Copyright 1993 The Washington Post The Washington Post March 3, 1993, Wednesday, Final Edition SECTION: STYLE; PAGE B7 LENGTH: 862 words HEADLINE: Recordings; Jellyfish: Plenty of Spine SERIES: Occasional BYLINE: Mike Joyce, Special to The Washington Post BODY: Who says less is more? Certainly not the pop rock bands Jellyfish, the Pooh Sticks and Starclub. For them, there can never be too much of a good thing. Far from being a sin, self-indulgence in the studio is one of life's great pleasures. None of these new albums is more opulent, inventive or engaging than Jellyfish's "Spilt Milk" (Charisma), a deliriously colorful splash of melodies, harmonies, instruments and vignettes, evoking everything from Brecht-Weill to neo-psychedelia. Smartly pr oduced by Albhy Galuten, who worked on the San Francisco-based band's 1990 debut, "Bellybutton," and previously produced recordings by the Bee Gees, "Spilt Milk" derives most of its charm from the lavish orchestrations and fanciful lyrics devised by Jelly fish's key players, Roger Manning and Andy Sturmer. Fans of wall-to-wall arrangements, but not the ersatz kind, the duo has pulled out all the stops on "Spilt Milk," augmenting the usual rock set-up with harps, tubas, cellos, theremins, harpsichords, banjos, balalaikas and an occasional string section to create a delightfully heady, sensuous, high-calorie brand of pop. From the outset it's clear that Jellyfish would rather celebrate than conceal its influences. The opening track, "Hush," a lullaby stacked in glorious six-part harmony, pays homage to both Queen and the Beach Boys with great affection and skill. The seco nd cut, the wry yet whimsical rocker "Joining a Fan Club," not only suggests an expansive and updated version of the Raspberries but introduces the kind of irrepressible wordplay that characterizes and enlivens much of the album. Sometimes the sheer sound of quirky word combinations or recurring sibilants is enough to make a song like the schoolroom saga "Sebrina, Paste and Plato" memorable, but Manning and Sturmer are as adept at writing curious lyrics as they are at orchestrati ng them. With lines that alternate between the cheeky ("Baptized the baby in whiskey and licorice/ What a lovely way, drowning sins in tooth decay") and the philosophic ("Yes he tries to hide the cross he bears/ But splinters, like the truth, have always risen"), the album makes the usual pop fare seem utterly bland by comparison. The shifting moods range from cabaret ("Bye Bye Bye") and tranquil balladry ("Russian Hill") to aggressive rock ("All Is Forgiven") and decidedly skewed country ("Too Much Too Little Too Late"). Yet nearly always, gorgeous harmonies and instrumental grac e notes slide and glide by as if airborne, adding both warmth and buoyancy to the arrangements. All in all, it's a sumptuous collection of pop, played and orchestrated with spirit, wit and not even a hint of inhibition. (To hear a free Sound Bite from thi s album, call 202-334-9000 and press 8171.) The Pooh Sticks: 'Million Seller' Like Jellyfish, Wales's Pooh Sticks are not the least bit shy when it comes to revealing their influences, even if the combination is a bit hard to stomach at times. The band's last, independently produced album, "The Great White Wonder," shamelessly rec alled the, er, glory days of Helen Reddy, Hot Chocolate and Meat Loaf. Its new album, "Million Seller" (Zoo), occasionally suggests an abiding love affair with the 1910 Fruitgum Company, Alice Cooper and the Raspberries, but overall, it's a far more palat able, tuneful and even thoughtful offering. According to the liner notes, the band dreams of the day when it can afford to hire Todd Rundgren as a producer, but in the meantime it seems perfectly happy to rummage through the past on its own, trying on whatever sonic image strikes its fancy. Song t itles from the Raspberries or Carole King, a catchy chorus from Freeway, a little lyrical inspiration from Roberta Flack, plenty of harmonies that evoke Crosby, Stills and Nash, the Eagles, the Band, even some Donovanesque folk -- it's all grist for the b and's merrily churning mill. Not surprisingly, the best tunes are those that find lead singer and co-songwriter Hue Williams putting a fresh twist on familiar themes or riffs, as he does on the insinuating ballad "Susan Sleepwalking" and the slightly off-kilter rocker "Let the Good Times Roll." (To hear a free Sound Bite from this album, call 202-334-9000 and press 8172.) Starclub Britain's Starclub has a similarly expansive view of the pop-rock world, though its not nearly as fond of Top 40 novelties. Vibrant guitars, sweeping harmonies and an occasional funk groove are more to its liking. Because lead singer Owen Vyse sounds a l ot like Paul Rodgers, comparisons with the British bands Free and Bad Company are inevitable, but Starclub's new self-titled album (on Island) is eclectic enough to make the reference moot. Producer Chris Hughes, who's worked with Paul McCartney and Tears for Fears, helps create a spacious environment, allowing the band to display its considerable songcraft amid showering harmonies and alternately soaring and raunchy guitars on the album's catchiest tunes -- the romantic ballad "Call My Name," the rousing weekend anthem "Hard to Get" and the sultry shuffle "Let Your Hair Down." (To hear a free Sound Bite from this album, call 202-334-9000 and press 8173.) GRAPHIC: PHOTO