American Pie

Decent album, a little delicate for my taste but very pleasant for Sunday morning coffee

did not expect the rest of this album to be somewhat moody and personal singer songwriter tracks based on what the song "american pie" is and has become. the rest of it was alright.

3.14159265359 but in the imperial system, I don't know.

Odd how the person responsible for one of the most famous songs of all time "fits" in a way with that song. See, American Pie (clearly so well known that the albun is named after that one song) is telling. It is an overlong song and it doesn't pull any punches as to its goal of being a sad song meant to be so. The entire album feels like this and I can't help feel somewhat manipulated, like I am intentionally trying to search up EMO before EMO was a thing... It is never a problem to seek out sad songs, listen to them, write them, perform them... but should I be compelled to go out and buy an album full of them? I can't fault McLean for being great at the one song at a time thing, but unless you are really in the mood, maybe not listen to an entire album at once?

There's no denying that this album's title track is one of the most iconic, cryptic and overall best songs of the 20th century. But that's the unfortunate part about having the first song be far and away the best on an album like American Pie. After 9 minutes, we see diminishing returns. The songs are GOOD, absolutely, but they'er a bit sleepy and repetitive after a while.

American pie and Vincent being the songs of note.

Outside of the title track (which I've heard countless times) I don't think I've heard most of the songs on this album more than once or twice before, if at all. There's some good stuff here, but it all has been (rightly, IMO) overshadowed by the iconic first song.

Although some tracks are the most seriously overplayed in history, it actually isn't that bad.

Despite having heard the song "American Pie" a zillion times, I'm not sure I've ever heard the rest of the album, so this is great. It's of course hard *not* to think of Don McLean as a one-hit wonder, given the well-deserved immortality of "American Pie", but his other hits on this album don't really compare, at least to me. But then again, I've never really warmed to most of the folk/ballad-style/easy-listening hits that seem to permeate 70s albums. (I did enjoy the sort of Dylanesque "Everybody loves me, baby," though, and I also enjoyed "The Grave".) It's fun to read a little bit about the recording of "American Pie" (the song), and it makes me appreciate the backing band style and execution. And very cool that he (likely) got Pete Seeger, James Taylor, Carly Simon and others for the backup refrain towards the end of the song. It's hard to know the best rating for this album. It's so much like "Alice's Restaurant", where there's just one (great) song that's stood the test of time, and the rest of the album kind of drags that song down in some ways. (Although "American Pie" is *so* much better than "Alice's Restaurant," I know.) So I'll settle for a wishy-washy 3 rating.

Tough to rate an album that contains a lot of never heard folk ballads along with one of the greatest songs ever written. Tough for anyone to top a masterpiece of storytelling and history for a complete album. However ..this is "mood" music if there ever was...and McLeans voice has a soothing and calm like no other. So...if you are into him and his sound Im sure the whole thing is a treat. Me personally it's not a good fit.

Not an album I’m listening to on the daily but it’s a lovely folk record that became a piece of Americana.

fine. obviously timeless classic song, but the rest was okay.

meh

jaa, ganz nett aber nicht vom Hocker reissend

american pie (song) is a masterpiece but the rest of the album doesn’t really match up. not necessarily bad.

I remember this album being a big deal back in the day and seem to remember discussing the song American Pie in music class. I've heard the two hits innumerable times but surprisingly never heard the rest of the album until now. McLean's voice and playing made for a pleasant listen and I enjoyed it. A solid 3/5.

Titeltrack blijft prachtig, de rest haalt het er niet bij, maar ook niet slecht

Ожидал абсолютное дно, но альбом неплохой (э-э, в первую очередь судя по обложке). Очень приятный голос, но при этом будто бы сильный? Для меня заглавная песня не заигранная, послушал с удовольствием. Вижу потенциал на переслушать в определенном настроении. При всем при этом, трепета эта музыка не вызывает. Лучшая песня - Vincent.

Kort sag. Hurtigt lyttet. Vild åbner. Resten er glemt igen.

Why did every song sound like American Pie? Did he even try to make anything else? Also, the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes cover of Vincent is better than the original.

I guess I knew more of these than I realized. Couldn't hear American Pie, just Heard Weird Al.

Ihan ok piano-folklevy. Avausraitaa on vaikea kuunnella miettimättä Weird Al-parodiaa :D

Strong start with the monumental singalong title track, before the album falls into (debatably) an acoustic rut. It's just McLean and his guitar, baby. And you darn better feel emotional and all "countried out", even as you reach the fifth consecutive track with exactly the same texture. (Seriously – Till Tomorrow, Vincent, Crossroads, Winterwood, and Empty Chairs all have such similar feels that it's pretty surprisingly they were clustered so closely together, or indeed all placed on the same album to begin with.) Following this train of thought, it really does feel like Don McLean can only write songs with two textures: the slow, acoustic ballads with little to interest the ear other than lyrics (which are admittedly pretty touching), and the semi-joyous, pessimistic country singalongs (title track and Everybody Loves Me, Baby) In fact, Everybody Loves Me, Baby feels like a thinly veiled adaptation of the verses of American Pie, with similar vocal inflections, instrumentation, chord progression, and melody. Still, it's a pretty strong track. I won't end this review without giving a special shoutout to Babylon, the medieval-sounding closing track. Thick with self-harmonising, the track is a textbook use of canon and is honestly great. Very pretty. The album comes across as a slightly weaker and less varied Cold Spring Harbor (Billy Joel). It's a high 3, but a 3 nonetheless. Key tracks: American Pie, Vincent, Winterwood, Babylon

American Pie (the song) is great, but after Till Tomorrow it just gets uninteresting and most of it doesn’t have a lot to offer. It gets a bit better with the songs at the end (The Grave and Babylon are fun). This was ok, honestly.

Not bad

Toyed with a 4* for this, but not much other than American Pie sticks out. Simpsons: Yes

America pie is obviously a classic. I usually moan about long songs but because it is telling a story it never gets boring. Also love Vincent. The rest of the album is fine and pleasent to listen to but nothing else grabbed me.

I tried listening to this when it first came up. I found out my niece had passed away whilst listening to Vincent so that song and this album are difficult listens for me. I like American Pie even if I have no idea what he’s chatting about. Obviously Buddy Holly died but how does all the other stuff he’s talking about relate together? I still like it though. Vincent and Crossroads are sad listens but good. I like Everybody Loves Me, Baby. Babylon is a weird listen. I like it a lot but I have to listen to the Boney M version afterwards to resolve it almost. I like the album but it’s a weird one for me.

American Pie American pie is brillant, it really is. Not just the lyrical allusions but a brilliant chorus, joyful exuberant playing and a tender melancholic feels to the words. The line about dancing in the gym is always very evocative to me Till tomorrow. Parts of this feel a lot like a Nick Drake song, particulate the verses and chorus. The middle eight not so much I do love Vincent, even if the lyrics on occasion are a bit on the nose. Lovely meldoy Not keen on crossroads, feels a little bit anodyne and inert. Everybody Loves Me, Baby is a bit unconvincing, not sure it quite works The Grave is very good, although the S&G production doesn’t quite fully land. It’s a good album, Vincent, American Pie and The Grave the obvious standouts, with some lovely melodies, but beyond that a lot of the songs do feel like variations of the same musical idea and the lyrics can be a bit lumpen and heavy handed. Production/sound wise it also feels pretty dated and a bit thin. Somewhere between a 3 and a 4, I’ll go 3, one all time classic song, a couple of great tunes and some nice but ultimately middling songs. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two iconic songs on this and the rest sounds like pale imitations of them until Babylon which is pretty unique and good!

