Don McLean-"American Pie"

Does anyone know where I can purchase commercial (Import) copies of the following DJ edits?

"Wildflower"-Skylark 3:07   (anything Canadian?)
"Reflections of My Life"-Marmalade 3:18 (dozens of British imports-none list times)

finally, "American Pie"-Don McLean 4:21. McLean's own web site mentioned this version might have been released in England in 1991 during his "comeback", but doesnt indicate if the version was pressed for disc or vinyl. Anybody know someone in England reputable who can help? Amazon UK was no help.

Which gets me to my all-time peeve-why EMI continues to release and license Part 1 of the commercial single on various compilation discs. The DJ edit has so much more flow-it SOUNDS like a rock & roll single-hits hard at the beginning and all through the song to the fade. The spoken intro of commerical single part 1 takes up too much time and then the song ends. This commercial single -part 1- was NEVER played at the time by major market AM outlets-the dj edit was played or the full length version late at night. No offense to the purists-the full length LP version is a classic-its just that you hear a certain version as a kid and you want that version. Certinly McLean himself had no input on this, for if he had-he would kill the licensing of the commerical single edit-part 1. It makes no sense.

Anybody who has any pull at EMI Capitol Special Markets that can get the DJ edit released-gracias.

No, the DJ edit included a part in the beginning that was from an alternate take of the song, not the album version.

I've decided to take on a QUEST for the radio edit of "American Pie," a quest matching the scale and majesty of my quest to find Jimmy Dean's "I.O.U." And we all know of my triumph there. (No applause necessary, thank you. If I can bring but a little joy to a person's life, that's all the recognition I require.)

John Halloran, please describe the beginning of the radio edit fully. What is the first line sung? Does it start uptempo?

Finally, I would THINK that the radio edit would probably exist in mono only, no?

Edited by Brian W.

Brian W.

The dj promo starts cold "Bye bye miss American Pie..." much in the same way as if editing out the first verse from the LP, but McLean is singing in a higher key, then it seems to be blended into the LP version with the verse, "Did you write the book of love..."


hope this helps...thanks for trying.

Thanks, Tom.