| | William Shatner Has Been CD William Shatner Discography of CDs
 (6 Customer Reviews)
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. ... Full DescriptionDrawing 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++
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.)
Personnel include: William Shatner (vocals); Brad Paisley (vocals, guitar); Joe Jackson (vocals, piano); Henry Rollins, Aimee Mann (vocals); Lemon Jelly (various instruments); John Mark Painter (guitar, trumpet, bass guitar, background vocals); Jon Auer (guitar, background vocals); Adrian Belew (guitar); Ben Folds (piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer, bass guitar, drums, background vocals); Sebastian Steinberg (bass instrument); Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion); Louisville Common People's Choir (background vocals).
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." Hide Description Has Been Music | List Price | $11.97 (You save $0.58) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Rock CDs, Pop, Vocal, Spoken | | Label | Shout! Factory | | Orig Year | 2004 | | All Time Sales Rank |  16514  | | CD Universe Part number | 6781048 | | Catalog number | 30349 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Oct 05, 2004 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Ben Folds | | Engineer | Joe Costa | | Personnel | Adrian Belew - guitar
Brad Paisley - vocals, guitar
Matt Chamberlain - drums, percussion
John Mark Painter - guitar, trumpet, bass guitar, background vocals
Sebastian Steinberg - bass instrument
Lemon Jelly - various instruments
William Shatner - vocals
Louisville Common People's Choir - background vocals
Jon Auer - guitar, background vocals
Also: Joe Jackson, Henry Rollins, Aimee Mann, Ben Folds |
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? |  |
Purchase Has Been CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Leonard Nimoy Spaced Out-Very Best Of Nimoy/Shatner CD (1999) (Import) England; United Kingdom
Has Been album
 $9.19
| | Jethro Tull Christmas Album CD (2003)
Has Been CD music
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| | Rockpile Seconds Of Pleasure CD (1980) Bonus Tracks; Remastered
Has Been music CDs
$8.49 
The CD contains the four songs from the bonus EP--NICK LOWE & DAVE EDMUNDS SING THE EVERLY BROTHERS--included with the original LP release.
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").
Incredibly, the duo's own compositions stand up just as well. "When I Write the Book" would have been a standout on any classic Sam & Dave LP, and "Heart" is a finer faux-Motown piece than one could ever expect from a bunch of Brits. This 2004 reissue is spiced up with a wealth of bonus tracks, including a quartet of sterling Everly Brothers covers, where Edmunds and Lowe show off ...
| | Tom Waits Real Gone CD (2004)
Has Been songs
$13.79
The absence of piano is significant--Waits's jazzy harmonic underpinning is entirely dismantled here, leaving only the most basic, blues-oriented structures atop which Waits hangs his distinctive poetic imagery, at once surreal and highly detailed. There's an overwhelming sense of darkness ("How's It Gonna End," "Dead and Lovely"), but there are also moments of pure unfettered glee "Metropolitan Glide," "Shake It"), which are often goosed along by Waits's son Casey ...
| | William Shatner Transformed Man CD (1968) Remastered
Has Been album
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| | Minutemen Paranoid Time CD (1979)
Has Been CD music
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On the very first single from the seminal San Pedro trio, the Minutemen showed off admirable chops and a steadfast hardcore aesthetic, as well as the strong political stance that separated them from most of their hardcore brethren. In the ultra-concentrated style that characterized their early work, the band bashes out seven songs within the space of about seven minutes.
PARANOID TIME hurtles along at a frantic pace. The opener "Validation," crystallizes the early Minutemen style: a scratchy guitar, shouted vocals, and a tight rhythm section adeptly executing ...
| | Eels Beautiful Freak CD (1996)
Has Been music CDs
$6.39 
With his band Eels, the one-lettered pop wiz known as E expands on both his name and his dark, baroque vision. Eels are like your precocious teenaged brother, brimming with talent, discontent and alienation. Their musical aptitude is ingratiating enough to mitigate their gen-X ...
| | Texas Greatest Hits CD (2006) (Import) United Kingdom
Has Been songs
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| | Heartache Avenue: Very Best Of The Maisonettes CD (2006) (Import) Import; United Kingdom
Has Been album
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| | Tomoe Sawa Aishite Kudasai CD (2005) (Import) Japan
Has Been CD music
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Details TBA. Col. 2005.
| | Justice On A Budget CD (2005)
Has Been music CDs
$7.99
NCM East Records is pleased to announce the release of the self-titled debut album from Justice on a Budget (NCM 40123), a core trio of musicians from the Philadelphia area who craft bold compositions through the language of improvisation. The group explores genres and themes that are linked by simple structures, resulting in expressions from standard jazz to post-rock to breakbeat and beyond. For this recording, the addition of guest musicians ranges from Brazilian and Afro-Cuban percussionists to four part horn chorales, augmenting the scope ...
| | Patrick Porter Die Wandaland CD (2006)
Has Been songs
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| | Mayra Casales Woman On Fire, Mujer Ardiente CD (2006)
Has Been album
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Special guests include Carmen Lundy, ...
| | Winterhorde Nebula CD (2006) (Import)
Has Been CD music
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