Copyright 1990 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd. The Toronto Star October 13, 1990, Saturday, SATURDAY EDITION SECTION: ENTERTAINMENT; Pg. F4 LENGTH: 810 words HEADLINE: Mr. Cool does what his mama says BYLINE: By Chris Dafoe and Mitch Potter Toronto Star BODY: * The Rembrandts The Rembrandts (WEA/ATCO) Jellyfish Bellybutton (Virgin/A&M): Two fetching takes on Beatlism from California, both the Rembrandts and Jellyfish offer unself-conscious debut releases steeped in the lean pure-pop sensibilities of late-1960 s Lennon-McCartney. The Rembrandts, made up of veteran L.A. songwriters Danny Wilde and Phil Solem, have a decade's head start on their San Francisco compatriots, Jellyfish, and the experience shows: This is the fully realized work of journeymen stylists, anchored by keenin g, buoyant vocal interplay and layered with gentle acoustic and electric melodies. Wilde and Solem, whose partnership dates to the late '70s wave that brought us the Plimsouls, the Knack and the Motels, introduce a few lessons from that era into the equation, including the Elvis Costello-inspired "New King". If the influences are obvious - the duo even temper their sweet harmony with liberal use of Paul McCartney's famous scream from the extro to "Hey Jude" - they are co-opted into these 12 compelling tracks with love, not guile. But the Rembrandts, as flush as they may be with taut, hook-laden melodies, sound downright careful in light of the giddy, refreshing debut from young San Francisco squad Jellyfish. Drawing from a wider palette of instrumentation, the quartet manages to hold focus on 10 grand, ambitious arrangements that weave through a vivid tapestry of unexpected studio effects. A passage of harpsichord here, ribbons of fretless bass there, the di sc is not without flaws and longwinded moments, but is winsome nevertheless, imbued with the mantra of studio experimentation that has marked Todd Rundgren's most adventurous pop. Jellyfish finds its Beatles inspiration more in the lets-see-how-this-sounds spirit that governed the crazy days of Sgt. Pepper's, and, as the band chirps merrily in "All I Want To Be Is Wanted", it does so with mischief, not pretense, in mind: "I think I'd like to play guitar and be a Beatle/ That'd be so swell/ And every show I would envy all my fans/ While I bitch about the price of fame." -Mitch Potter Times Publishing Company St. Petersburg Times October 10, 1990, Wednesday, City Edition SECTION: FLORIDIAN; ALTERNATIVE TOP 10; Pg. 1D LENGTH: 1222 words HEADLINE: SAMPLE PLATTERS BYLINE: ERIC SNIDER BODY: Most people eat whatever is put in front of them. A few are finicky often times they just don't like what's on the table. The Alternative Top 10 is for those choosy music fans who won't settle for the stuff force-fed to them by radio or video shows. Finding alternatives takes effort. You've got to pass up the drive-through and venture out of your way to find the memorable restaurant; you've got to unearth the funky boutique rather than doing the zombie prowl through the mall. Hunting alternative music can be expensive. No one wants to shoot 15 bucks for a CD and have it turn out to be a dead duck. Think of the Alternative Top 10 as a menu of sorts. Read it. You can order. You can walk out. Unfortunately, this column does not allow you to sample the music, but perhaps the words will pique your interest, perhaps motivate you to do some research. 1 Jellyfish Bellybutton (Charisma) We top the list with a band that should not, by rights, be among the alternative ranks. The San Francisco quartet makes bright pop-rock that echoes the Beatles tradition of infectious melodies and tart vocal harmonies. But Jellyfish isn't copping some ret ro routine. The music, songs, singing, arrangements is far too accomplished and outright catchy to be faulted just because it sounds a bit familiar. At least a half-dozen of these songs should be sure shots on rock radio, but so far the band has made litt le headway. GRAPHIC: COLOR PHOTO, (3); BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO, Photo DANIEL CORRIGAN; the group Cocteau Twins; the group Jellyfish; Gilberto Gil; the group Soul Asylum