Transformer, Man - Performance art, pure and simple, as William Shatner juxtaposes poetry with pop lyrics in this 1968 release. Shatner s wry sense of humor is concealed in his presentation, spoken word with dramatic pauses, which punctuates with an exclamation point - or three - his theatre of the absurd. A parody on the pop culture of the day, it transforms The Captain into a vocalist with wit and a laugh.....seemingly a bad combination for someone who is supposed to be cruising the galaxy with a Vulcan, Scotty and Bones.
Like it, if you think this sort of thing is funny - not something that you will listen to more than once, but kind of fun as a gag.
When questionable intentions go wrong-You have to hear this!!! - A friend of mine got the LP when it first came out [a l-o-n-g time ago] and it provided hours of amusement as well as totaaly over-the-top kareoke (before we even knew what it was). Shatner, along with a lot of actors like Eddie ALbert [Green Acers],Sebastien Cabot [Family Affair] and even Leonard Nimoy were enthralled with lyrics of Bob Dylan and went off on their own totally self-indugent interpretations of Dylan s lyrics and other songs. It s only for those with a hearty sense of humor. The musicianship is mediocre, Shatner s interpretations supply enough ham for any picnic.Why do I like it? Shatner boldly went where few had gone before in trying to do a popular release of dramatic readings [think beatnik poetry reading on steroids ] and, well. . .seldom does a mission fail as miserably, as remarkably, and as entertainingly.Not only do I still listen every now and then, I perform small parts to my grandchildren and they think I m nuts while they get a giggle or two.After a listening, you ll be your own Transformed Man (or woman). It provides meaning to so bad, it s good!
A Vocal Stylist at Work - When William Shatner interprets a classic song, it s eternally his! Littered amid the spoken-word recitals in The Transformed Man are mind-blowing versions of Mr. Tambourine Man, It Was a Very Good Year and Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. If you re looking for unintentional laughter, you ve come to the right place.
Experimental album often divides but achieves a popular cult status - While acting as Captain Kirk in Star Trek William Shatner got the idea that he wanted to make an album with him reading lyrics or classical narratives over various types of musical scores as an acting performance from the perspective of an LSD user. Shatner realized that idea in the form of an album, The Transformed Man, which remains controversial to this day and has somehow become a bit of a cult phenomenon mainly because of a question hanging over it as to why Shatner would want to do something like this at all. Many consider The Transformed Man to be the worst thing ever committed to vinyl. Others think that Shatner attempted something worth trying and achieved something unique and original. The truth is that it is a bit of both worlds and is actually not as crazy as many would have you believe although it does have its dodgy moments. Some Star Trek fans may feel like buying up all copies and burning them in a mass incinerator. Other Trekkies will find it an interesting and amusing side to one of their favorite actors.1. King Henry the Fifth/Elegy for the Brave (Frank Devenport, Don Ralke) - 6:16Sort of Streets of San Francisco music with Shatner reading dramatically from Shakespeare s Henry V. Turns into something that sounds like some 60s romantic music.2. Theme from Cyrano/Mr. Tambourine Man (Bob Dylan) - 6:49 Shatner does an upbeat but snobby British accent to music that sounds like something out of a Mary Poppins movie. Then it turns to Shatner speaking the lyrics heavily to Mr. Tambourine Man. He screams a lot and gets angry.3. Hamlet/It Was a Very Good Year (Ervin Drake, Don Ralke) - 7:45 Shatner reads Hamlet over silence or the sounds of slow violin music and flute accompanied by some occasional brass and military drums. 60s music breaks back in and Shatner talks about happy times.4. Romeo and Juliet/How Insensitive (Insensatez) (Vincius DeMoraes, Norman Gimbel, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Don Ralke) - 6:46Shatner reads Romeo and Juliet over oboes and violins. Shatner then attempts possibly singing what he is reading to James Bond type love music.5. Spleen/Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (Frank Devenport, Lennon, McCartney) - 5:54 Shatner reads ghostly over church bells and haunting organ music to clashing symbols. Suddenly becomes light hearted and very excited.6. The Transformed Man (Frank Devenport, Don Ralke) - 3:38Shatner reads. Music is more 60s rushy. Dramatically ends with Shatner saying he has touched the face of God.Strangely emotional it seems Shatner has actually achieved something that is incredibly original, possibly underestimated, but is certainly an experience. For this reason you will come away having lived through something that maybe should never have been, but was, and is. If you are just fed with everything being boring, plain and commonplace then The Tranformed Man will certainly throw a spanner in the works. In many ways this is a very good example of how creative human life can be when let loose to do anything it can. It just makes it all the more odd that it was William Shatner who did it. Yet again people who have jobs like playing Captain Kirk on a show called Star Trek are often involved in complex creativity. Here is the evidence to prove it.