Customer Reviews

Best of Don McLean

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Don McLean is the subject of Roberta Flack's heartfelt tribute in the 1973 hit 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'.
McLean is certainly one of the greatest balladeers, coming out with some really superior music, soothing, thoughtful and with poetic lyrics.

This album begins with McLean's most famous hit 'American Pie' (1971) which was inspired by the tragic death of one of McLean's earliest role models and musical influences, Buddy Holly, in 1959.
Later commentators have tried to put other significance to the song, such as claiming it was an anti- Vietnam War protest song, but there is no evidence for such claims, as McLean refuses to comment on such spurious analysis.

At any rate , American Pie is one of my less favourite McLean songs so I don't know why it is his most famous.

It is followed by the sad tribute to Vincent Van Gogh, Vincent (1971).

But these two well known songs where certainly far from the sum total of Don Mc Lean's talent. 'And I Love You So (1970) is McLean's beautiful version of this poignant love song, also done by various other artists.
He also does a great version of Crying (1978), originally the hit of Roy Orbison in 1961.

Castles In The Air (1970) is in my opinion, perhaps McLean's greatest piece, an exquisite song of longing for the beauty and simplicity of the country life away from the shallow 'cocktail generation': "Words cannot express the feel of sunlight in the morning , in the hills away from city strife.I need a country woman for my wife , I'm city born but I love the country life" . The words are poetic and set to fantastic music. I can relate to the song perfectly.

Dreidel (1972), another superb piece, refers to the spinning top played with by Jewish children at the festival of Chanukah, and he compares it's spinning to the spinning of life.

Then there is the musical poetry of Winter Wood (1971) and the feel good love song Everyday (1973).

Mountains o'Mourne (1973) is an Irish ballad of longing and love , and as always McLean does it perfectly

While all the songs on this album are exquisite there are other wonderful songs, which McLean sung, which are unfortunately left off this album such as The Birthday Song (1972) , Wonderful Baby (1974) , Fools Paradise ( 1973) and Respectable ( 1970) .
With only ten songs on this album, there should have been space for some more McLean gems.

Every song is truly great. American Pie is the standard, but the others are really gems. McLean is one of most underrated singer/song-writers of all time. I still can't understand why Prime Time isn't a major classic. This is truly a great song. Vincent, Castles in the Air, and Winterwood are beautiful songs. And I Love You So was my parents wedding song. Absolutely go out and buy this CD.

Not a prolific artist, Don McLean's small body of work does contain some brilliant compositions. American Pie is a magnificent epic in the folk or singer/songwriter tradition, an avalanche of cinematic surreal images set to a memorable tune. It has been said that McLean outdylaned Bob Dylan here! Madonna certainly likes it as she recorded it recently. Vincent, about the painter Vincent Van Gogh, is perceptive, gentle and poignant and reminds me of Anne Sexton's poem Starry Night from the book To Bedlam And Part Way Back. And I Love You So, a hit for Perry Como in the seventies, is a gorgeous love song, Castles In The Air is sad and moving and McLean demonstrates his interpretive skills on this lovely cover of Crying. The aforementioned tracks are light years ahead of the rest but they're so unique and gripping that I gladly award this album 5 sparkling stars.

Several years ago, I was shopping in a department store when the music playing on the p.a. stopped me cold right in the middle of Women's Sportswear. The song was haunting and lyrical as the melody explored unexpected twists and turns, and I was utterly captivated. I listened as hard as I could to commit it to memory, knowing that, since this was Muzak (albeit high-quality Muzak) there would be no announcement as to What-and-Who afterwards, and it would be my quest to find out the particulars.

I was left with very little to remember - an arcing, yearning voice calling "Save me...." in the chorus, and the repetition of the desire for a simpler life. It rang in my head for years as I looked for what it might be. Searches on the internet yielded, unfortunately, nothing; and since I hadn't heard it again, I was starting to realize that the odds of ever identifying it were very slim.

Flash forward. Madonna's remake of "American Pie" really peeved me, as I have clear, stark memories of the first time I'd ever heard Don Mclean's version - another frozen moment, at the age of 15, sitting on my bed in the early morning dark and snapping to attention at the imagery expressed in an incredible voice. I decided to revisit those memories, and ordered "The Best of Don Mclean".

And now, another moment, sitting at my office PC, headphones on as I listened to my just-arrived CD. A song tugged at me as if I'd heard it somewhere before, tickling on the edges of memory. And then the chorus - that voice arcing "Save me", and then the pleas for a "country life". There was my song, revealed to me after all these years as "Castles in the Air" by a consummate musical master.

There is randomness in this world, and serendipity. Madonna remakes "American Pie"; I find a song I've been looking for, for years. And I won't lose it again.

