Customer Reviews
A tribute - By: D. B. Dalglish, 27 Jan 2007 
This review, isin part a tribute to the brilliance of the reviewer below (Daniel Jolley), who has written one of the most persuasive passages I have ever read. After reading it, I immediately bought the record. There is no need for me to go into huge detail on it, but there are some points to be made.
However much one tries to deny it, you can not escape the fact that this record is ridiculous. It might be a better world, or i might be a better person if i could judge a piece of art solely on its merits. Try as i might, i can not get away from the fact that William Shatner is absolutely mad. The spoken parts of this album are, I would say, not actually acted. I honestly think Shatner believed he was Hamlet. Honestly. The music is by no means bad though,in fact, there are some nice workings of tracks like 'Lucy In...' with full choirs.
So, why does it have to recieve 5 stars? Because Shatner's madness is exactly what makes this such a good record, & here, I totally agree with Mr. Jolley. I struggle to think of an album where the emotion is so raw. Once you hear it, you can understand more the choice of front cover, the songs & the style. It is utterly ludicrous, but there's so much passionin it! It's nice to hear a record which despite being a product of outrageous self-importance, is so passionately felt.
shambolic and poor... everything you'd expect - By: Mark Collins, 03 Feb 2006 The Shatner is up there with the Hasselhofin the seventh circle of self-deluding naffness. Talents like these are mercifully rare.
If you have a friend who likes Shakespear, buy this for them, the damage done by Shatner to Henry's speech brings laughter & tears to my eyes, but watching someone else suffer it is even funnier.
Just dont take the fool seriously... you'll have a brain haemorage.
Bold, inventive, and nothing short of brilliant - By: Daniel Jolley, 01 Feb 2005 Let me just come right out & say it: I think William Shatner's The Transformed Man is brilliant - brilliant, I say. It's easy to make fun of this album, especially the first few times you hear Lucyin the Sky With Diamonds or Mr. Tambourine Man - hey, I once made fun of Shatner's unique interpretations of these classics myself. The fact that Shatner doesn't actually sing tends to throw one off. When I got the chance to listen to the entire album, though, I was increasingly stunned by the realization that this unique recording was absolutely blowing me away. I have written a number of humorous reviews of very bad items, so I feel compelled to say that this is not one of them. Call it a novelty album if you like, but I sincerely believe this is one of the most underappreciated works of musical genius ever recorded. Heaven help me, but I really & truly love this album.
The Transformed Man is not about Shatner trying to sing (he knows his dramatic reading style is not singing); this is a full-blown concept album of remarkable proportions. I happen to believe Shatner took this album very seriously backin 1968, & that this truly is about the music & not Shatner's ego or ersatz campiness. Shatner didn't just throw this album together; a lot of thought & work went into this. You'll notice that the first five tracks actually consist of two songs apiece. Each two-part track is meant to reflect upon a different aspect of the duality of man. Of course, you don't get this effect when some radio station cues up Lucyin the Sky With Diamonds or Mr. Tambourine Man for comedic purposes; those guys never play the first half of each track, so it's impossible for the listener to know what Shatner was actually trying to do with this album. That is the main reason this album is universally looked upon as comedic. As he has described itin at least one interview, Shatner thought that the lyrics of some modern-day songs were of literary merit, soin making this album he added a background of new, modern music to his readings of classic literary pieces, then juxtaposed this effect against his unique interpretations of modern songs with evocative lyrics deliveredin a bold new fashion.
Shatner's passionate reading of Hamlet's mad, suicidal soliloquy is amazing, conveying the very depths of emotional trauma & confusion. Some find his overdramatization campy, but I tell you I was moved by the force impartedin Shatner's impassioned delivery. Shatner's "must give us pause" line is indescribably powerful; I'm adding this line to my personal catchphrase repertoire. The dramatic reading of Hamlet melds into It Was a Very Good Year; rising from the depths of Hamlet's emotional trauma, Shatner now imparts a sense of frivolity & wonderfully subtle humorin his delivery. This song's nostalgic reflection of the past serves as a clear counterpoint to a young Hamlet's visions of a bleak future.
Shatner recreates the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet, & then Romeo's pure love that could not go unspoken is transformed,in How Insensitive, into the implacable silence borne of a love that died - here is a man now asking himself how he could have reacted so emotionlessly & coldly to his once-significant other at the end of that long-ago love affair. The sounds of a bitter, desolate wind close out the final moments of the song, reinforcing the effect conveyed by Shatner's delivery. One of the more impassioned tracks on the album is Theme From Cyrano/Mr. Tambourine Man. Cyrano is a marvel of self-confidence; he has no desire to prostrate himself before others or to do anything that is not motivated by true art. After the transition to Mr. Tambourine Man, we find a man prostrate with inaction, desperately chasing after Mr. Tambourine Manin hopes of going anywhere & doing anything at all. The famous & much-mocked final lines convey a sense of desperation so deep that it can no longer remain quiet.
Shatner's Lucyin the Sky With Diamonds cannot be explained or described - it must be heard. 99.99% of the world's population will think it's the most inane song ever recorded, as Shatner goes over the top & then somein his unforgettable delivery, but to me this is the centerpiece, the truly priceless masterpiece of this artistically significant album, a most forceful counterpart to Spleen's themes of dejection & darkness. It also provides a wonderful lead-in to the album's final track, The Transformed Man,in which Shatner rises above the dual nature of human life and,in a moment of spiritual enlightenment, imparts the beauty & power of a philosophical epiphany.
