This reissue upgrades and expands a collaboration between producer/keyboardist
Patrick Leonard and late vocalist
Kevin Gilbert. The album, produced by
Bill Bottrell, leans in an interesting assortment of directions, tossing out satire, goofiness, and social concern during its course, with the production nodding to
Steely Dan in one direction and
the Beatles in another. It may be that
Leonard and
Gilbert attempted to do too many things with the songs, considering that they kick off with a satire about war, then follow with a daffy ode to
Salvador Dali, and then jump into a sentimental
pop ballad. The album never caught on beyond a faithful cult. The 2008 reissue presents the original songs in remastered form, which adds to their impact.
"Last Plane Out" seems even more sarcastic than ever -- along with five demos (one of
Gilbert's
"Blank Page") that give the listener a bit of a look at the working process, though these tracks are likely to wind up being mostly ignored after a couple of listens. It's good to have this reissue, however, because there is a lot to treasure here.
Gilbert's untimely death, regrettably, denies listeners the chance of a follow-up. ~ Steven McDonald