| | William Shatner Has Been CD William Shatner Discography of CDs
 (6 Customer Reviews)
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Actor, author, pitchman, and recording artist, William Shatner has become a virtual pop icon, in no small part due to his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in the STAR TREK TV show and films. While his past recordings have been known for their camp value (including a bizarre version of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man"), HAS BEEN finds Shatner venturing into Serious Artistic Statement territory. Here Shatner recites his lyrics in a stentorian, animated tone and runs through a reflective take on Pulp's "Common People," aided by Joe Jackson and Ben Folds, who provides bright, elegant arrangements throughout the record. (In addition to Jackson and Folds, the album's guest list includes Aimee Man and Brad Paisley.)
HAS BEEN is vastly enjoyable because Shatner refuses to take his seriousness too seriously--the tirade "I Can't Get Behind That" (which features fellow actor, author, pitchman, and recording artist Henry Rollins) includes a playful dig at himself. Drawing inspiration from and making forays into rock, country music, electronica, Western movie soundtracks, and Beat poetry, Shatner proves there is no medium he cannot master, no genre he cannot subvert.
Prod.By Ben Folds Feat.J.Jack- Son,A.Mann,B.Folds,H.Rollins++
Liner Note Author: Ben Folds.
Photographers: Jeri Heiden; Frally Folds.
Arranger: Ben Folds.
Personnel: William Shatner (vocals); William Shatner; Brad Paisley (vocals, guitar); Ben Folds (vocals, piano, tack piano, electric piano, organ, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, synthesizer, bass guitar, drums, background vocals); Sebastian Steinberg (vocals, bass instrument, upright bass); Lemon Jelly (various instruments, programming); John Mark Painter (guitar, baritone guitar, trumpet, bass guitar, background vocals); Lindsay Jamieson (drums); Joe Jackson (vocals, piano); Henry Rollins, Aimee Mann (vocals); Jon Auer (guitar, background vocals); Adrian Belew (guitar); Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion); Louisville Common People's Choir (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Joe Costa; Ben Folds.
Uncut (p.138) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[I]t is definitely deserving of the cult status that it will inevitably earn."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[B]ig issues - death, love, a life's work - are chewed over with bittersweet humour and musical sophistication." Has Been Music | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Rock CDs, Pop, Vocal, Spoken, Comedy | | Label | Shout! Factory | | Orig Year | 2004 | | All Time Sales Rank |  16830  | | CD Universe Part number | 6781048 | | Catalog number | 30349 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Oct 05, 2004 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Ben Folds; Ben Folds | | Engineer | Joe Costa; Joe Costa | | Personnel | Matt Chamberlain - drums, percussion
Adrian Belew - guitar
Brad Paisley - vocals, guitar
Sebastian Steinberg - vocals, bass instrument, upright bass
John Mark Painter - guitar, baritone guitar, trumpet, bass guitar, background vocals
Lindsay Jamieson - drums
Lemon Jelly - various instruments, programming
Jon Auer - guitar, background vocals
William Shatner - vocals
Louisville Common People's Choir - background vocals
Also: Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, Ben Folds, Aimee Mann |
William Shatner Has Been Songs Has Been Music Review Average Rating: (4.8 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews It's hilarious *and* serious!
While some of the tracks on "Has Been" are definitely FUNNY (purposely typed in caps), there are also a few that cut to the marrow and feel reflective and visceral. There's even some fine musicianship here...just glance at the roster of guests! I didn't expect to find this CD so vastly entertaining, but my boss persuaded me to listen to it as we tidied up the store after hours one night -- and I can't say that I've been the same since then. (And that's a damned GOOD thing!)
Submitted by StargazerLotus (Branford, CT, USA) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  Lots of fun - If you like Shatner
Solid musicianship and Shatners 'lyrics' i.e. mostly spoken word, are quite good. The title cut is particularly fun and makes a good point.
Steve Dirkx
Submitted by stevedirkx (Dallas, tx USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
I Can't Get Behind That
What a song. Shatner and Rollins is one of the best spoken combinations there has ever been. Real good CD.
Submitted by Simon (Plymouth)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Great Album....
I would definitely recommend this album to anyone wanting to hear something different. There's rock, jazz, spoken word, all kinds of music on this cd, as well as great lyrics. Lots of laughs too...but its definitely a cd to be taken seriously.
Submitted by Skippy (Chapel Hill, NC)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No antiMUSIC.com review
"Has Been" is a great CD on many levels by an unlikely artist. It's fun to listen to but with the diversity of subject matter, it will make you think about life and yourself as well as appreciating Bill Shatner in a way you've never before. In playing this CD for a friend, his words summed it up quite nicely, "Wow, there's more to this guy than I had thought."
Submitted by Marc Wiggins - antiMUSIC.com (Orange, Ca, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No List All Reviews | Have you heard this album? |  |
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William Shatner is known first and foremost as Captain Kirk, the central character from the classic Star Trek TV series from the '60s, and a string of motion pictures starting in the '80s, as well as an author of Star Trek-based books. Trekkies everywhere worship Kirk (many refuse to see that Shatner is merely playing a role) -- they have Star Trek conventions globally, where they buy/trade rare memorabilia, analyze episode/movie plots, and dress up like their favorite Star Trek characters. Apart from his most ardent admirers, most people do not know that in 1968, Shatner recorded an album of poetry and popular ...
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Kindred spirits Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe had worked together extensively in different capacities in the 1970s, but their on-again/off-again band Rockpile only recorded one album, 1980's superlative SECONDS OF PLEASURE. It stands as one of the finest examples of the pub-rock/power-pop crossroads that defined the band's aesthetic. Edmunds and Lowe's American influences are worn on the sleeve (literally), as they spark new life into tunes by Chuck Berry ("Oh What a Thrill") and soul man Joe Tex ("If Sugar Was as Sweet as You").
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