I honestly think The Transformed Man is uniquely bold & brilliant, but I don't want to mislead anyone. You would have to look long & hard to find anyone praising this album the way I have, for I amin the tiniest of minorities here. The odds are that you will find only unintentional comedyin this one-of-a-kind recording. Either way, though, you come out a winner: you will either get an unlimited number of laughs from the album or you will actually see something quite amazing, unprecedented, & downright movingin Shatner's uniquely brilliant, unforgettable blending of literature, modern music, & reflections on the duality of man.
Bold, inventive, and nothing short of brilliant - By: Daniel Jolley, 02 Jun 2004 Let me just come right out & say it: I think William Shatner's The Transformed Man is brilliant – brilliant, I say. It's easy to make fun of this album, especially the first few times you hear Lucyin the Sky With Diamonds or Mr. Tambourine Man – hey, I once made fun of Shatner's unique interpretations of these classics myself. The fact that Shatner doesn't actually sing tends to throw one off. When I got the chance to listen to the entire album, though, I was increasingly stunned by the realization that this unique recording was absolutely blowing me away. I have written a number of humorous reviews of very bad items, so I feel compelled to say that this is not one of them. Call it a novelty album if you like, but I sincerely believe this is one of the most underappreciated works of musical genius ever recorded. Heaven help me, but I really & truly love this album.
The Transformed Man is not about Shatner trying to sing (he knows his dramatic reading style is not singing); this is a full-blown concept album of remarkable proportions. I happen to believe Shatner took this album very seriously backin 1968, & that this truly is about the music & not Shatner's ego or ersatz campiness. Shatner didn't just throw this album together; a lot of thought & work went into this. You'll notice that the first five tracks actually consist of two songs apiece. Each two-part track is meant to reflect upon a different aspect of the duality of man. Of course, you don't get this effect when some radio station cues up Lucyin the Sky With Diamonds or Mr. Tambourine Man for comedic purposes; those guys never play the first half of each track, so it's impossible for the listener to know what Shatner was actually trying to do with this album. That is the main reason this album is universally looked upon as comedic. As he has described itin at least one interview, Shatner thought that the lyrics of some modern-day songs were of literary merit, soin making this album he added a background of new, modern music to his readings of classic literary pieces, then juxtaposed this effect against his unique interpretations of modern songs with evocative lyrics deliveredin a bold new fashion.
Shatner's passionate reading of Hamlet's mad, suicidal soliloquy is amazing, conveying the very depths of emotional trauma & confusion. Some find his overdramatization campy, but I tell you I was moved by the force impartedin Shatner's impassioned delivery. Shatner's "must give us pause" line is indescribably powerful; I'm adding this line to my personal catchphrase repertoire. The dramatic reading of Hamlet melds into It Was a Very Good Year; rising from the depths of Hamlet's emotional trauma, Shatner now imparts a sense of frivolity & wonderfully subtle humorin his delivery. This song's nostalgic reflection of the past serves as a clear counterpoint to a young Hamlet's visions of a bleak future.
Shatner recreates the balcony scene from Romeo & Juliet, & then Romeo's pure love that could not go unspoken is transformed,in How Insensitive, into the implacable silence borne of a love that died – here is a man now asking himself how he could have reacted so emotionlessly & coldly to his once-significant other at the end of that long-ago love affair. The sounds of a bitter, desolate wind close out the final moments of the song, reinforcing the effect conveyed by Shatner's delivery. One of the more impassioned tracks on the album is Theme From Cyrano/Mr. Tambourine Man. Cyrano is a marvel of self-confidence; he has no desire to prostrate himself before others or to do anything that is not motivated by true art. After the transition to Mr. Tambourine Man, we find a man prostrate with inaction, desperately chasing after Mr. Tambourine Manin hopes of going anywhere & doing anything at all. The famous & much-mocked final lines convey a sense of desperation so deep that it can no longer remain quiet.
Shatner's Lucyin the Sky With Diamonds cannot be explained or described – it must be heard. 99.99% of the world's population will think it's the most inane song ever recorded, as Shatner goes over the top & then somein his unforgettable delivery, but to me this is the centerpiece, the truly priceless masterpiece of this artistically significant album, a most forceful counterpart to Spleen's themes of dejection & darkness. It also provides a wonderful lead-in to the album's final track, The Transformed Man,in which Shatner rises above the dual nature of human life and,in a moment of spiritual enlightenment, imparts the beauty & power of a philosophical epiphany.
I honestly think The Transformed Man is uniquely bold & brilliant, but I don't want to mislead anyone. You would have to look long & hard to find anyone praising this album the way I have, for I amin the tiniest of minorities here. The odds are that you will find only unintentional comedyin this one-of-a-kind recording. Either way, though, you come out a winner: you will either get an unlimited number of laughs from the album or you will actually see something quite amazing, unprecedented, & downright movingin Shatner's uniquely brilliant, unforgettable blending of literature, modern music, & reflections on the duality of man.
Shatner at his best - By: , 08 Apr 2003 
This is just the finest CD ever burned. It should be compulsory purchase for every single owner of a CD playerin the world.
The Transformed Man contains a few of Shatner's best known masterpieces, such as Lucyin the Sky with Diamonds, but it's the lesser-known readings from Shakespeare which really bring his vision together. It's clear that Shatner views music & the written word to be closely intertwined, & that the two are interchangeable.
The only let-down is the 60's style of music. Because of the "cheesiness", of the backing tracks, it doesn't translate well to current day. If he were to re-do the transformed man using modern instruments, I'm sure it would go over better, & might even capture a newer, younger audience.
