He was an accomplished instrumentalist and composer, who played keyboards, guitars, drums, bass and cellos, as well as singing vocals. His talents also extended to producer. He toured with Eddie Money before winning the Yamaha songwriting competition with his progressive rock group Giraffe. Producer Patrick Leonard was impressed with Gilbert's performance at the competition and invited him to join him in forming a new band which became Toy Matinee. During this time, Gilbert worked on the projects of several established pop musicians, including Madonna, Michael Jackson and produced Keith Emerson's album Changing States.
The lone Toy Matinee album was released in 1990 but effectively shelved by the record company, so Gilbert assembled a new backing band to promote the album, eventually getting two successful singles released: "The Ballad of Jenny Ledge" and "Last Plane Out".
Later, Gilbert was part of a songwriting collective (called "The Tuesday Music Club") that met at producer Bill Bottrell's studio in Pasadena, California. After he began bringing his then girlfriend Sheryl Crow to the sessions, the result was Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club. Gilbert co-wrote many of the songs on that album, including 1995 Grammy Record of the Year "All I Wanna Do." Crow later acrimoniously split with most of the musicians in the collective and only Bottrell was involved in her follow-up album. Meanwhile the remainder of the collective worked with singer-songwriters Susanna Hoffs and Linda Perry on two more albums.
Gilbert continued to work in television and movie soundtrack work as well as studio work and producing and eventually released his first solo album Thud(1995) as well as partially reforming Giraffe to perform the Genesis masterpiece "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" at Progfest 94. Gilbert's manager sent a copy of the recording to Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford who were searching for a new Genesis front man to replace Phil Collins. His manager was coming to Gilbert's home to tell him that he had managed to get him an audition when he discovered him dead.
Gilbert's second solo album, The Shaming of the True was released posthumously. The album was largely incomplete, but Gilbert's estate asked Spock's Beard drummer Nick D'Virgilio to complete it based on the extant tapes and Gilbert's notes. A live album (composed mostly of songs from Thud), and a compilation of Giraffe material that Gilbert had been working on and an "industrial" album with Gilbert's latest group, Kaviar have also been released in the years since his death. His estate has promised two more posthumous studio albums and a live performance from Gilbert's promotional group for Toy Matinee.
Discography:
N.R.G. - No Reasons Given (1984)
Giraffe - The Power Of Suggestion (1987)
Giraffe - The View From Here (1989)
Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee (1990; remastered & rereleased 2001)
Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)
Kevin Gilbert - Thud (1995)
Giraffe - Giraffe (1999)
Kevin Gilbert & Thud - Live at the Troubadour (1999)
Kevin Gilbert - The Shaming of the True (2000)
Kaviar - The Kaviar Sessions (2002)
Kevin Gilbert - Nuts (2009)
Kevin Gilbert - Bolts (2009)
Kevin Gilbert - Performs Toy Matinee Live (2010)
Kevin Gilbert - Toy Matinee Acoustic Rehearsal (2014)
Certifiable
Kevin Gilbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's got tattoos, it's got a pierced hood
It's got generation X
It's got lesbians, and vitriol
And sadomasochistic latex sex
It's got Mighty Morphin' power brokers
And Tanya Harding nude
Macrobiotic lacto-vegan non-confrontational free range food
It's got the handshake, peace talk, non-aggression pact
A multicultural integration of segregated historical facts
Sayin' Amen!
Hallelujah! Amen!
Certifiable number one smash
Hallelujah! Amen!
Certifiable undeniable solid platinum number one smash!
It's got more hooks than a tackle box
It's got really loud guitars
It's got a blasting cap in the fertilizer
It's got secret anguish of the network stars
It's anti-fur, it's unplugged, it's got an OK from the Pope
It's got art nails and a Wonderbra, and
Dread lock blunt rolled Buddha dope
It's got the head nod, the finger pistol
The nose up in your crack
Montel and Geraldo
And the women that hate the men that hate them back
Sayin' Amen!
Hallelujah! Amen!
Certifiable number one smash
Hallelujah! Amen!
Certifiable undeniable solid platinum number one smash
[Video Pitch]
Now I gotta tell ya about the video idea, you're really gonna love this.
We start out in one of these rural churches in the middle of Alabama somewhere and they're havin' this gigantic rave up gospel church festival with fat women with their hands in the air yellin' Amen and Hallelujah.
And our boy, our hero, he's right in the middle of it and religious fervor is just exploding off of his body. Behind the alter of this church there's this gigantic icon of a black Jesus Christ. Who our boy later licks.
Smash cut to him on a hillside dancing wildly, half naked, with his undulating midriff sweating profusely in front of hundreds and hundreds of burning crosses.
Smash cut back to the church, only now it's not a church right, it's a courtroom. And the priest has become a judge, and the choir's become the jury, and black Jesus is on trial for raping our boy.
So this really angry contingent of fat trucker lookin' guys sweeps up black Jesus, beats him senseless and throws him in prison, where our boy takes pity on him, and goes to him, and then weeps in front of the bars and then gives him a hand job through them. But it's all shot by Herb Ritz so it's really beautiful and you feel sorry for both of them.
All right, all right... now so that we don't offend everybody in the whole fucking world, at this point, these two gigantic beautiful red velvet curtains close from either side of the screen and then reopen and the whole cast of the video takes a bow like it was a play or somethin' right! Get it?
All right well, if you don't get that you'll get this... When those receipts start tearin' in from all over the world you're gonna kick the almighty God ass my friends because sixty billion flag waving fans in every stadium in the fucking planet are gonna be yellin' "GOAL!!!!!"
