Toy Matinee

Although I would not go as far as saying this album is a "masterpiece" as some have implied, I think it comes close to that title. It has plenty of euphoric moments and showcases the writing talents of Kevin Gilbert and Patrick Leonard. Let me say this right off the bat. This release led me to the creative genius that is Kevin Gilbert. It has given me plenty of listening pleasure, and its impossible to put that into a monetary value. It hasn't left my leather CD case for over a year now. I come back to it after a month or so and it sounds fresher and better than it did the listen before. It was originally the song "The Ballad Of Jenny Ledge" that drew me in and got me hooked on all things Kevin Gilbert. I expect nothing different from you if you give his music a chance. "Last Plane Out" seems like the perfect tune to start off an album, and "We Always Come Home" it's perfect ending. In between you have some wonderful songs that end up in your subconscious. "Turn it on Salvador" (In honor of Mr. Dali) , "Things She Said" (w/ Julian Lennon on background vocals, the incredible "Remember my name",& and "There was a little boy" are among the highlights. Some incredible chemistry going on throughout and it shows the promise of what could have been if this group of individuals had been able to see this through and continue on releasing albums. We've got some serious talent involved here on the playing and producing front, as well as plenty of inspiring moments, delightful melodies, and song structure. I discovered Kevin Gilbert well after he had left this world. Sometimes while listening to this great artist, I think to myself how much seminal music we all missed out on with his passing. I'm happy we still have the music he made while still here on earth. He has inspired me, provoked me, challenged me, and instilled me with so many thoughts, emotions, and visuals like all great music should. I wish it were so much easier and less expensive to listen to this great band/artist. I wish more material would be made available to the public to feed my appetite! RIP Kevin. You made some beautiful noise while you were here.

I had a copy of the Toy Mattine album before I purchased this copy, I bought it the same week it was released in 1990.But this new copy has some extra songs and I just wanted to hear them. This album is in my opinion one of the best albums ever made, the fantastic melodys with extremly impressive fantasy and K.G:s incredible vocals make this a milestone in popmusics history.It was 19 years since the album was released, but I still listen to it with great pleasure and I still love this album. To you who have not heard the album, you have a supersession ahead of you. Thank you and enjoy, Christer Karlbom from Sweden.

I only got acquainted with this band when I was at an Eric Johnson show; "Last Plane Out" came on the PA before the show, and I did a double take and was like "Wow--what song is this?!?!". Other songs are fantastic as well. Well worth a $10 purchase.

I found about Toy Matinee because of lead singer Kevin Gilbert. I found out about Kevin Gilbert because he died while mixing the Spock's Beard album, Beware of Darkness. This came out in 1990 and has a a very 80's (non-hairband) vibe to it. Somehow I missed it's release back in the day even though I would have liked it then. Since then I've found music by Kevin Gilbert solo and with his previous group, Giraffe. A lot of his stuff is out of print and hard to find without paying well over $100 a disc. It's surprising who succeeds and who doesn't in the music business, because I heard many artists that are very successful and sound a lot worse than Kevin Gilbert. The whole album is listenable and I think at least 4 of the songs are fantastic radio single quality sounding.

Initially, I WAS NOT going to give five stars for Toy Matinee. I felt that anyone who checked out all the ratings would be skeptical. Trust me, I am extremely suspicious of hype. Now, about this CD. It is a pop masterpiece. The opening track, Last Plane Out, grabbed my attention and kept me listening throughout. Not every song is upbeat, but even the somber ones are exquisitely crafted. Kevin Gilbert may have been a troubled genius, but he was a genius nevertheless. This is a beautiful pop album that truly deserves FIVE stars!

Yes, a crying shame that Kevin Gilbert's music should be unknown, forgotten, or ignored because his was not a familiar name. I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of this CD (inexpensively, I might add) and have enjoyed every minute of it. Together with his band Giraffe (I have "The View from Here") I have rarely been so impressed by a musician that I had heard little about. Yes, I had heard very little about his music, as only "The Shaming of the True" seems to garner any attention. It is too bad that he is no longer with us; we missed out on a lot of great music if what I have listened to so far is any indication of the man's talents.

This is a tremendous album. Pat Leonard and Kevin Gilbert (look 'em up) backed by Tim Pierce (look him up) and other session wizards have produced a masterpiece. Yeah I know the word's overused, but in this case it's justified. Do yourself a favor and acquire a copy while they're still available. You're welcome.

I never get bored with this CD. The music has depth and the lyrics really say something. I wish KG was around to see the world today--Last plane out makes even more sense now. Some of the songs are very sad, for me, and I have to limit how much I listen to them. KG also has a four disc CD with a version of Kashmir that I love. When I ordered this from Amazon, I got the 4 disc bundled. I would recommend getting both.

tutto assolutamente perfetto

Der erste Karrierehöhepunkt im Leben des genialen Musikers/Songwriters/Prodocers Kevin Gilbert, der 1996 kurz vor seiner Audition bei Genesis verstarb, bietet durchdachten, anspruchsvollen Pop-Rock in der Tradition von Ten CC, allerdings mit starkem amerikanischen Einschlag. Wen das am Stil der Zeit orientierte Sounddesign nicht stört (gegatete Snaredrums, ultracleane Keyboards, Lexicon-Reverb usw), kann sich an einem reichhaltigen Buffet voller intelligenter und doch eingängiger Song-Kunststücke laben. Für mich war der Kauf ein Experiment, allein der Name Kevin Gilbert gab den Ausschag, und ich bereue nichts. Amen.

splendido,come tutta la produzione di kevin gilbert.Un po difficile da trovare........da acquistare assieme a cio che trovate di kevin gilbert e il gruppo giraffe

Saw this mentioned in Guy Pratt's hilarious biography and had to but a physical copy. It's brilliant.

AOR masterpiece! In vein of Styx, Jellyfish, Jude Cole & It Bites.