OCD Bargain Crinkle Paper Shred Filler For Packing and Gift Wrapping & Filling Basket Multi Colors 1 Bag (2 OZ) (Black) - KEVIN GILBERT - SHAMING OF THE TRUE - Audio CD

There aren't many artists,dead or alive, that could pull something like this off. I just wish Kevin were alive today to thank for his incredible work and craftsmanship! Thanks to his dear friends who brought this to life after Kevin lost his....

This concept album is absolutely brilliant. It tells the story of the fictional rock star "Johnny Virgil", and how he started out as a nobody with his love for music, started to become popular, then was made a monumental star by those rapists in power in the music industry. It goes on to describe how he lost his soul to the corrupt music business and the rock star lifestyle and then became a washed up has been, showing how he was chewed up by the soulless Pezzonovante of the music industry and then spit on the ground by them to be trampled when he had fulfilled their purposes for him. The stories/songs go along and paint the whole picture of this process, with some of the songs being more than just a scathing criticism of the industry and all that goes with it. I don't understand why this album didn't sell millions of copies, as it is a monumental epic. The only criticism I have of this album is that it is unnecessarily insulting and blasphemous to Jesus Christ or Christians. Some of the text/singing on this album cross the line. What's more is that it's not at all necessary to the story. I understand if Gilbert is not Christian, but there is no need to be absolutely vulgar about it. I'm not Hindu, but I wouldn't be vulgar and insulting in my mentioning of that religion, especially as it has nothing to do with the story. One can be a non-Christian, but still be respectful. Also, there are some other very pofane/vulgar moments as well (not having anything to do with Jesus). Kevin Gilbert is a brilliant, witty artist, and that is part of the reason I criticize his over the top language as it relates to Jesus. If he is so brilliant and witty, and so creative, he could certainly come up with some lyrics that don't make vulgar references to Jesus. Why turn off some listeners who may be Christian if his goal is to tell this story of the absolutely soulless and corrupt music business? He can still do that respectfully without insulting Christ. It just isn't necessary. In addition to my CD of The Shaming of The True, which I purchased, I also have an edited copy with doesn't include the most rude things said about Jesus. Kevin died before completing this album 100%, but Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard, Big Big Train) was able to work hard and piece all the recordings together, with some additional work to make it seamless. It even includes excellent and improved reworkings of his work with his old band, Giraffe, and it goes along with the story excellently. It's one of the greatest concept albums ever, with excellent music that is varied to match the mood of the various songs in the story.

I’ll never forget the night I was chatting on AOL AIM with one of Kevin’s ex girlfriends, one of the prominent ones. She told me how Kevin mentally melted after the SC Letterman appearance. How betrayed he felt. How he got repulsed merely thinking of the scent of her skin. I have always dreamed of writing his screenplay. What a story. I’m sure someone out there is dabbling in that idea. Shaming is such a masterpiece.He was one of the best.One of the “True”.

As others have said, this album is a masterpiece. Sadly, like many great artists before him, Kevin Gilbert wasn't as fully appreciated as he should have been in his lifetime, but that frustration led him to his greatest creative heights. The way I see it, Gilbert's music was like the musical equivalent of the current Ford Mustang, seamlessly combining early 70s retro and modern styles and everything in between into a timeless whole greater than the sum of the parts. Unfortunately, unlike the wildly popular Mustang, Gilbert's music had difficulty finding a market, and for that I blame the narrow-mindedness of the record company and radio station executives. If it doesn't fit a predetermined radio-friendly format, they don't market it. Kevin Gilbert understood this all too well, and rather than compromise his vision, he chose to channel his anger and frustration into this brilliant rock opera. Ostensibly the story of a fictitious rock star named Johnny Virgil, I'm sure much of it was based on his own experiences. What really boggles my mind about it is that it wasn't completed at the time of his death, but thanks to the efforts of his collaborators Nick D'Virgilio. John Cuniberti, and others, it sounds every bit as polished as the other great rock operas, "Tommy", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "The Wall", and "Scenes From a Memory", and even more heartfelt. Stylistically, it runs the gamut from soft acoustic guitar ballads to angry metal riffs, with a lovely piano ballad and a baroque fugue thrown in for good measure. "Suit Fugue (Dance of the A&R Men)" is one of the standout tracks, a satirical hodgepodge of A&R clichés elaborately set to overlapping counterpoint to create the head-spinning feeling of an artist being courted by several record companies at once. "Certifiable #1 Smash" is even more bitingly satirical, and so it goes, tracing Johnny's path from obscurity to fame and back, skewering every target that deserves it along the way. I agree with those who say this disc deserves to be on a "desert island" list. It's immediately impressive and continues to get better with repeated listenings.

Kevin Gilbert was truly a musical genius, a shame he passed away too soon. The things he could have accomplished and the musical joy he would have produced. If one is interested his albums are available from his estate website and some of the proceeds go to help deserving children obtain instruments, studio time, etc.