If you wish to be haunted with foreknowledge of what will be doing the haunting, buy this album! "American Pie" sounds as fresh and evocative as it did nearly 30 years ago. (Can it truly have been so long since it was released?) "Vincent" can still move me to tears. The quiet intimacy of "And I Love You So" took me to tears for the first time. The complexities of "Dreidel" wrapped me up and sent me to another place. And "Castles in the Air"... what a miracle of musicianship; a miracle of memory; a miracle of chance.

"American Pie" is a wild ride through McLean's rock'n roll hall of fame and recollection. It's an anthem to the 50's rock scene and how it affected his life, through its driving beat and tragic, premature finale. "American Pie" deserves its high place in rock'n roll history. It's intellectual, insightful and really, really well written. His muse was truly inspired. The next song, however, is for me his greatest triumph. "Vincent" is as good as anything Dylan, Lennon or McCartney ever wrote. I rank "Vincent's" melody and lyrics in the top ten of rock's cream of the cream. His message stretches way past Vincent Van Gogh. It's a personal, direct message to all of us. No muse was ever more poetic than was McLean's during the time he wrote "Vincent". Another equally powerful version is by "Jane Oliver" (she uses strings [both orchestral and her Piaf vocals] to elevate her poignant interpretation into a truly moving and masterful musical experience). The third song "And I Love You So" is almost as tender as "Vincent". I first heard this song by Perry Como (a great middle of the road version). The song told my story too clearly. McLean's superb vocals are equally matched for the harmonic and demanding timbre of this poetic and masterful song. "Crying" is McLean's absolute best, vocalwise. I can't imagine he has any voice left after performing "Crying".The only other song that matches the intensity and vocals of "Crying" is Harry Nilsson's "Without You" (McLean and Nilsson have two of rock's golden voices, reaching notes most artists couldn't even dream about). "Castles In The Air" is the muse at work again. The imagery is clear and lovely. Very dreamy and full of the salted mist of a day at the beach. The other five songs didn't really grab me. More filler than greatest hits material. I'm happy when half of a cd is as good as this one is. Well worth the money.

I first purchased this album on cassette in 1988 while I was on the road playing in the orchestra for a touring musical production. I had most of these songs in my library back home, but what attracted me to this record was that it really is "the best of Don McClean". Not only do you get the standard fare ("American Pie" and "Vincent"), but you also get what I believe are truly great (but inexplicably obscure) songs; "Prime Time", "Dreidel", and "Castles in the Air". If you plan to buy only one album by Don McClean, this should be the one. You won't be disappointed.

"The Best of Don McLean" follows true to the tradition of the many ten-track compilations in McLean's catalogue by taking his five most well-known songs--American Pie, Vincent, And I Love You So, Crying, and Castles in the Air--and then picking five more songs out of a hat to fill the space. These five aforementioned tracks are generally considered his best, and I have to agree, but there are some gems to be found among the lesser known fillers. The underrated Driedel is an insight into the consequences of your life's choices. Winterwood is a fine guitar-picking love song that doesn't get too mushy on you (like And I Love You So.) Every Day is a rather entertaining cover if a bit of a throwaway. His cover of Mountains O'Mourne is an excellently done ballad, and that leaves Prime Time as the only real throwaway of the bunch.

The real problem with just about every compilation album of McLean's is that they blatantly ignore what really is his best work. To me, the best possible Don McLean song (aside, of course, from American Pie) is a simplistic acoustic tune with McLean's endearing tenor singing deep lyrics (such as Vincent.) McLean's live performance album "Solo" makes for a far better "Best of" album than most of his compilations, in my mind. The compilation producers and myself are just clearly not seeing eye-to-eye, it seems.

"The Best of Don McLean" has a handful of great songs, but it is not a good enough retrospective of McLean's abilities. If you must get some compilation, and my are there many, then "The Legendary songs of Don McLean" would probably be a better choice, since it has twice as many tracks. But even that album ignores McLean's lesser known brilliance.

In my opinon, Vincent is the most beautifully written pop/folk song of the last century. While challenged in lyrical quality by other greats such as Janis Ian, Paul Simon, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger and even Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot and Jewel, Mc Lean fashioned together a few of the finest songs of this genre reaching the pinnacle with such folk touchstones as American Pie and Vincent. Ironically, like Van Gough himself, McLean's life and talents were fleeting. An excellent must have CD.

Don McLean has long been revered for his writing and singing of "American Pie." This CD is by no means a disappointment, he is an intense man with a distinctive voice and incredible lyrics - in short, an amazing talent. Whether singing an original piece, or re-recording a classic like "Crying" the man is a genius, able to combine blues, country and folk. What can I say, I adore him. I HAVE to say it though. Of all people, why did Madonna, of all people, have to re-make "American Pie"? Is anyone else unhappy about this?

This music is the music of America. A beautiful compelation of all the music before it.