Customer Reviews

Toy Matinee Special Edition

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Toy Matinee is really nothing more than a highly sophisticated pop record, although its sublime excellence goes far beyond anything like it. Kevin Gilbert and Patrick Leonard have an unmatched sense of melody and canny pop sensibility, and -- with plenty of diversity from song to song -- they've whipped up the perfect album. I find this album's greatness impossible to express. Quite simply, the ears hear what words cannot describe. The English language would need countless synonyms for "great," but it wouldn't be enough.

I'd like to say more, but little comes to mind. Every song offers here something different and exciting, and every facet of the album is flawless. It's well-composed, well-crafted, clever, charming, and...perfect. Certainly one of the best albums I own.

(Note: Kevin Gilbert was by far one of the most gifted musicians around, and his untimely death is truly a tragedy. Check out Gilbert's other albums, Thud and The Shaming of the True, the former being great and the latter being an unequivocal masterpiece.)

At the constant urging of a friend who annoyingly discovers music before me, I picked up the self-titled album by Toy Matinee back in 1991...and found, without a doubt, one of the best albums I've ever heard. After a number of years being out of print, it is being rereleased in Digital surround...

Centered around Patrick Leonard (who has produced and played keys for everyone from Madonna to Phil Keaggy to Michael Jackson) and then twenty-one Kevin Gilbert (who went on to co-write Cheryl Crows first album before his death in 1996), Toy Matinee is surely a work of collaborative genius. Each song is sheer perfection in songwriting, lyrics, arrangement, musicianship, and production. The album opens with "Last Plane Out" as Gilbert intones tongue-in-cheek "We've kept the good old vices/ And labored to invent a few" against a progressive pop groove in this anthem against the wasteland of modern Western culture. "Turn It On Salvador" honors the surrealist painter with a rubbery bass line, eerie keyboards, and a swanky, wobbly, raucous rhythm that fits in perfectly with this artists work. Taking a more acoustic turn, "Things She Said" explores the sad life of a woman stuck in indecision. Likewise, "Queen of Misery" is the sad tale of a woman who's "looking for someone to give the love that I denied" in the arms of strangers and "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge", the song that received local airplay on 103.9, is a true story of a woman who values financial security over love. The closing song, "We Always Come Home", is a heart-wrenching tribute to gritty life in a small blue-collar town with such succinct lines as "Father worked the lifts in the old Tobin mine/ He always loved the saxophone/ But he had to keep us all alive." As you may have surmised, most of the songs are stories dealing with innocence lost, chances not taken, and decisions not made.

Musically, there is outstanding keyboard, guitar, and bass parts ( I have to mention Guy Pratt who is always in the pocket on this CD) but these are arranged such that they never steal the spotlight and detract from the overall song. It's difficult to put this album into a single style although the entire album is quite cohesive in sound and up-tempo despite the often melancholy lyrical subject matter. Progressive keyboard pop/ guitar rock with a groove and great harmonies? How about just plain good! While it only enjoyed limited sales at its original release, I know of no one who has heard this album that doesn't rank it among their favorites. Make it one of your favorites... it's the best music you've never heard.

The bonus tracks are a nice addition, very surprising in how the songs changed from their initial concept.

Just one album.. no followup, no tour (that I know of), no widespread recognition.. looking at the details, Toy Matinee seems exactly like a one-hit wonder without the hit. Far from it, however - this wonder may not have had any hits, but it's unanimously loved among those who've discovered it. Fantastic writing, intelligent lyrics and skilled production never go out of style, and this overlooked gem has plenty of them all to spare. It's as addictive as heroin, true, but as sweet and satisfying as your favorite kind of candy.

The music? Superlative pop. The album's first half is four of the most incredibly smart-yet-catchy, well-written and ear-pleasingly upbeat songs you could ever hope to hear. The tone of the others ranges between regretful and hopeful with nary a weak moment to be heard anywhere. "Things She Said" is wistful without descending into melodrama. The title track sadly wanders through a haunted playhouse of the mind. One of my favorite points is the way "Queen of Misery" and "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge" look at the situation of unrequited love from opposite sides, giving perspectives on both. (What can I say - I'm a sucker for an unromantic tune.) A few scattered extra tracks round things out: the extra "Blank Page" is as bleakly beautiful as "Toy Matinee" itself, and the alternate versions give an interesting new perspective on some of the regular album tracks.

Almost everything resists sounding dated, although "Queen of Misery" and "...Little Boy" unfortunately have an unmistakable 1980s synth-pop edge to them. But I can look past things like that when the writing is good enough, and the fact that I greatly enjoy every single track despite my deep-seated psychotic hatred of 80s music says some good things indeed about this album. If you like well-done pop, you owe it to yourself to check it out.. and no matter what their taste, EVERYONE should hear "Last Plane Out" at least once, since it's simply one of the most perfect four-minute pieces of music mankind has ever created.

There will probably never be another Toy Matinee, and even if there is, it'll be without the distinct voice and songwriting talent of the late Kevin Gilbert (who I also heartily recommend to anyone who likes this disc). This is it, folks: it's a rarity, a shining gem all its own, and the only one of its kind. Everyone I've played it for has unconditionally loved it. Buy, listen and discover a treasure that the music world deserves to hear much more of.

