Don McLean - American Pie

There's an old quote of St. Theresa's that goes something like, "More tears are shed over answered prayers than those that remain unanswered." In other words, be careful what you wish for--you just might get it. Don McLean, like any other singer-songwriter, no doubt wanted a hit, or some degree of success. "American Pie" gave him that and more. McLean's ode to Buddy Holly began with a folky intro that sounded like a protest song. Almost nine minutes later the song finally ends. Sure the song's poetic, sure it's a touching tribute, and sure, it's undeniably a classic. But it also became the bane of McLean's existence for many years as it was the only one of his songs that people wanted to hear. American Pie the album sold well on the strength of the title track, and even propelled the comparatively weak "Vincent" into the Top 20. A fine release rooted in folk, American Pie is a classic, whether anyone actually pays attention to the other songs or not. The 2003 reissue includes two bonus tracks—"Mother Nature" and "Aftermath." --Steve Gdula Amazon.com

Poetry set to music

Who can forget this wonderful album, Don McLean's magnum opus, his greatest work? Certainly not me! I loved this album, and used to listen to it over and over again, all those years ago. Well, now I have it back, and I am once again listening to it over and over again!

In this album, Don McLean shows off a wonderful style - bluesy, but using the music to support the lyrics. It gives the songs a feeling of being poetry set to music. And what poetry! This is an excellent, mood making album.

OK, that's a lot of superlatives. Let's just say that I love this album - it really strikes a cord with me. So many times, when I had troubles in my life, I could turn to the music on this album, and feel my soul vibrate along with the strings of Mr. McLean's guitar. This is a great album, one that I do not hesitate to recommend to everyone! April 17, 2008

AMERICAN PIE...AN AMERICAN CLASSIC ! (sounds as good today as it ever has)

Poetic. Thoughtful. Intelligent. These are words that describe the music on Don McLean's American Pie (1971). The title song has become so much a part of the American culture, it's almost a second national anthem of sorts. Who doesn't know American Pie? Written as a combination tribute to Buddy Holly/The American Dream, it transcended generations and social classes and, in it's own way, brought them together at a time when they were worlds apart. The enigmatic lyrics can be interpreted many different ways, so the song still remains fresh and relevent after many years and many listens. Vincent is a loving tribute to the great Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh, and it's one of the most thoughtful, lovely, and intelligent songs I have ever heard. It's completely worthy of it's subject, and describes Van Gogh's paintings (Starry Night, Sunflowers), his beautiful and tormented soul, and his suicide, in a thoughtful and passionate way. Vincent would have been very proud. Empty Chairs and The Grave are also very good, and both are emotional and personal looks at life and death. Don McLean is a poet who plays an acoustic guitar very well. His open-tunings and fingerstyle expressions are sometimes reminiscent of David Crosby's acoustic guitar style. Almost every song is the song of a poet, and McLean's vision is the vision of a poet. He looks at the world in such a way that sees beauty in all things, even sadness and suffering. But his message is not pessimistic or foreboding, it is trusting and hopeful. In Winterwood, he sings:

The birds like leaves on Winterwood,
Sing hopeful songs on dismal days.
They've learned to live life as they should,
They are at peace with nature's ways.

American Pie is an American classic, and it's as much a part of the American experience as the Americana the title song makes reference to. Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, The Big Bopper, James Dean, Chevy, pick-up trucks, dancing in the gym, rock n' roll, faith in God's love, satan laughing with delight, drinking whiskey and rye, teenagers on prom night, and the day the music died. October 16, 2007

This *can* be ripped

Soeur Souris posted that this cannot be ripped "for fair use". Not so, at least with the disk I received. I made a great backup with Exact Audio Copy (Windows OS), converted the .wav files to .flac, and they play just fine anywhere I can play .flac files. I also burned the ripped .wav files to a cd (using EAC with a .cue sheet), getting a copy that is an exact duplicate of the original. It plays flawlessly on every cd player I have (in a car, three computers, home stereo and a Sony Discman). I doubt one needs EAC to accomplish this - EAC isn't designed to get around Sony's scheme; I used it solely because I am familiar with it, and it is great for making lossless (and lossy) compressed audio files. I suspect rather that Soeur had a hardware/software issue that has nothing to do with this disc.

My advice: don't give credence to his statement, at least for the product shipping nowadays, though he certainly has my sympathy. August 26, 2007

American Pie

The music hasn't died. It lives in the words of Don Mclean. Every father and mother, who's a Baby Boomer, needs to get this C.D. for their kids and grand kids! Then if you can, let them hear your vinyl copy with the pops and snaps...so they'll now what the music felt like! August 11, 2007

Good buy!

If you like Don McLean at all you'll love this album. It's as simple as that. July 21, 2007

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