Legendary Songs of Don McLean (CD - 2003)

Recorded between 1972 & 2003.

Author: Nat Hentoff.

Photographers: David Gahr; Julie Snow; Scott Newton.

Legendary Songs of Don McLean is basically EMI's repackaging of the 1991 Best of Don McLean with double the tracks. It is a welcome expansion to the collection and serves as a better-defined cross section of McLean's abilities. His beautiful reading of the Hank Williams classic "Your Cheatin' Heart" and the sweet lullaby "Wonderful Baby" sit alongside the flagship "American Pie" and other classics like "Vincent" and "Castles in the Air," quite nicely showcasing what a versatile musician Don McLean really is. The only point where this collection really drags is with a pair of tunes recorded in the early '90s, "Headroom" and "Have You Seen Me," where the production is over the top and too showy to let the songs actually shine. Luckily, these two songs come near the end of the collection, but make the closing cuts -- the unreleased "Just to Hold My Hand" and "Empty Chairs" -- feel lost at sea. Putting these two tracks on the collection was a poor decision on the part of the compilation producers, but the rest of the contents more than make up for this blunder by positioning the lesser-known gems next to the classics in McLean's illustrious career. ~ Gregory McIntosh minimize