William Shatner - Seeking Major Tom Review
He's a rock-it man !
rating: 3.0
Say what you will about William Shatners brief attempts at a musical career and Im sure you will you cant fault his refusal to back down. Despite having his 1979 debut spoken-word debut The Transformed Man being relentlessly mocked, he's still trying thirty years later. Meanwhile, his infamous performance of Rocketman (or Rock-It Man as Shatner pronounces it) during a 1978 sci-fi awards show has become the stuff of legends. Shatner returned to music with 2004s Has Been - an excellent, and surprisingly moving collaboration with indie rocker Ben Folds. The album captured a precise balance of amusing Shatnerisms, such as the gleefully sardonic ode to death 'Youll have time', with genuine musical and lyrical triumphs such as the Nick Hornby penned 'Thats Me Trying'. For as easy as it is to mock Shatners unique spoken word style, theres a genuine feeling that perhaps hes onto something thats borderline genius and were the idiots for not realising it perhaps he was an early forefather of rap?
Has Been was capable of being both brilliant and cringe-worthy sometimes during the same song. After a humorously epic cover of Pulp's 'Common People', it develops into an introspective look at life, death and the nature of celebrity - complete with a devastating poem read by Shatner which deals with the night he discovered the body of his late wife, who tragically drowned to death in their pool in 1999. Has Been wasn't a simple novelty record but something genuinely special Despite the surprise success of the album with both critics and fans of both Shatner and Folds, few would have expected to see Shatner release another album in 2010 at the age of 80. Weirder still, its no simple collection of covers, but a structured concept album of 20 songs which are all themed around space and the unknown elements of the universe. David Bowies classic 'Space Oddity' itself covered here by Shatner forms the crux which holds the album together, aiming to explore the life of Bowies intergalactic Major Tom character. To be fair to Shatner, its not a bad idea Major Tom himself has appeared in many songs throughout the years, and the attempt to form a cohesive narrative through artists as varied as Black Sabbath and Duran Duran is pretty cool. Whats more, there are collaborations here with artists like Peter Frampton and Sheryl Crow. Telling the tale of Major Toms lonely excursion into space complete with mash ups of real NASA chatter further expands the aim to make the album flow from song to song. Shatner even utilises reprisals, coming in and out of tracks with segments and verses of 'Space Oddity' and 'Rocket Man' throughout the album - just to make the point explicitly clear if youd hadnt already got it. Sadly, lacking Ben Folds knack for balancing both the hammyness and the genuine poignancy of Shatners delivery, as well as the emphasis on covers, much of Seeking Major Tom is poorly produced and overly campy. Even more of concern is that despite its attempts to string together a story and cohesion, the album feels disjointed and lacking in focus. Its also a shame that weve gone from the few covers of Has Been to an album almost entirely comprised of covers. Sure, it harks back to Shatners debut The Transformed Man, but the reason Has Been worked was its mix of a handful of drastically different covers with genuinely interesting new material into a cohesive whole. Seeking Major Tom feels patchy and inconsequential - sometimes interesting and occasionally embarrassing, but its saving grace is that it's never dull. 
Thankfully, when it does work, listening to Seeking Major Tom is a blast. A ridiculously trippy rendition of Thomas Dolbys 'She Blinded Me With Science' featuring funk legend Bootsy Collins is wonderfully bizarre, with Shatner bringing a self depreciation to Thomas Dolbys lyrics as a cheesy synth drones in the background. Also excellent is the wonderful opener a catchy rendition of euro synthpop hit 'Major Tom (Coming Home)' which sets the tone of the whole thing off to a good start. Similarly, the only track on the album which isnt a cover Struggle harks back to the material of Has Been, making you wish that more of the album had been penned by Shatner himself', rather than the sheer amount of forgettable and inferior covers like Space Truckin and a disappointingly dull retread of 'Rocketman' which has little of the charm of his 1978 version. Its these weaker covers that let the album down, with tracks like 'Walking on the Moon' and 'Twilight Zone' failing to impress. Shatner himself ranges from ridiculously forced such as his ranty delivery on the irritating 'Iron Man' to even sounding strangely similar to Johnny Cash* on tracks like 'Spirit in the Sky', which are delivered with the sardonic delivery of an aged and world wary preacher. Seeking Major Tom won't be remembered as fondly as Has Been, but if taken as a cheesy bit of fun its one of the most enjoyably odd and unique albums you'll hear this year. When it fails and you find yourself quetioning why you're listening to Shatner ramble his way through 'Bohemian Rhapsody' you still cant help but respect him for having a bit of a laugh at himself. William Shatner continues to boldly go where no man has gone before. Turn it Up - She Blinded Me With Science, Struggle, Major Tom (Coming Home). Turn It Off - Space Truckin', Iron Man, Twilight Zone. ___________________ Seeking Major Tom is released on the 14th November amd will make for a horrifying christmas gift for younger children. * Yes, I compared William Shatner to Johnny Cash, I apologize for any offense caused. 