newcritics

I realize Kevin Gilbert doesn’t do it for everyone, but some readers here have commented that they liked his remake of “Kashmir.” I’ve decided to post some of his other remakes for your listening pleasure, and to demonstrate that “Kashmir” was no fluke.

Back in the early 90’s, Kevin put together a killer band to take the Toy Matinee project on the road. They chose to do Elton John’s “Love Lies Bleeding” to flesh out the set, as the record only had nine tracks on it. That’s Kevin on the keyboards and lead vocals. Notice how he seems to capture the essence of EJ’s vocal delivery. This rockin’ version remains unreleased. Click here to listen.

Also included is Stanley Snail’s version of “Siberian Khatru” from Yes’ classic “Close To The Edge.” Some people listen to this and shake their heads, as it is an almost letter perfect copy of the original. He does shake things up a bit in the middle, mixing in a bit of a track (“Sahara of Snow”) from one of Bill Bruford’s solo projects. Stanley Snail was Kevin Gilbert on keyboards and vocals, Mike Keneally on guitars and vocals, Nick DiVirgilio on drums and vocals, and Bryan Bellar on bass. They wanted to make this a real band, but legalities and intricacies of the music business put the Kaibosh on that idea. Pity. From 1995’s Yes tribute “Tales From Yesterday,” click here to listen to “Siberian Khatru.”

I think I’ve saved the best for last. When the word when out that a Genesis tribute project was in the works, Kev went back to the studio (playing various instruments including bass and keyboards) with Mike Keneally and Nick DiVirgilio to do a stunning remake of “Back in NYC.” This time Kevin and his friends pulled out all the stops. If you know and love the original, fasten your seatbelt, because this version might make you question some long-held beliefs about remakes vs. originals of classic songs. From 1995’s “Supper’s Ready,” click here to listen to “Back in NYC.”

Incidentally, it was rumored that at the time of his death, Kevin was on the “A” list of possible replacements for Phil Collins when he left the band. Nick ended up playing drums on a couple of tracks on “Calling All Stations.” I can only imagine what that would have been had Kevin lived…

Read Mike Keneally’s blog entries regarding the Yes and Genesis tributes here.

Soon I will post about Kevin’s own music, but if you are already hooked, start with “Thud” and then get “The Shaming of the True” and “Toy Matinee.”

If Putfile doesn’t work for your browser, you can try to listen to all the songs referenced here.