Don McLean would easily be the best player at your local open mic. By miles even. American Pie is classic for a reason. Vincent is also great and I really enjoyed Winterwood, Sister Fatima, and The Grave. But I find the album to be wildly inconsistent. Empty Chairs should be a nice song on paper, but it's so vague there's just no gut punch to it. Don's finger picking is excellent. I have a ton of little tricks to go practice after this record, but they don't always feel musical. It's noodley folk solos which is interesting in a 'I didn't know that was possible' kind of way, but not in the good ways. All in all, I want Don to pick a lane more. The most interesting songs were the ones were he started to get political (The Grave and pieces of "Everybody Loves Me, Baby) or paints a unique portrait (American Pie, Vincent, Sister Fatima, even Winterwood) but it feels very minimal. Overall, I have the impression of a very talented musician and singer who just doesn't really have a point of view to share.

It was good, I’ll revisit this again in the future

It’s ight you know

This album is all over the place. It starts off guns blazing with an all time American classic. Nobody can hate that song, it is the spirit of the American folk rock genre. After that the album feels oddly hungover for a while like it couldn't quite live up to the hype of the first track. I liked some of the slower songs but there was a total lack of energy and enthusiasm about them. Then the album ends with a couple oddly religious and almost monastic songs like Graves and Babylon which I was here for. American Pie weights up the rest of the album for me and it ended strong, but I can't vote it too high for that mid album lull.

Liked it quite a bit

This is sad this is so sad I just do not think it leaps past its title song and Vincent. I think the lyrics are what carry this record and I am glad I heard it the top song is enough to be on here. There are glimpses of amazingness here and I love them Crossroads and Everybody Loves Me baby win me over. I think I just wasn't in the mood for slow ballads but I will happily revisit!

Pretty solid

American Pie, Vicent. Tranquilo. Con canciones que recuerdan a American Pie y a otras.

RIP Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. Richardson, and music

How he gonna sing a whole song about Vincent Van Gogh and not mention the ear

Some bangers and a few more that don’t quite do it for me

I liked it a lot Qu’usité a few gems that aren’t American pie 3.5

So many sentimental songs on this album, he touches on so many emotional notes in a tender way. Sonically not my favorite folky music but still enjoyed. Definitely a historic album

Surprisingly solid record. Everyone knows that title track. The other songs are way more mellow. “The Grave” was absolutely heartbreaking.

It was my first time listening to the album in full and it was a pleasant, easy-listening experience. Crossroads was a particularly beautiful piece which I wasn't previously familiar with. Of course the title track and Vincent are the standouts, but as nice as the remaining songs were, I wouldn't rush into a repeat listen... having said that, it's a strong 3/5.

Interesting. From the viewpoint of the listener the character in some of these songs is a real asshole. Some are short and meant to be profound, but there isn’t a thread that really ties them together. Plus a song about Van Gogh - again, meant to be deep like the singer has an understanding the rest of us don’t. Not a bad album altogether but I can’t shake the feeling that this is a painter who ended up writing songs.

Melancholy classic. Good guitar and piano. Solid album for a rainy day.

Really enjoyed the entire album! Obviously "American Pie" & "Vincent" are among some of the best songs ever written (i.e. never knew that "Vincent" was about Vincent Van Gogh - who knew...), and also thought that "Crossroads" was incredibly well done as well... Decided to go with 3 stars instead of 4, as the top of this album is absolutely exceptional, but it is not as spectacular top-to-bottom...

Interesting album

It’s so hard for me to hear “American Pie” without singing the lyrics to the Weird Al Star Wars parody in my head (where he recounts the full plot of The Phantom Menace). I’ve listened to that song more than I’ve listened to “American Pie.” I’ve even sung it at karaoke. It cracks me up every time. But of course, “American Pie” is an incredible song. The rest of the album is mostly acoustic folk. The only song that even tries to capture some of that same energy is “Everybody Loves Me, Baby.” Sometimes Don McLean sounds like Simon & Garfunkel, sometimes he sounds like Bob Dylan. He’s a good singer and the songs are nice. But “American Pie” towers over everything else and the album seems to be designed this way.

"American Pie" is really the track here, but growing up and playing guitar, I constantly came across suggestions that every guitarist should learn "Vincent" at some point in their lives. "American Pie" is great, "Vincent" is beautiful. I don't think too many of the other tracks stand close to those two though, which makes it hard to rate too high even though those two are so great. There are a few other standouts, like "Empty Chairs" and "Everybody Loves Me, Baby", and I do like the storytelling lyrics. Sometimes it feels like they get a little too literal sometimes, where everything being described is exactly what it is, and there's moments where it's like "oh here's a sad lyric so it has to have a minor chord underneath it". I always think that's kind of corny.

duplicate

Good in parts but a bit bleh overall

For American Pie 3.2

Meh

Very pretty song but other than american pie they dont stand out. Other than that beautiful guitar play and all but i dont think ill revisit

American Pie might be the most overplayed song of all time, it also might be the best singalong song of all time. The rest of the very low energy, other than Everybody Loves Me, Baby which is almost a rip off of the title track melodically. It is a pretty album, but the music is mostly dead. 6.1/10

Couple of classics, mostly felt like background music. Did enjoy it though

One big song - ok background music. 36mins felt like an hour

grab me a slice

Bye Bye / 5

mostly enjoyable, Didn’t like the churchy hymn at the end, more pie please

Fun fact: I met this guys son. Nice guy

Very surprised by this. Expected it to be shit judging from the main song. Kinda feel sorry for him, aye he’ll have made a tonne of money from that song but he’s way better than that and probably gets little recognition about it. It isnt the nostalgic US pop record I expected. It’s probably somewhere between interesting folk and MOR pop. Sometimes I even thought a bit of Nick Drake but then other times its a bit too MOR. Enjoyed Till Tomorrow, Vincent, Winterwood. A couple of others too. Others passed me by. Probably wont be back but definitely a bit more respect for Donald.

American pie is overplayed, even within its own runtime I couldn't believe how many times I had to hear the chorus. I think it's probably an okay song but I can't hear anything to enjoy anymore. The rest of the album was largely a much softer acoustic sound. Some of the songs were genuinely decent though I don't really like Don's voice. It seems like American pie eclipsed the the sort of music he actually wanted to make. By and large it wasn't interesting enough to return to but it was a pleasant surprise relative to what I expected.

Starts with an absolute banger and then a string of mostly boring (while pretty) ballads.

The title track is one of the songs that certainly doesn't get better the more you listen to it. I've gotten to the point of saturation of this song that I really never want to hear it again. That being said there was a time I didn't feel that way and this album played often by my parents, so theres a bit of nostalgia when listening to it. So outside of the title track and Vincent the album is just ok.

But for the song American Pie, which is an iconic track, this record would be forgotten. That track alone boosts the rating by one star.

The title track is pretty classic. Vincent is ok. The rest of this record is really boring.

I've never personally been a big fan of the title track so going into this I thought I would have a pretty rough time. It turns out I was pleasantly surprised by most of this. As an album it's a little odd but it has a few really solid songs looping in themes of post 60s disillusionment and melancholy.

Title track is iconic but the remainder falls flat. Starts with a bang though

Mainly known for the big song, the rest were okay, nothing memorable but fine background music. An okay album for me.

