Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Some good songs here, but overall kinda mediocre.
Good folk rock sound. Slight Paul Simon vibes
I was familiar with a lot, but it's not my favorite?
2 lieder top --> gibt 3 sterne
This album was better than I expected. Very mellow and aged well. A couple of songs at the end were pretty bad.
Ok, pretty similar sounding songs
Woe is the album that opens with a song as epic and legendary as American Pie. What do you follow it with? It's like they weren't even trying - mostly slow ballads that felt pale after the AP roller coaster. "Winterwood" caught my attention somewhat, and "Everybody Loves Me, Baby was fun but sounded like an attempt at AP part 2.
Was alright
why was the first song 8 minutes long and the rest 2 minutes. for what
Best redelijk
Another first track that everyone knows well, definitely heard this many many times so It's hard to objectively rate it. It's obviously a great song, but I am curious how the rest of the album will fare, not sure I've heard any of them. Oh guess I've heard Vincent. I remember when we got Napster and my dad downloaded a bunch of mp3s and I remember him listening to this song and singing along... wow memories. It's quite simple guitar folk overall, not bad. Kind of quaint, his voice is very pure and plain, there is a certain appeal to that.
Good. Best song is Vincent
lovely and relaxing
I mean songs namesake a banger frfr. Then it’s like some sad suicide victim lament until the weirdest tone shift with Everybody loves me... like idk how I feel. Overall mellow chill vibes that blend together
Well, hmm. Not sure. Obv the title track is a classic, and I'm a big fan of Everybody Loves Me, Baby, but the majority leaves me cold. I do like the end songs, so it bumps up to a slight 3.
A simple album of ballads, driven by piano and acoustic guitar. In that, it's reminiscent of Billy Joel, who I see is up next. I find Don's voice less hammy and his overall presentation more believable. Every song is pleasant. The whole project is, in many ways, forgettable, but it achieves its emotional goal I think: I was a bit choked up for the full forty minuets. Babylon is a wonderful closer, and has the most interesting instrumentation. The only flaw is that it's too short.
easy listening! don't know if i'd go back to it but it was nice to put on while i was doing work. "starry night" was my favorite.
A few good songs, but not a lot stuck out to me
I did not find anything special about this album, it was fine.
Beyond the classic title track and Vincent, there wasn’t much for me here. I like his voice and it’s great for what it is, just not something I’d regularly return to.
Some thoughts: - I knew he is a one hit wonder, but upon listening you kinda get why. - Very dull middle section. The lack of interesting melodies makes it a boring and tedious listen. - The instrumentation is ok, but nothing that elevates these already meh songs. - Vincent and American Pie are ofc great songs. Babylon was an unexpected change at the end of the record but it's more of an oddity. Definitely not enough to save the record.
If you like the song American Pie, this album maybe hits a bit more. I'm not a fan of the song, so this album is extra tough and I'm surprised he didn't churn out any other hits in this session. Other than The Grave, nothing really jumped out at me.
Los mitos son una torta que solo la abuela tiene la receta. ¡Hola, amiguitos! Sean ustedes bienvenidos y bienvenidas a esta receta de cómo hacer un símbolo americano. Un caballito de batalla ideal para tiempos de transición: económico cuando hay que reestructurar ideales, rendidor cuando el sueño americano de los años cincuenta te deja a pata y las inversiones sesentistas de la mano de los hippies resultaron demasiado riesgosas. Les aseguro que sale siempre bien. Anímense a probarla en sus países. En caso de tercermundismo puede costar un poco más. Antes de empezar, les paso algunos tips para reconocer cuándo están frente a un futuro símbolo nacional estadounidense y sacarle todo el provecho ideológico posible. Un niño indefenso que todavía ignora la codicia corporativa y no tiene intereses comerciales siempre es un excelente comienzo. Un potencial Tío Sam si jugamos bien nuestras cartas. El 4 de febrero de 1959, un chico de trece años llamado Don McLean repartía los diarios que anunciaban que la música había muerto. Ya teníamos un muy buen prospecto. Segundo: mezclen siempre con movimientos envolventes para que no se escape el aire. Sobre todo cuando sea momento de incorporar las contradicciones. No hay nada más interesante que un símbolo cultural tan marmolado que nunca terminás de saber si American Pie es solamente un gran estribillo o una epopeya sobre la identidad estadounidense. Tal vez no salga la torta más linda, pero sí la más americana por dentro. Ingredientes 1 productor llamado Ed Freeman. 3 huevos. 2 tazas de country tradicional. Si no consiguen, pueden reemplazarlo por himnos religiosos; en "Babylon" funcionan incluso mejor de lo esperado. 4 tragedias estadounidenses para darle consistencia y evitar repetir errores anteriores. 1 cucharadita de polvo para hornear. Esencia de Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley y Bob Dylan. Fraseo folk a gusto. Preparación Batir primero las tragedias hasta que aclaren el color. No es fácil mezclar la muerte de Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens y The Big Bopper con el final de la inocencia de los años cincuenta, así que tengan paciencia. Cuando la mezcla empiece a crecer, agreguen la polarización política de a poco. La idea es que aporte cuerpo, pero sin tapar el gusto que todavía dejan los flashbacks de Vietnam. Incorporen lentamente las influencias del folk estadounidense hasta alcanzar un fraseo cálido y orgánico. Si notan que la mezcla empieza a desintegrarse como el movimiento hippie después de Altamont, no desesperen. No toda receta termina siendo Woodstock. Dividan la masa en dos, como la propia Norteamérica de 1971. Ahora sí, agreguen los huevos; El primero es American Pie, todavía analizada por generaciones enteras incapaces de ponerse de acuerdo sobre qué quiso decir exactamente. Esa ambigüedad es parte de la receta.El segundo es Vincent, criado en un gallinero donde prefirieron hablar de la sensibilidad y la incomprensión antes que romantizar al artista atormentado. Es el momento más íntimo del disco y uno de los retratos más conmovedores que se hayan escrito sobre Van Gogh. El tercero es Everybody Loves Me, Baby, bastante más liviano e irónico, para que la mezcla no termine siendo solemne de principio a fin. Lleven la preparación a un horno precalentado a 180 °C entre cuarenta y cincuenta minutos. Durante la espera aprovechen para pensar cómo vender el producto sin sentirse como "Crossroads", aislado entre el folk tradicional y un mundo que ya estaba cambiando demasiado rápido. Muy importante: no abran el horno antes de tiempo. La creación puede pincharse y quedar tan frágil como "Empty Chairs", donde McLean recuerda que al final solo el tiempo decide quién trasciende. El momento de la verdad llega con "Sister Fatima". Ahí uno ya no sabe si el mito cultural está listo para convertirse en el nuevo faro moral de una generación o si se nos fue un poco la mano con la espiritualidad y la crítica social. Introduzca un cuchillo. Si sale limpio, pueden retirarla. Si sale con "The Grave", significa que su símbolo nacional será profundamente antibélico y preferirá mostrar la muerte sin heroísmo ni épica. Antes de desmoldar, dejen que la historia lo necesite desesperadamente. Si lo sirven demasiado pronto, corre el riesgo de parecer prefabricado. Espolvoreen finalmente con pérdida de inocencia y una buena dosis de nostalgia. ¡Y listo! Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, John Mellencamp y Josh Ritter ya tienen algo para llevar al episodio especial de acción de gracias. Es la receta de la abuela salvadora para sacar referentes culturales cada vez que el sueño americano entra en crisis. Nada como una buena American Pie para reflexionar cómo los mitos al ser creados por personas pueden ser igual de frágiles. Recorda que la clave de la receta es precalentar el horno y sacar el bizcochuelo antes que se vuelva contracultural.
2/4
Folk rock and singer-songwriter pop built from acoustic guitars, gentle band arrangements, and earnest vocals feels like listening to a nostalgic uncle retell the same cherished stories at a family gathering—occasionally insightful, often charming, but ultimately more sentimental than moving. The album aims for warmth, reflection, and cultural significance, yet for me its earnestness frequently drifts into sentimentality. While its craft is evident, the emotional impact rarely matches its ambitions.
Title track is ok but a bit thin after god knows how many years radio play, rest was a bit boring and dirgey.
So I've never actually heard the song American Pie in full. I get why that's a classic now. Rest was nothing spectacular. If I bought this album, I'd be so disappointed. It's not entirely shite, but it peaked way too early. Title track is a 5, the rest isn't even close. 2.5 stars
I enjoyed the title track as a kid. musically it's sort of ok, in a hokey way. the most pathetic kind of boomer nostalgia is grasping at the straws of big pop culture moments hoping for shared experience and shared lament that the world ever changed. American Pie is an "I'm too stunted to talk about my feelings" anthem masquerading as oblique and poetic 1.5 stars
One time I saw Don McLean at a folk festival. It was enough years ago that the average baby boomer was noticeably younger and more with it than they are today. Don reassured the crowd multiple times that he definitely was going to perform American Pie, and then when he finally got to it, it was like someone had popped a cork. Those boomers went NUTS. Album basically fine.
The title track eats up the time and the weight of this album. It is also a massively overrated song that has had too much analysis dedicated to it based on a bunch of stupid, ham-fisted references. I can't imagine what Don McLean's life must have been like after American Pie. It has over a billion streams on Spotify. I'm not hating Till Tomorrow, standard 70s folk ballad. The whole album feels very non-descript...except for the one exception. Maybe a little on the treacly side of folk though. Everybody Loves Me, Baby is more in the style of American Pie so maybe it wasn't a fortunate accident for him. I like Rodriguez better than this.
None of the songs here are bad, per se, but other than the title track and “Everybody Loves Me, Baby” the songs all sound very similar. Nothing to dislike here but when 2/3s of your album all sounds alike and unexciting, it makes for a very boring listening experience.
Nothing amazing
The title track is a nostalgic track for me. My baby brother loved it when he was like 7. I'll always think of him when I hear it. I like it but im not sure its really good? Its the best thing here by a long shot but is that a high bar? There are a bunch of 70s ballads here. And maybe one or two other upbeat songs. Its kinda a downer for a pop record. Or OK par with a singer songwriter recoed. Whatever it is. All I know is beyond american pie im not too interested in knowing anything else this guy did. Its pretty bad for me dawg.
2.5. i liked a few of the songs but most of them were way too sappy for me
😐
he got famous off one song. eh. Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: no 2.4
Highlights: American Pie, Vincent and Winterwood. 2.9
Pleasant enough , definitely not for me. Title track outstays its welcome by about 4 minutes. At latest the whole thing was quite short. Onwards
Eh- it’s was kinda mid but the Best song was empty chairs
Vincent war Tupacs Lieblingslied, sagt seine Mutter. Und manche der Lyrics sind ganz pointiert. Ansonsten seicht, ganz seicht. Wschschsch... So seicht.
First song’s a classic folk-rock singalong, the rest is a quieter folk singer-songwriter tunes. Sure, they’re tender, ruminative, and poetic, with soft supporting arrangements. But it doesn’t rise above the cream of the crop of the many artists in a similar style. Something about him just very much does not stand out to me. And after the epic opener, the rest of the album doesn’t hold up. The full band songs are better than the solo folkier ones, the band can find a decent groove.
i actually did listen to this but it made zero impact on me
I think that American Pie as a song is a good chorus surrounded by self indulgent dribble and Vincent is a good song but far too earnest and those are the only two interesting things I heard on this album.
the only songs I was familiar with were the title track and Vincent, and now that I've listened to the whole album I can see why. not bad necessarily, just blah. 2/5
Remember the scene in Animal House, when the guy on the stairs was playing the sensitive ballad to impress the girls, and Blutarsky grabs the guitar and angrily smashes it into pieces? Well, I felt like Bluto for the majority of this album. The only saving graces are the title song and “The Grave,” which are both brilliant and well written. The rest is awful.
This is probably the boomeriest of all rock songs. It drank from the garden hose, rode a rusty merry go round, was whacked with a belt, and it turned out fine! Except it didn't. By verse 3 it becomes a miserable, humorless “kids these days with their Beatles and Stones” sloppy metaphor. Like so much that is 50s nostalgia, it goes heavy into the least interesting bits of the American experience, eventually doing what American Nostalgia Politics does: it calls Mick Jagger Satan, because ultimately this sort of shit is religious zealotry. So the only reason this album is on here at all is a bloated missive from the culture wars. Imagine going so hard for “Chantilly Lace” that you wrote over 8 minutes about how modern rock and roll is ruining the world. But what about the other stuff on the album. Surely there IS other stuff on the album, right? Well, there's at least one more track about a dead artist, which is sort of funny, because if McLean had been alive at the time, he would have probably written Tarte Tatin Francais about how Van Gogh is tainting the true art of Delacroix or something. Otherwise, most of this is dull and sleepy, so musically American Pie actually is the best thing on the album. The only other thing that comes close to being upbeat is Everybody Loves Me, Baby, which is absolutely abysmal and the less we discuss it the better. Usually though, this is mid tier folk, with melodies that don't particularly differentiate from any of the others. Bet we could get ol Don to play some of these classics at the Freedom250 concert, tho. 2*
Very boring
You can stop after the first song
Borin, repetetive, has 2-3 good songs; the grave was stunnin
Mellow classic
Falls of after American Pie.. which is the first song...
Nice and chill sound. I'm giving this 2 stars, not because I didn't like it, it was fine, but because I'm very unlikely to listen to it again.
American Pie is one of those annoying ass Karaoke songs that every single annoying person loves to put on, it’s not even interesting. Rest of the album kinda boring with a lil soul in it
Nothing exceptional.
I’m pretty disappointed with this album. For starters, I obviously went into this knowing American Pie. I might only really know it because of my intense love for Weird Al but that’s how I’m familiar to begin with. And I have to say, despite likening Al’s version much more, this is an epic classic American song. Genuinely it’s the best song on the album. And I was also really emotionally moved by two other songs, “empty chairs” and “The Grave”. Both horrendously sad but touching, and in the case with the latter, horribly depressing and frightening for obvious current American politics reasons. But as a whole I felt that this album was way too slow for me and too emotional. Especially knowing American Pie, I was expecting more life and energy in this album like the song “everybody loves me, baby”. I just wanted my rock squeezed in, or honestly it didn’t need to specifically be rock music, it could’ve been anything with a different vibe or energy would’ve been much appreciated on this album. Quality wise, this is a good album. But for my own personal tastes, it falls short.
I hate the title track but the rest of the album was ok
American Pie as a single surely deserves to be on this list. However, the brand of meandering and monotonous modern folk that fills out the rest of the album isn't enough to make the whole thing a must listen. I'm starting to have my doubts about the breadth of musical knowledge the book's author has. Did I get fooled by a Rolling Stone reading, boomer dad?
The title track was really the only interesting song on this thing. Very boring. Sorry Donnie
Giving singer-songwriters a bad name for five decades and counting.
Best Song: American Pie. An American storytelling classic. Somehow doesn't feel long despite its 8+ minute runtime. Worst Song: Sister Fatima. God I hate how plucky and shoe-gazey he sounds here. Overall: Beyond the titanic opening track, the rest is fairly banal. There are far more interesting singer-songwriters out there.
The chorus of American Pie was the only thing I enjoyed about this. Just a bad Dylan impression someone who didn’t understand what made Dylan special
Don’t find it really interesting a bit repetitive and mainstream
One of the greatest sing-along songs of all time to lead off, unfortunately that is the peak of this album. The rest is a bit more down beat americana folk music. He has a decent voice but I don't think the songwriting is the greatest out there. This is not an album I would consider must hear.
Other than the title track, a bit dull isn't it?
Couple of good as ones with fillers
Encore un bon exemple d'une toune qui mérite d'être entendue une fois. Pas l'album au complet. Quand 36 minutes feel comme 1 heure, y'a un problème.
boomer sentimentality
Blew his load on the very first track, and it was all downhill and a boring slog for the rest of it.
American Pie is a good song. The rest of the album fails to live up to that song's greatness.
La definición de languidez. Se nota que hay buena música, pero no es para mí lamentablemente.
Meh.
Overrated song turned into an album.
Obviously I know the title song, and I've always enjoyed it. The rest of this album is pretty forgettable though. Nothing really stuck out to me, until I got to Babylon, because I love choral lines.
Garten, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Ganz okay, aber sauöde nach 10min.
One track wonder should have been released as a single and called it a day. Not Kid Rocks levels of bad.
Yawn
Another day here and I get a folk album. I’m familiar with the song American Pie. I tried to listen to the lyrics but I think the chorus overruns them. It’s almost impossible. It doesn’t matter. It’s really a song about stuff that doesn’t fit a world that includes most of the world. The rest of the album is kind of just there. Vincent is an odd song. He decides to write a song about Van Gogh having bipolar disorder but not really. It kind self indulgent. Sure you say he suffered for his sanity. It’s really pointless.
2,5
Folk songs that got progressively more boring as they went on. Starts with the most complex song on the album and then gets progressively simpler from there. Mostly just him singing with either an acoustic guitar or a piano, which is a let down after the energy of the mid section of American Pie.
nice voice but i'll never really get along with these folkie adult-choirboy types (james taylor, when this list gets to you, it's on notice). i do genuinely like Everybody Loves Me, Baby - rousing, caustic Dylan-lite - and The Grave, everything else isn't worth much
'American Pie' is so so good and then the rest of the album fell downhill from there for me. It felt wishy-washy and forgettable. I also found 'Vincent' so funny because the references were so in your face, like opening by referring to Starry Night. Not sure I will be returning to the album, only 'American Pie' the song. Rating: 2.5.
The title track was OK (the only one I was already familiar with), though you kind of get the point before too long. He mentions driving his Chevy to the levee precisely 7 times. Much of the rest was a fucking dirge. Insomnia-curing piano/folk rock.
Solid 2
Regardez le grand fromage!!
One song
A decent folk record that without the presence of "American Pie", is a bit forgettable to me. Highlights: "American Pie"
Fine, pretty boring though
A too folk-sy for me
I have been dreading this one. This was my sibling's favorite as a kid and I HATED it. But that's the way it goes. Overall... I still don't like American Pie the song, the rest of this feels like a mediocre imitation of Jim Croce.
I get the feeling this man takes himself terribly seriously. Kind of dull and lacking in personality with the two obvious standouts. The lyrics are a bit cringeworthy. Also, McLean is a terrible person but I don’t see anyone saying ‘fuck him for being an abuser, 1 star’. Y’all are a bunch of hypocrites on here picking and choosing who to hate. Anyway, that has nothing to do with my rating, I’m separating the art from the artist or else what’s the point?
American Pie is a great song. "Vincent" is a great song. The rest of the songs are less so, and one or two of them I found outright annoying. I had to average it out to two stars, maybe 2.5.
Sappy All-American fare, it’s not bad but it’s not something I feel like I would choose to listen to, I couldn’t dial in to the emotions of the songs. American Pie and Vincent are classics but dated. I am however deeply grateful for the brevity of the album.
To me this takes me back to school assemblies or bible studies. Certainly has the odd church style chant going on at the end of the album. Most things I actively want to avoid. Another thought in my mind while listening to this is bedtime songs. Maybe its too straight in sound. I cant take this seriously as a piece of music in the here and now and certainly doesn't resonate to me as a classic that endures like many others do on this list. It doesnt get the 1 hammer as there is plenty of musical merit...Sadly I just cant stand listening to this.
The title track is the obvious classic here that I enjoyed, although there are a lot more verses than I remember. The rest of the album was, unfortunately, a soppy yawn-fest. The sort of thing your Nan would enjoy with a glass of sherry. It's strange because nicely recorded, stripped back guitar based folk-rock from the early 70's sounds like a formula that sits well within my preferences. In this case, though, it didn't click with me and found it boring. There was one moment, during 'The Grave' where I finally thought there was some depth, but unfortunately that was an exception, not the rule.
pretty but forgettable
Im not a fan of any song on this album, except for american pie, who dosen’t like american pie
No thanks.
Первая песня Остальное скучно
eh not really my vibe, american pie is ind of a bop but a bit too long for what it is, the rest of the songs werent that memorable tbh
american pie and vincent were good, but the rest of the album was just fine, trying to stop giving 3s to everything so i gotta be a bit harsh
An interesting case study of what happens when a guy writes one amazing song and that’s it. The rest of the album is perfectly pleasant.
I really like the title track and "Vincent," but had never listened to the full album, so I was actually pretty excited. Unfortunately, the filler tracks are too saccharine for my taste.
Ah great, yet another album that I’m too European to understand. Why is American Pie such an amazing sing along song? I agree that exactly 17 seconds out of those abominable almost nine minutes are actual karaoke material. Maybe I’m just a folk hater. Add American hater on top of that too. I just don’t like this. It’s so boring. I don’t even have much to say about it. I can’t even insult it since it didn’t leave that much of a mark on me. It’s like I went to a fancy restaurant, reservations made five months in advance, ten types of forks just for salad, fancy dress and pearls, all that jazz and I was served boiled chicken. No seasoning, no sides, no bread, no water, no fucking nothing.
fuck off
On a list of 1001 SONGS to hear before you die, American Pie would certainly make the list. But after that, the rest of this album just isn't worth my time. I was way happier listening to the Weird Al cover instead.
This kind of music gives me the ick. Vincent is okay. 2.5
Once your past the title track this really starts to drag I’m afraid. It’s a short album that seems longer. All a little bit tedious I’m afraid. I particularly disliked Babylon and most of the second side wasn’t up to much. Another example of where one really great song doesn’t make an album essential listening.
One star extra for American Pie, the rest was snoozey.
American pie then a bunch of boring ballads for 30 min.
If you like those 2 songs, you’ll like this album (because it all sounds like those 2 songs).
Title track goes hard, the rest? Not so much
American Pie is an album that leans heavily on symbolism, nostalgia, and self-importance, and for me that weight becomes more tiring than profound. The title track looms over everything, not just because of its length but because of its insistence on being decoded, analysed, and revered. Instead of feeling poetic or mysterious, it often comes across as laboured, stretching simple ideas into grand statements that never quite justify the runtime. Outside of the centrepiece, the album struggles to maintain momentum. The songwriting is earnest but plodding, with melodies that rarely surprise and arrangements that feel stuck in a soft-focus folk-rock haze. Songs drift by pleasantly enough, but very few demand attention or linger once they end. There is a sense of the album wanting to be important rather than compelling, relying on mood and message more than musical engagement. By the end, American Pie feels like a cultural artefact more than a rewarding listen. I understand why it has endured and why people attach meaning to it, but the experience itself feels overlong, overexplained, and emotionally distant.
How do you rate an album with such an ubiquitous song? Although Vincent is also pretty decent. The rest is okay? Not quite a three for me.
dull as F and American Pie is an awful song.
In an alternate universe, I'd give this 3. But because American Pie is the most annoying and overrated song in the history of music, I'm Scrooging it and going with a ...
2.5/5 - It's a pretty folk album that I wasn't entirely in the mood for. People seem to like Vincent, so i should spend more time with that one. American Pie is a classic song that I really liked when I was 8, but I probably need to hear it once a decade now. Achievement Unlocked.
Really wanted to love this. Kind of a deal where I could be like "Hey Don McLean is NOT a one hit wonder!" But yeah, turns out after American Pie the rest is just really boring. Sorry Donny!
я ожидал саундтрек к фильму
The first song was ok. A little long imo. On every other song I was expecting him to go back to the ‘bye bye ms American pie’ part from the first song.
Didn’t know he had other albums and not sure why it needs to be heard!
American Pie is an all-time terrible song to throw on at Karaoke
The opening song is of course pretty much ubiquitous at this point. But I have a complicated relationship with long, meandering piano ballads, so this has never done much for me. McLean’s soft spoken, almost boyish vocals also don’t help. Overall, a lot of songs which feel overly affected and trying to be anthems, but apart from The Grave, it all left me feeling pretty cold.
S’okay
grade school art teacher used to play that starry starry night and we all laughed at her
the hit was the highlight and even that is not great due to overplaying everywhere
Good folk album. Iconi music: american pie. Like Elton Jhon for me...little sad, but good...2,5
One good song and even that song is overly sappy, nostalgic and pandering.
Aside from the monumental title track, there’s little here that truly stands out. Don McLean’s songwriting is pleasant enough, but after 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘪𝘦 the album drifts into forgettable early-’70s folk-pop. Without its famous opener, this would be just another competent singer-songwriter record from the era.
I know I should like this based on my other musical tendencies but I just don’t
Very inoffensive and safe. His voice doesn't have much character. I don't like it very much. Some songs are alright. Favorite song: Vincent.
Don McLean is the Bucky Dent or David Tyree of folk rock - transcedent for a moment (the title track) in a way that ensures he'll be remembered forever, even if the rest of his body of work remains pretty pedestrian. It's sort of hard to grapple with how good "American Pie" is against the relief of how bland and cliched the rest of McLean's attempts at poetry are here. Sometimes one play is all it takes, I guess.
Sometimes this project gives gifts, and few have been more clarifying than going from NWA to Don freaking McLean.
one great song can't make up for the rest of the album being mediocre, at best.
Pretty forgettable apart from the two songs everyone already knows. I think I would have been ok to die without hearing this one.
Not my favorite
Without the song American Pie, this album doesn't make this list.
Standardno dosadnjikavo, ali kao kužim. 2/5, 4/10
The title track is well known and if anything, a bit overplayed. I didn't find the rest of the album very compelling. I prefer more roots oriented folk.
This album starts off with the Americana banger, American Pie, which is a such a great sing along classic. The album drops off a cliff after this song into boring dribble-drabble that never really recovered. The slight exception is The Grave near the end which I would have rated stand alone 3 stars. Giving this album 2 stars feels generous.
I know it has American Pie and Vincent but the rest is just not very good.
Eh
The title track is so good, but then after that it nosedives pretty quick.
American Pie holds a very special place in my heart. It was the first karaoke song I ever did with friends... JMK Nippon's in Rockford for a high school dance dinner. Outside of that song this album is boring. It's honest and emotional, but ultimately just boring.
Pretty much every time I hear a male singer/songwriter I wish I were listening to Sixto Rodriguez instead and this goes double for Don McLean. I actually think this would be a great candidate for "albums you don't have to listen to before you die" because everything other than American Pie is just filler. Don MacLean, Iron Butterfly, Snow...maybe there is something there. What a snoozer...
Honestly I don’t like the song American Pie and never have. Despite this, I have been forced to listen it so many times that I know all the words. It is so popular (I dont know why) that in many occasions I have even sang along for social cohesion purposes. The rest of the album is fine but I must give this whole thing a 2.
Apart from the first track it was kinda meh.
Is this the most middlebrow album ever made? American Pie is catchy as hell though.
2,4/5
Parasta tässä levyssä on American pie, ja se viekin jonkun kolmasosan?! Sinänsä hyvä veto, koska loput biisit ovat eri aiheistaan huolimatta suht samaa miestä ja pianoa. Tarvittiinko Babylonia loppuun? Se muutti tunnelman.
This one was fine, but not really anything special to me. The title track stands on well on its own. I just found the rest to be mostly boring. It didn't really keep my interest or attention. The melancholy sound carried through the whole album without much to break it up. Overall: 2/5
A fine album with an obvious hit. Decent performances and writing, but nothing really stood out except for the Weird Al cover.
The first song was inconic a very well, but the rest werent a soul
Correcto
This list is 1001 ALBUMS, not 1001 SONGS. i know how iconic American Pie the Song is, but this album as a whole is largely unremarkable. Grave and Babylon were alright but this album isnt that good
American Pie has to be the moat one-hit album ever made, in the sense that it has only one hit. I bought this album on vinyl because I guessed that the man who wrote American Pie (the single), would have something interesting up his sleeve. Boy, was I wrong. Everything that isn't the title track on this album is boring, unimaginative crap. American Pie though is still a masterpiece.
The song American Pie is basically 25% of this album, and while the song is decent, it really should have capped at 3 minutes. The 8-and-a-half-minute version feels like a marathon that just won’t end. After all that energy, the other tracks are short and utterly forgettable. Honestly, it feels like this album was written on the day the music died...
One classic song.
Never has 36 minutes felt so long. The title track is a drag to begin with and a song I’ve never really liked, and as for the rest of this, I find it mostly forgettable. It’s a meh from me.
Meh
Otro disco yankee, como el anterior no tiene tan marcado eso pero lo siento musicalmente inferior a los demás.
Don MehClean
American Pie is a great song. I believe that the radio version is superior to the 8+ minute album version but both are great. The rest of this album just meanders and doesn't stray into any interesting territory re music or lyrics. That is not to say that it is unpleasant or even boring just that it has a sameness to it that may just be this genre to my ears.
Mmmmm classics, but you're bored at the end. A great reminder of the nofx vincent cover however
Its fine. Dont need a whole album, just the hit.
We all know the one song, why? Because it's the only one that's upbeat and has a bit of feeling to it. The other songs are a bit drab and slow. Not my gallon of milk.
Not my mug of mead
Artiste inconnu. L'album n'est pas désagréable (+1), mais il ne présente aucun intérêt musical. Le titre éponyme m'a paru interminable: 8 mn sans aucune originalité instrumentale ... Et encore il est plutôt dynamique, ce qui n'est pas le cas d'une grande partie des autres morceaux. Il sera aussi vite oublié qu'écouté ... =>2/5
American Pie the song, classic. American Pie the album, boring.
American Pie
One great song on a sub par album
The fun novelty song "American Pie" dominates most of this record, and is nothing like the rest of it - a bunch of 70s era California folk singer-songwriter stuff in the vein, if not the quality, of Jackson Browne. Few of the tunes are all that memorable, and they can run together with a certain mopey sameness. It makes for an erratic listening experience, and not a particularly great album.
Kinda boring. Never been a big fan of American Pie and it was by far the highlight of the album.
Ok so here's the thing - I hate the title track for this album, always have. I think I may be the only one in the whole world that does. I mean everyone has heard that song so many times. And I think it is objectively a really well written song, I just can't stand it. But, I don't think I've ever heard the rest of this album, I could just never get past the first song and I don't think I ever gave the rest of the album a chance. So we'll see how this goes... Ok so about halfway through and it's kind of putting me to sleep. It's all just so soft and sappy. The lyrics are pretty great, the guy could definitely write a good song but pick it up a little Don. Should this album be on the list? Absolutely, just for the first song being such an iconic staple of pop culture. Will I ever listen to it again? Absolutely not. 2/5
You know, the title song really feels like it goes on for 12+ minutes. It’s well worth my time so I don’t really care. That was just a thought I had that I needed to express. I have just realized that Don McLean is the male Joni Mitchell. That’s a problem for me. It’s whiney hippy angled music. I love me some acoustic guitar and a single vocal. This album though, I feel like it falls flat on its face as soon as the final note of the title track is complete. Woah, bravo Don. I hear “Everybody Loves me Baby” come on and it really brought like to a dull album. I’m willing to bet the tempo goes lame again. Oh ya, I was right. Thoroughly disappointed with this one. Choice cut: American Pie
This album is most famous for the very long song "American Pie." That song has been played so much, it's hard to enjoy it anymore. While there are other songs on the album, none of them stand out much. Overall, it's not a bad album, but it's not great either.
naslovna je pjesma dobra, a ostatak je zaboravljiv
As much as American pie is overplayed, lyrically it is a great song. The rest of the album was kinda meh
Apart from the title track and Everybody Loves Me, Baby it's quiet and reflective folk very much in the vein of the slower Simon and Garfunkel tracks. It's a little too slow paced and poetic for me.
A 1 to 2 star album with a very long 5 star song in it = a generous 2 stars
Based on the title track, I was pretty baffled when this turned out to be so lowkey(?), but definitely a fan!
Old Don had a big slice of American Pie to open the album then the sugar crash set in and 20 minutes of sleepy unremarkable folk music followed.
One hit song.
I've never listened to this whole album, and probably really never another song besides the title track. My impression was McLean was a one-hit wonder. Listening to the album kind of confirms that, unfortunately. Basically there is the one song, then a bunch of whiny soft rock schlock. Not my scene. Winterwood is decent, I guess. I'd give this album a 1 out of 5 if it wasn't for the one classic track. 2/5
Thoughts before listening: Well this album certainly includes one of the greatest songs of all time in the title track, and the song "Vincent" is pretty good as well. That being said, I have never seen the actual album to get praise like this. Pretty sure this will be my first listen to the whole thing. Review: So yes, "American Pie" the song is an all-time great and I found myself singing along on the listen this morning. Its a song that has been ever present throughout my life and essentially part of my psyche at this point. I have distinct memories of hearing that song for the first time playing in the equipment room of a summer camp I was going to and immediately being intrigued. The rest of the album however is mostly a slog to get through being largely made up of slow piano and acoustic guitar led ballads. Even with the other hit from the album "Vincent", its a nice melody but its just so slow. Maybe my problem there is I first knew of this song from the punk cover by NOFX. This is a 5-star song that is included on a 2-star album.
Nothing else here apart from the title track
An average soundtrack to a much superior film. The title track is iconic, but somehow overplayed despite me not heading it for at least 20 years.
Dosadno i većinom depresivno, mada manje grozno od očekivanog. Sreća pa nije duže jer bi baš smorilo.
American ass. Title songs a tear jerker the rest just jerk off.
Sing-along heaven or sing-along hell? Whatever, the rest of the album struggles in the shadow of that opening behemoth.
Just one very well known song. But the rest are just ok.
A 1970s male political album that does not stand up to the test of time. Empty Chairs is…problematic. Everybody Loves Me, Baby is political satire that would have been celebrated by 1970’s hippie culture, but in 2025 during Trump’s and the billionaire class take down of democracy, it’s just ironic that this song came from someone of the generation that caused the current state. The Grave is heartbreaking but not remembered when it should be. Babylon, also problematic for different reasons. The day this music died has long passed.
We all know that no one needs to listen to the rest of American Pie by Don McLean. This is again one of those “Belongs in 1001 Songs, not 1001 Albums” situations. But I still tried my best to walk in with an open mind. My parents are young Boomers, and I’m a young Millennial, so I was exposed to a lot of ‘70s soft rock in my youth. I tolerated my Dad playing America and Bread and Christopher Cross and Dan Fogelberg; I know what Don McLean is up to here, and I can be open-minded! I love one-hit wonders!!! Nothing about American Pie as an overall album is bad. Truthfully, McLean is a better singer, songwriter, and guitar player than I expected. I can see how you could look at this record and say that he should be given more credit, especially with songs like “Crossroads” and maybe even “Vincent” [although I find that song a bit lyrically trite, in retrospect]. All that’s true. Maybe McLean should’ve gotten more respect, should get more respect, should be listened to beyond “American Pie” the song. But if that was the case, he would have something to offer beyond being ✨good enough✨, and I just don’t think McLean has anything more than that. Yes, he is ✨good enough✨ so this record doesn’t drive you insane, but he lacks an It Factor™️ to provide you with any real magic here. In 1971, there were millions of Don McLeans in cafés around this country, and if your Dad is old enough and lame enough like mine, you know what special sounds like in that early ‘70s soft rock subgenre. McLean lacks any of that, even for his era. Some of this boils down to production and sequencing. There are a couple songs that feel like they fade out way too early, and rob me of an opportunity to find them fascinating. “Till Tomorrow” and “Sister Fatima” feel underdeveloped, but the real victim is “Babylon,” which suffers twice because it’s also the album closer for some reason. This is also a deeply top-heavy record, and in some ways, that’s inevitable when the hit song is also 8.5 minutes long and has to kick off the record. You can’t really avoid the top-heavy allegations in that situation. But the problem is that the second-longest song, “Vincent,” a song that feels like it actually overstays its welcome, follows very shortly afterward, and even with a track between, it’s nowhere near enough breathing room. That means the weaker, less developed songs fill out the back half, and the middling average songs sit in the middle. The worst sequencing offense, though, has to be that “Everybody Loves Me, Baby”– a song that tries to capture some element of the hit’s lighting and strike twice without doing any real evolving beyond its “American Pie (Reprise)” allegations, let alone evolve over the course of its 3.5 minute runtime– leads into the three weakest, most underdeveloped tracks on the whole record. And again, this would be fine if any of these songs had any real ✨magic✨ behind them, but only “Crossroads” gets the closest. Honestly, by the end, a song like “Sister Fatima” actually sounds annoying. Gun to my head, I couldn’t hum you the melody to “Empty Chairs.” And I’ve listened to this record multiple times today. I’ll even say this– “American Pie” is a pretty forgettable song. Sure, the chorus hits, and the first couple verses are cute and interesting, but by verse fucking 6, the static chord progression starts to fade into the background, and it’s not really until the final chorus when I start paying attention again. It’s Boomer clickbait, and the intrigue and mystery of it all gets less exciting the more time moves on from glorifying the Boomers’ youth. Don McLean was never bad, but he was never special. Even at his best moments, he’s kind of an average ‘70s soft rock guy, making him the most forgettable guy in a room full of forgettable guys. He doesn’t do anything wrong, but by not doing anything particularly right, he almost fails harder. Normally, mediocre apathy is something I can tolerate and move on from, but McLean is so particularly uninteresting that it becomes a noticeable issue on American Pie. Listen to the title track in 1001 songs, and skip this record the next time you see it in a bargain bin outside your local record shop.
Good songwriting, but boring songs. Even the title track. It's extremely catchy... but it goes on forever. A catchy song should leave you wanting more, but this one over plays it's hand.
American Pie e dessverre ein av dei sangane som plage meg mest i verden. Resten va ok-
Carol King wannabe without the likeability. This miiiight have been a gentlemen's 3 if not for the fact that Don McLean is a huge piece of shit, undeserving of gentlemanly grace.
Deeply, deeply uncool. I felt all 36 mins of this
This one was alright to get a glimpse of Don McLean, but I didn't really get captivating by anything other than the hits.
Yeah, not really.
2.5
I'm not a fan of this. It mostly comes off as a poor man's Simon & Garfunkel. As much as I never needed to hear the title track again, it's the best thing on here. The rest of it is mostly Ambien in musical form, except for "Everybody Loves Me, Baby", which sounds like the title track with different lyrics. 2.5 stars.
2.5
Boomer nonsense
Ok
At one point, Don asks what did he do to offend you? My answer to that is using the same melody over and over and over, borderline every song. Some of this album is really nice but good God is repetitive. And yeah you already are sick of the title track.
DOWN WITH FARM EMO. 2/5
À part from « Américain Pie » the test of the album it’s kinda boring…not my cup of tea 2 stars
junior varsity Dylan
that's the puerto rican flag and yes, it bothered me the whole time american pie is one of those songs where it truly doesn't matter if i like it, it's just canonical. rest of the album was way more waifish than expected, in a way i was pleasantly surprised about. was not in a rah rah patriotism mood . 2.5
Das Album besteht aus einem song
This is exactly the kind of singersong writer music that I don't like. American Pie brings back sentimental feelings of my youth. And I didn't particularly like the song then either. It was just played a lot. The rest of the album quickly got on my nerves. 2/5
Starts off great, ends pretty mediocre.
First song is a classic but rest of the album is boring
I had never listened to this album, as I did not like the title track-easily 4 minutes too long with boring lyrics. However! The other tracks on this album were pretty good-very late 60s folk. Stripped down acoustic guitar and vocals. Some of the tracks were worth a revisit (The Grave and Babylon I liked) though overall this album isn’t really my jam-a bit too saccharine/sentimental for my liking. I’m torn between 2 and 3 stars. I don’t think I’d revisit this in full, so I give it a 2.
Bye bye indeed.
Ugh. No. It's long and it's the same thing over and over. +1 point for being parodied by Weird Al.
pinnacle of boring white people music
Other than the title track this is pleasant but dull. But the title track drags it down for me; it's so overplayed. Low 2.
hauntingly beautiful voice. boring. 2.5/5
It's got that one song tho
#393. Everyone knows this song. No one likes it, but we all know it. And also there were 9 other songs or something. I don't know, it was boring I think. 2/5: There wasn't even any Eugene Levy.
You can see why the title track has about 500x as many listens on Spotify as almost all the other songs on here. It really is very different and way better. "American Pie" is an upbeat rocker, if about twice as long as the usual upbeat rocker. The rest of the CD is guy-in-a-coffeeshop acoustic folk. One other song I hadn't heard of ("Vincent") also has a ton of plays, but it's much more like the rest of the CD than it is like the title track, I wouldn't have picked it out of a lineup. In fact if I was gonna pick another song as a winner from among the rest it'd be "Everybody Loves Me, Baby", which is a nice song, but the collective Spotify universe has shown it little favor. Guy-in-a-coffeeshop acoustic folk is fine, but bottom-line, this guy is a one-hit wonder. This isn't the worst one-hit wonder CD I've ever heard, in fact it's fine, it's just awfully light, and also kind of slow and dull.
meh first song good
First listen. This was pretty mediocre, apart from a few songs.
Well, that was interesting! Everyone remembers American Pie, but the rest of it? Get ready for sad songs, because album this has 'em. Not saying that's a bad thing, it's just not MY thing!
I guess there's a reason no one knows any songs other than American Pie!
193/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
I can't listen to the song American Pie without hearing the Weird Al lyrics.
hes like "and this one thing happened and then this other thing happened" and i dont care about either of those things you know?
It's good for what it is but, yet again, too "american" for me. I just picture a bery nationalist american family driving a minivan to a caban in the woods.
Eh, the movie was better
The American Pie that I like has more boobs in it
I've heard American Pie a million times, but for some reason it always takes me back to sitting in my grandmother's Buick with maroon interior after getting picked up from elementary school. She used to pick me up and then we would drive over and wait for my cousin and listen to "oldies" on BIG 100. I think by the age of 8 I had all the words committed to memory. I do love Vincent, though I'm partial to James Blake's cover. The original is much brighter in tone. The Grave brings some dynamicism to the closing of the album. Only real standout to me outside of the hits. As a general statement, folk-rock doesn't do much for me. This was really no exception. The hits are memorable, but the rest is pretty forgettable IMO. I don't begrudge anyone for enjoying him -- his voice and arrangements are nice enough -- just not for me. High 2.
One star album - bumped to two star because American Pie is a great sing-a-long song.
Everyone know American Pie, can’t say I was familiar with any of the other tracks. They’re okay, kind of all sound the same after a while.
Really hippy
Börjar jätte bra men blir sämre därefter. Några helt ok låtar men inget jätte "memorable"
Pretty good. Except for title track not much stands out
American Pie was a fluke of a hit. The rest is kind of boring folk music.
Boring. Trying to imagine the 70's dude or chick who throws this on the turntable and relaxes on the shag carpet without falling asleep immediately.
