DON McCLEAN

American Pie. United Artists, 1971. A 12-inch vinyl test pressing of Don McLean's American Pie album, the record with both paper labels signed by McLean and dated "8-17-71" and with the code "UAS - 5535A" and "UAS - 5535B." The album is housed in its original plain brown sleeve with McLean's handwritten tracklisting of each song title. The album itself is etched with the word "Peace" and also the "UAS-5535A" [and "B"] codes. Vinyl with some surface scratches but reportedly playable, the sleeve with some wear and stray markings commensurate with age and handling. Offered with a new copy of the album featuring the famous cover art.

Provenance: Gift of Don McLean in 1971 to his former sister-in-law and with a letter of provenance (the unredacted letter will be offered to the buyer); also with a letter of provenance from session bassist Rob Stoner, who has offered his recollections of the session and the test pressing (a photo provided by Rob Stoner depicting the session present here is not included in the lot)

A remarkable artifact of the recording of Don McLean's American Pie, one of the most popular and influential songs in music history. Recorded at the Record Plant in Manhattan, McLean surrounded himself with a crack band of session musicians, including Paul Griffin, Rob Stoner, and David Spinozza. The album was recorded in the summer of 1971, with test pressings going to McLean and United Artists in August before its October release. Rob Stoner, credited on American Pie as Bob Rothstein, describes meeting McLean at his house to listen to this test pressing of American Pie. In that room, at that moment, the two men must have known they'd struck gold. Around this time, the copy of the test pressing given to McLean for review was gifted to his then sister-in-law. This was before the fame that came with the album, transitioning a song into a national treasure. Just one example among many: the song "American Pie" hit the Billboard 100 chart in 1972 and set a record for the longest song to hold the top position for nearly 50 years. Said McLean, "There is something to be said for a great song that has staying power."

Critics and fans alike raved about the album's title track, which documents a uniquely American form of innocence lost. American Pie is a triple-platinum album and has gone down as a cultural touchstone, covered, parodied, analyzed, and referenced for decades. Take it from Lester Bangs, writing about American Pie for Rolling Stone in 1972: "If you've ever cried because of a rock & roll band or album, or lain awake nights wondering or sat up talking through the dawn about Our Music and what it all means and where it's all going and why, if you've ever kicked off your shoes to dance or wished you had the chance, if you ever believed in Rock & Roll, you've got to have this album."

Special thanks to Rob Stoner for his assistance in cataloging this lot.