Friday, February 15, 2008

"He's DEAD, Jim....no wait!....he's just singin'"




I'm straying a bit here, but this is ONE HILARIOUS CD, put together by your friends at the Space Station. Technically speaking, William Shatner is Canadian, so I guess I'm still sticking to the format!


The CD takes some of the greatest hits (?) from Leonard Nimoy's & Capt. Kirk's LPs. BOTH should have just stuck to acting, but at least Shatner does his bits with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. Bill doesn't exactly SING his parts as much as recite the spoken word. Bill no doubt had a lot of fun doing his gigs and you can hear it in his voice. Spock, on the other hand, firmly believes that he is the next great chanteuse of his era, and that Frank & Dino and the rest had better watch out!!.


The CD opens with the great Shatner reading of "King Henry The Fifth". Listening to it, I couldn't help but think of Rocket Robin Hood battling the evil Sheriff John.....and where the hell is Friar Tuck to come help? (that last part is strictly a bit of Canadiana, "Rocket Robin Hood" being one of the greatest cartoons of my childhood-adolescence.....right up there with "Spiderman" and "The World Of Oz"). Shatner stirs the troops up for battle, and you just got to love the trumpets blaring. Shades of Monty Python & The Holy Grail.


Wait till you hear "Mr. Tambourine Man". The Dylan classic is apparently a song about a drug dealer, and Bill sings the song with the angst of a druggie desparately looking for his next fix. CAN YOU NAME ME ANY OTHER ARTIST WHO INTERPRETED THIS SONG CORRECTLY? NO!!!! Bill is a goddamned genius!!!


Move on to "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". Here, Bill obviously found his Tambourine Man, got his fix, and is tripping higher.......higher.....HIGHER. Listen to how he belts the end of the refrain ".....and SHE'S GONE-GONE-GONE-GONE" The echo!!! The angst!!! (what? MORE angst?). Unbelievable. I cannot believe John Lennon (who penned this great song) misinterpreted his own composition......again, we bow to the genius of Bill.


Lastly, take in Bill's version of "It Was A Very Good Year". Notice how the first part is when he's about 17 or so and sings like the young, inexperienced wide-eyed man that any 17 year-old would be. THEN.....he's 21 now. Older, experienced, a "man of the world". YOU CAN HEAR IT IN HIS VOICE!!! The angst...the...what? With the angst again? Oh Bill, you kidder you!!!!


Spock? "Highly Illogical" poses questions that will leave you bewildered for days on end. What did Leonard MEAN by that? Wow, man. Or "Spock's Thoughts", where Leonard advises to even "listen to the dull and ignorant for they too, have their story." Such enlightenment! And sung with the type of fervor that only Nimoy could conjure up.


You can't afford to not have this classic in your collection. It's deliciously awe-inspiring. I'm SURE that the William Hungs of the world based their life teachings on these works of art! Grab it now!!!


What? You are AREN'T going to grab this? HIGHLY ILLOGICAL!!!



"Spaced Out" - Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner

01 King Henry The Fifth - William Shatner

02 Elegy For The Brave - William Shatner

03 Highly Illogical - Leonard Nimoy

04 If I Had A Hammer - Leonard Nimoy

05 Mr. Tambourine Man - William Shatner

06 Where Is Love - Leonard Nimoy

97 Music To Watch Space Girls By - Leonard Nimoy

08 It Was A Very Good Year - William Shatner

09 Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town - Leonard Nimoy

10 Hamlet - William Shatner

11 A Visit To A Sad Planet - Leonard Nimoy

12 Abraham, Martin & John - Leonard Nimoy

13 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - William Shatner

14 If I Was A Carpenter - Leonard Nimoy

15 How Insensitive - William Shatner

16 I'd Love Making Love To You - Leonard Nimoy

17 Put A Little Love In Your Heart - Leonard Nimoy

18 Sunny - Leonard Nimoy

19 Gentle On My Mind - Leonard Nimoy

20 I Walk The Line - Leonard Nimoy

21 Ballad Of Bilbo Baggins - Leonard Nimoy

22 Everybody's Talkin' - Leonard Nimoy

23 Both Sides Now - Leonard Nimoy

24 Spock Thoughts - Leonard Nimoy


Spaced Out part 1

Spaced Out part 2

Two to beam up!!!

- MEESTER MUSIC

7 comments:

Lateboomer said...

Owww... I'm laughing and crying all at once. I think my ears are bleeding! That's some hurting music. Captain Kirk should stop trying to snort those dylithium crystals!!

NO music collection should be without this {file it under Actors Who Should Not Be Singers}...

Lateboomer

Lateboomer said...

... Something to accompany your latest share...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luVjkTEIoJc

Enjoy... !!

Meester Music said...

I've got a few more CDs I've captured over the years with some really BAD performances.

I think when the mood strikes me, I'll share.

I'm off to youtube to see your clip!!

-MEESTER MUSIC

Dj No Breakfast said...

I can't wait for these BAD performances!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the excellant bitrate,
could only find this at 128.
great stuff

DirtyDave07 said...

Awesome!I'm a huge "Shat" fan,he really appears to draw on all acting and creative abilities on this one!....Thanks,great review too and I'm real glad the link is still active...and remember...you can mock the Spock but don't sh*t the Shat!..Live long and prosper,DD07

Le YĆ©ti said...

Really good, so "strange". Hey Mr. Tambourine Man !

Thanx from Youkounkoun Radio