William Shatner - Has Been

[Newton]

I recently purchased William Shatner's 2004 album, Has Been. I had heard one of the songs, Common People, many years earlier on the radio but I never made the effort to listen to the entire album before now.

To those that are unaware, this album features William Shatner covering people's songs, but he is not singing; he speaks the lyrics. I must admit that I get an intense guilty pleasure from listening to this album. I think every song is terrific.

Does anyone else feel this way, or should I be worried about the fact that I have listened to this just about every day for the last two weeks?

 

[Amaris]

Has Been is my favorite William Shatner inspired album to date. His current album, Seeking Major Tom is just not nearly as good, though that may be personal taste, the new album doesn't click like Has Been clicked. I loved that entire album, particularly the track "Common People", which I wore out.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

^ You two have excellent taste. Has Been is terrific.

 

[StolenThunder]

Common People I'm not that fussed by, but the album as a whole is excellent. Together and That's Me Trying in particular.

 

[Gaith]

Shatner's natural screen presence is that of a blustering, jolly egomaniac, so it only makes sense that the most profound performances he puts on are those in which that persona is revealed to be a charade, hiding a deeply lonely and kind of pathetic soul. I'm not saying that this is true of Shat the man, mind; for all I know, he's every bit as content and self-loving as he often appears to be. But that's what makes his best art, as often seen in Boston Legal, especially whenever Denny has to confront his mortality and the prospect of having his mind slip away.

Has Been is a terrific album because it exploits exactly this dynamic, wonderfully so in the title track: "What are you afraid of? Failure? So am I." In it, he's playing a character.

Whereas in Seeking Major Tom, it seems to me that he's just clowning around.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Has Been's excellent. Got it for myself and a friend for Christmas when it came out and he loves it as well. Been meaning to get Seeking Major Tom.

 

[CmdrAJD]

I love Has Been. My carpool was less thrilled (Their loss). My favorites on the album are Common People, That's Me Trying, and Real, but the whole album is very well done. I do tend to skip over the track about finding his wife dead because it's really disturbing.

 

[Canadave]

^ I do the same. It's very good, but it's just so hard to listen to.

 

[Saga]

Has Been is a great album. there are even a few songs from The Transformed Man that i like.

 

[JRoss]

Has Been is a masterpiece. I love the song "I Can't Get Behind That," as I really like Henry Rollins. Also, "What Have You Done" gets me emotional. Suicide always does.