American Pie est une très bonne chanson, le reste était ok

A thoughtful album full of deep sad lyrics. The tempo never really gets above grass growing speeds. But there are times when that is what is required. So this may not be an album for everyday listening, but those times when love has gone, crops haven't grown and your dog has died then this is the album you need.

only gettting a three store bc of the title track. everything else is forgettable

Cousin Donny with a solid Americana staple

Gets a 3 just bc title track is just so damn good. Album should close with it tbh. Because it’s all down hill pretty hard from there.

Hadn’t heard anything aside from American Pie up to this point. Pretty much what I had expected overall. East listening, folk, gentle vocals and guitar. Everybody Loves me breathes some needed life back into it on the later half, enjoyed Winterwood and the Grave as well. Decent listen 3 stars

I was expecting a cheesefest, yet some of the songs on this LP are surprisingly good. Of course the insanely famous title track--a nostalgic epic about rock'n'roll pioneers--is deservedly iconic and catchy. Yet it's songs like "'Till Tomorrow", "Vincent" or "Sister Fatima" that just might make the album a worthy addition to this list. Even more impressive (and highly unexpected) is the very dark tone of the last two tracks: McLean's vocal performance is still a little hackneyed on "The Grave", sure... but gosh, what an effective and moving song about the horrors of war ; and that short cover of the biblical anthem "Babylon" is a mesmerizing mystical capper for this LP... Obviously, there's still a lot of trite or quaint moments in this record that could be taken quite derisively by this listener (all of them in the middle of the album). Yet I have to admit that the dynamic way McLean went from one mood to the next surprised me here. 3/5 for the purposes of this list, translating to a 8/10 grade for more general purposes (5+3). Number of albums left to review: 391 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 277 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 145 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 193

Better than expected for me Very good lyricist and composer

American pie is a great song . The rest is not bad I just couldn’t get into it. Kind of boring 2.5

And Jon Good

Ágætt, betra en mig minnti.

Don McLean doing what Don McLean does best.

American Pie, Vicent. Tranquilo. Con canciones que recuerdan a American Pie y a otras.

Boring other than a few songs. Alfa length of the last song.

kinda boring, good length, 3.5 babylon

Other than one of the most overplayed songs ever, it’s ok at best.

I imagine the biggest surprise to non Americans is that they know 2 Don McLean songs (Vincent). I do recognise the splendour of American Pie - and wonder that if Don knew the impact it would have he wouldn't have put it first in the album. As just everything else will get compared, and let's be honest, the rest of the album compares poorly, but to be fair, what wouldn't? Is it a great album? Nah. One of the greatest songs? Of course.

Heard it a lot but very good

It’s a real bummer it starts off with an absolute classic because every song afterwards feels like a letdown. Maybe one or two more really good songs scattered throughout the rest. 5/10

Very Americana. Idk that its 10% my jam.

American Pie, the song, is a classic. It is an anthem for the USA. To be required at every BBQ. It is a 5. However, I can’t recall if I have ever consciously listened to the entire song from start to finish. I always zone out and snap awake when he sings “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick”. It always happens. It’s just too damn long. Then I find out that the entire album is just different versions of American Pie… well that just has to be immediately forgotten, and I have to pretend that the song is only 3 minutes of perfection where I chat with my friends in the sunshine, to lovely smells of smoked meats, and booms of fireworks. -Speaking of 3.

Seeing the album cover art, I started listening with a negative mindset, but I was pleasantly surprised by this album. It's pensive and thoughtful folk music for the most part. He dedicated the album to Buddy Holly, and the title track includes the line "the day the music died" which is how that 1959 tragedy is now known as.

It's very nice. Does anybody else think 'Empty Chairs' is a re-write of the very-good 'Vincent'? All over this album, the melodies start to sound somewhat familiar. Also: his voice sounds very much like Loudon Wainwright III

It was alright, but really it was "American Pie" that pulled it up to a 3.

The song title that launched a thousand terrible movies that are still floundering at the bottom of Wal-Mart DVD bins. As for the album, it's all pretty good. The title track would've been so much better at the very end, in my opinion.

You know, the American Pie is gets goofed on a lot as a song, but despite it's cheesiness, I have always really loved it. My familiarity with Don McLean basically starts and ends there. This album was great though, starts off with that familiar song and then doesn't veer much from that sound, over a quick and succinct album. Real pleasure on a Sunday morning.

After 30 years of not listening to the song because of American Pie "fatigue", I have to admit that it really is one hell of a good song. I know that the song is specifically about Buddy Holly's death, but some of the other references, including "birds" and "eight miles", also have me believing that the "day the music died" was also referring to Altamont and how that weekend brought the whole Woodstock/Summer of Love era to a crashing halt. American Pie then stands as bookends to two major rock music eras. The rest of the songs are pretty good folk tunes, but aren't very varied or imaginative. It's obvious that Don was breaking his neck trying to sound like Paul Simon, but coming up a bit short. Still, this entire album was a very strong effort, but didn't quite deliver.

Cheesy as hell but good fun.

It’s like a happy Bob Dylan with a little Billy Joel thrown in possibly? It’s very much focussed on the American Pie song I guess, everything else pales in comparison - and even that is a bit too overplayed and overdone to be welcome. It’s not a bad album - just not a must listen.

American Pie and Vincent are rightly classics. Otherwise a bit bland

this album was better than I expected! id never heard the studio version of American pie before and it did wayyy more than I thought it would. the first half of the album unfortunately blows the second half out of the water. Vincent is cool track 2 is cool

Love the first song... and not so much the rest of the album

Iconic title song, but I think the album will take a few more listens to really sink in.

toppen jueh

American Pie

Don McLean goes all in with the opening song "American Pie" but runs on fumes for the rest of the album. The rest isn't bad but it's impossible to match the first song.

Easy listening. No faults here. Minus one because it's a little too cliche.

okay gentle strummy guitar stuff. dramatic sad sounding okayness to rest to. i dont know, everyone knows the song about dead musicians. they died in a plane crash. weep for them. or dont. don mclean stays downtempo and slow, which for me isnt much fun. where the prog at?

A pleasant enough album, not many notable tracks for me and not likely to be back to listen to the whole but did put a few into a folk playlist.

American Pie and Vincent are instantly recognized classics. While the rest of the songs didn't reach those highs, I still feel like it kept a high standard. There were a bit too many ballads or ballad-like songs for my taste, so it will get a strong 3.

Man American Pie is such a good song, found myself humming along a few minutes in. Must be one of the first songs i listened to a lot when i started to get interested in music. Many songs where beautiful like Vincent and his voice is great. I felt the album became a bit samey toward the end. Fun listened since i only knew the song "American Pie" before.

Vincent and American Pie lift this album up.

Don has a very full voice that stands out from the soft airy vocals I’m used to hearing in folk music. I expected a title track and 30 minutes of filler, but I see how someone could get really into this album. Not me though I probably won’t come back to it. Cover art: 3/10 👍: title track, everybody loves me baby(if it’s satire), babylon 👎: everybody loves me baby (if it’s not satire)

I wanted to like this one more than I did but didn’t really get into it. His slower songs felt like Nick Drake/Leonard cohen songs and the wordy rock songs felt like mid 60s Dylan but nothing seemed all that original to himself or better done than those artists. I guess it makes sense that the best song is an ode to other pop icons he listened to. That being said, the songs were all still decent and American Pie is a classic for a reason. Feel like this one could grow on me but just wasn’t feeling it today. 👍: American pie, Empty chairs

Bruh my entire review got deleted. Fuck it.

