大象传媒

Don McLean talks about his timeless classic 1971 album, the career defining 'American Pie'.

Series in which leading performers and songwriters talk about the album that made them or changed them.

Recorded in front of a live audience at the 大象传媒's iconic Maida Vale Studios, each edition includes two episodes - the A-side and B-side.

In the A-side, Don McLean chats to John Wilson.

24-year old Don McLean鈥檚 debut album was rejected by 72 labels before it was released by Mediarts.

It was only because that label was taken over by United Artists that his follow-up received the promotion it deserved.

His second album contained: a tribute to a 19th-century Dutch painter, which was cited as a personal inspiration by the late rapper Tupac Shakur; a song that was re-recorded 32 years later by George Michael in protest against the Iraq War; and an eight-and-a-half-minute single that in 2017 was designated an 鈥渁ural treasure鈥� worthy of preservation as part of America鈥檚 patrimony.鈥�

Producer: Paul Kobrak

First broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio 4 in December 2018.