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View Poll Results: How Much Did You Enjoy The Album?
Loved it 0 0%
Liked it 5 71.43%
Meh 0 0%
Disliked it 2 28.57%
Hated it 0 0%
Voters: 7. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 02-14-2018, 12:04 PM   #11 (permalink)
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William Shatner- Has Been (2004)


Best Tracks: Common People, That’s Me Trying, Has Been

Weakest Tracks: What Have You Done, Together

I think I have to compare this to his Transformed Man which you’ll be hearing about in my top twenty-five project relatively soon. Needless to say, this album is a bit better, mainly because Shatner has learned not to take himself so seriously. He does have a lot of support from producer Ben Folds to Joe Jackson of all people. Common People is, of course, his stab at parody, but the other tracks, mostly written by Shatner or Folds, are a surprisingly good combination of poetry and solid musical arrangements. It certainly isn’t going to be listed among the greatest albums ever, but it is surprisingly earnest. Shatner is clearly having fun here and it shows on the album.

Now if only Spock could have helped out





7/10 (the Word has spoken )
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Old 02-14-2018, 01:09 PM   #12 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by rubber soul View Post
William Shatner- Has Been (2004)


Best Tracks: Common People, That’s Me Trying, Has Been

Weakest Tracks: What Have You Done, Together

I think I have to compare this to his Transformed Man which you’ll be hearing about in my top twenty-five project relatively soon. Needless to say, this album is a bit better, mainly because Shatner has learned not to take himself so seriously. He does have a lot of support from producer Ben Folds to Joe Jackson of all people. Common People is, of course, his stab at parody, but the other tracks, mostly written by Shatner or Folds, are a surprisingly good combination of poetry and solid musical arrangements. It certainly isn’t going to be listed among the greatest albums ever, but it is surprisingly earnest. Shatner is clearly having fun here and it shows on the album.

Now if only Spock could have helped out





7/10 (the Word has spoken )
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Old 02-14-2018, 01:47 PM   #13 (permalink)
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Old 02-14-2018, 05:40 PM   #14 (permalink)
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This isn't my favorite album by William Shatner but it doesn't matter much because any album of music released by William Shatner is pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on my face and this one is no exception.
Favorite songs from the album...

You'll Have Time (Folds, Shatner)
That's Me Trying (Folds, Nick Hornby) with Aimee Mann on vocals
What Have You Done (Spoken Word) (Shatner)
Has Been (Folds, Shatner)
I Can't Get Behind That (Folds, Henry Rollins, Shatner) with Adrian Belew on guitar

Worth a listen for "I Can't Get Behind That" alone.

7.5/10

And as a side note, I suddenly feel the urge to watch this documentary after listening to the album...

William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet
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Old 02-14-2018, 06:04 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Worth a listen for "I Can't Get Behind That" alone.
^

The Shatman should reconsider his stance on fat asses though.
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Old 02-15-2018, 12:09 AM   #16 (permalink)
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This album might be cute or curious or whatever but it’s too campy-kitschy for me to seriously evaluate. The spoken word is uninteresting and annoying. I voted dislike but to be honest I’m not inclined to give this record a fair shake. I’d rather just piss on it: right or wrong. Congratulations to Mr. Shatner for finding the outer limits of my comfort zone. You’ve gone where no man has gone before.
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Old 02-16-2018, 05:51 PM   #17 (permalink)
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Someone here recommended this album a few years back, and like just about everyone else, my reaction was “What? Shatner can sing?” Of course he can't, but what he lacks in vocal talent he makes up for with humour, experienced eyes looking back wryly at his past, and even a peek into a personal tragedy. The music is provided mostly by Ben Folds, who also co-writes most of the album with him, and it has to be said, Shatner's delivery on some of the songs - “That's Me Trying”, “It Hasn't Happened Yet”, and the hilariously raucous “I Can't Get Behind That”, on which he partners with Henry Rollins – is nothing short of magical. I personally love his version of “Common People” more than the original, but of course there are dud tracks. I don't like “Together” or “Ideal Woman”, where the Captain seems to be just relaxing in his easy chair, looking at all his awards and saying “Look at what I got! Ain't you jealous?” But as I say, there are personal insights, and “What Have You Done”, which chronicles in painful detail the suicide of his wife, is chilling and moving.

It's not a perfect album – far from it – and it still deserves a lot of the derision it has attracted. But hell, it isn't half as bad as I had expected, and anyway, when it comes right down to it, the Shatman is just having fun here. He knows he's never going to be a musical star, nor I think does he wish to be. After all, he's gone Where No Man Has Gone Before, so who is he to be covetous of the success of others? But if he can poke a little gentle fun at both the music industry and himself (as Amy Grant once pointed out, when you point your finger cos your plan fell through, you got four more fingers pointing back at you) then more power to him.

Now, just where the hell is that damn override button?

9/10
If not exactly unassailable, certainly very enterprising!
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Old 02-16-2018, 07:58 PM   #18 (permalink)
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Shatner doing his usual Shatner thing, though with Ben Folds on board you can at least guarantee a good production job. As a musical experience its a little lacking, but as far as being a treatise of Shatner's personality across the pop-rock spectrum (and a few well placed covers) I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. 6.5 out of 10

That being said, that last album where Shatner collaborated with Billy Sherwood from Yes is a lot funnier and more entertaining spectacle overall, simply because its so damn weird. Plus he somehow managed to get Steve Vai and Rick Wakeman onto an album together. Now THAT'S an unassailable classic.

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Old 02-16-2018, 10:26 PM   #19 (permalink)
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But as I say, there are personal insights, and “What Have You Done”, which chronicles in painful detail the suicide of his wife, is chilling and moving.
I just read it was ruled an accidental drowning.
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Old 02-17-2018, 10:29 AM   #20 (permalink)
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I just read it was ruled an accidental drowning.
Yeah well in his autobiography he either says or hints at the possibility that it was a suicide. I know I was reading it for Karen late one night in the hospital and can't quite remember which, but it was definitely, according to him, down to her drug addiction.
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