The Transformed Man

Infobox Album | Name = The Transformed Man
Type = Album
Artist = 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
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:n95s8q9nbtq4 link]
Last album =
This album = "The Transformed Man"
(1968)
Next album = "William Shatner Live"
(1977)

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

The concept of the album was to juxtapose famous pieces of poetry with their modern counterparts, pop lyrics.

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.

The album is often described as one of the worst albums ever released. For example, in 2006 Q Magazine ranked "The Transformed Man" 45th in their list of the 50 worst albums ever. [cite web |url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage3.htm#50%20Worst%20Albums |title=Q Lists |work=rocklistmusic.co.uk |accessdate=2008-06-14, citing:

*cite journal |journal=Q |title=The 50 Worst Albums Ever |issue=Q238|date=May 2006] In the decades since its release, 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.

Track listing

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

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

ee also

*William Shatner's musical career
*The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins

References

External links

* [http://www.clivebanks.co.uk/Shatnersings.htm William Shatner Sings!] no longer has the music due to bandwidth problems

* [http://www.diversionprojects.org/static.php?page=static070903-152832 Liner Notes] from Diversionprojects.org