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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Ah, the ultimate musical joke. William Shatner, well known for his 60s Transformed Man LP (containing unequivocally the worst Beatles cover ever), returns to do what he does second-best, creating Has Been with help from his famous conspirators like Joe Jackson, Henry Rollins, Lemon Jelly, and Ben Folds. But the situation seems to be reversed--is Shatner deliberately playing up to his thespian tendencies for laughs?
Part of the appeal of his earlier album was that he was earnest and serious, despite the nonsense poured out. But here, the irony has turned in on itself creating one long paradoxical knot. Here's a 72 year-old actor narrating Pulp's "Common People" a song that defines Britain for anyone currently aged between 25 and 35, complete with a punk-rock middle-eight. It's impossible to discern if he's the joke or the listener is, or both, or neither. Likewise, the poetry by Shatner, backed by Lemon Jelly on "Together"--is this Lemon Jelly's toytown chillout gone too far? Whether it's good, and why depends entirely on the listener--is this the ultimate novelty record or something more credible? As Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel once said "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" --Thom Allott
Product Description
Famed for his unusually kitsch and incredibly unique approach to music, William Shatner’s Has Been is more of the same. Features the Pulp classic, "Common People", plus ten other tracks.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
William Shatner's Has Been,
By
This review is from: Has Been (Audio CD)
I work in a Library and this CD came up as part of an exchange between library's in the pop section. Those of us who heard it all have differing taste etc, but we just loved this album. Your' gonna die is hilarious and I thank Mr Shatner for bringing such joy to what can sometimes be a world too full of its own self-importance.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!,
By
This review is from: Has Been (Audio CD)
This album is funny when it wants to be, serious when it wants to be, brilliant throughout. It's impossible to ridicule Shatner because he does it so well himself; he's got there first.Ben Folds has created a superb musical environment for these songs(?), whilst Shatner's lyrics are often subtle and always honest. Did you ever see "Dumb & Dumber"? It's like that - it shouldn't work, but it does! With input from Joe Jackson and Brad Paisley, among others, the album's only problem is that it's so good that it always draws your full attention. You have been warned!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shatner returns after a short 36 year absence,
By Stoofer "QA Manager" (Oxfordshire, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Has Been (Audio CD)
Anyone aware of Shatner will instantly think of MR TAMBORINE MAAAAAN! or Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, which either arouse hoots of laughter, or immediate hatred from those with no humour."Has Been" opens with a cover of Pulp's Common People... while you may think that he's continuing in the same vein as Transformed Man, this is not the case and you cant help but take the album seriously once you're half way into it. Sure there are still smiles to be had, but they're of a different kind. Produced by Ben Folds (of Ben Folds Five fame) and featuring Adrian Belew, Joe Jackson, Lemon Jelly, Aimee Mann, Brad Paisley and Henry Rollins (amongst others) the musical composition actually oozes class. In Transformed Man, Shatners monologues were back by Star-Trekkish music - this is not the case with 'Has Been' and Shatner can be heard to actually sing correctly with choral or orchestral backgrounds. Opening with a strong cover of 'Common People' that will have the listener smiling, the album follows with "It Hasn't Happened Yet" which sets the tone for what the album really is - it's about where Shatner is at the moment, and is a fairly personal album. You'll have time is a strong track 3 designed to provoke thought, will at the least leave you smiling when constantly told that "you're gonna die." Other memorable tracks are the title track "Has Been" which is a stab at armchair critics "I can't Get Behind That" for one of the best last lines of a song ever. If you liked Transformed Man in any way, this album is far better in every way. You wont be laughing at Shatner shouting familiar lines as if threatening the Klingons as Kirk, but you will come away appreciating the man more. You may not play the album much, but it's worthy of being in a collection.
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