[flv:/Video/2008/APR/ShatnerCommonPeople.flv 440 330]As promised, here’s the remake of Pulp’s Common People, narrated by the shameless William Shatner of all people, with Joe Jackson in excellent voice, doing the heavy musical lifting. Somehow, the combination works! Who’d a thunk?
The video is from The Tonight Show, of all places. ‘Would have expected SNL. The studio recording is on the audio player.
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/NOV06/CommonPeople.mp3]
Shatner’s live performance of “Rocketman” from (I think) 1975 is excrutiatingly bad.
I think Shatner is MUCH better on the CD because the producers, etc., worked really, really hard at keeping him low-key on the songs that needed it, like this one. Then there’s “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds!”
Bill isn’t quite as good on this version; Jackson is BETTER! The guy is just GREAT! Rock on!