Note: I've always kind of hated this album cover, LOL.
32. Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee (1990)
The second album on this list to feature Kevin Gilbert, though it's just as much of a Patrick Leonard feature I think. Leonard wrote and produced several hit songs/albums with Madonna, and he tells a story of being approached by a Warner Brothers exec after
Like a Prayer who told him "you made Warner Brothers about a half-billion dollars this year," and asked him "what would you like?" His answer: "I just wanna make a record."
The result was Toy Matinee, which in addition to Leonard on keyboards included Gilbert on vocals, Guy Pratt on bass, Brian MacLeod on drums, legendary session guitarist-turned-YouTuber Tim Pierce on guitar, and production by Bill Botrell (all of whom had previously worked with Madonna in one capacity or another). Pierce claims the album was mostly recorded live as a band in the studio, which is believable considering this group was made up of seasoned session pros. This is a wonderful sounding pop rock album, with a few flashes of Floydian prog here and there. The instrumental performances are really tight, but it's all very accessible. Check out "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge" and you'll see what I'm talking about.
I can hear a bit of inspiration for Neal Morse/Spock's Beard in the intro to "Last Plane Out," and obviously there was a close connection between Gilbert and Spock's Beard. In retrospect it might not have been the best idea for the words "Greetings from Sodom..." to be the introduction to the band (this was also the lead single), but it's a clever song about escaping a war zone/judgement on, well, the last plane out. "Turn it On Salvador" is a quirky tribute to Salvador Dali. "Things She Said" has some really nice lyrics and really captured the feeling of some things I was going through when I first heard this album.
The album really hits its stride with "Remember My Name," which would have fit nicely on an album like Tears for Fears'
Songs From The Big Chair.. Really great vocal performance by Gilbert there. The titular "The Toy Matinee" is exceedingly Pink Floyd-ish but lovely, with Pierce doing his best Gilmour impression. "Queen of Misery" has a go at Madonna and sort of sounds like a Madonna tune in the process. Really infectious groove. The aforementioned "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge" is probably my favorite song here, with some great word play and interplay between the bass and guitar. "There Was A Little Boy" is a gut-punch ballad about a kid growing up in a bad domestic situation, which again includes a great Gilbert performance. In contrast, the album closes with the more acoustic "We Always Come Home," which was written about Leonard's family and hometown.
It's easy to see how this one became sort of a cult classic but maybe was a bit too muso for the masses. It holds up really well 30+ years later even if the production is a bit of that time. There was a ton of musical talent going into this project, and it's a shame it was essentially a one-off, but it's a really cool footnote in pop music history all the same.
Favorite tracks: The Ballad of Jenny Ledge, Remember My Name, There Was A Little Boy, Queen of Misery, We Always Come Home.