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)
Kashmir
Kevin Gilbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With stars to fill my dreams
I am a traveler of both time and space
To be where I have been
To sit with elders of a gentle race,
This world has seldom seen
They talk of days for which they sit and wait
When all will be revealed.
And my eyes fill with sand
As I scan this wasted land
Tryin' to find, tryin' to find where I've been.
Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace
Like thoughts inside a dream
Heed the path that led me to that place,
Yellow desert stream
My Shangri-La beneath the summer moon,
I will return again
Sure as the dust that floats high in June
When movin' through Kashmir.
Oh, father of the four winds, fill my sails
Across the sea of years
With no provision but an open face,
Along the straits of fear
Whoa-oh, oh, oh.
All I see turns to brown
As the sun burns the ground
And my eyes fill with sand
As I scan this wasted land
Tryin' to find where I've been
Tryin' to find, tryin' to find...
Ooh, yeah-yeah, ooh, yeah-yeah...
The song "Kashmir" by Kevin Gilbert tells the story of a traveler who is searching for meaning and purpose in his life. Throughout the lyrics, the traveler expresses a desire to be in touch with something greater than himself, whether it be the stars that fill his dreams or the elders of a gentle race who talk of days for which they sit and wait. This world has seldom seen the kind of wisdom and insight these elders possess, and the traveler yearns to be in their presence.
As the traveler journeys through time and space, he encounters a pilot of the storm who leads him to a mysterious place called Shangri-La, located beneath the summer moon. This is a place the traveler has been before and he will return again, as sure as the dust that floats high in June when moving through Kashmir.
Throughout the song, the traveler is confronted by the harsh realities of life, such as the sun burning the ground and his eyes filling with sand. Despite these challenges, he remains steadfast in his quest to find where he's been and where he's going next. Ultimately, the song is a meditation on the human experience, and the need to find meaning in a world that can be both beautiful and harsh at the same time.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face,
I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face.
With stars to fill my dreams
I want to be inspired and motivated by the vastness of the universe.
I am a traveler of both time and space
I have journeyed through different periods in history and different parts of the world.
To be where I have been
To reflect on all the places I have visited and things I have experienced.
To sit with elders of a gentle race,
To learn from and respect the wisdom of older generations who embody kindness and compassion.
This world has seldom seen
Their ways of being are rare in our modern society.
They talk of days for which they sit and wait
They speak of future times that they eagerly anticipate and hope for.
When all will be revealed.
When the mysteries of life will be uncovered and understood.
And my eyes fill with sand
I am overwhelmed by the harsh realities of the world.
As I scan this wasted land
As I look at the desolate and barren environment around me.
Tryin' to find, tryin' to find where I've been.
I am searching for a sense of familiarity and understanding in the midst of chaos.
Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace
I am calling out to the person or force that controls the turbulent events in my life, but leaves no obvious mark.
Like thoughts inside a dream
In the same way that dreams leave only vague and fleeting impressions on our minds.
Heed the path that led me to that place,
Remember and respect the journey that brought me to where I am now.
Yellow desert stream
A place of beauty and peace in the midst of harsh surroundings.
My Shangri-La beneath the summer moon,
A place of paradise and contentment, illuminated by the soft light of the moon in the summertime.
I will return again
I will come back to this idyllic and treasured place.
Sure as the dust that floats high in June
As certain as the natural occurrences that come with the changing of the seasons.
When movin' through Kashmir.
When I am traveling through this fascinating and inspiring part of the world.
Oh, father of the four winds, fill my sails
I am asking for the support and guidance of the four winds, who are seen as powerful and spiritual forces.
Across the sea of years
Across the vast expanse of time.
With no provision but an open face,
With no worldly possessions or plans, but with an open and receptive attitude.
Along the straits of fear
Traveling through the narrow passages of life that are marked by anxiety and uncertainty.
All I see turns to brown
Everything around me loses its vibrancy and becomes dull and lifeless.
As the sun burns the ground
As the heat of the sun scalds and withers the earth.
Ooh, yeah-yeah, ooh, yeah-yeah...
A sound of emotional and physical exhaustion, perhaps accompanied by feelings of despair or frustration.
Contributed by Adrian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nekron99OMG
Kevin joined our garage band in '81, when he was 16. He could already play every instrument and was so dynamic and creative that he couldn't sit still as we plodded through Aerosmith and AC/DC copies. Haha. He was already way beyond us. This is a beautiful rendition of Kashmir.
Ranjit Souri
Love that story, thank you. You are fortunate to have crossed paths with such a genius!
ogam5
ONLY Kevin could top Plant, Page, Jones and Bonham......absolutely a-ston-ish-ing. Gilbert. Buckley. Smith. The great ones are never around for long, it seems.....
allmediareviews.blogspot.com
I follow, although you do have some like Casey Crescenzo or Matt Mahaffey who are still around.
toobadjr
Kevin....wish I could've saw you play. Rest in peace my brother.
Nicole N
💖💖💖
toobadjr
Soo much talent...left to soon.
David Stopford
His voice.wow. reminds me of BINYC from The Lamb.
KrisJM1234
Funny you say that, because he actually performed the entire album at progfest 94, and was planning to audition to be Genesis's new frontman before he died.
Mike Matull
I heard that this was a mix (the audio, not the video), done in one night at his apartment in L.A., with him playing all instruments. I found that hard to believe, but he was an engineer too so plausible. I wish I could find confirmation. If true, this is epic. Also, if true, I'll bet cocaine was responsible.