Rich Here. In the late '80s some of LA's new crop of session players gathered together to start Toy Matinee, a band whose only eponymously-named album was a masterpiece of playing and singing and production and intriguing arrangements.
Out front was Kevin Gilbert, a young good looking, charismatic singer whose "knowing" voice was full of personality. Keyboardist Patrick Leonard and guitarist Tim Pierce created an interesting tapestry of sound (some may be aware of Tim Pierce due to his frequent appearances in Rick Beato's videos) -- all underlaid by Guy Pratt's bass and Brian MacLeod's drums.
Together, their playing was several notches above the Alternative music that was starting to dominate the charts. Their debut album was a tour de force with an intellectually-inclined bent -- subject matter included surrealistic painter Salvador Dali, a Czech poet, an Eastern European political figure, escaping a war zone, and even a song about Madonna. The songwriting was tight and focused, and the arrangements intriguing, with influences ranging from prog to pop to new wave. And full of hooks. It was the kind of musical ambition that had characterized The Beatles and The Beach Boys.
A couple songs received fairly wide radio play. But, alas, the should-have-been mainstream success was short-circuited. Despite the accessibility of the band's appearance and songs, their complexity and intellectualism was not what the Public was looking for in the Age of Nirvana. As well, each of the band's members were busy with more session work than they could handle, and touring required replacing them with new players who weren't on the album was daunting.
And, then, disastrously, Kevin Gilbert, who'd tried to promote the band and the album, died of tragic circumstance.
But they left behind one magnificently-made album.
No comments:
Post a Comment