Cleopatra RecordsWe know Captain Kirk can pilot a starship, but how about a sleigh? William Shatner is set to release his first-ever Christmas album this fall. Shatner Claus is a 14-track collection of holiday tunes recorded with the help of a variety of well-known musicians.
Among the artists contributing to the project, according to Amazon, are Todd Rundgren, ex-Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle, ZZ Top‘s Billy Gibbons, The Cars‘ Elliot Easton, Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, folk legend Judy Collins and Jethro Tull‘s Ian Anderson.
Rundgren and Pyle appear on a version of “Winter Wonderland;” Gibbons is featured on a rendition of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer;” Easton lends his talents to “Run Rudolph Run;” Collins contributes to Shatner’s take on “White Christmas” and Wakeman plays keyboards on a version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”
Other guest artists featured on Shatner Claus include country star Brad Paisley, punk veteran Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, bluesman Joe Louis Walker and King Crimson saxophonist Mel Collins. The album will be released on October 26, and will be available on CD and vinyl.
The Christmas collection follows Shatner’s 2013 recording project, Ponder the Mystery, a prog-rock concept album on which he collaborated with Yes member Billy Sherwood. That album featured guest appearances by Wakeman, The Doors‘ Robby Krieger, Foreigner‘s Mick Jones, Edgar Winter and country star-turned-Eagles member Vince Gill.
Here’s the full track list of Shatner Claus:
“Jingle Bells” — featuring Henry Rollins
“Blue Christmas” — featuring Brad Paisley
“Little Drummer Boy” — featuring Joe Louis Walker
“Winter Wonderland” — featuring Todd Rundgren & Artimus Pyle
“Twas the Night Before Christmas” — featuring Mel Collins
“Run Rudolph Run” — featuring Elliot Easton
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” — featuring Rick Wakeman
“Silver Bells” — featuring Ian Anderson
“One for You, One for Me”
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” — featuring Billy Gibbons
“Silent Night” — featuring Iggy Pop
“White Christmas” — featuring Judy Collins
“Feliz Navidad” — featuring Dani Bender
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