The Transformed Man

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The Transformed Man
The Transformed Man cover
Studio album by William Shatner
Released 1968
Recorded 1968
Genre Pop, Spoken Word
Length 37:08
Label Decca, Varèse Sarabande (1995 reissue), Geffen Records (2004 reissue)
Producer Charles Bud Dant
Professional reviews
William Shatner chronology
The Transformed Man
(1968)		 William Shatner Live
(1977)

The Transformed Man is actor William Shatner's debut album, released in 1968, while the original Star Trek series, in which he starred as Captain James T. Kirk, was still on the air.

The album is best remembered for showcasing Shatner's now-famous vocal style—spoken word with dramatic pauses and flourishes. Shatner started playing up this aspect of his career in the 1990s as he enjoyed a resurgence of popularity, this time as a pop-culture icon. The actor/singer appeared in a number of commercials for Priceline.com, where the unique musical style displayed in The Transformed Man was showcased for humorous effect.

Appearing with Shatner in some of those commercials was pop music's Ben Folds. The two formed a professional relationship that would ultimately lead to the release of Shatner's second album, Has Been, in 2004.

Today, most of the "songs" in the album have been featured as comedy bits, either on compilation albums meant to showcase bad celebrity singing (the Rhino Records "Golden Throats" series) or by radio disc jockeys looking for laughs.

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "King Henry the Fifth/Elegy for the Brave" (Frank Devenport, Don Ralke) – 6:16
  2. "Theme from Cyrano/Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) – 6:49
  3. "Hamlet/It Was a Very Good Year" (Ervin Drake, Don Ralke) – 7:45
  4. "Romeo and Juliet/How Insensitive (Insensatez)" (Vincius DeMoraes, Norman Gimbel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Don Ralke) – 6:46
  5. "Spleen/Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (Frank Devenport, Lennon, McCartney) – 5:54
  6. "The Transformed Man" (Frank Devenport, Don Ralke) – 3:38

[edit] Personnel

  • Charles Bud Dant - Executive Producer
  • Frank Devenport - English Translation (Poems)
  • Erick Labson - Mastering
  • Ryan Null - Photo Research (Reissue)
  • Mike Ragogna - Reissue Producer
  • William Shatner - Liner Notes

[edit] Trivia

Q Magazine ranked The Transformed Man 45th in their list of The 50 Worst Albums Ever.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Q lists - page3

[edit] See also

[edit] External links