Every musician has to make a start somewhere before they release
their masterpiece. It’s rare when an artist hits the bullseye on
their first try – and when they do, they face the inenviable task
of always trying to top their first effort.
Don McLean didn’t hit the bullseye on his first effort,
Tapestry. However, he did create an album that, more often
than not, was entertaining. (He would hit paydirt one album later
with
American Pie.)
McLean quickly proves on the eleven songs contained herein that
he is both a guitarist and a voice that was to be reckoned with.
While I wasn’t particularly fond of the rock bent to the first song
“Castles In The Air,” it does help to establish McLean as a
powerful songwriter and one of the strongest voices in the folk
movement of that time, right up there with John Denver and Jim
Croce.
McLean’s talents come forth stronger on songs like “And I Love
You So,” “Bad Girl,” “Magdalene Lane” and “General Store”. The
gentle intertwining of his vocals with the hum of acoustic guitar
would be the signature of his music for his whole career – and
frankly, it’s not a bad way to be remembered. Songs like “Bad Girl”
are surprisingly moving for such a young artist; don’t be surprised
if you find yourself close to tears on this one.
However, not everything on
Tapestry is a work of art. “Orphans Of Wealth” is a very
preachy song that tends to grate on one’s nerves quickly. One other
number, “Circus Song,” features far too many style changes. This
one could have been an effective number, only McLean made it far
too complicated than it should have been. (I’m not against songs
that challenge the listener, but if you write a song whose goal is
to be complicated in structure, you usually only succeed in being
confusing.)
While a lot of the music on
Tapestry is fairly enjoyable, it is not the masterpiece one
might have expected, especially if you’ve grown up (like I have) on
American Pie. But to ignore this album is also not a good
idea. It does present the seeds of McLean’s greatness, in both his
musical ability and his ability to tell a story through a song
(“General Store”). It is traits like these that made ’70s folk-pop
some of the best music I have ever had the grace of experiencing,
even if I’m experiencing some of it much later in my life. (Gimme a
break; I think I was all of one year old when this one came
out.)
Tapestry is still a pleasurable album to listen to, even
with its flaws, and it does show that McLean was just getting
warmed up for what would be the album that he will always be
remembered for. Unfortunately, in the shuffle of time, albums like
this one have been forgotten – pity.
