THE JELLY JAM

So you like Kings X do you? Well then you´re in for a surprise !! Because this is the showmaster/the guitargod/the vocal supreme from KINGS X. And this is his project......powerpop prog at its best..... oh...JOY !!!! Go buy!!!!

How would sound Platypus without Derek Sherinian ? The jelly jam is the answer, and it is as good as the previous Platypus records. A blend of pop, grunge, progressive-rock and mainstream rock. The tunes are catchy, but with complex rhythms and all sung (unlike Platypus, where half the album featured vocals, and the other half instrumental tracks). It is good to see that members of Dream Theater can get a kick out of a material somewhat different from their usual metal-prog. I don't know anything about King's X, the band in which Ty Tabor, the vocalist and guitarist for Platypus and Jelly Jam began his career, but I'm sure of one thing : he is a great artist who deserves to be known of all who appreciate good music. A very dynamic album !

brilliant! it's a great album! even their music is not too prog, still it has something you MUST listen. "The Jelly Jam" and "Under The Tree" are beautiful prog compositions that "kicking". this is Ty Tabor, John Myung and Rod Morgenstein's work at their best!

The Jelly Jam is a really good album. It sounds pretty much like platypus, saince it´s the same band without Derek Sherinian. The Jelly Jam, in my opinion, is a really good album. Their music is pretty original, and Ty does some nice vocals on this album, just as on the platypus. And you might think that Platypus without a synth would be empty. No. You don´t miss it once! Defenatly worth ever cent spend on it!!!

This album is definitely rockin' from beginning to end and nice to listen as background music. But I would not agree to that it sounds much like PLATYPUS apart from the vocals of course. This album must be great for fans of Stoner Rock, Grunge, Alternative... and for fans of KING'S X. To me it does not offer too much, I prefer much more PLATYPUS' two albums because they offer more diversity and complexity ( that I'm missing here at all). I like the variety in both of them given by the mixture of vocal and instrumental tracks. Like KING'S X THE JELLY JAM could be categorized rather as alt.rock than as prog, I think. Still a good album though and for sure better than most of stoner and alternative rock ones. Best tracks are definitely the title track and "The King's Dance" not because they're instrumental, but pretty much dfferent from the rest and remind very much to finest 70's progressive blues rock. Just for these tracks I'm giving half a star extra. I think 3 stars is a adequate rating. I can't explain why, but somehow Ty Tabor's voice is transmitting all the time a more "alternative rock feeling" to me, I noticed this already on KING'S X' records, as well as in the vocal tracks on PLATYPUS' albums. But still well done alternative rock I would say.

This album is not what you would expect from prog-rock titans. The former PLATYPUS members Ty Tabor (KING'S X, guitar and vocals), John Myung (DREAM THEATER, bass), and Rod Morgenstein (The DIXIE DREGS, drums and percussion), take it to task and end up with a great rock and roll album. This is not prog-rock, neo-prog, or anything else associated with the word progressive when regarding genre classification. When defining the word progressive for yourself you will find that these talented musicians surely fit into that realm though. Are you confused yet? It's actually quite simple. These guys went into the studio to have some fun and do something totally different than what they are normally associated with, which is very cool and very progressive. What ends up happening is a sound that is very similar to a classic 60's Byrds record (in the vocal department) is developed to perfection, with a noticeable discerning harder edge to it. Except for the title track "The Jelly Jam," which is a HENDRIX like rocker with wah-wah, psychedelic influences, and the spirit of Jimi jumping in, this is quite simply a great rock n' roll album without any frills or complications included.

So if you are looking for a straight ahead prog-rock album you need to look elsewhere or with the groups that these guys normally gig with. If you enjoy great music that rocks then this is your pre-paid ticket to the show.

After Derek Sherinian left Platypus, the other three guys decided to continue to work together on this King's X/Dream Theater side project. What you will immediately notice is that it sounds very little like Platypus, but instead a lot more like King's X with a better rhythm section. Rod Morganstein's incredible, busy drumming meshes with John Myung's way-more-up-front-than-Dream Theater bass to give Ty Tabor's muscular guitar riffs a solid foundation to weave in and out of some excellent rock and roll songs with a psychedelic edge.

The album kicks off with "I Can't Help It", a propulsive rocker driven by John's thunderous bass and Ty's chunky guitar and Lennon-esque vocals. The song is pretty straightforward, and not really prog in any way, but it's powerful, melodic and satisfying, which you could really say about this entire album.

Next is "No Remedy", another fairly heavy song with a killer Hendrix-like wah wah riff and nice vocal harmonies. It also has a lovely vocal interlude that harkens to the Beatles' Abbey Road era, followed by a sparse section punctuated by some absolutely mindboggling drum fills. If you are a fan of great drumming, you should definitely give this album a listen.

Track 3 is called "Nature", but it's really just an intro to track 4, "Nature's Girl", which is my favorite of the album. This is classic Ty Tabor guitar pyrotechnics here, with a blistering intro riff and a similar verse riff doubled by John. Just when you think the song can't get any "hotter", the much more "pretty" chorus transports you back to Beatles-land. There is also a section where John's bass playing is highly reminiscent of Chris Squire's. Good stuff.

Next is "Feeling", a pretty good song, but not as good as tracks 1, 2 & 4. It does have another very appealing and soft chorus with beautiful harmonies and another Abbey Road- like bridge. I realize that I am mentioning the Beatles in just about every song, but it really does seem as if Ty is channeling John Lennon in pretty much every project he does, particularly when you take King's X bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick out of the picture. The lyrics are a little on the goofy side though.

