Let's discuss his life,music and his legacy.

 

His estate has promised two "singer/songwriter" albums of unreleased material and a live Toy Matinee album due out this summer.Given the fact that he doesn't have a huge wealth of recorded material I am very excited about this.

 

I'm sure the was a thread up to over year ago, but I suspect with the increasing non-availability of many of Gilbert's  albums, those without any recordings and hopefully turned on by our enthusiasm were disappointed when they could not buy any. Hence correspondence dried up - BTW I noticed very few people have listed The Shaming Of The True in the recent listings of 90's albums - why? An even earlier thread existed some 3 or 4 years ago and originally alerted me to Gilbert's talent's,  and I was able to pick up Thud cheaply from Amazon.Uk (and surprised to also receive unexpectedly the bonus ep in the same package), bought 3 albums from the offical website run by the Kevin Gilbert estates, including the essential The Shaming Of The True, (also the less essential, quite 80's sounding  Giraffe compilation) and  then spotted the 5.1 format disc of Toy Matinee at Amazon.UK dirt cheap. (Also an excellent quality  live boot of Toy Matinee live at the Troubadour has appeared in the last year).  I don't think any of the legit albums have been available for the last year. However, I believe Shaming has been recently re-pressed for further sales and Toy Matinee is available again (according to correspondents at Prog Ears). Rumours have it there are whole albums of Gilbert and Giraffe doing covers of Genesis - snippets of which can be heard on one of the Progfest albums released by Musea some years back.

 

Apparently a few shows in CA last summer with Mike Keneally's involvement too - where there any video recordings of rehearsals at  the Kevin Gilbert Estates website. Alas I'm not a fan of Nick D'Virglio's voice - one reason I gave a copy of Shrew to Jakko Jakscyk (when his The Bruised Romantic Glee Club was originally issued - another reason:  both musicians have recorded personal music) and asked him what he thought and whether he would consider doing any covers. Jakko's response was not to do covers but thought it was inspirational enough perhaps to have a go at a concept album......I'll wait and see.

 

Anyway back on topic: During the intermissions between the Lamb and Spock's Beard they played film from that 1994 ProgFest show.  Giraffe, I guess, played selections from the Lamb with Kevin in full costume Ala Gabriel.  Then it was the last part of Watcher of the Skies and then the Musical Box with a young Nick on drums. This video of them was absolutely brilliant.  I have to agree Calling all Stations would have been so different (meaning better) with Kevin on it. BTW Nick did the entire Shaming of the True at ProgFest 2000.

 

Anyone have opinions on where I should start? judging on people's comment,s the shaming of the true might be a good first option, no?

 

The new albums and dvd are now available to order.

 

Agree. Also agree these are increasing elusive unless you want to shell out silly money to obtain them. Picked Thud up at Amazon.UK  very cheaply  3 years ago (and was surprised to open the envelope and discover a live ep with Kashmir included taped to the CD box) but now see "unobtainable" or a high price second hand there. Also got Toy Matinee very cheap from Amazon, but  was dismayed to find I had bought the surround sound version, not playable on a conventional CD player. Bought The Shaming Of The true from via the Kevin Gilbert Estates site also 3 years ago, but see this became unavailable for over a year - although I did read more pressings were being made  and now should be available again. I, in part suspect the KG Estates are slow at responding to demand for Gilbert recordings - I suggest their released  Thud live  recently, to counter a bootlegger  offering off-the desk recordings of same for nothing  and doing this from early spring 2009.

 

I hear you Dick.I was lucky enough to pick up Kevin's cd's a few years ago at really decent prices.

 

Regarding The Shaming of the True,it is being remastered and will be re-issued soon.

 

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/08.01.96/gilbert-obit-9631.html - http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/08.01.96/gilbert-obit-9631.html

 

Kevin did not kill himself,he was found dead on bed at his home,wearing some fetish gear with a belt looped around his neck and the other end secured to the headboard.The official cause of death is "accidental suicide" but he was really a victim of auto-erotic asphyxiation.I consider that the most tragic part of his life,that his death was so unecessary.