Has Been by William Shatner
Shares rank 5 of 10 albums by recommenders
Fans enjoy the spoken rants of Shatner and Henry Rollins over lively Belew and Chamberlain playing; the main caveat is it's worth only a couple of listens.
Fans enjoy the spoken rants of Shatner and Henry Rollins over lively Belew and Chamberlain playing; the main caveat is it's worth only a couple of listens.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Spoken delivery over rock instrumentation
“Shatner and Henry Rollins ranting while Adrian Belew and Matt Chamberlain go absolutely wild on guitar and drums respectively”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Shatner is making an album with 35 metal icons” “You wouldn't think someone just orating without singing is entertaining, but it worked.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Shatner is making an album with 35 metal icons” Energetic guitar and drum playing
“Shatner and Henry Rollins ranting while Adrian Belew and Matt Chamberlain go absolutely wild on guitar and drums respectively”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Shatner is making an album with 35 metal icons” Entertaining even without singing
“You wouldn't think someone just orating without singing is entertaining, but it worked.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Shatner is making an album with 35 metal icons” Considered a great album
“The entire Has Been album is a great work.”
Comment from 7 May 2026 in “I Want to Live Like Costco People”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Worth only a couple of listens
“worth a couple of listens. Only a couple.”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Shatner is making an album with 35 metal icons”
Other albums people recommend
The four most recommended other albums, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambient 1: Music for Airports by Brian Eno | 10 | 1 | 91% | 1 | — | — |
| In Rainbows by Radiohead | 7 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| OK Computer by Radiohead | 6 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Doom soundtrack by Bobby Prince | 6 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Has Been by William ShatnerThis page | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
4 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The entire Has Been album is a great work.”
“You wouldn't think someone just orating without singing is entertaining, but it worked.”
“Shatner and Henry Rollins ranting while Adrian Belew and Matt Chamberlain go absolutely wild on guitar and drums respectively”
“worth a couple of listens. Only a couple.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.