Something Grand

CMJ once called Shrimp Boat "the best band on the planet." And indeed, Shrimp Boat were a phenomenal band that made music from the mid '80s clear through to '93. Inspired by bluegrass, jazz, country, rock 'n' roll, and most importantly, their own collective gung-ho, the band -- including Ian Schneller, Sam Prekop, David Kroll, Eric Claridge, and Brad Wood -- voluminously manifested new song forms from the air around them and paved the way for The Sea and Cake, Tortoise, Liz Phair, Califone, and many others. Three albums were released in their lifetime: great, beautiful documents all, but they aren't even the half of it. They recorded everything, and this set manifests the extended "mega-money shot" culled from well over 400 hours of unreleased tapes, 16-tracks made at Idful Music, 4-tracks made at their loft on Archer Street, live stage performances, and radio broadcasts. "Something Grand" is a triple-CD collection featuring 51 tracks and a 54-page booklet packed with photos, show flyers, and two sets of comprehensive liner notes.