''Tapestry'' is the debut
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fol ...
singer
Don McLean
Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...
. The album was originally released by
Mediarts Records
Mediarts Records was a small record label founded by former Capitol Records executive Alan W. Livingston and producer Nik Venet.
The label's first release was Dory Previn with ''On My Way To Where'' (1970). Other artists signed on the label were ...
but was re-launched in 1971 by
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
after United Artists' purchase of Mediarts. The album was also reissued in 1981 on
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...
, but without including the song "Three Flights Up".
The title track "Tapestry" was an inspiration for the formation of the
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
environmental movement
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...
. "And I Love You So" is one of McLean's most recorded songs, with versions by artists ranging from
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
in the 1970s and to
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...
nearly 30 years later.
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...
had a huge international hit with the song in 1973.
The album was produced by
Jerry Corbitt
Jerry Corbitt (born Jerry Byron Corbitt; January 7, 1943 – March 8, 2014) was an American guitarist, harmonica player, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member and guitarist of the rock band the Youngbloo ...
of
the Youngbloods
The Youngbloods were an American rock band consisting of Jesse Colin Young (vocals, bass, guitar), Jerry Corbitt (vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Lowell "Banana" Levinger (guitar and electric piano), and Joe Bauer (drums). Despite recei ...
.
[Bob Sarlin - Turn it up!: (I can't hear the words) 1974 - Page 143
Another noteworthy song on this first album is the title tune, "Tapestry," which is perhaps the best statement on preservation of the physical, livable world yet produced by the songpoets. It is succinct and neither pompous nor ... over a period of time. One can see a difference from cut to cut: a growth of expression and a careful refining of technique. The album's most impressive song is "Three Flights Up," and it is one of the most innovative songs of its period. McLean creates a building, ...] The album was recorded at the Sierra Sound Laboratories, 1741 Alcatraz Ave, Berkeley, CA in 1969-70.
Track listing
Chart positions
Personnel
* Don McLean – vocals, lead guitar, banjo
* Richard Turner – guitar, bass guitar
* Peter Childs – dobro, bass guitar
*
Jerry Corbitt
Jerry Corbitt (born Jerry Byron Corbitt; January 7, 1943 – March 8, 2014) was an American guitarist, harmonica player, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as a founding member and guitarist of the rock band the Youngbloo ...
– bass guitar
*
Gregory Dewey, Jeff Meyer – drums
* Scott Lawrence - piano
*
Edward Bogas – piano, string arrangements
;Technical
*Bob DeSousa, Roy Ward - engineer
*Ed Freeman, Tom Flye - mixing
*Norber Jobst – cover design
*Julie Snow - photography
Release history
References
Don McLean albums
1970 debut albums
United Artists Records albums
Mediarts Records albums
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