3.4 - Extremely earnest, often cloyingly so. For example, there's the saccharin ode to Van Gogh on "Vincent." He also pays tribute to a florist on 42nd St in the somewhat touching but mostly sappy "Sister Fatima." To make this album even more on par for the era, McLean rounds it out with an anti-war protest song ("The Grave"). Still, there are more than a few stirring moments on the beloved title track that excuse many of the sentimental excesses.

Let's be real, this album is only known for American Pie. Honestly, probably not a bad thing, though I didn't realise it is an eight and a half minute song! It was ok, nothing to write home about, but also not my preferred style of music. Best: American Pie Worst: The Grave 2.5 Stars

This was a little mellower and more folksy than the title track.

American pie i vincent su jedine dvi koje sam zapamtio i tako je ostalo

Solid album. The only song I knew well was American Pie, classic

I knew more of these than I realised

Absolutely great opening and self titled opening song, for the remembrance of Buddy Holly and friends. One of the greatest ever in the folk genre. The rest of the album is rather average, it reminds me of some of the songs by Paul Simon, but nothing actually stands out enough to describe it in more details. Interesting piece of history, hood to know the album, but nothing exceptional.

One year during high school, on the fourth of July, a bunch of my friends were hanging out. My friend Andy decided, for reasons that I have since forgotten, that we would listen to American Pie. On repeat. For hours. The funny thing about this song is that it's long enough that you can keep it going for a few hours without getting too sick of it. We continued on way past that point, to the point where I fucking hated this song and Don McLean. We kept listening. Eventually my loathing of the song gave way to pure affection, and that's where I've been ever since. I still know all the words. Unfortunately, American Pie is the only thing that's really worth talking about on this album. It's fine, but uninteresting. Sort of like if they put that ChumbaWumba album on this list 3/5, with one song doing all of the work, just like every group project I did in school

Overraskende likt Nick Drake. Noen fine spor jeg ikke hadde hørt før.

Average and accepted.

I won’t turn Don McLean off, but I am never thinking “oh, I need some Don McLean.”

The rest of the album isn't as good as the title track. Kinda middle of the road, but the album gets at least a 3 from me off just one song.

Opening song is amazing. The reset is great but not at the same level. Great voice

I forgot that American Pie was 9 minutes. A fun song but definitely the main reason this album is on the list. I liked Everybody Loves Me Baby a lot too. Took a strange turn at the end.

Not always my kind of thing and a few of the tracks don't do it for me. But it's a great example of what it is; really authentic American folk. Sister Fatima is a beauty

Scale: 1: Dissapointing 2: Didn't enjoy 3: Decent 4: Enjoyed 5: Would listen again (My first impression if not mentioned otherwise in a comment) American Pie: 4/5, i long songs but this song was actually nice Till Tomorrow: 3/5, fine Vincent: 2.5/5, literally the same song as before Crossroads: 2/5 the same song Winterwood: 2.5/5 ok Empty Chairs: 1/5, worst one so far Everybody Loves Me, Baby: 1/5, annoying Sister Fatima: 2/5, nope The Grave: 3/5, fine Babylon: 4/5, cool song for the end Overall: 2.5/5, started off good ended off good but the middle part was annyoing and basically bad song after bad song. barely a 3.

3 stelle

Simple with beautiful, earnest lyrics.

Vincent is a great track but the rest of the album doesn't do much for me

- Remakes and covers of old songs? - Very Top Gun 2 ish - I likes the songs, especially "Everybody Loves Me, Baby"

This album ws better than anticipated.

Ik kende enkel de titelsong en had een vrolijker album verwacht. Ik was licht teleurgesteld

One hit wonder

This album makes no sense. 10 songs, 36 minutes, but 9 of them are the opening track. You forget just how long the song American Pie goes on, god forgive anyone who picks it as a karaoke song as it takes half the night. There's absolutely no surprises here because everyone knows the song, and the rest of the album goes in the same vein. I'd quite like to listen to an album of tracks that are more like the ones you haven't heard before as I think it'd probably be better.

LP

Dit verdient meer aandacht dan ik vandaag bereid ben te geven. Derhalve hou ik het op 3 sterren. Eigenlijk zou ik dit later nog eens moeten proberen, maar dat zit er vast niet meer in.

Fijne stem heeft Don! En zijn liedjes zijn ook best in orde.

Mooie stem. Eerste lied geweldig.

One of the most famous songs during my youth. Still worth-while listening.

Between 3 and 4 stars. I forgot to rate this right away and although Don McLean goes on the "dad" pile it didn't give me as generic of dad vibes as some other albums, but I recall that it had a depressing vibe.

Bold to open with an 8 min song. Rest of album is fine, just not my vibe

This album, like many others, suffers from having a much weaker back half compared to the first few songs. American Pie the song is also clearly the best of the album so beginning with this song just makes the rest of the album seem worse than it is. Still, after listening to it for a second time with headphones, it makes for decent background music while doing other work. The only song that I didn't like after the second listen was Everybody Loves Me, Baby, so I will bump it up from a 2 to a 3. In summary, this is a decent album that just doesn't have enough great songs to make me want to keep going back to listen to it.

ну это скучно, такой музыки просто навалом

pretty dull aside from the one hit wonder. 3.

Some standouts but mostly boring.

It’s got some undeniable hits including the title track, an 8-minute long epic that’ll live forever. Outside of one other song here everything else is…fine. McLean is clearly an icon…mainly from this album but for me it doesn’t carry enough.

Half mum sad songs. Album sounds like the guitar kid who's voice is bad. Yes he compensates for the cool melodies and guitar work but we're only half interested. Almost gave this a 2

I chose to listen to this as an antidote to some awful heavy metal that had hurt my ears. My folks used to have the album in the 70s and Vincent was my auntie’s favourite song. It really evoked the Age of Aquarius with women floating about in long white dresses, adorned with Daisy crowns. It’s very much a period piece. I couldn’t listen to it again for a while as it feels like I have a piece of fudge now stuck to the roof of my mouth. Cloying and sickly. But I did enjoy The Grave and Babylon as ways to wallow in an era now lost to us all.

Yeah not too bad really. The title track is the obvious banger - long as it is. Rest of the album actually more folky and mellow which was pleasant enough given that Pie itself has that bluesy twang

The album doesn't really meet the high that the title track gives. A lot more of solo singer songwriter stuff than I was anticipating. Favorite tracks: "American Pie", "Babylon"

Listened Before? N This album is a mood. Once you get past the title track, the entire rest of the record feels like one long poem or song. It's pretty good, but it's too depressing for me today. I assume I would appreciate it more on a freezing cold, cloudy or rainy day. That being said: the title song stands apart. Everyone knows it, everyone knows at least some of the words. It's an amazing song that somehow makes one feel nostalgic for a time they didn't even live in. The song is a 10/10, the rest of the album is about a 6/10. We'll average this out to a 3.4/5... which basically rounds to a 3. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: American Pie

The title track has become such a totem of American culture, its impact and longevity almost improbable (hell, for almost 50 years it was the longest song to ever hit #1 on the Billboard chart), that it isn’t a surprise the rest of the album trembles in its shadow. But that isn’t to say the other songs aren’t worth listening to: “Vincent” in particular is a delicately crafted ode to Van Gogh that is remarkably sensitive about the often-taboo topic of mental illness.

When I was really young, my dad sang American Pie around the house. The first time I heard it on the radio I was incredulous about how his song ended up there! Nostalgic 5. Otherwise, earnest man telling stories well.

I recently heard an interview on the radio with Don McLean. He seems like a genuinely sweet guy. That said, I cringed when this album showed up as the album of the day. I have a running list of "songs I never need to hear again in my life," and "American Pie" tops the list. [Notable others, as I'm sure you're super interested to know, include "Brown Eyed Girl," "Sweet Caroline," and anything that falls out of the mouth of Jimmy Buffet.] The song is 5:30 longer than necessary, it's ponderous, I've heard it way too many times... I'm beyond over it. I skipped it when listening to this album so that I wouldn't start off in a foul temper. And... Don McClean has a lovely singing voice. His songs are perfectly nice. I'm sure his intentions are pure. 3 stars because the title track is an iconic song that I could sing 80% of the words to despite not having heard it since college (aka, a long, long time ago).

Somehow I never got around to listening to this before now (aside from the title track, of course). I enjoyed it, though I don't know that I loved it. Sometimes I found the lyrics to be original poetic and sometimes I think they're amateurish. Vincent is a good song, but it's also a good example of this. "You took your life as lovers often do" is a good line. "Look out on a summer's day / With eyes that know the darkness in my soul" sounds like something an angsty teen would write in their diary. Ultimately, I doubt this album would be on this list were it not for the title track. But How do you rate that song? It's so ubiquitous it's hard to hear it with fresh ears. (Kind of like Stairway to Heaven.) My take from this listen is that the song is equally amazing and ridiculous. (Also kind of like Stairway.) I remember as a kid enjoying trying to decipher who all the artists were. But once you do that, I'm not exactly sure what you're left with. Then again, the chorus is catchy as hell, so who cares. It's been a while since we've had an album I've loved, and I feel like I'm turning into the cranky guy. So, I guess I won't be the cranky guy today and I'll just enjoy the melodies, and he's not a bad singer, and the production is pleasant enough, and I really enjoyed that last tune with all the harmonies.

Like most, I never listened to the entire album. I probably won't ever listen to it again. But I'm glad I did before I die. I still enjoy hearing American Pie (the song)...a lot. The whole album blasted me with a nostalgia for sweet folksongs and an afternoon watching Magic Garden.

Pleasant enough, not something I'd play again and again.

vanhaa rattoisaa musiikkia... perushyväalbumi... ensimmäinen biisi tietenkin klassikko, loput ihan ok. byyyye bye mi american pie for the levye anf he heavy askdf th levvjkak ba ba bak, the day the musiikki kuoli... american pie

American Pie and other sad folk songs

This album is all about American Pie. It's the name of the bloody album and it takes up 25% of the runtime! And I get it. I get why it's on here. I'm tired of it, but I get it. The rest of the album is actually quite pleasant. Don M has a nicer voice than I originally gave him credit for. Idk fuck it three stars

good

C’est correct. American pie m’a toujours énervé. Le reste est mieux. J’ai bien rit à Everybody loves me, baby.

Buy me some American Pie!

More then the 2 famous songs in contains. Thoughtful songs and not to drown out.

Weak sauce

I don't really understand why American Pie was the first track on this album. Really felt like that was the highest point of the album and the rest of it was just quite boring. The only other song I quite liked was The Grave near the end of the album, I thought that was a pretty moving song, how it starts slow, swells up, then ends pretty much how it started. But other than that one, nothing else really interested me besides American Pie, which is the only song I knew and still remains the best in my opinion. Favourite: American Pie

Two classic tracks and the rest was alright so 3*

Zaczęło się nieźle, ale później nudy

À part la chanson titre, album très moyen. Pas de chansons qui sortent du lot.

sure

Okay wow - I did NOT know American Pie was the FIRST song on the album. What a wild choice. I don't know that I've ever listened to any other song on this album before this. i absolutely love American Pie so that song alone existing on this album gives it at least 3 stars. But it's also hard because if no other song lives up to the genius of the first one, it's just a great song, not a great album. The next few songs are kinda sleepy / background music to me. They blend together. I hate Vincent, mostly because I hate the van Gogh painting it evokes/is presumably about and I'm mad at Don for writing a dumb song about it. It already gets enough attention. In general, the other songs feel...basic? In lyrics and musicality. Just..amateur. Not original. Not memorable. Winterwood is alright. So is Empty Chairs. But I will likely very think to play them again. Then all of a sudden we get the Don I first fell for back with Everybody Loves Me, Baby!! YES! And then he immediately puts me back to sleep with Sister Fatima. Okay I liked how The Grave ended a lot. Babylon I've heard before and it's better (middle of the pack). Honestly, sounds like a Catholic hymn. McLean's voice reminds me so much of another famous artist but I can't place who I'm thinking of. Whose style/voice am I thinking of?? I think any of his contemporaries who have an even slightly similar sound blow him out of the water - Simon & Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, etc - with more original melodies, lyrics, more musicality. Disappointing, Don, but now I know why I never knew American Pie had a whole album after it.

Very pretty lyrics and a classic kind of sound. Vincent is especially interesting.

Clearly the title track and starry starry night set themselves apart... though there are some other interesting pieces here... empty chairs was decent. Wasn't sure about The Grave, that seemed a bit of a curve ball. On the whole a couple of stellar track and some fair ones.

Not my favorite genre, but I'll give credit for the musicianship.

everyone knows american pie, and i guess near everyone knows vincent. outside of that, i know nothing else. didnt even know there was no a in mclean. if you played some of these other songs to me blind, i would have guessed james taylor and i'd wonder when james taylor forgot how to write good lyrics. this album is really carried by having one of the all time greatest songs leading off. the best songs here are the ones with a strong sense of narrative: the two famous ones, "sister fatima" and "the grave", because don mclean's talents aside from one of the cleanest voices in folk is storytelling. the rest just bleed into one another, almost indistinguishable. i guess "till tomorrow" is charming if those violins are taken away.

some classic tracks on there . Nice enough

Ascolto piacevole, un po' lento.

Who knew Don McLean wrote more than just American Pie?

The title track is obviously a banger. The rest of the album is very pleasant to listen to, but I feel like most of the melodies are repetitive and many songs sound the same. But overall a nice listen.

The title track is iconic. To many, especially those of us listening radio in 1971-72, the track is an all-time classic. Vincent is not far behind. Don McLean sounds wonderful throughout and the arrangements are sparse and not dated. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is merely average folk rock.

Un album agréable jusqu'à l'arrivée de Stifler et son humour vulgaire et hypersexualisé. Mention spéciale à Pause Caca.

Don Mc Lean fait de son mieux pour redorer le blason de la country américaine, enchaînant mêmes de jolis sons en canons. Malheureusement, le lobby des pétasses américaines est beaucoup trop fort pour être défait de la sorte.

American Pie is actually an 8 minutes song! Great song writing. Vincent is such a good song.

Eh, I don't know. I guess it's a product of it's time. American Pie and Vincent are standouts for sure but the rest doesn't really grab me.

Eh, this was fine I guess. Nothing too exciting. "Everybody Loves Me, Baby", is basically the same song as "American Pie", right?! Fave track - "American Pie" is a karaoke standard, so I have some affection for it. "The Grave" was my fave discovery on the album...

My unpopular opinion: I hate the song American Pie. I was more interested in how the rest of the album went. He's a good songwriter. I enjoyed it though it was a little more mellow than I was in the mood for today.

3 Not big on folk rock and this didn’t do anything to change that. The title track is still a good song. Till Tomorrow is like American Pie again but sadder. Vincent is the token tragedy which was okay. Everybody Loves Me is probably my favorite song but it’s such a standout that it almost seems like a rockabilly parody (I mean that in a good way. Like when Sid Vicious sang My Way) Everything else seemed kinda filler-y to me, all clinging to a similar melody or structure. The deep chanting harmonies of Babylon was a neat moody closer.

3 Today I learned Don McLean is not a one-hit wonder. I've always been a fan of the title track - the song structure is incredibly catchy and the lyrics well-written, which makes the song feel much shorter than its 8 and half-minute length. (Though it's hard for me not think "My my this here Anakin guy / Maybe Vader someday later..." whenever I hear the chorus). I dug the guitar work as a whole on the record, which at times gave me Simon & Garfunkel vibes. However, though enjoyable, most songs didn't do much for me to stand apart from the other tracks. Favorite songs: American Pie, Till Tomorrow, Winterwood

An album that is probably only cared about because of the first some on it. Pretty sure almost any American could sing the words to it. The rest of the album however is mostly forgotten. It’s not bad. McLean has a good singing voice. The album isn’t all that special but it’s enjoyable. 5.5/10

what a fucking morbid album, Jesus Christ

3, enjoyed this

Pretty unspectacular, you have to be in the mood for it, I wasn't. It's well made though and idk, 3/5.

American Pie, a trip down memory lane although for the 90's, not 70's. The rest was enjoyable enough but I'm happy to leave it in the lane it is

It was ok

One great song American Pie.

Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Decent folk, was worried it would be more americana/country

The title track doesn't feel like 8 minutes. Always liked Vincent, but mainly for punk covers by the likes of NOFX. I will say I prefer the cover, like the godless heathen I am. Crossroads is quite beautiful and understated. I do not like Everybody loves me baby. The other tracks washed over me.

It's not my favorite folk album ever, but I did enjoy it. American Pie is an amazing song.

Surprisingly better than I expected.

Decent listen

Valeu pela abertura do disco, hit fundamental que garante a audição agradável.

I learned Starry Starry Night in grade school choir, I didn't realize until now that it was a relatively current pop song at the time (mid seventies). We learned Cat's in the Cradle too. I lumped those songs in with This Land is Your Land and the ilk as old standards. In retrospect I find myself wondering why they thought Vincent belonged in the same set list as Señor Gato was a Cat. Anywaaay, enough about me, on to the album. American Pie is a beautiful example of putting your heart into a song and singing with genuine emotion. Deserves its iconic status. The title track is worth a star by itself. Second song takes the energy right down to 0 but at least it is pretty. Star for Vincent perhaps just out of nostalgia, although by adult ears find "perhaps they'll listen now" problematic. The following songs keep the energy hovering at floor level. OK, I guess, but I'm not feeling like Winterwood or Empty Chairs have anything new to offer on their universal theme of love lost. I appreciate the change of pace of Everybody Loves Me, Baby but it feels a little forced. Then we crash hard on the last three songs. Still pretty, but also oof. I don't want to be bummed AND bored. Overall the music is nice but forgettable and would slip by unnoticed if it were playing in the background. But listening with attention doesn't improve the experience. The title track is a genuine knockout, but I (and everyone else) already know it; do we really need to hear the whole album?

5/04/22

God i hate that song!!!!!!the album version better not be longer... ok PLAY...8 and a half minutes!!!...Vincent is a lovely song but its all a bit wet. Dont know what else to say really. Its very earnest. He plays the guitar well but its all a bit meh..Still dislike the title track.

Skipped American Pie… duh. Seems like a bummer album? I enjoyed it though.

uh, ovo je laganica koja meni paše. pogotovo u 6 ujutro, jer moram subotom ić radit. sunce izlazi već lagano, temperatura je oko 3-4°C, al neka, treba svježine lagane dok ti sunce u leđa udara kad moraš ići na posao uz prugu jer moraš prvo zeleni čaj popiti kako bi funkcionirao na ovako rano jutro. American Pie je definitivno najjača sa albuma, ništa drugo nije blizu te pjesme, jebiga, dobar album laganog nagona, u ovom trenutku mi paše, al inače ja vjerujem da to može bolje.

Mrs 🇺🇸 🥧 jedna od najboljih pjesama ikad. Ostatak albuma cuo na preskokce sta je baki pustio i onak, eh ok.

song is good

Couple nice songs. Overall OK.

Not too bad. Leading with American pie definitely leaves the rest of the album hanging. Enjoyed it in headphones. Heard a lot of new things I never noticed.

Title track and Vincent are obviously the stand-outs. Pleasant. 6/10

Some insanely catchy songs but apart from that pretty meh

I could never stand the title track. The rest of the album is ok, kinda boring.

An accountant would write this down for having 2 exquisite songs, with the rest ranging from nice down to boring. Probably worth mentioning is the fact they don't do music this plain anymore. Things got way more complicated, and while I prefer this evolution I'm still wondering if we're not missing out on something big.

American Pie es un himno. El resto, demasiado tranquilas

i mean. american pie is good. the rest of the album was fine.

Very folksy stuff. Melancholy acoustic or piano tunes. American Pie is obviously a great song, but the rest of the tunes were a bit of a drag. He sings with a lot of heart and has a pleasant voice, the music is well made, but it just wasn't really landing with me.

bueno

Soft rock de digestió fàcil on destaca clarament el tema titular, un dels grans hits de la década... però poc més

bonito mas não é muito meu estilo, bem calminho e pa

Of course I'm very familiar with the song American Pie. I was never a big fan. I must say that listening to it on a goodcsystem give me a slightly greater appreciation. I was prepared to dislike this album but it wasn't the case. Enjoyed it more than expected. Reminded at times of Al Stewart. 3 🌟

Famosissima la canzone che dà il titolo all'album e il successo è meritato. 'Vincent' invece è un'ottima ninna nanna. 'The Grave' molto toccante. Nel complesso mi piacciono solo due canzoni, ma il resto passa in fretta. Tra il 2 e il 3

classic like

Vincent is nice

yo man has pipes. some real good songs on here. however american pie will always make me relive the memory as a 6 year old choosing it for karaoke in our hotel bar in portugal thinking it was a song i knew and subsequently stood on stage mumbling through the 54 verses the song has and just about managing the chorus.

vincent is gold, american pie is long, other stuff is ok

MYYYYY MYYYYY MISS AMERICAN PIEEEEEE (I have been informed by Cav that this is actually "bye bye Miss American Pie" and since I know he doesn't get opportunities to correct me on lyrics very often I thought I would broadcast that here) Enjoyed this!!

Way better than I expected 👍🇺🇸

I used to have a vinyl copy of this album, but eventually sold it over 20 years ago. It's not bad, but the hits have been overplayed.

Rather pleasant

With a banger like American Pie I kind of expected more and didn't get it. Decent album. But I'm let down I feel like.

Rock folk

The title track is a beast. It made it to and had a long stay on the charts which is quite an accomplishment given how long it is. On the single, half the song was put on each side. There is lots written about the meaning of the lyrics. We all know what "the day the music died" refers to but there are all kinds of other gems like "No angel born in Hell Could break that Satan's spell" refers to the Stones' concert at Altamont where the Hell's Angels were hired as "security" and ended up killing a black guy while the band played Sympathy for the Devil. The album falls off a cliff after the excellent opening song. The lyrics are good but the songs lack the melodies that also define the title track. Everybody Loves Me Baby livens things up a bit but it was a long wait.

The title track is an American classic. It's very layered and a great snapshot - though a bit sad - of the country as it transitioned from the sixties to the seventies. Unfortunately the catchy chorus loses its appeal the twelfth time he sings it. Vincent is a beautiful song (that I had forgotten all about). A number of other songs like The Grave, are solid. The electric Everybody Loves Me and Babylon sound contrived and out of place. Don McLean has a nice singing voice and is a great lyricist. This is a stronger offering than we received from his contemporaries – Paul Simon or James Taylor.

I was singing along before I even pressed play- surely one of the best known songs of the twentieth century, and it was great to hear it in the context of its original album. It still holds up, rolling down its eight and a half minutes like an avalanche, laying waste to the musical landscape, an exhausted pop culture, a broken nation and all the broken hearts within it. Stunning, and well deserving of every drunken singalong and rowdy karaoke session it still gets (my first was at seven years old, when I mispronounced "sacred store" as "sackred store"- I'll always have McLean to thank for teaching me a new word back in the day). I really hoped "American Pie" would be one of those albums I'd never thought about, but would in fact be masking a treasure trove of hidden gems behind its titanic title track. In actual fact, it seems the titular career-benchmark, era-defining, eulogy to rock- whatever you want to call it- consumed just about all the energy and creativity McLean had in him at the time. The rest of the album is a notably different affair, more subdued and requiring a closer listen. "Vincent (Starry Starry Night)" is the other famous one here which I'd heard before, and carries the most emotional weight- a heartaching tribute to the tortured artist with a lovely melody and not-too-intrusive strings. Elsewhere, nothing quite hits the same: "Crossroads" is a banal tune of piano and vocals; "Empty Chairs" is heavy handed melancholy; "Sister Fatima" is eerie but meandering. "Everybody Loves Me" is a much-needed bit of levity and movement in the album's second half. Fun, bombastic, silly- it's also one of the most blatant Bob Dylan impersonations I've ever heard. It's not all bad across the rest of the album- McLean's guitar work carries many of the remaining songs and produces some enchanting textures and accompaniments. It's just a shame the songs at its heart become so unanimously maudlin and beige. "Babylon" is an intriguing end with multi-layered vocals, but is almost over too soon.

Classic.

He has a great storytelling style and some beautiful songs. I think I prefer Don McLean in smaller doses, as all the songs feel too similar when listened to one after another

Blueberry pie. Not great. Not awful.

Na mysl o amerykanskim ciescie mam odruchy wymiotne, ale to zasluga telewizji, a nie tej plyty, bo o ile tytulowy traczek kojarzylem wczeniej, to calej plyty sluchalem pierwszy raz, a samego amerykanskiego pia znalem jeszcze wczesniej w jedajowym wydaniu weirda ala niz orginalny utwor pana McLeana, wiec sama plyta jest z 71 i nalezy do gatunku popularno folkowego, glownie za sprawa openingowego american pie, ktory stal sie kultowym songiem epoki, bo samemu rowniez traktuje w pewnym sensie o epokach i o tym jak hameryczka sie psuje lub idzie ku gorszemu przytaczajac mase odniesien do popkultury, ktorych nie ma co tutaj wyliczac, bo to jeden z tych kawalkow gdzie do kazdego slowa jest ukryte sekretne znaczenie i caly utwor jest swojego rodzaju szyfrem, ktory pan mclean podobno wyjawil w 2k15, gdy pogonil orginalne notatki za grube miliony, opening to praktycznie jedna czwarta calej plyty, bo calosc zamyka sie w 36 minutach na 10 trakach, wiec reszta jest zdecydowanie krotsza i wpasowuje sie w radio przyjazne standardy trojminutowek, instrumentem dominujacym jest tutaj akustyk mcleana, ktory wymienia w niekotrych miejscach na banjo, ale sporo artystow sesyjnych bierze udzial w nagraniu, wiec nie zabraknie klawiszy pianina czy elektrycznej gitary, ktore mozna uslychac na openingu, nie ma jakiejs ekstrawagancji, jesli chodzi o instrumenty, bo maja one robic tlo dla liryki, ktora spiewa pan donald, ktory mocno zaciaga dylanem i w tamtym czasie wygladal troche jak on, a jak to w przypadku folka bywa tematyka romantyczna nie jest mu obca, wiec obok hameryki, to bedzie glowny motyw przewodni, chociaz znajda sie takze mocne traki ukazujace wojne w jej troche mniej bohaterskim i szlachetnym swietle, a bardziej brudnym i do ziemi, im bardziej sie zastanawiam co slyszalem, tym wiecej podobienst do tworczosci dylanowej, a im wiecej tak mysle, tym mniej slychac tutaj czegos unikalnego czego bym juz wczesniej nie slyszal, wiec o ile przyjemnie sie sluchalo, to ciezko znalezc cos co zostanie w glownie, moze poza tytulowym trakiem, ktorego i tak bede w pierwszej kolejnosci kojarzyl z innym artystom, ale na plejke poza openingiem dodam jeszcze crossroads, tak otwarta do interpretacji piosenka, ze kazdy bedzie mial na nia wlasny pomysl

Good stuff

Two first class singles making up a third of the duration, then nicely sung folk pop. Vocal is mix of Paul Simon and Jacques Brel.

Pretty decent. American Pie is such a classic and almost overwhelming that even after just listening to this album yesterday I can't really recall much beyond that one.

Good singer

in a word - smug.

Buena voz, ritmo pausado y melódico. Un gran tema estandarte de todo el álbum (y autor)

Mostly acoustic, some of his lyrics were predictable. Although American Pie is a great song.

Decent easy listening, bit too slow for my liking but overall not bad

Vincent

Way more Folk than I expected!

Great title song. Rest of album ok

It's difficult to sustain an entire album when you put your stone cold classic on it as the first track, but the rest of it is stands on its own two feet well enough to complete a solid effort

Good old fashioned Americana

Obviously, American Pie itself is absolutely iconic, but would I listen to the whole album out of choice?

The man had a gift for lyrics, and "American Pie"is still a banger, but ... not one of my faves.

Hmm... so one all-time classic song. But many of the rest of the songs sound like they are sliced from American Pie. Or the other way around, the best parts of each song was sliced up and masterfully pieced together to make Paulina Porizkova. Not that any of them are bad songs. I just keep hearing pieces of American Pie. It's not too surprising he only had one hit.

A pretty good album throughout, but the immense highs of the two singles it contains really outshines the rest of it.

noice

Obviously the opener/title track is a classic. Haven't actually heard any other songs from this prior to this listening. This rest of it is pretty meh. Generally clean, pretty, kinda dour, and slow. "Everybody Loves Me, Baby" being the one up-tempo exception. Maybe if I was in a specific mood it would work. But generally, I think the only must-listen here is the title track.

3/5 +1 star for american pie. The other songs are nothing much.

Nimikkobiisi oli ainoa tuttu etukäteen. Tunnelmaltaa lepposa ja helppo kuunnella, mutta ehkä vähän yksitoikkoinen kokonaisuus.

The album has some good songs. Only one great song though.

Good songwriting. But, other than the title track, a little bland.

I listened to this a long long time ago.

American Pie and Vincent are amazing songs. The rest of the album is an adequate collection of perfectly fine folk songs. Nothing bad, but also nothing outstanding (except for the two songs I mentioned).

Don McLean’s album “American Pie” is yet another album that opens with not just its best material, but an untoppable hit. “American Pie” might be one of the greatest, or at least most iconic, songs ever written. But then nothing else measures up. It’s all fine, it’s just not “American Pie.” There’s some good songwriting thoughout, but not enough intensity and passion.

The good songs on this album are SO good that it's sad that the other songs aren't nearly as good. A few even come off as weak re-treads of the same musical territory. American Pie is a classic, probably a bit worn-out by now, it's impact weakened as a result of overplay. But on careful listening, the craft of it is still stunning, esp. the veiled lyrics that are a paean to the loss of innocence in post-war America. Vincent, a song in a quite different vein, is similarly well-crafted, reflecting in it's musicality and it's story/commentary nearly the kind of genius McLean has found in Van Gogh. But among the others songs, The Grave feels too blatantly political, Sister Fatima is limited by it's religious overtones and Everybody Loves Me, Baby feels silly next to the genius of the best tracks. The rest are warmed over versions of either American Pie or Vincent. Babylon does make for an interesting coda, however. I've always been intrigued by the story that McLean was the subject of Killing Me Softly, but aside from the two standouts, I don't see much here that would inspire that kind of emotion. Hearing this album makes me think it best to just stick to his hits.

Vincent is pretty song, the title track is all too familiar. Nothing else really caught my ear.

The title track is legendary and for good reason. It’s Americana through and through. And even though I’ve heard the song a bazillion times, I still enjoy hearing the verses (the chorus is…well too familiar). The rest of the album is OK. The overlayed vocal tracks on Babylon are pretty neat as is Till Tomorrow and the guitar part on Winterwood. Then some songs are just lacking…Crossroads and Sister Fatima being two. Everybody Loves Me, Baby sounds the most like American Pie than any other song on the album, but it’s also possibly my least favorite song of them all.

Todo un clásico, muy recomendable.

Of course I'm very familiar with the song American Pie. I was never a big fan. I must say that listening to it on a goodcsystem give me a slightly greater appreciation. I was prepared to dislike this album but it wasn't the case. Enjoyed it more than expected. Reminded at times of Al Stewart. 3 🌟

Ho avuto difficoltà ad ascoltare l'album per intero. Conosco e apprezzo Don McLean, ma il mio problema con questi album, come con quello di Suzanne Vega, è quello di mantenere l'attenzione alta dall'inizio fino alla fine senza quel desiderio di tagliarmi le palle. Le tracce prese singolarmente mi piacciono, però ecco ne ascolterei una random, ogni tanto. Tutte insieme mi fanno questo effetto.

yea

Was pretty good

In Conclusione: Anche questo album lo conoscevo già perché apprezzavo già alcuni pezzi come Babylon, Vincent o The Grave. Poi vabbè penso che American Pie l'abbiamo già sentita tutti. Pure questo album secondo me risente un po' del peso dei suoi tempi, capisco l'impronta folk ma a tratti mi fa un po' troppo bob dylan che me devi per forza fare la storia bittersweet di disillusione americana. Diciamo che quando va sull'allegorico/popolare vero tipo Babylon secondo me dà il meglio di sé ma spesso sconfina un po' nel melenso. Mi ha colpito anche che il modo di cantare ha dei rimandi ai cantanti degli anni '50. Il suono non mi è dispiaciuto, sicuramente apprezzo più il sound anni '70 che quello '80. Diciamo che c'è talento ma è un po' troppo modaiolo.

Ho apprezzato la delicatezza dell'arrangiamento specialmente nell'uso dell'hammond. Non è uno stile con cui connetto particolarmente ma comunque è stata un'esperienza piacevole.

Alright, so - I still like the title song a lot. I always have, since I was a kid. I don't know if it actually means anything, but it sure sounds like it does! And the song 'Everybody Loves Me, Baby' is pretty great, too. The other songs didn't really get me, but they didn't turn me off and I kind of loved the sound of the album, the acoustic guitar and all that. So this one I liked purty good.

A classic.

Fine collection of songs overwhelmed by the title track.

some songs there from Don. not offensive, probably not going to bother with that album again though.

A nice mellow album. I enjoyed it.

Prove me wrong: American Pie is spoken word with a backing band. Vincent is another hit, love this song, beautiful, just as good as American pie if not better. A lot of nice songs here, relaxing, folksy, nothing really standing out other than Vincent and American Pie though. 3

Of course there's the classic single at the head of this, great track that really hasn't worn on me despite hearing it on the radio all the time. I haven't heard the rest of the album though. Wtf this is beautiful. I always assumed that American Pie was the most mellow of the tracks, but it seems its actually the most upbeat of the tracks. Vincent is lovely, albeit heartbreaking. These songs may run together a little towards the end, and the album loses some pace, but don's got a very nice voice, and some really nice folk story like telling of mid 70s America.

A couple of classics on here. Couldn’t really pick any of the other songs out of a lineup, but was a nice listen.

Quite a sombre album that seems to reflect a changing mood in society/music between the 60s and the 70s. Not an artist or a style of music I'm massively into, but I can recognise the merit and the popularity of American Pie and Vincent. Having said that, I'd rather listen to NOFX's cover of Vincent than the original. 6/10

Solid 3 from me. A couple of classics and the rest of the album had some good folk tunes on it. Hadn't heard American Pie in years so was great to revisit that song as well.

American Pie is and has always been an American classic. I feel like no matter how long its been since you've heard it, when it comes on everyone knows like half of those lyrics. I was surprised with the tone of the rest of the album. Aside from "Everybody Loves Me Baby," which was a bop, and a great tongue in cheek send up to imperialism. The rest of the songs felt very somber though. I loved his tribute to Van Gogh on, "Vincent," and closing with "The Grave," playing into "Babylon," made me feel like I died and was floating down the river Styx. Overall this album was just a collection of some decent, very pretty folk songs carried on the back of an American staple.

Auf jeden Fall schonmal Punkte kriegt er für den klassisch-schönen Singer-Songwriter-Gesang, der (Ausnahme und dafür kleiner Abzug) ohne Mittelalter-Folkismen oder theatralischen Emoquatsch auskommt (Falsett oder Tremolodramatik, brrh). Ansonsten pendelt das für mich zwischen nicht unangenehm langweilig, angenehm langweilig, lustig (bei Everybody Loves Me, Baby musste ich wirklich lachen) und schön. Zweite Hälfte Mother Nature und das auf Nick Drake gemachte Aftermath gefallen mir gut (wenn der mal im Original kommt, kündige ich schonmal 5 Punkte an), American Pie find ich nen schönen Song und kulturell spannend. Was soll ich sagen? 2,9 sind drin.

Difficult to look at the biggies on this platter with any sense of objectivity. 'Vincent' sounds sweet, yes, but there's a dorkiness to McLean that forbids me from taking him too seriously. He just sounds a bit...wet. Pleasant stuff, nothing more

We all know the title track on this one. I will say, I knew Weird Al's version more than this one but thanks to Rock Band I was introduced more fully to it. I wasn't a huge fan of this album. Comparatively to what we have been getting there is nothing exciting in this album to me. Just a man playing guitar talking about Americana. I do enjoy American Pie but it's also 8 minutes long (feeling about twice as long as Black Sabbath's longest if you catch my drift). The album cover could possibly be sued by Marvel as they looks identical to Captain America's suit.

American Pie is a perennial bop. Vincent is a tear jerker. This whole album is sad! Babylon is a choral piece.

Great iconic songs but a bit inconsistent. Overall good sound and pleasant listen, but the songs don’t stand out all the way.

1971, folk, folk Rock, ist gut

American pie is the highlight, pretty clear why he’s a one hit wonder. Great song though