Track 6, "Reliving", is a bittersweet song about carefree childhood days. Yet another great vocal showcase for Ty, although this song is one of the more mellow tracks on the album, and the one your girlfriend is most likely to enjoy (apologies to all you female proggers out there). It is also one of a handful of songs on the album that contain a fabulous guitar solo. I really love Ty's playing, and it's very good here.

The title track come next, a long, meandering, very ambient instrumental piece with mesmeric bass lines and psychedelic guitar flourishes. It is probably the most "prog" on the album, but I find it a bit boring overall.

"I Am The King" starts with some African-styled drum figures and more Squire-ish bass lines. Another track that could easily have been done by the Fab Four, it's another tasty "pop" song somewhat similar to "Reliving".

"The King's Dance" is a sort of short instrumental continuation of the previous song. Great playing here from all three, but Ty really shines. The song has a very laid-back, psychedelic vibe running through it which I enjoy a great deal.

The last track on the album, "Under The Tree", starts off with a weird phased pick-scraping effect by Ty accompanied by some party chatter a la "Welcome To The Machine". After the intro, the guitar takes on a sitar-like quality, and the vocals remind me of Porcupine Tree (as does much of the album actually). Rod rounds things out with heavily eastern drum stylings. The album closes out by reprising the "Nature" guitar part.

This album really surprised me when it came out, as it was completely dissimilar to Platypus, but it ended up being probably my favorite album of 2002. I really debated on the rating I would give; it nearly got 5 stars. But since this is a prog site, and it really isn't terribly "proggy", I gave it 4. If I could have, I would give 4.5. If you're interested in giving Jelly Jam a try, get this one, as their second album is not nearly as good. Fans of bands such as Porcupine Tree & obviously King's X will probably find much to like here; just don't go in expecting symphonic or prog metal.

3.5 stars. In the liner notes each song is shown on a different jar of jam. Cute. As others have noted this is basically PLATYPUS minus Derek Sherinian and the sound now is more like KINGS X. What I liked most about this album was the drumming of Rod Morgenstein and with the bass of John Myung we have an amazing rhythm section. As hdfisch notes this is probably more Alternative sounding then anything else,and I really like their sound.

"I Can't Help You" is one of the heavier and better songs on the record.The heavy bass and rolling drums are great ! Can Rod drum or what ? "No Remedy" is very KINGS X sounding. Heavy with THE BEATLES like harmonies.The drumming and bass lines 3 minutes in are incredible. "Native" is a short instrumental. "Nature's Girl" is an uptempo, catchy tune that I bet they had a blast playing.

"Feeling" is in the same style as the previous ones and it's starting to get boring. Fortunately the rest of the songs provide some variety starting with "Reliving", a mellow tune with some good vocals and a tasteful guitar solo. "The Jelly Jam" is the best song on the record, a slower paced instrumental that is quite atmospheric. The lead guitar is amazing from Ty. "I Am A King" has a dreamy sound to it, although not so much in the chorus.There is a nice breakout of guitar as well. "The King's Dance" is a laidback instrumental with some lazy, spacey guitar melodies that grow more intense as the song plays out. "Under The Tree" has an Eastern feel to it at times.

This is a good record that I would definetly recommend to fans of Alternative music.

Top class musicians making regular music. Great groovy alternative effort.

After the departure of Derek Sherinian, the original Platypus band became a trio and they leaved out almost every shake of prog metal moments. In their first album they came with a very original and regular alternative-prog album in the style of Porcupine Tree with some jazzy moments and a very nice and soft groovy style, enjoyable and focused.

Well now, I understand that a regular Dream Theater or Dixie Dregs fan could expect more bombastic and experimental music, but it's not and to hear Rod Morgenstein and John Myung playing "human" music is kind of nice, because they really sound strong and cohesive, it's evident that the members understands each other and the chemistry between the band is great. The songs THE JELLY JAM and THE KING'S DANCE are the only real "progressive" songs with some flashy guitar solos but never getting "too" proggy. The rest are very short alternative rock songs but I wish alternative bands play like this. Ty vocals are really great and catchy.

Not too much else of saying about this 35 minutes piece of music. I can assure you that you will headbang to some of the catchy and groovy songs. For prog standards maybe is not that cool, but it's one of those albums that is continuously on rotation in my stereo because if very enjoyable and rocker. I suggest this album to any PT lover, they will appreciate this kind of music. I put this with 4 stars. Sometimes is great to hear "regular" music from the masters. This is one of those rarities, in which the challenge is "not" to play. Great album.

When keyboard player Derek Sherinian left Platypus the decision was taken not only not to replace him but also to change the musical direction and the name of the band. The result is a trio playing intricate rock yet maintaining at times the Beatles-esque qualities of the original band. It is again an album that belongs not only firmly in the present day but also in the Sixties and Seventies as the music captures the mood of that time. It is melodic and some times even psychedelic, and has moved away from the progressive tendencies while also maintaining some of that interest.

One of the problems that the band has that they find it difficult to play in standard 4/4, using the minimum amount of notes, so instead they go out and have a blast to enjoy themselves. Luckily for us that they do as even on their more basic songs there is still a wealth of diversity to enjoy. Given that this is basically a side project it is amazing that they manage to bring together songs that are consistently strong and not fillers. It is a shame that Platypus are no more as I have enjoyed playing their albums, particularly 'Ice Cycles', but I know that I am going to enjoy this in the future just as much (even if it is an extremely naff name!!).

Originally appeared in Feedback #67, Apr 02