Trouser Press critics Scott Schinder and David Greenberger wrote that their renditions, which contain both precise and loose arrangements, were "not exactly affectionate tributes, but not complete jokes either," giving the group the double identity of an art rock and party band.
[1] Though commercially unsuccessful,[2] they were a critically respected[1][3] staple of the experimental scene associated with their label Shimmy Disc[4] and shared the stage, as well as several members, with the groups King Missile, Bongwater and Shockabilly.
Basing their repertoire around deconstructive cover versions of other artists' songs,[5] the group was formed in 1986 by vocalists Kim Rancourt and Joe Defilipps (the latter of whom also played trombone), guitarists David Raymer and Bob Meetsma, bassist Mitch Strassberg and drummer Ron Spitzer (of Band of Susans).
Keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Xefos (also of King Missile) played extensively on the record as a guest and joined as a full-time member thereafter.
Their third and final LP, Bill Kennedy's Showtime (1994), comprised songs by semi-obscure 1960s and 1970s Detroit rock and soul bands, as Rancourt had grown up in the area during that time.