Toy Matinee

This reissue upgrades and expands a collaboration between producer/keyboardist Patrick Leonard and late vocalist Kevin Gilbert. The album, produced by Bill Bottrell, leans in an interesting assortment of directions, tossing out satire, goofiness, and social concern during its course, with the production nodding to Steely Dan in one direction and the Beatles in another. It may be that Leonard and Gilbert attempted to do too many things with the songs, considering that they kick off with a satire about war, then follow with a daffy ode to Salvador Dali, and then jump into a sentimental pop ballad. The album never caught on beyond a faithful cult. The 2008 reissue presents the original songs in remastered form, which adds to their impact. "Last Plane Out" seems even more sarcastic than ever -- along with five demos (one of Gilbert's "Blank Page") that give the listener a bit of a look at the working process, though these tracks are likely to wind up being mostly ignored after a couple of listens. It's good to have this reissue, however, because there is a lot to treasure here. Gilbert's untimely death, regrettably, denies listeners the chance of a follow-up. ~ Steven McDonald