“I began to see a connection. Every song made me think about what Major Tom was doing; Major Tom thinks about his wife; thinks about how much she loved him; thinks about what happened when he learned to fly; thinks about the growing storm in his life; thinks about what’s happening now; thinks about going to heaven and questions God; goes to hell and Iron Man; then struck me – maybe I could tell the story of Major Tom…”
James Tiberius Kirk has come a long way since commandeering the Starship Enterprise. That path has been long and winding, arriving now at his fourth solo album. Very much a companion piece to 2004’s favourably reviewed Has Been; this collection sees Shatner develop a more cohesive approach to his song selection. Initially pitched as a ‘sci-fi record’ – a premise rejected off-hand by Shatner himself – the actor-cum-spokesman rehashed the concept, telling the story of Major Tom; a character first featured in David Bowie’s classic ‘Space Oddity’. Aside from a sole original number – the forgettable ‘Struggle’ – what we have here is ‘space-rock’s greatest hits’, set to the croon of that iconic, fragmented voice.
Musically, it really is a ‘who’s who?’ of rock history’s luminaries. The roster literally bursts at the seams, including ex-Purple/Rainbow axe wielder Ritchie Blackmore; Peter Frampton; Sheryl Crow; Zakk Wylde; and legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins just to name a few. As such, from a purely instrumental perspective the standard is incredibly high.
Opening with Major Tom/Space Oddity, featuring some seriously moving playing from Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night – the former sensationally digging out his old electric for a much overdue guitar solo – Shatner’s signature drawl veers between a heartfelt baritone and unintentionally amusing ‘dramatic readings’. Things fail to improve through ill-advised pub sing-alongs around U2’s ‘In a Little While’ and Elton John’s classic ‘Rocket Man’, but Pink Floyd’s ‘Learning to Fly’, to this writer’s amazement, actually works. The reverb-drenched vocal lends a makeshift comfort-blanket to Shatner’s delivery, making for some genuinely emotive moments – of course, the addition of synth legend Edgar Froese (Tangerine Dream) helps matters somewhat. For myself however, the calypso-flavoured rendition of Deep Purple’s ‘Space Truckin’’; on what sacred planet would this work? Well, this one actually – though sounding at times either constipated or inebriated, Shatner has a ball, and the relentless beat and Brad Paisley slide solo will have you shaking those hips like a party on the Enterprise.
As for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, well, I just can’t find the words. If you do one thing today; search it on your favourite video-share website…
The problem we have is that in our post-Family Guy days, it is remarkably difficult to take Shatner seriously. Whilst all of the songs feature stellar playing without exception – thanks to the talented roster of guests – it is hard not to imagine him reading the lyrics from a crib sheet, brandishing a white handkerchief. Despite this, what we have is a surprisingly listenable record, with moments of brilliance and guilty pleasure.
“MAN! Them cats can really swing!”
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