William Shatner, ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ – Terrible Classic Rock Covers

William Shatner is many things to us. He’s that frantic guy on the plane in one of the best-ever ‘Twilight Zone’ episodes. He’s Captain Kirk on ‘Star Trek.’ And he’s that affable dude who seems content just jawing with his 1.6 million fans all day and night on Twitter. But a rock singer?

In 1968, one of the most famous and popular sci-fi actors of all time released his debut album ‘The Transformed Man,’ which included his take on the 1967 classic ‘Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds’ -- originally found on the Beatles’ groundbreaking ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ album.

You probably know the story: Apparently, John Lennon had no idea that he’d written a song whose root letters spelled out ‘LSD,’ the psychedelic drug of choice at the time. He said the title was actually inspired by a picture that his son Julian had drawn with the same title. Whether or not it’s about drugs, it’s a trippy song, to say the least. And it's one of the greatest auditory spectacles in the Beatles’ catalog.

Shatner’s version, on the other hand, is a campy mix of spoken-word and outer-space-like echo effects, featuring a group of female vocalists singing the chorus as if they're part of an intergalactic Vegas revue. The last verse (“Picture yourself in a train on the station ... ”) is really something to behold. It sounds like Shatner has gone certifiably insane. Sorta like he did in that classic ‘Twilight Zone’ episode.

Listen to the Beatles' 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'