Sequins, bell bottoms, peace and hope and love
OJ and VR and Elvis Jackson with a Blue Suede Glove
Sayin' Amen! Hallelujah! Amen
Certifiable number one smash
Hallelujah! Amen!
Certifiable number one smash
And me and my accountant are so happy
Certifiable undeniable solid platinum number one smash
The song "Certifiable #1 Smash" by Kevin Gilbert is a humorous take on the commercialization of the music industry, the pandering to different groups in society to sell records, and the absurd ideas behind music videos. The lyrics list off things that are typically considered subcultures, such as tattoos, piercings, and lesbianism, and then bizarrely turn them into marketing strategies for a hit song. There are references to popular culture, such as Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers and Tanya Harding, as well as political correctness, such as multiculturalism and veganism. The chorus proclaims the song to be a "Certifiable number one smash" and repeats the lines "Amen! Hallelujah! Amen!" in a humorous play on the enthusiasm of gospel music.
The lyrics are also a commentary on the emptiness of pop music and the music industry's willingness to exploit different subcultures for profit. The line about "more hooks than a tackle box" is a playful nod to the formulaic nature of pop songs designed solely to be catchy and easily consumable. The lyrics also poke fun at the ridiculousness of music videos, such as the proposed video idea featuring a rave-up gospel church festival and a trial where black Jesus is accused of raping the main character.
Overall, "Certifiable #1 Smash" is a tongue-in-cheek critique of the music industry and the artificial nature of pop music. It exposes the marketing tactics used to sell records and highlights the absurdity of pandering to different subcultures.
Line by Line Meaning
Gotta tell you about this, 'cuz I'm very excited about it:
The singer wants to share his enthusiasm about something.
It's got tattoos, it's got a pierced hood
The thing he is excited about is edgy and unconventional.
It's got generation X
The thing appeals to the generation of people born in the 1960s and 1970s.
It's got lesbians, and vitriol
The thing includes themes of hate and resentment mixed with themes of lesbianism and homosexuality.
And sadomasochistic latex sex
The thing explores BDSM and fetishism, specifically involving latex.
It's got Mighty Morphin' power brokers
The thing references people who hold a lot of power and influence.
And Tanya Harding nude
The thing references a controversial figure, specifically Tonya Harding, in a suggestive way.
Macrobiotic lacto-vegan non-confrontational free range food
The thing involves food that is healthy and ethically raised, and specifically avoids conflict over diet choices.
It's got the handshake, peace talk, non-aggression pact
The thing involves peace and diplomacy, with specific allusions to political terminology.
A multicultural integration of segregated historical facts
The thing brings diverse perspectives together to shed light on history that had been kept separate.
Sayin' Amen! Hallelujah! Amen! Certifiable number one smash
The thing is exciting and popular, the people involved love it, and it is perceived to be a hit.
Hallelujah! Amen! Certifiable undeniable solid platinum number one smash!
The thing is extremely successful and beloved.
It's got more hooks than a tackle box
The thing is catchy and riddled with catchy phrases.
It's got really loud guitars
The thing has a heavy emphasis on rock music, amplified for loudness.
It's got a blasting cap in the fertilizer
The thing is explosive and dangerous, possibly unpredictable.
It's got secret anguish of the network stars
The thing references a hidden underbelly of despair among celebrities or those in the public eye.
It's anti-fur, it's unplugged, it's got an OK from the Pope
The thing is ethical and moralistic, and has been approved by religious figures.
It's got art nails and a Wonderbra, and Dread lock blunt rolled Buddha dope
The thing involves diverse mix of aesthetics, from feminine and sensual to Rastafarian spirituality.
It's got the head nod, the finger pistol, The nose up in your crack
The thing includes specific gestures or attitudes intended to provoke or intimidate.
Montel and Geraldo And the women that hate the men that hate them back Sayin' Amen!
The thing references specific talk shows and involves people who hold grudges against one another.
Sequins, bell bottoms, peace and hope and love, OJ and VR and Elvis Jackson with a Blue Suede Glove
The thing references a diverse mix of fashion trends and cultural icons from different eras.
And me and my accountant are so happy
The artist is overjoyed about the financial prospects associated with the thing.
Certifiable undeniable solid platinum number one smash
The thing is beyond successful and universally acknowledged to be great.
Contributed by Mateo L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ChrisSmith-uo7fn
I'm now a fan.... I live in Indiana and wondered who if anyone cherishes Kevin Gilbert out there like I do. Found your stuff online. Bravo !!!
@danielpelham9721
Brilliant performance. I’m a musician and purchased the 1st releases of Toy Matinee and Thud but only recently discovered TSOTT. It’s a masterpiece. Thank you for the effort and commitment that went into your tribute performance.
@mbp2112
Straight-up fucking brilliant! Love you guys and your commitment to presenting this masterpiece!
@BobbyHuff
Great performance, of a great song, from a great musical, by a great artist.
@frankcarmack1442
I am so glad that they saw fit to perform Kevin's magnus opus. Vielen Dank
@themartinikid20
Excellent!
great job guys!
THANK YOU!
@kjetilbjrndalen4714
i have been a fan of Kevin Gilbert since I stumbled upon a podcast called Calprog. This is just great,love it!
@gooblenis656
holy shit, these guys nail it....thanks so much to all involveld
@tonyvelez9123
great copy of a great talent gone too soon, RIP Kevin Gilbert
@thenerktwins
I love when this shows up again my feed. So so so so so great