beatles may be the obvious reference point to the
Jellyfish sound, although the chirpy cheerfulness of the Turtles
and the Monkees might be more to the point. Actually, the band paid
tribute to Beatles imitators everywhere with back-to-back covers fr
om the songbooks of Wings and Badfinger. The band returned for an
encore with a faithful rendition of Fleetwood Mac's ''Go Your Own
Way,'' which may have been what passes for Jellyfish's sense of
humor.
     The original material floats on sturdy melodies, decorated
with soaring harmony vocals and billowing keyboard textures. ''All
I Want Is Everything'' contained some gritty rock drive, while ''I
Wanna Stay Home'' created a near-wistful mood with its breath
y air.
     The strength of the band's songs and the striking, if somewhat
manufactured, look mark Jellyfish as a band with serious commercial
potential. Everybody has off nights and the group will undoubtedly
live to laugh at the relative debacle of their big homet
own nightclub debut. Fans of the band's appealing album couldn't
help but have been disappointed.

GRAPHIC: PHOTO,Andy Sturmer, vocalist and drummer for Jellyfish,
wore Carnaby Street garb for the band's date at Slim's , BY JOHN
O'HARA, THE CHRONICLE