Customer Reviews

Tapestry

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Great album in its original form, but this is not the original
version. For example, the original, released by Mediarts in
1970 has the best version of "Castles In The Air " which was
faster ( running time 2:50 )and featured great finger-picking
and singing. Don Mclean did not like the version, and the
slower version, complete with awful strings and drums has taken
it's place on many of his " best of " recordings. I believe
the wonderful song " No Reason For Your Dreams " has been
tampered with also. I know you can get the original version
on vinyl, and EMI Records boasts you can find it in their
"legendary artists series ", but I have not seen it.
Bottom line : wonderful album if you can get the actual
original version. Let the buyer beware : I just paid $20
for the 'ORIGINAL RECORDING FROM MASTER COPY 'and it is
not the original album. These record companies need to stop
remastering these gems unless they can stick to the ORIGINAL
format.

Do you like folk?... if you do, you gonna love this record... if you don't, i'm sure you gonna love it anyway (but you may give it a little more time).

Listen to his warm and clear voice, the way he play his guitar, and the way he build the language that he used in his songs, like a poet.

Thank you Don McLean, for this little, but important part of my life. I play guitar myself, and some times when it sounds bad and i lost my feelin for playing, I use this record to feel right again.

Bye it! a piece of harmony, a piece of america, a piece of my life.

This is an amazing album. I'm giving itfive stars even though I think one or two of the songs aren't really all that good. But most of them, especially "General Store" and "Respectable" are ahead of their time. The first seems to me to anticipate the militial movement. There's a bitterness wrapped in melody and poetry that transports me every time I listen to it. Buy this CD.

Don McLean's /Tapestry/ is clearly a concept album and in the breadth and detail of the album, you can see how the same man wrote "American Pie." However the songs vary so widely in quality that I don't feel like I can review the album as an entity. I don't regret buying the album a bit, there are some truly excellent songs that I still feel rank above some of his hits. If you're already a McLean fan, you simply must own his debut album. But if your only exposure to McLean is through "American Pie" (the song or the album), I'd listen to the songs a couple of times first.

My favorite track is "Respectable," a protest song that puts Bob Dylan to shame. "No Reason For Your Dreams," and "General Store" are also excellent. "Bad Girl" is a brilliant song--or three songs in one, that feels somehow unfinished, yet of all the songs in his catalog, this is the one I would most love to see redone by McLean, or at least covered. The orange (American) edition has the original version of "Castles in the Air," as well as another McLean classic "And I Love You So."

There's only two tracks on this album I flat out dislike "Three Flights Up" is tedious, though I feel it could be better. The title "Tapestry" track is simply bad. The music is boring, the lyrics are self-indulgent, and with too many words per line it sounds like he's constantly gasping for breath.

As for the remaining songs, they all sound strikingly similar, and strikingly like elevator music. I usually skip over "Orphans of Wealth" (the lyrics feel forced) and "Circus Song" (which feels like filler). And then there's "Magdalene Lane"--the song is enjoyable, full of allusions to pop-culture phenomenon and the golden age of the entertainment industry. It almost feels like he might be onto something here...

The EMI/UA reissue (E2-53928)of Tapestry with the Acoustic Highway theme and cover art (the original album cover is a small inset) has the original 2:50 recording of Castles In The Air, and I assume the rest of the album.

I couldn't agree more with the other reviewers who lament the fact that this CD has an altered version of Castles in the Air. The *original* version of "Castles in the Air" is one of my favorite McLean tracks.

Please note that there are THREE versions of Castles in the Air. McLean completely redid the track as a much slower version (3:40 vs. the original 2:54) in 1981, and that version appears on a lot of the compilations. The version on this CD is the same length as the original (and uses the original vocals), but it's a remix that adds cheesy synth-horns and stuff.

But wait, folks. See, that's not the worst part. The worst part is there was plenty of room on this CD for *both* the original and the cheesy remix and, given that the original version was, well, the original version, and given how many of us love it, there was absolutely no excuse for keeping it off the CD (in addition to the remix).

So that's why I say, let's discourage record companies from playing these kinds of games by refusing to buy products that are this poorly (and thoughtlessly, and stingily) put together.

Also please note: The original version of "Castles in the Air" is available as a stand-alone mp3 download from the "Favorites & Rarities" compilation.

This debut album by Don Mclean contains several spectacular tracks. Don displays his incredible voice, his fantastic finger picking skills, his ability to write melodies and his poetic lyrics. The Highlights of the album rophetic, reference-laden Magdalene Lane,the biting Respectable, and the haunting General Store.

The only issue with this album is that a few of the songs (most notably Tapestry, and The Orphans of Wealth) can at times become preachy. Yet, still they are good songs with poetic lyrics. The song Castles in the Airs is overly orchestrated and a few of the songs (Three Flights Up, Bad Girl) can at times feel disconnected. But, over all this is a great underrated album from one of the greatest singer-songwriters alive. From the melancholy ache of The Circus Song to the Country tinged swing of No Reason For Your Dreams this albums flows with golden, well written, well performed songs.

Some editions of this album (which is his first album) have had the song "Castles in the air" replaced with the 1981 remix. MY copy has the original 2.50 minute version which is completely different to the 1981 version ... but that doesnt mean it is a better version. McLean has admitted his dislike for the original version and that is why it is difficult to locate. The remix was released as a sucessful single in 1981 and is brilliant. It is the version you are likely to find on any of his countless compilations.

Tapestry is generally a folk album and can be a bit hard to take at first. It is not traditional McLean, if you want that, go for the "American Pie" album. Nevertheless, there are some treasures on here to please the fans, including the classic "And I LOve You So" and "If we Try". Both of these songs have been covered by artists such as Bobby Goldsboro and Olivia Newton-John.

Overall, "Tapestry" is a snapshot of a young Don McLean starting out. The liner notes include an interesting perception on the young songwriter.

General Store is a top song the rest are average.
Nowhere near as good as American Pie album.