Customer Reviews

Something Grand

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Shrimp Boat are simply the most joyous band on the planet. Or at least they were... they broke up back in 1993 or so, after only three proper albums. So, thank God for this collection!

The chronologically sequenced set spans the band's entire career, starting with their early home-recorded sound experiments (when they could barely play their instruments), and tracking their evolution as they explored and blended virtually every style of music on the planet. From Eastern European folk music, to Zappa-esque freakouts, to Carter family-syle Appalacian folk/country, to free jazz skronking, to Soul and R&B... usually blended seamlessly. Hell, they even do a cover of "Those Were the days" (from All in the family), on the Bonus Album!

The live cuts are particularly vibrant, as the sound of dancing and laughing crowds in the background and the obvious fun the band is having on stage really comes through. I missed seeing SB live, despite being from Chicago myself. It makes me long to go back in time and catch just one show.

Sam Prekop's voice is even more slurred here than it is in The Sea and Cake, but there's no denying its source. And he has yet to play with another guitar player as propulsive and explosive as Ian Schneller could be.

The only reason I am detracting a star at all is because the early experiments, while interesting and good to have in my collection, are not all successful.

Any fan will want this set -- it completes the legacy of one of the greatest bands to ever fly under the radar. For the uninitiated, I would recommend starting with either of their final two albums -- Duende or Cavale. (Both are 5-star recordings, IMO.)