William Shatner - Has Been
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Music CD Cover
Artist: William ShatnerEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-01-08
Music Label: Shout! Factory
Soundtracks:
- Common People (featuring Joe Jackson)
- It Hasn?t Happened Yet
- You?ll Have Time
- That?s Me Trying (featuring Aimee Mann and Ben Folds)
- What Have You Done
- Together (featuring Lemon Jelly)
- Familiar Love
- Ideal Woman
- Has Been
- I Can?t Get Behind That (featuring Henry Rollins)
- Real (featuring Brad Paisley)
Free Music Notes for Has Been
Free Music Review: A serious CD worth serious consideration
Hit: 5 Stars
When I purchased this album, I was thinking it would be a novelty album--worth a laugh or two, something to share with friends once or twice, then put away. Boy, was I wrong. This is a serious album to be taken seriously, and I am quite happy to recommend it. Some of the tracks made me laugh, but as intended; others made me cry, and still others give food for thought. The production values are top-notch, the lyrics and music professional, and the performances, including William Shatner's, are perfect. While many of the songs are (or seem to be) taken from Mr. Shatner's personal life, they have something to offer to the many of us who have similar experiences, though perhaps from different perspectives.
One of the things I love about this CD is that none of the songs sound like any of the others. Each is unique. Another is that it is just plain excellent and stands up well to repeated listenings. Several of the tracks are in my "all-time favorites" play list.
The tracks are as follows.
1. Common People. A commentary on how wide a gap there can be between people from different economic circles. The lyrics start with a matter-of-fact tone with a touch of humor, backed by a catchy beat. The music grows louder and harder-rocking as the lyrics become more emphatic. This song sticks in the mind.
2. It Hasn't Happened Yet. A quieter, introspective counterpoint to Common People. The understated, melodic music is a perfect foil for the lyrics. I love this one. It speaks to all of us who are driven from within to always strive to be better than what we are. Maybe it is pitiful to some that some of us are never completely satisfied with ourselves, but it is also what drives us to achieve quality no matter what.
3. You'll Have Time. This one makes me laugh. "Live life like you're going to die...because you're gonna." Excellent advice. The church-like organ music just makes it even funnier, but intentionally so, I am sure.
4. That's Me Trying. I cried at this one. The story is about a father reaching out to a daughter he hasn't been in touch with for a long time. I find this one running through my mind often. Ben Folds and Aimee Mann, both of whom I also admire, sing on this one as well.
5. What Have You Done. About the death of his wife. It is very bare-bones, to suit the words.
6. Together. Wow. I love the lyrical acoustic guitar start, gradually building as more instruments are added, but never becoming overdone. The softly spoken, almost dreamlike lyrics rise and fall in this love song written from a mature perspective. Nothing puerile here; this is the real stuff.
7. Familiar Love. Hey, how many of us know that feeling of contentment that builds in a successful relationship? We know it is possible, but so often it just doesn't happen. This song is about that kind of relationship.
8. Ideal Woman. Remember "My Sharona"? This has a beat a bit reminiscent of that song. How about "(I Love You) Just the Way You Are"? Similar message. But this song is so much better. For one thing, there is that thin, sharp edge of humor that is woven throughout this album, balancing serious lyrics with just a touch of a smile.
9. Has Been. I think this CD had to have this track on it. To a cowboy-song-style beat, this song pointedly responds to those who criticize those who, Like Mr. Shatner, have been on the front lines of life, trying and yes, sometimes perhaps not completely succeeding, but always moving forward and continuing to try. And, ultimately, being far more successful than anyone who just never tries.
10. I Can't Get Behind It. This one makes me laugh. Two angry white men rant about the foibles of modern society. I love how this one comes to a kind of abrupt, screeching halt, then the two men drop the anger just like that.
11. Real. This one has a Country Western background. The basic story is that the singer is a real man just like any, and that the persona one sees on stage or screen is just that. "Yes, part of me is up there on that screen," he sings, "but I'm an entertainer. I am not that man--I am much more. I'm real." (To paraphrase some of the lyrics.)
Has Been Poster
From pop-culture icon William Shatner comes Has Been, an album unlike anything you?ve ever heard before. Produced and arranged by Ben Folds and featuring numerous notable guest appearances, Has Been is the result of the collision of two great creative forces ? a surprisingly pop-driven, lyrically potent collection of songs to enlighten and entertain.Throughout Has Been, Shatner?s own insightful lyrics are masterfully woven into perfect pop melodies written and arranged by Ben Folds. Giving Shatner and Folds a hand on the project is an incredible lineup of singers and musicians, including Jon Auer, Adrian Belew, Matt Chamberlain, Joe Jackson, Lemon Jelly, Aimee Mann, Brad Paisley, Henry Rollins and Sebastian Steinberg.
Highlights include the poignant "That?s Me Trying," penned by Ben Folds with High Fidelity author Nick Hornby, a brilliant version of the Pulp Britpop classic "Common People," featuring vocals by Joe Jackson and closing track, "Real," a duet with country star Brad Paisley, written exclusively for this project.
After his rendition of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" on the infamous Golden Throats album (though it first appeared on the Transformed Man LP), one could argue that the world needed a new William Shatner album about as much as it needed a big-screen remake of TJ Hooker. But Shatner's back all the same with an intriguing, introspective collection of mostly spoken-word tracks that are all the more compelling when it becomes clear that Has Been is, in fact, no joke. Ben Folds played on and produced the record, creating rich, melodic, and varied pop musical backgrounds to Shatner's world-weary, boozy-suave yet thoroughly impassioned delivery. Joe Jackson, Aimee Mann, Henry Rollins, Brad Paisley, and Adrian Belew also stop by to lend their divergent talents. Highlights include the Rollins/Shatner rant "I Can't Get Behind That" and the Folds/Mann/Shatner collaboration "That's Me Trying", which tells the painful story of an attempted family reconciliation. Shatner mixes a healthy amount of self-awareness with a just a dollop of self-mockery and then combines it all with plenty of raw vulnerability to create an effect that is surprisingly touching, highly entertaining, and unlike any music you've ever heard. --John Moe
Amazon.com Exclusive Footage
William Shatner was recently caught on tape by paparazzi responding to reports that some people hadn?t yet heard his new album. See him read Amazon.com customer reviews of Has Been as he makes his case: high bandwidth, low bandwidth.Broadway & Vocalists Music CDs
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