So few people have heard of Toy Matinee, yet everyone I have ever played it for loves it and must own it!! It is a great addition to ANY CD collection. If you love Steely Dan, early Gensis, Jethro Tull and well constructed music and lyrics, you will love Toy Matinee. This edition has several tracks added to it, including a previously unreleased ballad from the late great Kevin Gilbert - Toy Matinee's lead songwriter and vocalist. Also recommended Kevin Gilbert's Thud (his only solo album), The Shaming of The True - Kevin's rock opera (only available from www.kevingilbert.com) and Third Matinee - Patrick Leonard's attempt to recreate the Toy Matinee sound w/o Kevin Gilbert (currently out of print)

Even if you have never heard of Kevin Gilbert or Toy Matinee, you will need this CD. It seems like a lot of my favorite artist are gone these days. The loss of Kevin Gilbert is just as horrible as Jeff Buckley. If you like Steely Dan or anything even remotly like them, you will love this CD. Amazon hasn't listed tracks with samples for this CD, so you will just have to trust the great reviews here. You could go to the listing for Kevin Gilberts release Thud and hear samples there, but Toy Matinee was very different.

You should also track down the rest of Kevin's stuff. The Shaming Of The True and others are no longer in print, but you can find them on the net.

If you're looking for a gift for someone who loves music, try this. They will love it.

Aside from the first two Giraffe CDs, this is the earliest stuff by Kevin available on CD. Patrick Leonard (surprisingly given his some of his production and co-writing credits with Madonna and Bryan Ferry) makes a perfect for Kevin. Pat mentions reforming Toy Matinee and that the players on the album are more than willing to come back. He also mentions that finding a vocalist/songwriter like Kevin would be a hard act to follow and he's right. Nevertheless perhaps magic could strike again.

This terrific album brings to mind bands like Xtc, Peter Gabriel (particularly around Lamb)and Steely Dan. Most of all it reminds me what a special talent Kevin really was both as a songwriter (his solo albums Thud and The Shaming of the True are both five star efforts that showed how much promise he had)and singer. I'd love to see Pat endorse the release of Kevin Gilbert Performing Toy Matinee Live (which has been put on the backburner so as not to conflict with this CD). Although Toy Matinee was Pat's baby from the beginning (with Kevin brought in as an eventual full creative partner)it would be great to see him push for this great release. I would understand Pat's reluctance given the fact that he didn't perform with Kevin at this point still it would be nice to see.

I'd also recommend the Giraffe CD (available at Kevin's offical website) along with Kevin Gilbert performs Thud. The former isn't as distinguished nor as distinctive as Kevin's later work but is fun (despite the dated production sound). The latter makes one realize what the world missed when Kevin passed away. If enough interest is generated from this and other releases perhaps we could see an offical release of Kevin performing Genesis' Lamb live.

Masterfully crafted and cleverly written, the incredibly talented songwriter Kevin Gilbert brings us the debut album of TOY MATINEE. Due to the tragic and untimely death of Kevin Gilbert, modern music has lost a wonderful talent. His music was (and still is) a genre-bending class all in its own.

This album is loaded with a multitude of rich textures and sonic layering, it not only makes this album immediately likeable but continues to please again and again even after many subsequent listens. Each song is a musical experience with jolts of surprises, unexpected twists & turns, and wonderful musicianship from talented players (even Julian Lennon lends a hand at backing vocals on two tracks). Every track is very distinct and different from the rest, yet there is not one bad song on the album making this a 5-star CD not to be missed!

**ONE NOTE OF POSSIBLE CAUTION... This remastered special edition not only contains several bonus tracks but a possible disc FLAW in "There Was a Little Boy" that tends to skip on many CD-players. Even after a couple replacements it still had that problem.

Thank you kindly amazon.com music fans. Due to your well written and complimentary reviews, I gave Toy Matinee a chance and bought it. It is everything that was advertised and more. It has beautiful, layered harmonies, catchy melodies and brilliant lyrics. Talk about "quality control"? Everything on this CD is first class and very enjoyable. It's difficult to understand why this album didn't succeed bigtime but unfortunately the same can be said for some other GOOD music, it just happens. Needless to say, this listener will now be snatching up everything with Kevin Gilbert's name attached to it.
It's so sad that you've passed away Kevin. Hope you can somehow smile down upon us as we enjoy this wonderful piece of work. I feel very fortunate to have stumbled upon it!

I orginlly bought it for "last plane out" which got some airplay. I quickly realized that I liked every track. One of the most rewarding things about the internet is that I have found that im not alone, and have found other great Kevin Gilbert CD's. I will consider the fact that I will never see a live show a great tragedy.

This CD represents the origin from which I started the wonderful sonic journey created by Kevin Gilbert. Yes, Patrick Leonard certainly contributed to the magic of this recording, but listening to Kevin Gilbert's later works reveals the true driving force behind the Toy Matinee project.

You will be very hard pressed to find another collection of cleverly crafted blend of lyrics and music. I can't tell you my favorite track because every song presents a different musical mood and theme...every track is a gem.

So do yourself a big favor and buy this CD. Toy Matinee will amaze you, and leave you feeling a bit remorse that Kevin Gilbert is not longer around to grace us with his musical gifts.