Precursors of the esoteric sound eventually tagged "post-rock,"
Shrimp Boat was among the key Chicago indie bands of their era, with members later going on to even greater success in groups like
the Sea and Cake. Originally comprised of singer/guitarist
Sam Prekop, guitarist
Ian Schneller, bassist and
David Kroll,
Shrimp Boat formed in 1985. Their affinity for unusual time signatures, jazz-influenced structures and exotic rhythms were unlike anything else on the contemporary Chicago club circuit. They added drummer
Eric Claridge in 1986 and issued their debut cassette album Some Biscuit in 1988, followed later that same year by Daylight Savings. On their own Specimen Products label, they issued their first vinyl LP
Speckly in 1989. That year,
Claridge left the band, replaced by
Brad Wood.
Shrimp Boat signed to Bar/None in 1990 and recorded their next album,
Duende, that same year. The album didn't see release until 1992, and in the meantime, the band self-released the Volume 1 collection. 1993 saw the release of
Cavale, but by this time, both Kroll and
Wood had exited, while
Eric Claridge returned to the band as bassist and Tom Jasek stepped in on drums. Within a few months of the album's release
Shrimp Boat disbanded;
Prekop and
Claridge soon reunited in
the Sea and Cake, while
Wood emerged as one of the most sought-after producers in indie rock, helming records for the likes of
Liz Phair,
Veruca Salt and
the Smashing Pumpkins. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide