American Pie – the “lost” liner notes
On October 24, 1971, the American Pie album was released. As I’m sure regular listeners of my radio show All Mixed Up know, I am a huge fan of Don McLean and his music. Some years ago an expanded version of American Pie was released containing two bonus tracks (“Aftermath” and “Mother Nature”) as well as some additional liner notes that weren’t on the original LP when it was released in 1971.
What you may not know is that the CD and cassette versions that were part of that 2001 reissue had different liner notes. The CD was supposed to contain the following, but due to a production change prior to the re-issue of the album, only the cassette version contained these notes.
The CD is still available, but I have never seen the cassette version of the reissue. So with that in mind, here’s what you missed:
In late April 1971, rock promoter Bill Graham announced the closing of his Fillmores – East and West. Eight weeks later, in the middle of the final weekend at the Fillmore East in New York, an eight-minute song was leaked to the city’s two progressive rock stations, WPLJ and WNEW-FM. Filled with references to both pop culture and history, “American Pie” captured the emotions of many who felt that a sacred store indeed was closing. The end of an era? Perhaps. But it was also the start of a meteoric ride to fame for a young singer/songwriter from New Rochelle, New York named Don McLean.
While a virtual cult industry formed around just what all the references meant in “American Pie,” those who bothered to look beyond that song found an album of the same name containing a wealth of artistry from McLean. “Vincent,” his ode to the painter Van Gogh, is simply timeless. And for a man so intensely private when it came to personal matters, “Crossroads,” “Empty Chairs,” and “The Grave” revealed McLean’s innermost thoughts about life, affairs of the heart, and the ongoing war in Vietnam. It was McLean’s ability to look right into not only his own soul, but also the souls of his audience, on record and on stage, that would later inspire the hit single “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
Don McLean and “American Pie” have both matured over the years. When he performs it live these days, there’s the feeling he and his audience see the song more as a celebration of lost youth than a lamentation. I was a 16-year old high school junior struggling to find answers in my life when the American Pie album was released. To be more honest I was trying to figure out what the questions even were! I identified with McLean. His city/country background mirrored my own, giving me the comforting feeling of having found a kindred spirit. Even now, more than 30 years after the release of American Pie, I still experience that sensation listening to these songs. Can music save your mortal soul? The answer lies within this CD. Enjoy.