Waylon Jennings was hired by Holly to play bass for him on the Winter Dance Party Tour, which began January 23rd, 1959, in Milwaukee. Jennings, 21 at the time, had been in New York City recording sessions produced by Holly, and after taking a train to Chicago, met up with the rest of Holly’s band. Problems first arose when the tour buses hired to transport the group began breaking down. After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2nd, Holly decided to charter a plane for himself, guitarist Tommy Allsup and Jennings so they could fly to Fargo, North Dakota, instead of taking the long, frozen bus trip. Richardson, who was suffering from the flu, asked Jennings for his seat on the plane, and Valens asked the same of Allsup. When Jennings told Holly that he was going to take the bus, Holly jokingly told him he hoped the bus broke down, to which Jennings replied, “I hope your ol’ plane crashes.” This story was a better use of space than a review of this ablum.
One hit wonder, but some decent sounding ballads with smooth tones throughout
2 stars for American Pie and Vincent. The rest were guff.
Two songs do not justify this being on this list. Other than pie and gogh. Easy listening and an easy pass.
American Pie is still a great song, most of the rest of this album is so so at best
Bit of a snoozer for me other than the first track. Will I listen to again: 1%
2.5 besides American pie and Vincent the rest was kinda bland
Just ok outside of the title track.
Except for the one song that holds up even on 10,000th listen, I won’t ever listen to these songs again. But, I’ll say it again, I still appreciate this project for forcing me to listen to this much-recommended album.
Kind of just the one hit and then not much memorable after that. Great single though.
Some really syrupy stuff in here (Vincent is bad), but the more upbeat stuff is fun.
The title track is great and rightly a classic and worth 5 stars as a song. The rest of the album is vaguely depressing folk singer-songwriter ballads crooned optimistically with spritely string arrangements. Its as if the Mamas and the Poppas were focused on decay and sadness but still put on an upbeat, summery face. The album is therefore a quixotic curio of its time and not really worth listening to.
The title song is iconic and I can see why this album is appealing but heard its too evergreens too many times over the years and always found the rest of the album a bit too boring - has not changed this time.
Wasn't bad, but don't think I'd listen to again.
If “American Pie” wasn’t on this album, this record probably wouldn’t be anywhere near this list. I’m actually kind of annoyed by its inclusion.
Just okay. It’s obviously in the list for “American Pie”, but the rest of the album doesn’t really go anywhere. 2/5 Probably won’t listen again
No thanks
It's better than a 2 but not as good as a 3
1971 may be the greatest year for music releases ever and you're bringing me Don McLean? Seriously?
Músicas bem executadas e com um tom de calmaria, algumas mais emocionantes que outras, mas ao mesmo tempo um album completamente “méh”. Dado o nome e capa, sinto que ele fala de questões que sejam mais tocantes ao povo estadunidense, mas sinceramente não prestei atenção em nenhum das letras. Talvez seja por isso que ele ganhou um lugar nessa lista, porque não vejo nenhum outro motivo para incluir ele nos melhores álbuns. Não tenho nenhuma critica a execução do álbum, mas ele não inova em nada e não me marcou de forma alguma.
1. american pie - 2 2. tomorrouu - 1 3. vincent - 2 4. crozzroadz - 1 5. uuinter - 1 6. empty chairz - 2 7. lovez me baby - 0 8. fatima - 1 9. the grave - 1.5 10. babylon - 1
He wrote that one song I guess.
One delightful slice in an otherwise doughy, disappointing dessert.
American Pie and Vincent are great, not so much the rest
The hybrid of folk and rock so typical for early 70’s US rock scene. Obviously the title track is a classic, but in general its dated
Obviously the title track is something, but the rest is pretty mediocre
Røv kedeligt
American pie (song) made it not a 1
A couple of diamond tracks in a mine of meh.
Saatana mikä renkutus toi avausraita, ei oikeen jaksanut. Muutenkin jätti kylmäksi. 2/5
Olipas turha levy hyvän avausraidan jälkeen. Tekisi mieli antaa ykkönen, mutta no ehkä avausbiisin takia se on kuitenkin 2/5
Forgettable, title track aside
American Pie is great but the rest of the album is just okay. “Vincent” other standout track
1 massive hit and lots of filler
Good god no. Side note, never realised that 'starry starry night' tune was him. another thing to hold against him
mostly bored
Leuk eerste nummer maar voor de rest slaapverwekkend
His voice is pleasant enough, but this is just a little too light fm for me. I’d rather listen to Cat Stevens.
This is my first time listening to this album I can’t believe that American Pie is the hardest rocking song in the bunch by a long shot. The rest of it made me sleepy sad.
Nostalgic, but slow and uninteresting for me.
Surprisingly disappointing Never listened to whole album so when I saw it as Album of the day I was excited but ended up underwhelmed
Biggest mismatch between cover art assumptions and reality? American wuss, more like 😅
I’m actually not a fan of the title track 🙃. And overall not a fan. It’s not interesting it’s just fine.
American pie - a great emotional song.
Folky & maudlin pop
Folky, calm, lead track was recognisable
Meh. just as boring as any folk album can be. Sorry, but not even the 8 minute hit was enjoyable for me.
Til tomorrow and Babylon were the only interesting tracks. Not into overplayed tracks like American Pie or Vincent. Funny, Crossroads sounds exactly the same as American Pie. A 2 star - possibly a little over generous
The first two I knew and recognised, the rest were pure filler to me. At some point it rolled into some other artist and I could not tell you when.
Really good first song and then the rest are fine but pretty boring
Is this on here only because of American Pie?
Feels way longer than it actually is.
Ugh, Americans
Typical saccharine radio folk.
Det er sgu kedeligt Don! Hans stemme lyder som Bob Dylan der virkelig prøver ikke at lyde så nasal uden succes
Super memorable titelnummer som jeg har en forkærlighed for. Intet andet memorable på pladen og jeg synes egentlig ikke Don McLean er særlig charmerende, men to stjerner fordi titelnummeret er mere end 1/4 af pladen
Fin første sang. Vidste ikke hvem der havde håbet originalen... Det gør jeg nu ...
oh no
I found this far too folky and sad for my mood. The album went by so fast I thought I'd accidentally skipped a load of tracks. I didn't hate it but I was not felling it.
Booooooooringggg Every song is very strung out Listen to one song listen to every song Not offensive but also not good 11/10/2023
American pie and Vincent are good, but the other songs kind of just sound like those, especially everybody loves me. Idk it’s definitely pretty good but just doesn’t really do it for me. Reminds me of James Taylor and jimmy buffet, kinda “old white guy on a boat” vibes